Principles of Marketing Calvin Klein Case Study

Introduction Calvin Klein is an American fashion brand. Considering the modern situation at the market, it should be concluded that advertising plays crucial part in the competition. Product promotion is really important as it leads to the increase in sales and profit.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Principles of Marketing: Calvin Klein specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To understand the main principles of marketing Calvin Klein uses, it is important to check the three levels of product concept, to identify the most important factors in the brand expansion, and select the adoption level the brand meets with the explanation of the choice on the basis of the specific case study called The Rise of Calvin Klein (Chong and Diga). Marketing Principles of Calvin Klein Three levels of product concept Three layers of product exist in the marking which allow the company expand, such as core product, actual product, an d augmented product (Solomon, Marshall, Stuart 233). The core product is considered to be the benefit a specific product is aimed at. Calvin Klein’s core product is cloths it provides it consumers with. People buy this product to meet the demands of the society to be dressed and protected. An actual product layer has deeper consideration of the human interests and is directed at style, brand, appearance, etc. People have different tastes and they choose some cloths according to their personal desires and wishes. The use of ads underlines this specific layer of products as it shows people the specifics of each model and has different audience. The third layer concept is augmented product which is directed at the specific offers and opportunities the company can offer, like company stores, online catalogues, etc. It should be mentioned that Calvin Klein is the company with long history and it has some specific offers at each level of product concept. The Most Important Factor i n the Brand Expansion Considering the specifics of the brand expansion, the company has tried to create something different, an ad which could remain in human mind. The company referred to the provocative advertising campaign to stress that customers should want this specific product. It should be noted that no one predicted the success of this campaign, but this is considered to be the central factor of positive reaction. People noticed the ad and remembered it, no matter that their first reaction was negative and repulsive. The Adoption Level the Brand Meets Considering the adoption level of the innovation produced by Calvin Klein, it is possible to notice that the final, confirmation level is met. The Calvin Klein brand has achieved its highest level of recognition at the market.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When a new product appears, many people buy it just beca use it is Calvin Klein. One of the main dangers of this stage of adoption as that there is nothing to reach, it is the final stage. When people lose interest in this kind of product, the company should use additional means of regulation, like presentation, communication, etc. Conclusion Thus, it may be concluded that Calvin Klein remains one of the leading fashion brands in the world due to the correct use of marketing principles. The implementation of the new products should come through some specific stages and the further work should also be based on the specific principles which allow this product remain in demand. It guarantees sales and recognition in the world. Works Cited Chong and Diga. â€Å"The Rise of Calvin Klein.† Marketing 3000. 10 March 2011. Print. Solomon, Michael R., Marshall, Greg W., and Stuart, Elnora W. Marketing: Real People Real Choices. 6th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print. This assessment on Principles of Marketing: Calvin Klein was written and submitted by user Aqueduct to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission

SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission The well known and widely scorned court case Citizens United has been credited with paving the way for the creation of super PACs, the hybrid political groups  that are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations and unions  to influence American elections. But there would be no super PACs without a lesser known, companion court challenge to Federal Election Commission fundraising laws,  SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission. The nonprofit political group, organized under Internal Revenue Service Section 527, is just as instrumental in the creation of super PACs as Citizens United.   Summary of SpeechNow.org v. FEC SpeechNow.org sued the FEC in February 2008 claiming the $5,000  federal limit  on how much individuals can give to a political committee such as its own, which therefore limited how much it could spend supporting candidates,  represented a violation of the Constitutions First Amendment guarantee to freedom of speech.   In May of 2010, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of SpeechNow.org, meaning the FEC could not longer enforce the contribution limits to independent groups.   Argument in Support of SpeechNow.org The Institute for Justice and the Center for Competitive Politics, which represented  SpeechNow.org, argued that the fundraising limits were a violation of free speech, but also that the FECs rules requiring it and similar groups to  organize, register, and report as a â€Å"political committee† in order to advocate for or against candidates was too burdensome. That means that while Bill Gates one his own could spend as much of his money as he wanted on political speech, he could contribute only $ 5,000 to a similar group effort.  But since the First Amendment guarantees individuals the right to speak without limit, it should be common sense that groups of individuals have the same rights.  It turns out that these limits and red tape made it virtually impossible for new independent citizen groups to raise start-up funding and effectively reach voters.   Argument Against SpeechNow.org The governments argument against SpeechNow.org was that allowing contributions of more than $5,000 from individuals  could â€Å"lead to preferential access for donors and undue influence over officeholders.† The government was taking the tack that its ruled are designed to prevent corruption. The court rejected that argument, though, in the wake of the January 2010 decision in Citizens United, writing:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Whatever the merits of those arguments before  Citizens United, they plainly have no merit after  Citizens United†¦.Contributions to groups that make only independent expenditures cannot corrupt or create the appearance of corruption.† Difference Between SpeechNow.org and Citizens United Cases Though the two cases are similar and deal with independent  expenditure-only committees, the SpeechNow court challenge focus on federal  fundraising caps. Citizen United successfully challenged the  spending limit on corporations,  unions, and  associations. In other words, SpeechNow focused on raising money and Citizens United focused on spending money to influence elections. Impact of  SpeechNow.org v. FEC The  U.S. District Court for the District of Columbias ruling the case, combined with the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Citizens United, together paved the way for the creation of super PACs. Writes Lyle Denniston on SCOTUSblog: While the  Citizens United  decision dealt with the spending side of federal campaign finance, theSpeechNow  case was on the other side - raising funds. Thus, as a result of the two decisions put together, independent advocacy groups can raise as much and spend as much as they can and wish to do to support or oppose candidates for federal office.   What is SpeechNow.org? According to SCOTUSblog, SpeechNow was created specifically to spend money advocating for the election or defeat of federal political candidates. It was  founded  by  David Keating, who at the time headed the conservative, anti-tax  group  Club for Growth.

Hire a Copywriter and Learn How to Be a Good Manager for Your Future

Hire a Copywriter and Learn How to Be a Good Manager for Your Future Hire a Copywriter and Learn How to Be a Good Manager for Your Future College is full of experiences and opportunities to learn, but the lessons and knowledge gained from first hand experience applies most readily to real life situations you will encounter in the future. When you enter the workforce you may find that your degree will get your foot in the door, but once you are there, your experiences from real life, and the on the job training you receive will be your true teachers. In you professional career, degrees won’t matter as much as results will and showing your employers your degree will mean very little when compared to showing them your performance. Experience Counts One way students can gain real life experience with a wide range of applications, is by managing employees or managing projects. Most college students quickly learn that college is full of projects, but few see those projects and papers as opportunity to gain management skills. But this is precisely what they are, and those students who take on the task with a mindset to learn management will gain the most from these experiences. Many college students understandably view projects and papers as a means to learn more about the subject matter they are studying in or majoring in. But if the student can see these as an opportunity to learn management skills, they will optimize their learning. A team project in college may take people management skills, leadership skills, as a team needs a leader to run well, presentation skills, if the team must present, writing skills for material handed in or presented, technical skills and more. These skills are above and beyond the subject matter being learned by he student. Skills Gained from Paper Writing If a student has an important paper due, this can be viewed as a project during which a great deal of management experience can be gained. You may improve time management and organizational skills as well. Skills Gained by Managing a Freelancer for Your Project One skill you may not have thought of is the management experience you can gain by hiring a freelancer to assist with your paper. Managing a freelancer requires communication skills, as you must convey your vision of the paper to them, insure they understand the vision, and communicate expectations for deadline, writing style, subject and other details. Hiring a freelancer is similar to having a remote, temporary employee. Since they are working for you, you must direct their activities as it relates to your paper or project. You must manage time to ensure deadlines for the paper are being met, so it will be finished by the due date. You must review content and give feedback when necessary. One of the greatest management skills one can obtain is the ability to motivate their employees and give feedback in such a way that they get the performance they need. If you have positive feedback for an employee you should give that to them, and if possible, give the praise publicly. This is extremely motivating and will help you as a manager to continue getting the performance you need. If you have negative feedback, or perhaps have something that needs to be changed, you of course need to give that feedback. The way you give the feedback is very important: it must be done tactfully, clarifying expectations, and if necessary, taking responsibility for unclear communication with the employee. Clearly, you are attending university to be educated on the subject matter of your chosen major, but don’t miss out on all of the periphery experience to be attained there. At our company you can hire an academic expert for writing a custom paper of any complexity, in more than 50 disciplines.

You are tasked with analyzing the last four years of accounts of a Essay

You are tasked with analyzing the last four years of accounts of a global mining company - Essay Example Graph 1 shows the company’s liquidity ratios over the four-year period. All the point ratios are less than one, and this means that performance of the company in management of short-term assets and liabilities is poor. In addition, current ratio and quick ratio have a declining trend, and this means that the organization’s management of liquidity worsened over the period. The two ratios, however improved from year 1 to year 2 before assuming the decreasing trend. Cash ratio reported an increasing trend but it was too low, with a maximum value of only 0.15. Correlation analysis of the ratios identifies a positive correlation between current ratio and quick ratio and a negative correlation between cash ratio and both current and quick ratio. Table 1 shows the correlation coefficients. Long-term solvency ratios are indicators of management’s efficiency in long-term management of resources. The ratios compare internal and external funding that an organization has and are inversely proportional to management efficiency (Thukaram 2007, p. 90). Times interest earned ration and cash coverage ratios are however inversely proportional to management efficiency (Mayes & Shank 2011, p. 118). From the graph, total debt ratio is low, over the entire period, and debt to equity ratio and equity multiplier ratio falls to lower values by year 1. The three ratios then decreases with time, indicating improved performance, which can be forecasted. Times-interest ratio and cash coverage ratio also show an improvement trend in performance because of their increasing trends over the period. Performance in management of long-term solvency is therefore strong and show improvement possibility. Asset turnover is another performance indicator that shows asset utilization in an organization. Inventory turnover, receivable turnover, and total asset turnover measures are directly proportional to management efficiency while days of realization and capital intensity are inversely

Great Depression in West Chester, PA Research Paper

Great Depression in West Chester, PA - Research Paper Example West Chester, PA1 is the village which had been ravaged by the Great Depression. The Great Depression took place in October 1929. The depression was triggered by the stock market crash. The crash was the offshoot of the social protest movements. The people had a growing sense that the government should step into the economic debacle. The people wanted the government, especially in Chicago, to directly give a positive impact on the ordinary citizen’s lives. The hardest hit community was Chicago. More than 50 percent of the 1929 Chicago factory workers had been retrenched due to the onslaught of the Great Depression. Chicago imposed taxes on its residents in 1928. In response, the citizens staged a strike. The strikes forced the Chicago government into bankruptcy because it could not collect the taxes needed to pay the government’s daily operating expenses that include government employee payroll. The 1929 Great Depression2 did not significantly reduce customer revenue in West Chester, P.A. On the other hand, the sales of movie theatre tickets increased during the difficult years. The West Chester movie scene indicates a stark difference between from the movie theaters in other parts of the United States. Specifically, the movie sales of theaters in other parts had declined to unprecedented levels. The secret of West Chester’s movie theater revenue increase is innovation. ... On the other hand, most of the movie theaters in many parts of the United States did not include a sound system. The movies were soundless. Popular movies during the soundless movie era included the many movies of Charlie Chaplin, a comedian. In terms of the movie theater industry, West Chester, PA profitably continued its sound-engineered movie theater programs. In addition, Robert Himmelberg (3) emphasized â€Å"unforeseen and unexpected, inexplicable and inexorable, the Great Depression was a traumatic experience for many of the men and women of the 1930s and exercised a profound influence on the generation that lived through it. In its duration and magnitude, it was infinitely more severe than any other episode of â€Å"hard times† in American national life and was unquestionably the dominant force molding the nation’s history during the long decade reaching from mid-1929 through 1940†. The Great Depression had established great hardship and economic difficul ties to a majority of the Americans, especially in West Chester. The 1929 Great Depression also produced a political and social environment that was ripe for a major negative transformation rippling across the entire range of economic, political, and social institutions and policies of the United States government. The 1929 Great Depression had created a strong impact on people’s everyday lives, especially in West Chester, PA. Many had suffered from economic hardship and insecurity. The majority of Americans escaped actual retrenchment from their current jobs or disappearance of their farm or home. However, the people’s faces shaped by the 1929 Great Depression in a significantly unfavorable manner because they had lived in an insurmountable fear that the 1929 Great Depression can easily swallow

Strategy Formulation Essay Example for Free

Strategy Formulation Essay Basic strategic planning is comprised of several components that build upon the previous piece of the plan, and operates much like a flow chart. However, prior to embarking on this process, it is important to consider the players involved. There must be a commitment from the highest office in the organizational hierarchy. Without buy-in from the head of a company, it is unlikely that other members will be supportive in the planning and eventual implementation process, thereby dooming the plan before it ever takes shape. Commitment and support of the strategic-planning initiative must spread from the president and/or CEO all the way down through the ranks to the line worker on the factory floor. Just as importantly, the strategic-planning team should be composed of top-level managers who are capable of representing the interests, concerns, and opinions of all members of the organization. As well, organizational theory dictates that there should be no more than twelve members of the team. This allows group dynamics to function at their optimal level. The components of the strategic-planning process read much like a laundry list, with one exception: each piece of the process must be kept in its sequential order since each part builds upon the previous one. This is where the similarity to a flow chart is most evident, as can be seen in the following illustration. The only exceptions to this are environmental scanning and continuous implementation, which are continuous processes throughout. This article will now focus on the discussion of each component of the formulation process: environmental scanning, continuous implementation, values assessment, vision and mission formulation, strategy design, performance audit analysis, gap analysis, action-plan development, contingency planning, and final implementation. After that, this article will discuss a Japanese variation to Strategy Formulation, Hoshin Planning, which has become very popular. ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING This element of strategy formulation is one of the two continuous processes. Consistently scanning its surroundings serves the distinct purpose of allowing a company to survey a variety of constituents that affect its performance, and which are necessary in order to conduct subsequent pieces of the planning process. There are several specific areas that should be considered, including the overall environment, the specific industry itself, competition, and the internal environment of the firm. The resulting consequence of regular inspection of the environment is that an organization readily notes changes and is able to adapt its strategy accordingly. This leads to the development of a real advantage in the form of accurate responses to internal Figure 1 Strategic Planning Process   and external stimuli so as to keep pace with the competition. CONTINUOUS IMPLEMENTATION The idea behind this continual process is that each step of the planning process requires some degree of implementation before the next stage can begin. This naturally dictates that all implementation cannot be postponed until completion of the plan, but must be initiated along the way. Implementation procedures specific to each phase of planning must be completed during that phase in order for the next stage to be started. VALUES ASSESSMENT All business decisions are fundamentally based on some set of values, whether they are personal or organizational values. The implication here is that since the strategic plan is to be used as a guide for daily decision making, the plan itself should be aligned with those personal and organizational values. To delve even further, a values assessment should include an in-depth analysis of several elements: personal values, organizational values, operating philosophy, organization culture, and stakeholders. This allows the planning team to take a macro look at the organization and how it functions as a whole. Strategic planning that does not integrate a values assessment into the process is sure to encounter severe implementation and functionality problems if not outright failure. Briefly put, form follows function; the form of the strategic plan must follow the functionality of the organization, which is a direct result of organizational values and culture. If any party feels that his or her values have been neglected, he or she will not adopt the plan into daily work procedures and the benefits will not be obtained. VISION AND MISSION FORMULATION This step of the planning process is critical in that is serves as the foundation upon which the remainder of the plan is built. A vision is a statement that identifies where an organization wants to be at some point in the future. It functions to provide a company with directionality, stress management, justification and quantification of resources, enhancement of professional growth, motivation, standards, and succession planning. Porrus and Collins (1996) point out that a well-conceived vision consists of two major components: a core ideology and the envisioned future. A core ideology is the enduring character of an organization; it provides the glue that holds an organization together. It itself is composed of core values and a core purpose. The core purpose is the organizations entire reason for being. The envisioned future involves a conception of the organization at a specified future date inclusive of its aspirations and ambitions. It includes the BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal), which a company typically reaches only 50 to 70 percent of the time. This envisioned future gives vividly describes specific goals for the organization to reach. The strategic results of a well formulated vision include the survival of the organization, the focus on productive effort, vitality through the alignment of the individual employees and the organization as a whole, and, finally, success. Once an agreed-upon vision is implemented, it is time to move on to the creation of a mission statement. An explicit mission statement ensures the unanimity of purpose, provides the basis for resource allocation, guides organizational climate and culture, establishes organizational boundaries, facilitates accountability, and facilitates control of cost, time, and performance. When formulating a mission statement, it is vital that it specifies six specific elements, including the basic product or service, employee orientation, primary market(s), customer orientation, principle technologies, and standards of quality. With all of these elements incorporated, a mission statement should still remain short and memorable. For example, the mission statement of the American Red Cross, reads: The mission of the American Red Cross is to improve the quality of human life; to enhance self-reliance and concern for others; and to help people avoid, prepare for, and cope with emergencies. Other functions of a mission statement include setting the bounds for development of company philosophy, values, aspirations, and priorities (policy); establishing a positive public image; justifying business operations; and providing a corporate identity for internal and external stakeholders. STRATEGY DESIGN This section of strategy formulation involves the preliminary layout of the detailed paths by which the company plans to fulfill its mission and vision. This step involves four major elements: identification of the major lines of business (LOBs), establishment of critical success indicators (CSIs), identification of strategic thrusts to pursue, and the determination of the necessary culture. A line of business is an activity that produces either dramatically different products or services or that are geared towards very different markets. When considering the addition of a new line of business, it should be based on existing core competencies of the organization, its potential contribution to the bottom line, and its fit with the firms value system. The establishment of critical success factors must be completed for the organization as a whole as well as for each line of business. A critical success indicator is a gauge by which to measure the progress toward achieving the companys m ission. In order to serve as a motivational tool, critical success indicators must be accompanied by a target year (i.e. 1999, 1999–2002, etc.). This also allows for easy tracking of the indicated targets. These indicators are typically a mixture of financial figures and ratios (i.e. return on investment, return on equity, profit margins, etc.) and softer indicators such as customer loyalty, employee retention/turnover, and so on. Strategic thrusts are the most well-known methods for accomplishing the mission of an organization. Generally speaking, there are a handful of commonly used strategic thrusts, which have been so aptly named grand strategies. They include the concentration on existing products or services; market/product development; concentration on innovation/technology; vertical/horizontal integration; the development of joint ventures; diversification; retrenchment/turnaround (usually through cost reduction); and divestment/liquidation (known as the final solution). Finally, in designing strategy, it is necessary to determine the necessary culture with which to support the achievement of the lines of business, cr itical success indicators, and strategic thrusts. Harrison and Stokes (1992) defined four major types of organizational cultures: power orientation, role orientation, achievement orientation, and support orientation. Power orientation is based on the inequality of access to resources, and leadership is based on strength from those individuals who control the organization from the top. Role orientation carefully defines the roles and duties of each member of the organization; it is a bureaucracy. The achievement orientation aligns people with a common vision or purpose. It uses the mission to attract and release the personal energy of organizational members in the pursuit of common goals. With a support orientation, the organizational climate is based on mutual trust between the individual and the organization. More emphasis is placed on people being valued more as human beings rather than employees. Typically an organization will choose some mixture of these or other predefined culture roles that it feels is suitable in helping it to achieve is mission and the other components of strategy design. PERFORMANCE AUDIT ANALYSIS Conducting a performance audit allows the organization to take inventory of what its current state is. The main idea of this stage of planning is to take an in-depth look at the companys internal strengths and weaknesses and its external opportunities and threats. This is commonly called a SWOT analysis. Developing a clear understanding of resource strengths and weaknesses, an organizations best opportunities, and its external threats allows the planning team to draw conclusions about how to best allocate resources in light of the firms internal and external situation. This also produces strategic thinking about how to best strengthen the organizations resource base for the future. Looking internally, there are several key areas that must be analyzed and addressed. This includes identifying the status of each existing line of business and unused resources for prospective additions; identifying the status of current tracking systems; defining the organizations strategic profile; listing the available resources for implementing the strategic thrusts that have been selected for achieving the newly defined mission; and an examining the current organizational culture. The external investigation should look closely at competitors, suppliers, markets and customers, economic trends, labor-market conditions, and governmental regulations. In conducting this query, the information gained and used must reflect a current state of affairs as well as directions for the future. The result of a performance audit should be the establishment of a performance gap, that is, the resultant gap between the current performance of the organization in relation to its performance targets. To close this gap, the planning team must conduct what is known as a gap analysis, the next step in the strategic planning process. GAP ANALYSIS A gap analysis is a simple tool by which the planning team can identify methods with which to close the identified performance gap(s). All too often, however, planning teams make the mistake of making this step much more difficult than need be. Simply, the planning team must look at the current state of affairs and the desired future state. The first question that must be addressed is whether or not the gap can feasibly be closed. If so, there are two simple questions to answer: What are we doing now that we need to stop doing? and What do we need to do that we are not doing? In answering these questions and reallocating resources from activities to be ceased to activities to be started, the performance gap is closed. If there is doubt that the initial gap cannot be closed, then the feasibility of the desired future state must be reassessed. Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Building Your Companys Vision. Harvard Business Review, September-October 1996, 65–90. Goldstein, Leonard D., Timothy M. Nolan, and J. William Pfeiffer. Applied Strategic Planning: How to Develop a Plan that Really Works. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993. Harrison, Roger, and Herb Stokes. Diagnosing Organizational Culture. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 1992. King, Bob. Hoshin Planning: the Developmental Approach. Methuen, MA: GOAL/QPC, 1989. Mellum, Mara Minerva, and Casey Collett. Breakthrough Leadership: Achieving Organizational Alignment through Hoshin Planning. Chicago: American Hospital Publishers, Inc., 1995.

The Theme of Racial Intolerance in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

It is commonly argued that ‘Heart of Darkness’ is nothing more than a racial tirade from a misinformed Englishman. Although Conrad is not misinformed and has no intention of fronting a racist point of view, when the treatment of Africans in the text is closely examined, the theme of racism is presented so deliberately all other themes merely fade into the background. Conrad’s evocation of the African environment and population preaches racial intolerance and creates a stark contrast between the life of Europeans and Africans. The constant slandering of the African population as â€Å"niggers† and â€Å"cannibals† and â€Å"savages† and the referral to the continent as an immense â€Å"Heart of Darkness† are the base examples of this racial intolerance. But despite this racist viewpoint, Conrad is merely conveying the language and prevailing attitude of the day; that Africa is considered as subordinate to Western civilization. However, Marlow’s observation of the Indigenous population of Africa develops on the idea of racial intolerance. The dancing Africans on the riverbank yield the first example of t...

Geography Reflection

This project was challenging from the beginning. We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them.Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly. If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the p resentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation.However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning. We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper.Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly. If I were to re-do the project I w ould have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end.I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning. We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions.I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly. If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went.We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning. We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around.Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’ t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had t heir own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of th e paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper . Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however w e did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. How ever I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sou rces and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper s hould go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to s tructure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the o ther members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help and we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited o ur work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper. This project was challenging from the beginning.We had difficulty identifying what we were going to center our project around. Once we got going however we did get a lot of productive work done. I didn’t contribute a large direct contribution to the paper, but I did the introduction and conclusion portions. I also worked closely with Yibo and Bobby to structure their arguments in their portions of the paper. Bobby found my assistance very helpful and him and I constantly worked on revising portions of the paper as we were writing them. Yibo asked for help a nd we gave him help as well as outlined how his paper should go, but he was unable to structure his part of the paper accordingly.If I were to re-do the project I would have liked to work more closely with Yibo on his part of the paper, and ensured we all cited our work as we went. We got mixed up in a few of our sources and it was a headache to fit them at the end, but we were able to crunch it out at the end. I felt the presentation fell upon my lap for the most part and I would have liked more contributions from the other members as far as setting up the presentation. However I was very grateful that each of the members had their own knowledge about their sections of the paper.

Learning and Development Essay

Strategic activities in organization or at work places are approaches to human resource management that provide a framework to support long term business goals and outcomes, these approaches vary in relation to the business activities itself. Schwab (1980) noted that the growing body of strategic research can be seen in two interrelated ways which are the substantive and measurement streams. The substantive stream refers to studies which emphasizes on the physiology or character of a theoretical relationship between independent and dependent variables while the measurement stream focuses on the outcome of the correlation between the underlying theoretical concept and operationalization itself (Venkatraman and Grant 1986). This academic article tries to look at more of the measurement stream in relation to training, learning and development based on previous academic articles and my own general understanding of how truly these strategic these concepts are or not. Learning training and development are human resource development activities and over time, two factors have influenced these concepts towards being part of the evolutional role of the formulating business strategy which are the centrality of information technology to business success and the sustainable competitive advantage offered by work force expertise (Swanson and Terraco 1995) Critical business issues from new marketing strategies to innovations in production technology are based on, among other factors, the performance capabilities of those expected to use these new work systems, this means that employee expertise itself has been expanded through effective programs of employee development. Therefore activities of human resource development in the work place such as learning training and development have truly been strategic by maintaining the pace with the increasingly sophisticated information and production technologies that continue to diffuse throughout vital industries of the world (swanson and terraco1994). The conceptualization of strategic human resource management as a management system which matches business concerns with human resource activities (Beer et al 1984;miles and snow 1984) have been referred to as a high performance work system(HPWS)(Bercker et al 1196) which is characterized by provision of employee development and training activities in with the business strategy(Aurthur 1994: Huselid 1995; Jackson and Schuler 1995;MacDuffie 1995) for example,selction, development and rewards involves the internal combination of procedures across the hr function. This shows the degree of emphases placed on the link between human resource activities and business need in relation to strategy (Baird and Meshoulam 1988; Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall 1988; Fisher 1989; Boxall 1992; Mabey and Iles 1993; Schuler 1992).  Successful internal integration of HR activities results in organizational benefits (Becker et al. 1996). This essay of mine attempts to show the link among learning train ing and development as a strategy to organization. Learning and development as an approach of strategy stands for how an organization make sure that the present and future learning and development activities support the achievements of its goals by improving skills and capabilities of individuals and teams.. it should be business directed, this means that it should be designed to help the attainment of business goals by promoting human capital management(Armstrong 2009). Learning can be defined as a means by which a person acquire and develop new knowledge, skills, capabilities, behaviors and attitudes† Armstrong 2011 pg 664. Honey and Mumford noted explained learning happens when people show that they know they didn’t prior to the time they are now. The enhancement of capabilities previously had which leads to skills, knowledge and attitudes through a continual process that tends to prepare people for more responsibities in the future is the act of learning. Estherby-smith et al (2000) agreed to the fact that there is a debate whether learning should be defined as change in cognition or behaviors, thus showing that researchers would agree with defining learning as a change in organizations knowledge and is a fuction of experience. Learning and development as a strategy is concerned with creating a learning culture that will encourage learning and will provide a basis for planning and implementing learning activities and programmes(Armstrong 2011) this means that for an organization to use the concept of learning as a strategy is has to imbibe the learning culture which is one that learning that is practiced from top management, line managers and employees generally as an essential way of doing things in the firm which they commit to and continuously done. A learning organization was deined by senge(1990) as one where people learn together, where collective aspiration is set free, where there is nuturinng of expansive pattern of thinking and they continuously enlarge their capabilities to create outcomes they truly desire. I have previously mentioned development with learning because both of the them are related when one think about it generally but would like to define it now in the next paragraph. i would be explaining learning and developments together as being strategic. Development can be defined as concerned withensuring that a perons ability and potential are grown and raised in the process of learning experiences or through self directed learning. Development is the end product of true learning which can be seen through changes in outcome of pre and post learning activities i. e the change from the present state of understanding and capabilitiy to a new and higher level of knowledge, skills and abilities. These processes of learning and developments wouldnot take place not to now talk of being strategic without individuals in the organization, this means that individual members are the organism through which organizational learning and development take place. The knowledge embedded in that or those individuals have to be reposited to other people in the firm to gain competitive advantage which is the whole reason for the strategy in itself which are affected by the following factors explained by Argote(2011). Firstly, the experience of the organization affects the organizational learning,this done not by characterizing experience at a gross level , but taking a fine grained approach to describing or noting its elements along with various dimensions( Argote et al 2002). the purpose of taking this approach is to be be able to tell when experience is positive or negative in relation to the processes and outcomes in order to be able to explain relationships amongst the types of experience and to design the learning experience in order to be strategic about the learning. Secondly is the process of organizational learning itself, which is conceived as having three processes: creating, retaining and transferring knowledge. Not much research has been done on creation unlike knowledge retention and transfer. Empirical research over at least the last twenty years that there would be significant difference innovative capabilities of a firm and its knowledge through it transfers within the firm (easterby et all 2008) this is key to the success of the ensuring of the strategy of the firm. This depends on characteristics of the individual that has the knowledge, recipient, attributes of the knowledge and the knowledge transfer process itself as an mportant factor to developing learning capabilities which lead to competitive advantage of the firm (Grant 1996) Another factor is the that could lad to learning being a succes is thr stratetic management it self,peopke whoput these learning and development strategy into place itself. Dynamic capabilities which is an example of strategic management are impotant concepts in relation to organisational learning and its sub process. ‘a greater understanding of how dynamic capabilities develop through organizational learning is needed† Argate 2011 pg Contextuality is also another factor that affects learning which is characterized by the situation and envitonment in which the company finds it self. Oragnisational learniong can do well in an environment which its stability varies with time or turbulent (herdberg 981) little inducement of learning occurs in an environment that’s stable while in a too turbulent environment, the organisation would not be able to interpret environmental responses(bierly and hamalainen 1995) if care is not taken,learning under ambiguity may occur which march and olsen 1975 defined as a situation where the environment is unanalysable and the learning cyle still continues and percieved as an interpretation or meaning. â€Å" Knowledge capabilities are at the heart of the effectiveness of organizations. Since the market and competitive environment of all companies is rapidly changing, the value of existing capabilities will quickly decay, resulting in a lack of competitiveness. It is imperative for organizations to focus on developing their knowledge capabilities on an ongoing basis, or they will face extinction. Organizational development must be centered on the continual enhancement of knowledge capabilities, as the foundation of organizational effectiveness in all fields† Dawson 2000. Armstrong(2009) identified the following elements needed for learning and development to be really strategic and they go follows: it should make a major contribution to the successful attainment of the organizations objective and investments: it should be integrated with and support the achievement of business and human resource strategies: it should be designed un such a way that it would achieve improvement in corporate functional and maximum development in skills and knowledge of people in the organization; equal opportunity for everyone in the organization to develop their skills and knowledge while attaining personal development through the framework of individual and self directed learning but still maintain the primary knowledge of knowing that this is dependent on the employee themselves who be guided and supported by their manager as necessary with the members of the hr department.

Louisiana essays

Louisiana essays Louisiana, known as a hunter and fishermans paradise, has been part of the Union since 1812. The land was part of the Louisiana Purchase bought from Napoleon for 15,000,000 dollars in 1812. It was named after Louis XIV. The capital was originally New Orleans, but was changed in 1849 to Baton Rouge. In 1861 Louisiana seceded from the Union and soon joined the Confederacy. In 1867 Louisiana was re-admitted to the Union. In 1869, sulfur is first produced in the United States. In 1838, the first Mardi Gras parade was held in New Orleans and in 1837 the town of Shreveport was founded. The new capital was completed in Baton Rouge in the year 1932. Huey P. Long was assassinated in the state capital in 1935. In 1973, a team of surgeons performed Louisianas first heart transplant. Two years later in 1975, the Superdome in New Orleans was completed at a total cost of 163,313,315 dollars. Louisiana was the eighteenth state to join the Union. Along with many different dates, there are also many emblems of Louisiana. The Louisiana bird would be known as the Brown Pelican. The state tree is the Cypress Tree. The state dog is known as the Catahula Leopard Dog. Our state flower is the Magnolia and was adopted in the 1900s. Louisianas highest point is Driskill Mountain at a height of 535 feet above sea level. New Orleans is the lowest point and is 5 feet below sea level. Our largest lake is half the size of Rhode Island. New Orleans is also our largest city. In 1800, Louisiana wasnt part of the United States. Louisiana covers 47,752 square miles and is somewhat larger than New York. It ranks 31st in land size among other states in the United States of America. It might not be the same in a few years because the land area is constantly changing due to land erosion along the coast. It erodes at a rate of 16 square miles per year. ...

Hard High School How It Affects Your College Chances

Hard High School How It Affects Your College Chances SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Attending a tough high school can certainly affect some of your performance statistics. It's natural to wonder whether these shifts in your numbers are going to affect your chances of college admission. In this article, we cover what colleges are really concerned with when they look at your record, and we explain why you don't need to be worried if your high school is especially hard. What Is a "Hard" High School? There are a few reasons a high school might be considered "hard." Usually, it's because the school iscompetitive within the student body; there are a lot of students taking the really tough classes and doing well in them. Grading policy is also a consideration.Hard schools are slow to give out A's, whereas others practically chuck them at any student in sight. Size can also impact how hard a high school appears to be. At a large and competitive school, it's hard to get a top class rank- you're competing against a lot of other people. At a small and competitive school, it's hard to get a good percentile ranking because a slight difference in rank can translate to a relatively large percentile discrepancy. A hard high school is one where students who would otherwise get top grades and top ranking have a hard time doing so, either because the grading is so tough or because their peers are so competitive. What Colleges Look At Many students worrythat the relatively lackluster grades or ranking they achieve at a hard school may seem unimpressive to colleges. Basically, they're afraid they won't look smart. They think they won't be able to get into their desired college(s) because they didn't a perfect GPA and graduate as valedictorian. As it turns out, colleges, especially the more selective ones, do their best to view youwithin the context of yourhigh school environment. When colleges receive your transcript, they also receive a brief "school profile"whichsummarizes the school in terms of courses offered, the grading scale, average grades and tests scores, and the class size. Admissions officers will see that your school has tough grading policies and that an imperfect GPA doesn't imply a lack of understanding in your courses. Colleges are looking to see whether you sought out the most rigorous courses available to you and whether you excelled in them. Also, remembercolleges are looking for the whole package. Grades are a huge part of it, but they're also looking at test scores, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. Colleges won't assign (or dock) you points based on how difficult your high school is- they'll do their best to be fair to students from all backgrounds. There areplenty of factors to weigh when it comes to college admissions. Ways to Boost Your Application You're essentially trying to stand out by means of some skill or accomplishment. Commitment to extracurricular endeavors is a great place to start. Quality trumps quantity here; it's better to be deeply involved in a few select activities than barely involved in a whole bunch. Stellar application essaysalso score major points. Spend serious time on your personalstatement, and get help revising and editing it. Make sure it has a balance of the personal and professional- this isn't a scholarly essay for an academic journal, but it's not a diary entry, either. Awesome letters of recommendation make a great impression. Choose your recommendation writerscarefully. It's alright to remind them of your accomplishments- describe the points you'd definitely like them to include. Impeccable test scores catch the eye. Standardized tests are a convenient place to shine. Invest your time and energy in preparing for the SAT and/or ACT ahead of time. The Final Word You don't need to worry about a college looking down on you because of your hard high school. The most selective colleges spend extra time looking at the context of your numbers, and the less selective schools are, well, less selective. The best you can do is perform your best at the high school you attend. Take the hardest classes you can actually manage, and don't worry overmuch about how the resulting grades will look. If it so happens that you don't get into the college you'd hoped for, remember there are multiple reasons why things may not have lined up; it's almost certainly not a matter of the hard high school you attended, but just the fallout of an extremely- and often unjustly- selective system. What's Next? Are you getting started on the college application process? Pay attention to the important deadlines listed in our article on that topic. If you're wondering what kind of application you ought to submit, read what our experts have to say about that very issue. Also check out this inspirational guideto how one student was successfully admitted to Harvard. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Critical review of research artical Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical review of research artical - Article Example Special efforts were taken by the research team to obtain data from the business sector exclusively. Problem or objective: Employee misconduct is a serious issue in any organizational setting. The objective of the study was to throw light on the relation between the use of tactics and employee misconduct in the organizational setting or environment. The paper seeks to explore how belt-tightening tactics such as â€Å"adjusted work schedules, layoffs, reductions in compensation and/or benefits, hiring freezes, early buyouts, production slowdowns, and plant closures† have contributed to increased misconduct among the employees (Research Brief from the 2009 NBES, 2010, p. 1). Literature review: The study does not heavily depend on literature reviews as such. On the other hand, the literature reviewed in the paper consists mainly of the previous survey results and reports conducted by the ERC in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 and the Survey of Ethics in American Business of 1994. The literature review of the study seeks to identify major trends towards various levels of misconduct in the organizational environment brought out by ethics issues and belt-tightening tactics implemented by organizations. Population sampling for study: The sample population for the study consisted of 3010 responses among whom 158 respondents worked in the government sector and the rest of the 2852 responses were from employees in the for-profit sector. The eligibility of the participants was ensured by choosing participants who were eighteen years of age or older, currently employed and worked at least 20 hours per week in a company where at least two employees worked. Measurement: The data obtained from the study was measured using response rate calculations which were based on particular dispositions of all telephone survey calls. The eligibility requirements for the study were strictly maintained during the measurement stage and completed calls, partial