Evaluation of Early Supplier Involvement in Product Development Essay

I certify that in the preparation of this thesis, I have observed the provisions of Purdue University Teaching, Research, and Outreach Policy on Research Misconduct (VIII.3.1), October 1, 2008.* Further, I certify that this work is free of plagiarism and all materials appearing in this thesis/dissertation have been properly quoted and attributed. I certify that all copyrighted material incorporated into this thesis/dissertation is in compliance with the United States’ copyright law and that I have received written permission from the copyright owners for my use of their work, which is beyond the scope of the law. I agree to indemnify and save harmless Purdue University from any and all claims that may be asserted or that may arise from any copyright violation. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Standing outside the Knoy BS440, I was waiting for the dissertation defense result. Few minutes later, Prof. Schmidt, my committee chair, came to me, gave me one big warm hug and said, â€Å"Congratulations!† Suddenly, the memory in the past two years, all the pains and pleasure at Purdue University, came up to me. This is the moment I had waited for so long, but this is also the moment I was unwilling to face because of the coming goodbye. Nevertheless, I knew things I learnt and people I met there will be the valuable asset in my life and will be with me all the time. For those who have supported the creation of the work, I would like to begin by thanking my principle advisor, Prof. Edie K. Schmidt, who has always encouraged me with her sharp insight and great patience. She is not merely a constant guide throughout my research but also a thoughtful friend. Additionally, I would like to show my gratitude to the members of my committee: Prof. Nathan W. Hartman, Prof. Patrick E. Connolly, and Prof. John A. Springer. Without their guidance, suggestions, criticisms and support, I would not make my thesis possible. One notable faculty in the Department of Aviation Technology I also owe a note of thanks. To Prof. Chien-Tsung Lu, I am grateful for your assistance in reviewing the cultural appropriateness of this research, which facilitated the IRB’s approval process. Thanks are also due to all my colleagues from College of Technology and from graduate office and all my friends at Purdue University, who made my two years life colorful. Having their company was the great encouragement when I felt frustrated. For the numerous industrial contacts and friends in Taiwan, thanks are due to them all. In particular, I would like to thank Yi-Hen Chen for his patience and backing me up. Finally, I am deeply indebted to my parents, who fully supported me when I made the decision to pursue higher education and who never lost faith in me. I love you.

The story of “Like Water for Chocolate”

The story of â€Å"Like Water for Chocolate† is about the relationship of the mother, Mama Elena, to his three daughters namely Rosaura, Getrudis and Tita. The setting was in Mexico where the life there before had been portrayed. It goes with the love story of the protagonist â€Å"Tita† and her love interest Pedro Muzquiz. Since the mother of the three girls is already a widow, she refuses to accept that her youngest daughter had already fallen in love with someone. Instead, she imposed to the people in that set up that Tita, being the youngest of her daughters must be with her until her soul leaves her. Quoting from the book, Mama Elena told Nacha that â€Å"Nacha! Don't say that. As my youngest daughter, Tita will care for me until the day I die. She won't marry.† This is one of the sayings in the book from the site mentioned below. Adding to the pain the imposing of her mother, Pedro married one of her sisters, and that is Rosaura. She was badly hurt emotionally with the situation but still can’t find anyway to get free of it. Since Tita is suppressed with what she feels, she just managed to improve her recipes, giving them her best effort and affection. On the later part of the story, she made her talent her way of capturing and cornering Pedro. Fortunately in the end, they still managed to express their love for one another like what Getrudis, (her older sister) have done with the revolutionary army she fell in love with. Being affected by the bad things that happened to Tita, Getrudis also found a way to escape their very imposing mother. Mother and daughters are expected to have good relationships at home since they are of the same gender. The changes that a daughter would undergo must be first known by her mother in order for her to be guided or so, like if the daughter will have to recite on her class the next morning, it is the duty of the mother to guide her with the things that will improve the speech or knowledge of her daughter. The relationship between the mother and the daughter I think will serve as a foundation of the girl’s interaction with other people with her entire life. Mothers are always thought to become the light of the home. They are regarded to be in charged of the household chores like for dish washing, cooking, doing the laundry and cleaning the house. As it was established by the society, the mother also gives her daughter the ideas of the things she may become after her childhood. It is with the mother that the daughter will learn the basic ways of life, the social roles of women and other stuffs. Girls that have time with their mothers might have experiences that have molded them the way they are in their past, present and future. And for those who are born without their moms with their side might also have the factors why they became what they are since they do not have someone who is expected to primarily guide them. Is the relationship of the mother and daughter really connected with the issue of power and gender? In this assignment, we are to examine the relationship of Getrudis and her mother in order to answer the question above. Getrudis as we remember is the middle child of Mama Elena who was not so mentioned in the story since it all went for Tita and Rosaura who is the wife of Pedro. Getrudis, being the silent one with the happenings in Tita’s life, is also suppressed of her freedom. When she found someone who will awaken her sexuality, she eloped with him and then after came back since the war is going to start again. We can say that there are a few interactions with the mother and the daughter here since the mother already imposed her power over her daughters, I think she has given them the factor that she must be respected or so, and that is dictating them that mothers have power more than what they have. In the set-up of the family, everybody searches for power, however, it was the social structure of the family and the place where they are situated that influenced their aspired power. Since it was during the Mexican Revolution, which is a way bit far from our present situations, certain family traditions are still existent. And with their family, their mother forbade their search for power and it was with that act they forcefully found it by also expressing their sexualities. In the situation of Getrudis where she was with the man of her dreams, it was with escaping with Sargento Trevià ±o that her gender came into action. Girls that expressed their love with their sweet and enticing scents are like Getrudis who found a way of being her real self, a woman who was implanted with the desires that only a man can suffice. Taking in consideration the situation of Getrudis and Mama Elena, I can say that a daughter’s relationship with her mother affects the way she faces her life. Since power and gender are parts of being a human, it is expressed by the way the daughters are molded by their contact with their moms. Both the positive and negative parts of the relationship between a mom and a daughter give rise to the searching of identity of someone. Therefore, in evaluating a person’s power or gender, it is right to look first at his/her background where he/she might have gotten his/her personalities. Works Cited Amy Coffin. Like Water for Chocolate. 9 December 2007.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Judi Clark. Like Water for Chocolate (books review). 1999. 9 December 2007.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like Water for Chocolate.2006. 11 December 2007.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Internet Movie Database. Memorable quotes for Como agua para chocolate. 2007. 12  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   December 2007. < http://imdb.com/title/tt0103994/quotes> Laura Esquivel. Quotes from Like Water for Chocolate : A Novel in Monthly  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies. 2007. 12  Ã‚   December 2007.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        

Human Resource Planning Essay

Objectives of HRP: †¢To recruit and retain the human resource of required quantity and quality. †¢To foresee the impact of technology on work, existing employees and future human resource requirements, meeting the needs of the programs of expansion, diversification and to estimate the cost of human resources. †¢To improve the standards, skills, knowledge, ability, discipline etc. †¢To assess the surplus or shortage of human resources and take measures accordingly thereby minimising the imbalance. †¢To maintain congenial industrial relation by maintaining optimum level and structure of human resources. Process of Human Resource Planning: 1. Analysing Corporate Level Strategies: – Human Resource Planning begins with analysing corporate level strategies which include expansion, diversification, mergers, acquisitions, reduction in operations, technology to be used, method of production etc. 2. Demand forecasting: – Forecasting the overall human resource requirement in accordance with the organisational plans is one of the key aspects of demand forecasting. Forecasting of quality of human resources like skills, knowledge, values and capabilities needed in addition to quantity of human resources is carried out. 3. Analysing Human Resource Supply: – Every organisation has two sources of supply of Human Resources: Internal & External. Internally, human resources can be obtained for certain posts through promotions and transfers. Once the future internal supply is estimated through human resource audit, supply of external human resources is analysed. 4. Estimating manpower gaps: – Manpower gaps are identified by comparing demand and supply forecasts. Such comparison will reveal either deficit or surplus of Human Resources in the future. Employees estimated to be deficient can be trained while employees with higher, better skills may be given more enriched jobs. 5. Action Planning: – Once the manpower gaps are identified, plans are prepared to bridge these gaps by redeployment of surplus manpower. People may be persuaded to quit voluntarily or retrenched. Deficit can be met through recruitment, selection, transfer and promotion. In view of shortage of certain skilled employees, the organisation has to take care not only of recruitment but also retention of existing employees. 6. Modifying organisational plans: – If future supply of human resources from all the sources is estimated to be inadequate or less than the requirement, the organisation should consider alterations or modifications in the organisational plans.

Chrystal Meekers Momma (1980) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chrystal Meekers Momma (1980) - Essay Example The poem by Meeker can be realized as dealing with a child’s recognition of how a mother gives up anything and everything for the sake of her child. Whereas the poet deals with poverty and despair affecting the family, the mother’s unconditional sacrifice for the children is the central theme of the poem, and she gladly starves herself in order to make the children contented. Therefore, a reflective exploration of the poem â€Å"Momma† by Crystal Meeker makes clear that the poet compellingly deals with the true meaning of motherhood through the skillful use of literary devices. In a profound analysis of the poem â€Å"Momma†, it becomes lucid that Crystal Meeker’s major intention in writing the poem has been to glorify the true meaning of motherhood and the poet’s use of literary devices such as hyperbole, imagery, simile, etc. has helped him to convey his message persuasively. Significantly, any careful reader is reminded of a mother’s unconditional love and sacrifice for the well-being of her children and family. In this poem, Meeker magnificently presents a family facing the realities of poverty and the unlimited love and sacrifice of the mother becomes obvious to the reader. In order to present the life of the family, the poet employs hyperbole when he suggests that mother and daughter did not always meet eye to eye: â€Å"they clawed their womanhoods out of each other† (line 3).

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Communication - Essay Example Success in collaboration is dependent on various elements such as shared goals, member interdependence, and input of all members and shared decision making (Stallworth, 1998 in Frey L., 2004). Good communication skills such as good listening skills, appreciating other team member contribution, polite interruption made collaboration in the editorial team possible and attractive cover page. To have an effective collaboration in group dynamics, various learning styles emerge such as; auditory learning, kinesthetic and visual learning and intelligence (emotional intelligence). The different learning styles and intelligence constitute an important tool in improving individual learning and collaboration. This helps group members develop social, cognitive and reasoning skills such as critical thinking and communicating ideas. Group collaboration creates a sense belonging for all stakeholders. Benchmarks are within timelines to keep every collaborative effort on track. An effective communication network must exist for collaborative

Cremation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cremation - Essay Example However the remains are not ashes in the literal sense but they are dried bone segments. Cremation leaves the bones in fine sand like texture. These bone segments left are cremation are called as cremated bones. (1986) A place where modern day cremation occurs is called as crematorium (Cambridge , 2009). Crematorium usually consists of furnaces called as cremators and other facilities for handling of ashes. Cremation usually takes places in crematorium at very high temperatures of up to 870-980 C with special modifications to ensure the efficient disintegration of the corpse (L, 2005) . Europe which had earlier practised cremation of bodies abandoned the rite with the advent of Christianity which forbade cremation of bodies. The custom of earth burial came into vogue. It symbolised the burial of Jesus Christ and the day of Resurrection. (Kohmescher, 1999) However modern day Christianity permits cremation without violating its basic Christian norms and there has been a steady rise in this funerary practice form the mid 1960's especially in England , France , Italy and Switzerland. Skin and Hair are the first parts of the body which burn when a body is put to fire. During this phase 60-70% of the total body weight which is water vaporises due to intense heat. The loss of water causes muscles and tendons of the body to shrink. (L, 2005) When body burns further, the skeleton gets exposed when the soft underlying tissue disintegrates due to heat. Brain and ligament tissues are the last to be destroyed due to heat. Bones are however not destroyed at this heat, their composition and structure changes as there water content and collagen is destroyed and only mineral component is left behind. Bone crystal constantly increase in when heated up to 525 degree Celsius, and between the temperatures of 525 degree to 645 degree Celsius there is a sudden shift to a greater crystalline structure with a greater increase in the individual size of a single crystal. Above 645 degree Celsius there is no further change. After the cremation is over what remains behind are these dried out bone fragments that are altered in size and shape, both. Besides minerals these dried bone fragments also contain calcium phosphates. These cremated bone fragments are ash grey in colour and form about 2.5% (in children) to 3.5% (in adults) of the total body mass of the body. (Mays, 198) Information available

Reflection and Evaluation of Technologies(Module Learning Outcome 2) Essay

Reflection and Evaluation of Technologies(Module Learning Outcome 2) - Essay Example HTML5 falls under client side technology and can be considered to be a rich interface technology, given that it significantly enhances user interaction within a browser. Such technology as HTML5 is crucial in the development of a website since it highly improves the outward appearance of a browser and enhances its functionality as well as the look and feel of an application. Most of the shortcomings of the first generation web applications and development technologies are addresses by HTML5 in addition to the improvement of the user interface. It can be in the form of a fully interactive browser or a web-based enterprise application that is capable of offering the interface functionality and flexibility of a desktop application (Pilgrim, 2010). One of the major advantages of such technology as HTML5 is that it provides safe and result-oriented applications that offer a faster and more expensive interface as compared to the traditional technologies and applications. User interaction with the application becomes more attractive and fun, given the aesthetic value added by HTML5 to the browser and applications. With the adoption of HTML5 in the development of websites and applications, businesses are able to improve their productivity while utilizing advanced communication system to level up their services to their customers (Schmitt and Simpson 2011). There are a number of rich interface technologies, but currently HTML5 is considered to be the best among them. It is the latest revision of the previous HTML developed with the purpose of addressing the needs of modern web applications, mainly in order to eliminate the dependence on external browser plug-ins for most browsers. HTML5 is a significant improvement of the previous HTML, given that it comes with added features and new elements which did not exist in the previous versions of HTML. For instance, the standard web design has been improved

COMMENTING ON AN EVENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

COMMENTING ON AN EVENT - Essay Example For example, when the San Francisco Healthy Food Incentive Ordinance banned free toys to the customers on the purchase of Happy Meals, McDonald’s started to offer the toys with Happy Meals for an extra 10 cents only so that it adheres to the new law without having its sales impacted much by it. Summaries of Articles In the article â€Å"The Ban Too Far† published in The New York Times on 31 May 2012, the author has generally appreciated Bloomberg’s role in improving the health of the residents of the New York City, but does not approve of his recent attempt to ban the drinks sized over 16 ounces. The author has cited examples of several ways in which Bloomberg has helped the community e.g. the ban on smoking and trans fat in a lot of institutions, but as the name of the article suggests, the author considers the ban an unnecessarily strong action. The author believes that instead of placing such bans on the sizes of drinks or eatables, the administration should d irect its attention towards educating the community and providing them with healthier alternatives without restricting their access to the high-calorie food. According to the author, making tough campaigns and launching exercise programs are also recommendable, but banning something irritates the people.  In the article â€Å"Evolution’s Sweet Tooth† published in The New York Times on 5 June 2012, the author Daniel E. Lieberman says that the libertarian objections to Bloomberg’s ban on the sale of drinks sized above 16 ounces the most noticeable amongst others, that speculates that this ban will be succeeded by bans on the quantities of other kinds of junk foods. Declaring obesity as a biological problem, Lieberman thinks that Bloomberg’s decision is reasonable since such a coercive action is the need of the hour. Lieberman has drawn evidence in his support for Bloomberg from the way human eating habits have been modified by various external factors like advancement of technology. Scarcity of food sustained over millions of years in the past maintained a balance between the cravings for sugar and the human digestive systems. It is beyond the control of many to limit the intake of sugar since the craving for this once-limited-resource is simple tremendous in the present age when it is in abundance. Lieberman puts forth three basic options to deal with this issue. The first option is the discovery of cures for the diseases caused by obesity for which people might have to wait too long while being affected by the diseases. The second and the more popular option is the enhancement of public education about food and healthy eating habits, but this has not proven very effective so far. The third option requires restoration of diets to the natural state with the help of regulations as the times have changed and so has the human lifestyle. Imposing ban on large portions of drinks is just as sensible as banning cigarettes in schools or limi ting the access of children to alcohol. Bans are the ultimate solution as schools have proven ineffective in delivering physical education in the past. Along with imposing such bans, the food industry should honestly

Intervention plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intervention plan - Research Paper Example This paper will provide a brief explanation of dyslexia and up to date brain-based research that supports explicit instructional suggestions in Intervention plan for John. What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is an inborn disease that comes with sudden complexity in learning to interpret and pronounce words in relation to one's verbal aptitude, inspiration, and learning opportunities (Aylward et al., 2003). For John, the "unexpected difficulties" referred to his severe inability to decode unknown words, puzzling spelling errors, and slow reading rate. These were all apparent in the results from an informal reading and spelling inventory. These results indicated that he read at a first grade level. In contrast, he comprehended material read to him at a fifth grade level. This is common in students with dyslexia. They frequently are on grade-level in listening comprehension because grapho-phonological processing is not required. To explain this decoding weakness, researchers (Aaron, 2005; Shaywi tz, 2003; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2005) have converged on the phonological model. More specifically, for students with dyslexia, recognising the phonemes in a spoken word, understanding the relationship phonemes have with letters, and blending (reading) or segmenting (spelling) them are unusually difficult processes. For example, as a beginning fourth grader John struggled to read and spell words such as shed (sep), stack (stuk), and slug (sog). Common Misconceptions The convergence on the phonological model contradicts several commonly held myths about dyslexia. For example, the most common misconception is that all students with dyslexia reverse letters. Dyslexia is not a visual disorder; in fact, students with dyslexia are often gifted in the area of visual arts (Davis & Braun, 2007). As young children begin to experiment with letters and sounds, many of them reverse letters. Therefore, letter reversal is not a reliable indicator. Another common misconception is that dyslexia is lin ked to low intelligence. A student must have an unexpected difficulty in learning to read and spell. If a student has a low IQ, the difficulty is expected. Students like John have verbal IQs within the normal range. Therefore, these students have the cognitive ability to read and spell on grade level. There are two other common misconceptions about dyslexia. One is that it is curable. Although there are effective instructional techniques and programmes that make the symptoms less severe (discussed later), dyslexia is not curable. Even as an adult John will struggle with fluent reading because of the extended time required for him to recognise unknown words. Spelling will also continue to be difficult. The other myth is that dyslexia affects males more often than females. As Shaywitz (2004) explains, this has more to do with the over-identification of males in all special education areas. In her studies, she found that the percentage of boys and girls with dyslexia is about even (Sha ywitz, 2003). Reliable Indicators So, once a student enters school, what are reliable indicators? Dyslexia is developmental; therefore, the indicators change over time. Early on it is more difficult to recognise a student with dyslexia, but it becomes more obvious as they progress in school. Early On Even though it is important, prominent researchers (Muter, 2003; Shaywitz, 2003) agree that identifying children with

Chinese philosophy Essay Example for Free

Chinese philosophy Essay The pair lived in a time of immense social disorder and religious skepticism. They developed the notion of the Dao (way, or path) as the origin of all creation and the force (unknowable in its essence but observable in its manifestations) that lies behind the functions and changes of the natural world. Daoism Chinese religion â€Å"mirrors the social landscape of its adherents. There are as many meanings as there are vantage points.† This can be very confusing to outsiders†¦ Daoism and Confucianism existed together. At various points in one life, you might follow either. (There are many who only practice one) Due to the social disorder of the time, the question was: what is the basis of a stable, unified, and enduring social order? Their answer was the Dao. Nature, after all, was much more stable than anything humans can create. Healthy human life could flourish only in accordance with Dao. Nature, simplicity, a free-and-easy approach to life. Daoism  To be skillful and creative, they had to have inner spiritual concentration and put aside concern with externals, such as monetary rewards, fame, and praise. Artisans were typically very good at this idea. When stressed, or seeking an escape, the Daoist might retire to the countryside, or mountains and write a poem or paint a picture. This was an attempt to capture the simplicity of nature in their own lives. Daoism In Chinese society, Daoism created the Chinese love of nature It also inspired an intense affirmation of life: physical life: health, well-being, vitality, longevity, and even immortality. Some Chinese sought the fountain of youth, or herbs and plants that would extend life. This lead to the wealth of knowledge in Chinese medicine. Daoism There were kind of gods†¦ The gods and Jade Emperor could be seen as the supreme rulers. Obeying the rulers on earth would prepare you to follow him later on. The demons and ghosts of hell acted like and were treated like the bullies, outlaws, and strangers in the real world. All things were the manifestation of the one Dao.

Analysis Of McDonalds Corporations

Analysis Of McDonalds Corporations In this report, thorough analysis of McDonalds Corporations position strategies has been design on the basis of the given contexts. Two different topics have been given to discuss in this case. The first topic focuses on the environmental factors that may affect McDonalds business. This topic has been addressed by six different factors which may broadly affect the business of McDonalds. Specific focus has been given to each factor and minute issued have been addressed in our discussion. It has been tried to give a comprehensive analysis of all the relevant ideas regarding this topic to make a reasonable discussion. The second topic given has been focused on the recent strategic stands taken by McDonalds. It has been asked to identify the pros and cons related to these strategies. The discussion has been done to create a comprehensive commentary about the pros and cons of each strategy. Every strategy has been evaluated on the basis of their individual merits. The subjects are quite sensitive and have specific implications to the business of McDonalds. in order to identify advantages and disadvantages each strategy has been clearly scrutinized. It has been tried to provide valid and reasonable remarks about these strategies. At the end, some relevant ideas have been presented to provide a more understandings of these issues. The entire report has been done with a reasonable understanding about the issues in question and all other factors relevant to the study. Introduction This study has been done to provide a reasonable understanding about business policy and strategic management development. McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is known as the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants, serving approximately 47 million customers daily. Once it was the largest global restaurant chain, but it has since been exceeded by multi-brand operator Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell and others) and sandwich chain Subway. Every McDonalds restaurant is run by a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself. Its revenues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees. It also earns form sales in company-operated restaurants. From the accounting records we can see that McDonalds revenues grew 27% over the three years ending in 2007 to $22.8 billion, and 9% growth in operating income to $3.9 billion. Generally McDonalds sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, French Fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts. Now-a-days, in order to respond to the obesity trends in western nations and in the face of criticism over the healthiness of its products, the company has modified its menu to include such healthier alternatives as salads, wraps and fruit. McDonalds began its business in 1940, with a restaurant opened by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California. They have introduced the Speedee Service System in 1948, which established the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant. A man with a chefs hat on top of a hamburger shaped head was the original mascot of McDonalds. The name mascot was Speedee. Ronald McDonald replaced Speedee in 1967 when the company first filed a U.S. trademark on a clown shaped man having a puffed out costume legs. McDonalds opened its first restaurant in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, France, El Salvador and Sweden in order of openings. Objective of the report: This report is prepared to gain a broad idea about business strategy formulation and evaluation of these strategies. It is also done to understand the different influences the environmental factors have on the operations of a Multination Corporation. Major objectives of the report are to: Provide a conclusive idea about business environment of McDonalds Understand the impacts and implications of changing environmental factors Gain reasonable perception about strategy formulation Achieve realistic insights about strategy evaluation Attain a thorough knowledge about pointing out the pros and cons of different strategies Methodology of the Report The research methodology is the complete techniques that we will follow to conduct the research. So, we can describe the methodology in the following steps: Data Collection Present information was collected from two sources: Primary Source: Primary data of this report was collected by means of questioning of McDonalds employees and operational managers. Secondary Source As secondary source I adopt some text book on Marketing, Management and also some websites. Data Collection Method Observation: Since the report was descriptive in nature data being analyzed conceptually. Limitations: The field level survey was missing in some areas of our study due to some practical constrains. Question 1: Environmental factors impacting upon McDonalds: As a leading fast food restaurant in the world, environmental factors in different countries are crucial considerations for McDonalds. Following discussion focuses on the environmental issues of relevant to the business of the firm. General environmental factors impacting on a corporations business: If generalization is used, for a multinational corporation, following factors can be identified as major issues: Demographic Geographic Economic Socio-cultural Technological Political-legal These factors have serious implications for any Multinational company. Detailed discussions of these factors are given below: 1. Demographic environment: Demographic environment, which can be defined as the environment consisting of factors related to age, sex, gender, education level, marital status, occupation, religion, birth and death rate, average size of the family, average age of marriage etc. of a specific populace of a specific region, is the most important feature that may impact the business of the firm. As it is a Multinational corporation, the impact of demographic environment on McDonalds can be examined on regional basis. United States of America: United States is the birth place of McDonalds. Basically it is the birth pace of Fast Food culture. The people of United States of America love to enjoy their meal and the idea of fast food have been a turning point of their life style. From the demographic aspect of the region, we can point out the following issues: United States has one of the highest population growth rates among the industrialized nations. So it generally indicates the development of a large market for the corporations. 45% of the children under 5 years old belong to the minority groups of the populace. Hispanic population increased by 14%. McDonalds has been developing its menu to target this population. According to U.S. census Bureau News 2006 studies, the average income of Americans is around $46000. One of the main reasons of increase in McDonalds sales in US is the introduction of Asian Chicken Salad, which indicates importance of Minority groups in US market. Different minority groups are emerging as the economically significant groups. For example, Asians as a minority group has an average income of around $57500 which is well above the average income of Americans. So focusing business on the basis of these kinds of developments may prove fruitful in the future. Around 81% of the populace lives in urban areas where drive-through system is one of the most popular systems of getting easy meals. Europe Europeans are getting more and more interested in having quick meals from fast food shops, as their hectic lifestyles suit this mechanism. Though the sales of McDonalds dropped 14 percent, the expansionary plans of McDonalds reflects the significance of this Market. Following ideas emerged from our analysis: Demographic behavior has changed drastically in Europe. General fertility rate is below the replacement rate in many countries of the region. But a new pattern, described as a `second demographic transition have emerged, as age of first marriage and first child has changed. These changes in behaviors culminated to an increase in population growth. On average, population growth increased somewhat in the region. In European Market, McDonalds stores enjoy more customer visits and highest company-operated margin since 2001. This may be attributed to increased population and changing trends of food habits towards fast foods. Gender differences have been reduced dramatically. Economically solvent mothers are spending much to provide best quality products for their children. For this reason, McDonalds introduced R Gym to enhance children customer base. Asia pacific and Middle East: This is the region where McDonalds has the highest possibility of exponential growth due to demographic as well as socio-cultural and economic changes. Demographic factors can be specified in following manner: Countries like China and India, with high population growth rates, are considered as emerging markets for fast food industries. In order to capture the expanding markets in China and India, McDonalds has increased its outlets in both of these markets. Income of the people of this region has been increasing gradually over time, which indicates people having more spending power. Middle Eastern regions are considered as one of the wealthiest regions of the planet. Population growth is also relatively high in this region compared to the industrialized countries. Migration trend towards urban areas is a major factor to consider for Corporations like McDonalds. Latin America Although regarded as one of the poorest regions of the world, this market has been changing its economic and socio-cultural patterns to become one of the lucrative markets. According to 2005 statistics the population of South and Central America is 588 million. The population growth is about 0.6%. This is quite significant information as it indicates a big market for fast food industry. Due to the low income and economic inequality, Latin American market is still not a big revenue source for McDonalds. Different ethnic groups with diverse cultures are prominent features of this region. Economic inequality is dominant in this region. According to World Bank reports, approximately 25% people live less than $2 a day. Huge amount of people live in rural areas, or under developed areas in the cities. Migration rate to the cities is increasing day by day. The following diagram depicts the importance of each regional segment for McDonalds based on sales revenues. Source: http://internationaltrade.suite101.com/article.cfm/mcdonalds_global_sales [Visited on 23/12/2009] Figure 1: McDonalds regional sales revenue. 2. Geographic Environment: Geographic factors that may affect the business of McDonalds can be pointed out in the following discussion: The distribution points of McDonalds are vital considerations as it is involved in a business which requires easy accessibility for the customers. So locations of the distribution centers should be close to populated areas. Some of the McDonalds stores are connected to gas station or convenient stores to target the shoppers. McExpress are shops having limited seating arrangements, located in shopping malls. In its mission statement, McDonalds vowed to provide services in the best possible means. This requires quick and correct service. So, warehouses for the raw materials should be located in the strategic places for easy transfer. Geographic segmentation is very important for McDonalds. As fast food culture is mainly the trend in cities and urban areas, the strategic establishment of distribution points are needed. McDonalds have locations in Disney Theme parks and Ocean Park. This strategy helps to increase sales promotion and expand customer base among the visitors of the theme parks. Competition is anther driving issue for McDonalds to choose the locations of its business carefully. McDonalds may choose a location where it will get a strategic advantage. To have a competitive advantage it introduced locations in Wal-Mart stores. To target trackers and travelers, McDonalds has developed McShop, which may have services found at truck stops. 3. Economic Factors: Many economic factors may affect the operations of McDonalds. These economic factors are identified in the following discussion: The economic cycle of different countries may affect the revenue generation of McDonalds. But as the business seems well diversified, the effects may be nullified to a negligible extent. In 2006, McDonalds global sales rose 5.8% from the previous year. Sales margin improved in all geographic locations. McDonalds has a large amount of long term debt of about $8 billion. So, changes in interest rates or tax policies of the government may affect favorably or adversely. The exchange value of dollar against other currencies may affect the profitability of McDonalds. As it is operating in different regions, so it may consider the exchange rates differentiations of different currencies. There may be some possibilities that inflation rate may adversely affect the business of McDonalds. Increase in inflation rate may cause the price of raw materials to rise. This may also drive the customers away from the restaurants. Income level of the general people varies with the economic condition of the nation. So, in the times of recession, economic conditions may adversely affect the purchasing power of people, thus affecting the business of McDonalds. McDonalds operating earnings, earnings per share and overall revenue increased 15%, 17% and 10% respectively. It also announced dividend at the rate of $1 in year 2002 per share. This indicates 276% increase of dividend payout from the period of 2002. These numbers reflect economically a strong position for McDonalds. 4. Socio-cultural Factors: Every corporation should analyze the important socio-cultural factors relevant to their business. Such relevant factor regarding socio-cultural environment of McDonalds are discussed below. The healthy lifestyle trend has become a global phenomenon in recent days. McDonalds must consider this to maintain a competitive position in the market. McDonalds Healthy Lifestyle programs attracted health conscious people. It has become worlds first fast food service restaurant to provide nutritional information on majority of its food packaging. As women are becoming more independent and families are becoming smaller and smaller, fast foods are growing in their popularity. Eating home cooked meals are becoming a luxury in the fast paced unban lifestyles. So, restaurants are gaining momentum in their businesses. McDonalds operated in different regions of the world. In order to maintain its profitability it must keep track of regional cultural and sociological changes. For example, increased migratory trends towards cities in developing nations can be an advantageous sign for McDonalds. McDonalds needs to be aware of local trends in different regions. For instance, by presenting French Fries as vegetarian food, McDonalds had to pay a hefty price as fines in 2002. McDonalds has introduced R Gyms, a form of interactive game zones, designed for children aged 4 to 11. To emphasize on physical activity, they are equipped with stationary bicycles attached to video games, dance pads, basketball hoops, monkey bars, an obstacle course, and other games. It has introduced a new slogan to its recruitment posters: Not bad for a McJob, to encourage employees to be related with McDonalds. McDonalds jobs have been regarded as of low pay, just above the legal provision, required little skill and little job security. It has been trying to improve the conditions 5. Technological Factors: To maintain a competitive edge against the rival companies, McDonalds must be aware of the recent technologies and innovations. New and improved technologies can reduce the man power needed in processing the food thus reducing the labor related costs. New innovations can help McDonalds to create more environment friendly operating systems which will help them to reduce their carbon footprint in the world. To tackle environmental issues, McDonalds has incorporated technology into its business. McDonalds has started using corn-based bio-plastic to produce containers for some of their products. Innovative technologies can also help to reduce the levels of processing and contamination due to human interactions with the food processing functions. It may also help to reduce energy consumption thus reducing the actual cost of serving the customers. In Europe, it has started recycling vegetable grease to use it as fuel for its trucks. In 2000, it has opened a restaurant in Sweden which was the first to intentionally incorporate green ideas. 6. Political- Legal Factors: Political structure of a nation and the ideology of political parties need to be carefully assessed to run business on that states. Confiscation, domestication, tax control, exchange control, interfere of government on business operations are common in global business. Following factors may be taken into considerations about the political and legal factors: Stable political situations are always important incase of operating businesses in different regions of the world. Government policies, tax policies, regional cooperation policies etc. may affect the operations of McDonalds. Law regarding the business operations, legal suits and other legal obligations may influence the business of McDonalds. McDonalds has been involved with number of legal cases, mostly concerning with trademark. Some social cases like, The McDonalds Coffee Case in 1994, hampered the public image of McDonalds. Question2: Evaluation of current strategies in use: McDonalds has been taken some specific steps to enhance the profitability of the corporation. From the perspective of its performance and future potentiality evaluation, these strategies can be critically examined. The strategies chosen by McDonalds are assessed in the following discussion: SWOT strategies: McDonalds has chosen these strategies based on their SWOT analysis. These strategies may have some advantages and disadvantages. SO strategies: These strategies are taken in line with the strength of McDonalds and on the basis of the opportunities the firm has within its arena of operations. The firm has chosen the following strategies: 1. Expanding into Chinese market: McDonalds is thinking of expanding its Chinese market via increased advertising and numbers of outlets. This strategy can have some merits for McDonalds operations. Advantages: Chinese market is a growing market for McDonalds. The population of China is increasing rapidly and the demand for fast food is also growing at a good pace. By developing a good market in China may prove valuable for McDonalds as it has a potential for good return in future. Drive-through system is gaining popularity in china as number of car owners are increasing. This is a very good indication for McDonalds to provide this kind of services in increased number of locations. McDonalds has a brand name which is globally recognized. McDonalds can use this position of its brand name for its advantage. In China, it would be much easier for McDonalds to advertise as it has an easily recognizable brand name. In order to increase the market share, McDonalds must increase its advertising in China. It has to compete against already established quick service providers like Yum Brands. Increased advertising will enable it to capture new markets in China as well as enhance brand exposure. Increased numbers of the restaurant locations in China will provide easy accessibility to the customers. As the number of consumers is increasing the number of locations must be increased in order to meet the current demand. This strategy may pose some disadvantages for McDonalds. Disadvantages: Increased number of advertisements means increased costs. This means less revenue will be off settled by increased operating cost. As McDonalds operates its business on the basis of franchising, increased number of locations may mean lesser amount of control over its operations. In its mission statement it states to be the best quick service provider. Increased number of locations may cause McDonalds to hire employees who are not competent enough to provide good services. It may also force McDonalds to increase training costs. Quality control may not easily be done if numbers of restaurant locations are increased. Although this strategy may have some potential demerits, this strategy is a very good step for McDonalds. Chinese market is becoming the fastest growing market and McDonalds need to enhance its market share in China in order to ensure its sustainability as one of the leading quick service provider in the world. 2. Acquiring Krispy Kreme Corporation McDonalds has taken a strategic choice to integrate horizontally by taking over Krispy Kreme Corporation, which is at the verge of going bankrupt. This strategic decision may have some good implications for McDonalds. Advantages: By expanding horizontally it will be able to outreach more customers with more ease. As Krispy Kreme Corporation is at the verge of bankruptcy, it will be easier of McDonalds to acquire this company without substantial financial implications. Krispy Kreme Corporation may willing be merged with McDonalds without showing any hostility towards the acquiring company. McDonalds should be able to use the existing infrastructure of the Krispy Kreme Corporation in order to conduct its business. Loyal customers of the Krispy Kreme Corporation may still be with this company after the acquisition. This way McDonalds may be able to acquire a new customer base. Acquiring Krispy Kreme Corporation will put McDonalds in a competitively advantageous position. This will mean less competition for McDonalds and infrastructure and customer base development. This strategy may have some potential disadvantages as follows: Disadvantages: There is a chance that Krispy Kreme Corporation may not be willing to merge with McDonalds. This may force it to take strategies against the acquisition. If acquisition happens in this situation, then McDonalds will be in a disadvantageous position. The customer base of the Krispy Kreme Corporation may not support this acquisition. This may drive them away and reduce the benefits of this acquisition. There is a potential of dilution of control and profit of the shareholder in case of this acquisition. For this reason McDonalds may change the top management of Krispy Kreme Corporation. This may affect the whole operations of Krispy Kreme as new management may have a different style of running the business. By comparing the disadvantage with the advantages, we can easily say that the disadvantageous situations may occur in highly probabilistic circumstances, which make those less potent. So this strategy may prove profitable for McDonalds. WO Strategies: These strategies are taken on the basis of the analysis of the weaknesses and existing opportunities of McDonalds. The firm has chosen the following strategy: 1. Menu development: McDonalds has chosen to develop its menu based on healthy lifestyle trends. It is also thinking of introducing Hispanic food lines. This strategy may have following advantages: Advantages: Providing healthy foods may increase the customer base of McDonalds as there is a global trend of shifting to this kinds of foods now-a-days. Increased Hispanic population forced McDonalds to focus on this group. By creating Hispanic food line, McDonalds may be able to capture a more diverse and wide customer base. There is a bad name of fast food of being unhealthy. By providing more healthy food, McDonalds may be able to change this perception which may be a competitive advantage for McDonalds. There may have some disadvantages of this strategy. Disadvantages: This strategy may cost McDonalds more as it requires more investment from McDonalds part. The new product lines for Hispanic population may not be successful or needs more time to be successful. Focusing on Hispanic population may be frowned upon as being a racially motivated strategy. In order to capture the market and be in line with the global trend, McDonalds need this strategy to be implemented. ST Strategies: McDonalds Corporation also has some strategies based on its strength and potential threat analysis. These strategies are discussed below. 1. Increase number of restaurants located in theme parks: McDonalds is thinking of forward integrating by increasing the number of locations in the theme parks of Disney and Ocean Park. This strategy may have some pros and cons which have been identified in the following discussion: Advantages: By increasing the number of locations in the theme parks McDonalds can capture more of the customer base by providing more services. Mutual understanding between theme parks managements and MacDonalds may increase the brand exposure of McDonalds. By expanding the operations to the theme parks it can appeal to the children which may eventually lead to brand loyalty. Disadvantages: This strategy may increase the operational cost of McDonalds. Quality control may not be an easy proposition. More advertising may be needed in order to make all the locations popular. This strategy may be profitable for McDonalds in the long run and it may be recommended to be pursued by McDonalds. 2. Increase advertising of coffee line: McDonalds is trying to increase advertising of the coffee line in key markets like China and North America. This strategy may have some advantages for McDonalds. Advantages: By developing a market penetration strategy, McDonalds can increase coffee sales, which is one of the weak links of its operations. By increasing the advertising, it can acquire more customers in the morning time when the demand of coffee is highest. McDonalds can create an image of best quick service coffee provider by increasing the frequency of advertisements and providing customers with quality services. Disadvantages: It will increase the sales cost of McDonalds and reduce the profit. Increased advertising may prove fruitful if it can provide good services. But id it fails to live up to the mark then rival companies can take advantage of the situation. Increased advertisement for coffee line may prove fruitful for McDonalds as it has beaten its traditional rivals in coffee taste test according to consumer report. So this strategy is quite a good stand for McDonalds. WT Strategies: McDonalds has been thinking of taking some strategies based on its weaknesses and threats analysis in order to enhance its operational efficiency. Following discussion has been done to point out those strategies and some relevant issues about those strategies. 1. Develop the menu to keep up with the competition: McDonalds one of the main concern is lack of menu development. In order to appeal to the Asian and Latin American markets, it is thinking about menu development. Advantages: Creative menu development will appeal to growing markets like Asian and Latin American markets, which will increase its customer base. It may reduce the operational inefficiency and create more customer satisfaction Customer retention may increase as more options of food items are included in the menu. It will increase its profitability in the long run and create stronger customer base. It will help to capture the potentially profitable markets of Asia and Latina America. The underserved niche of the industry may be capture if creative menu developments occur. Disadvantages: Cost of product development and market survey may increase, which will reduce the profit of the company. New products may fail to appeal to the targeted customer segment, which will result in operational loss. New product development may need new kinds of technologies or raw materials, which will increase capital expenditures of McDonalds. This strategy may increase the profitability of McDonalds as new customers are induced to buy its products. It will also increase the customer base and customer retention rate. 2. Redesign the website to make it more users friendly: Making the website more users friendly is another ploy of McDonalds to increase its efficiency. The advantages and disadvantages of this strategy is discussed below. Advantages: Redesigning the website will increase the knowledge of the customers about McDonalds and its products. Internet is one of the best possible ways to advertise the products of any corporation. Revamping the website may increase its potential customer base by providing them with best possible information. Creating a user friendly website may increase the customer satisfaction. Disadvantages: This strategy may reduce the profit of the organization for the time being, but this may increase capital expenditure of the company. Creating a user friendly website requires expert handling of information. If it is not done efficiently, then it will prove worthless for the Company. The strategy of improving its website can be a fruitful ploy for McDonalds if it is done efficiently. 3. Increasing sales promotion and advertising: Increasing the amount of sales promotion and advertising in key markets to increase consumer awareness of the products is an important strategy for McDonalds. The pros and cons of this strategy are discussed below. Advantages: This will increase the consumer awareness of the products and services of McDonalds. This may also increase the number of customers of the company. This may help McDonalds to capture customers from its rivals if it is done efficiently and effectively. This will also help to gain a competitive advantage in key markets. Disadvantages: Increased cost for McDonalds will offset the profits. Increasing advertising and sales promotion is the best possible way for McDonalds to increase its customer base. Recommendation Following recommendations can be

Effect of Schemas on Understanding the Social World

Effect of Schemas on Understanding the Social World Zoe Crackett WITH REFERENCE TO RELEVANT RESEARCH STUDIES EVALUATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL WORLD IS CONSTRAINED BY OUR SCHEMAS This[p1] essay looks to assess the degree to which our perception of the social world is driven by how our knowledge is brought together and presented to ourselves. Bartlett (1932) used the concept of schema, which has been defined for this essay, to explain how people can call on subconscious categorisations. Buchanan et al (2009) claim that schematic processing is both efficient and an effective method of understanding but pre-existing schema can mean that the processing is constrained. Cognitive psychologists are concerned with how people perceive others, situations and events within their own social world. To explore the claim the essay uses studies where schema and expectations have been tested such as Bartlett (1932) ‘War of the Ghosts’ story as well as how what we expect can be wrong. Fritz Heider was one of the first psychologists to study social cognition in terms of (how) understanding how people make sense of the social world relates to (concatenation – not sure what this word is) of events. Heider and Simmel (1944) used a series of cartoons to demonstrate how cause and effect works. In the study participants were asked to describe what they saw in the cartoons. In the first group participants were asked just to describe what they saw whilst the other two groups were asked to describe what they saw as if the objects were people. The third group saw the cartoons played backwards. Heider and Simmel found that all but one of the participants in the first group described the cartoons using human terms. In this way Heider claims that people act as â€Å"naà ¯ve psychologists† by trying to make sense of events or people by looking for predictability using cause and effect (Heider and Simmel, cited in Buchanan et al, 2009, p60-61). The term schema defines a type of cognitive structure that may present itself as a typical object or event that a person has knowledge of; this allows the person to process the object or event and act or react accordingly. A person uses schema when they perceive situations and other people to aid them in responding to them. Bartlett (1932) used the term schema when describing how English people retold a Native American folk tale but each time the tale was retold it would change to be more ‘English’. Detail from the original tale would be omitted where it may be thought of as not relevant or altered to something more familiar that the teller was able to relate to (Bartlett, cited in Brace and Roth, 2009, pp131-132[p2]). Social psychologists have identified person,role and event schema. These are mental structures that a person uses that hold knowledge on different types of people, expected behaviour and social situations respectively. The knowledge allows for generalisation of the object or event. For example in Buchanan et al (2009) reference is made to a TV commercial taken with four different camera angles. In the first shot a white youth with a shaven head wearing combat trousers and Doc Marten boots is seen running. From the first shot the assumption of ‘skinhead’ can be used as the description is that which would be attributed to a skinhead. This in turn would lead to thoughts relating to criminal behaviour such as aggression and violence. The second shot shows the youth running towards a man who is smartly dressed. Through the final two shots the viewer is given two more camera angles and sees further information. By the time the viewer sees the fourth shot they may have already formed the opinion that the youth is going to assault the smartly dressed man. However the fourth shot shows the full picture to the viewer; the youth was not running towards the man to assault him but is intent on pushing him out of the way of a pallet of bricks that is about to fall and injure him (Buchanan et al, 2009 p63–64). Buchanan et al (2009) have described schema as generalised representations. In the case of the ‘skinhead’ youth in the above example the generalisation has also invoked stereotypical perceptions that people project on to others. Buchanan et al claim these generalisations leave room for some form of variation however it is not explained how stereotypes are learned. Sometimes how something is perceived can be inaccurate. Tajfel stated that it is possible to over generalise and as a result have a tendency to stereotype (Buchanan et al p66[p3]). An integral feature of schema is that the knowledge they contain is defined as shared knowledge in other words it is not just particular to a person or event. Schema needs knowledge to be shared in order that it is effective. Schema is self-confirming. By providing expectations based on what a person thinks they know or understand to be true, what is actually presented can be distorted, as in the Bartlett experiment. By self-confirming it supports the claim that schema constrain peoples understanding of the social world (Buchanan et al, 2009, pp65-68). In an experiment by Darley and Gross (1983) college students were shown a video tape of a character called Hannah and asked to critique her academic ability. The students were introduced to her as being either from a high or low socio-economic status. Some students were also shown a video of ‘Hannah’ answering a set of questions in an oral exam. Whilst there was no apparent pattern as to whether ‘Hannah’ was answering more questions correctly or incorrectly those that saw Hannah as higher socio-economic status as well as the exam judged her to have higher academic ability. Darley and Gross surmised that although the information can be the same information is processed according to expectations (Darley and Gross, cited in Buchanan et al, 2009). The Darley and Gross study demonstrates how schema can simplify lots of information, this also allows relevant information to be extracted more quickly. A person simply needs to access processing knowledge in order for that person to understand what is happening however as demonstrated by the tv commercial showing the youth if only one part is shown the subsequent response can be inaccurate and the person may look for sign posts from within their own expectations rather than taking cues from their present environment. As such that person makes a fundamental attribution error (FAE) (Buchanan et al p75). Kahneman and Tversky (1973) explored how FAEs can be made easily. They used short vignettes to describe a seemingly random person. The participants were given deliberately vague descriptions of a person and they were asked to judge the likelihood that the person described was a lawyer. Participants were told that the person described had come from a room of people where either seventy or thirty per cent were lawyers. In both conditions the participants gave the probability the person described was a lawyer was fifty per cent. The participants ignored relevant information that they had been given and focused on the descriptions they read (Kahneman and Tversky cited in Buchanan et al, 2009) In conclusion schema assists a person to cut out a lot of irrelevant information and process other detail quickly, however as a result other important information can be accidentally discarded. For schema to work they require knowledge to be shared with others so that everyone is able to respond. People make assumptions based on what they think they know and apply it to the situations they see. As demonstrated by the TV commercial unless a person sees the all the information at the same time their judgements can be wrong but also it demonstrates, through the extra pieces of information on each shot, that they can be changed. Generally schema can work well as left to their own devices it is possible for a person to make errors in judgement. The claim made by Buchanan et al (2009) is that a person is compelled to make a judgement in the social world based on pre-existing patterns of thought is to some extent correct, however the person also has the ability to change. 1329 words References Brace, N. and Roth, I. (2009) ‘Memory: structures, processes and skills’ in Miell, D., Phoenix, A. and Thomas, K. (eds) Book 1 Introduction and Chapters 6 – 9 DSE212 Mapping Psychology. Milton Keynes, Open University pp 111 – 170 Buchanan, K., Anand, P., Joffe, H. and Thomas, K. (2009) ‘Perceiving and understanding the social world’ in Miell, D., Phoenix, A. and Thomas, K. (eds) Book 1 Introduction and Chapters 6 – 9 DSE212 Mapping Psychology. Milton Keynes, Open University pp 57 – 109 1 [p1]An effective introduction which states the issue and states how you mean to tackle the essay [p2]Good use of evidence to support your point here. [p3]Good use of this example to illustrate how schematic processing can produce generalisations and stereotyping.

MBA Admissions Essays - International Business :: MBA College Admissions Essays

MBA Admissions Essays - International Business    Ever since I was young I have always been interested in businesses and how they operate, as well as being fascinated by other languages and cultural differences. My passion for the subject expanded when I chose business studies and french, as part of my A-level education. Although these subjects are somewhat demanding, I find them extremely interesting. I believe that a degree combining both these aspects is the correct choice for me. I am confident that a course in international business studies and modern languages satisfies both these interests. I will be looking forward to learning about the international business world and I am relishing the thought of learning to integrate with other European countries. The idea of learning to communicate with other people across the world is something that has always appealed greatly to me.    I am currently attending Sprowston High School which is a school located on the outskirts of Norwich. I am currently studying three A2 courses after completing four AS-level courses. The subjects that I am currently studying include physics, french and business studies, whilst information technology was taken at AS-level. I am confident with my grades at the end of the first year of studies. I am confident that with extra effort I could improve my grades and push them past my expected target minimum grades.    In my spare time I enjoy a wide range of sporting activities. These include: cricket, skiing, badminton, tennis, long distance running, football and table tennis to name but a few. I have many trophies in my room for cricket. I am hoping to carry on these activities whilst conducting my studies at university. I also have a part-time job working in the local supermarket. I believe that I have gained invaluable experience in dealing with customers and trying to deliver customer satisfaction, whilst learning to work effectively and efficiently in a well structured team. Hopefully I will be able to carry on within the organisation whilst at university as a transfer to a local store is possible. I have also completed two work experience programs. The first at Viking Computers Norwich, the second at the school involving administrative work. These were both valuable experiences and gave me an insight to how a business operates. I enjoy my spare time and try to use it to the best of my use.

The Killing Game Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The killing game† Before reading â€Å"The killing game† by Joy Williams, I considered myself a â€Å"non-hunter†. However, after reading â€Å"The killing game†, I had mixed feelings of how I felt about hunting. I think Williams unjustly stereotyped all hunters as being â€Å"immoral† without consideration for another point of view. I decided to look equally at both sides of this issue to determine which side, â€Å"non-hunter† or â€Å"anti-hunter†, I would support. I interviewed my friend, Dona Mayo, about hunting. I believed that she would know about hunting since she had hunted in the past and her father is an active hunter. She considers herself to be a â€Å"non-hunter† now but does support the rights of a limited amount of hunting for appropriate reasons. Her family always takes home and eats all the animals they kill. Any left over meat is donated to church or given to other families. Every edible part of the animal is eaten. The head is kept as a trophy if it has a good rack. They prefer to hunt deer, turkey and squirrel. At one point, in 1985 lots of people were laid off from work. They had to rely on hunting to supply them with meat when they could no longer afford to buy any. She did have a friend of hers that was involved in a hunting related accident. His name was Chris, when he was thirteen he had accidentally shot and killed his father by laying a gun that had a bullet lodged in the rifle while climbing a fence. It is illegal to hunt in state parks in Mississippi. Taxpayers pay extra for l...

Greatest Contribution of the Third Republic of the Philippine Presidents

Greatest Contribution of The third Republic of the Philippine Presidents Manuel A. Roxas First presidentf the Republic of the Philippines. A lawyer, he began his political career in 1917. An advocate for Philippine independence from the U. S. , he was a member of the convention that drew up a constitution under the revised Philippine Independence and Commonwealth Act (Tydings-McDuffie Act; 1934). He collaborated with the pro-Japanese administration during World War II but was defended in postwar trials by Gen.Douglas MacArthur. He became president of the Philippines when independence was achieved (1946). Roxas obtained rehabilitation funds from the U. S. but was forced to allow the U. S. to maintain military bases and make other major concessions. His government was marred by corruption and police brutality, setting the stage for the Hukbalahap Rebellion. Elpidio Quirino His six years as president were marked by notable postwar reconstruction, general economic gains, and increased ec onomic aid from the United States.Basic social problems, however, particularly in the rural areas, remained unsolved, and his administration was tainted by widespread graft and corruption. Ramon Magsaysay As president, he was a close friend and supporter of the United States and a vocal spokesman against communism during the Cold War. He led the foundation of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization also known as the Manila Pact of 1954, that aimed to defend South East Asia, South Asia and the Southwestern Pacific from communism. He was also known for his integrity and strength of character.During his term, he made Malacanang Palace literally a â€Å"house of the people†, opening its gates to the public. Carlos Garcia During his administration, he acted on the Bohlen–Serrano Agreement which shortened the lease of the US Bases from 99 years to 25 years and made it renewable after every five years. He also exercised the Filipino First Policy, for which he was known. This p olicy heavily favored Filipino businessmen over foreign investors. He was also responsible for changes in retail trade which greatly affected the Chinese businessmen in the country.Diosdado Macapagal During his presidency, the Philippines enjoyed prosperity and was the second most developed country in the Asian region, next only to Japan and ahead of the future tiger economies of Asia such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Korea. Allowed the Philippine peso to float on the free currency exchange market. abolition of tenancy and accompanying land reform program in the Agricultural Land Reform Code of 1963 which underscored his endeavor to fight mass poverty. Ferdinand MarcosDuring his first term he had made progress in agriculture, industry, and education. Yet his administration was troubled by increasing student demonstrations and violent urban-guerrilla activities. Initially, he had a good record as president and the Filipinos expected him to be one of the best. However, conditions changed in later years and his popularity with the people started diminishing. Proclaimed Martial Law. Corazon Aquino Despite the euphoria following the overthrow of the Marcos government, Aquino faced the massive challenge of restoring the nation.She established a revolutionary government under the terms of a provisional â€Å"Freedom Constitution†, legally establishing the structure of the government pending the adoption of a permanent, democratically-drafted constitution. Fidel Ramos The first few years of his administration (1992-1995) were characterized by economic boom, technological development, political stability and efficient delivery of basic needs to the people. During his administration, Ramos began implementing economic reforms intended to open up the once-closed national economy, encourage private enterprise, invite more foreign and domestic investment, and reduce corruption.Joseph Estrada Idolized by the poor, he campaigned on a combination of policies that are both market-friendly and designed to reduce widespread poverty in a population of 70 million. Gloria Arroyo Arroyo, a practicing economist, has made the economy the focus of her presidency. Early in her presidency, Arroyo implemented a controversial policy of holiday economics, adjusting holidays to form longer weekends with the purpose of boosting domestic tourism and allowing Filipinos more time with their families. Benigno Aquino iiiDespite having the privilege of using ‘wang-wang’, Aquino maintained he would set the example for his no ‘wang-wang’ policy, not to use ‘wang-wang’, even if it means being stuck in traffic and being late every now and then. Executive Order No. 5 prevents special envoys from using the title â€Å"ambassadorAquino also ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to support and assist all regional hospitals and health centers and intensify their efforts to attend to the needs of dengue–inflicted patientsOn September 2 , 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. , extending the duration of the operations of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMEPC) to December 30, 2010[ On September 8, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 7, ordering the suspension of all allowances, bonuses and incentives of board members of government-owned and-controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) until December 31, 2010

Input And Output Devices Of A Computer Essay

The terms â€Å"input† and â€Å"output† are used both as: verbs to describe the process of entering /displaying the data. nouns referring to the data itself entered into /displayed by the computer. Input Devices Input devices are necessary to convert information or data in to a form which can be understood by the computer. A good input device should provide timely, accurate and useful data to the main memory of the computer for processing. Keyboard Keyboard is the standard input device attached to all computers. The layout of a keyboard is just like the traditional typewriter of the type QWERTY. It also contains some extra command keys and function keys. It contains a total of 101 to 104 keys. You have to press correct combination of keys to input data. The computer can recognize the electrical signals corresponding to the correct key combination and processing is done accordingly. The computer keyboard is used to enter text information into the computer. The keyboard can also be used to type commands directing the computer to perform certain actions. Commands are typically chosen from an on-screen menu using a mouse, but there are often keyboard shortcuts for giving these same commands. keyboards usually have a numeric keypad, a bank of editing keys, and a row of function keys along the top. Laptop computers don’t have room for large keyboards. they include a â€Å"fn† key so that other keys can perform double duty. Most keyboards attach to the PC via a PS/2 connector or USB port. Pointing Devices The graphical user interfaces (GUIs) in use today requires some kind of device for positioning the on-screen cursor. Typical pointing devices are: mouse, trackball, touch pad, trackpoint, graphics tablet, joystick, touch screen. Pointing devices are connected to a PC via a serial ports (old), PS/2 mouse port (newer), or USB port (newest). Mouse A mouse is an input device that is used on personal computer. It rolls on a small ball and has two or three buttons on the top. When rolled across a flat surface the screen censors the mouse moves in the direction of mouse movement. In older mice, a ball in the bottom of the mouse rolls on the surface as it moves. internal rollers sense the ball movement and transmit the information to the computer via the cord of the mouse. The newer optical mouse uses a light and a small optical sensor to detect the motion of the mouse by tracking a tiny image of the desk surface. Optical mice avoid the problem of dirty mouse ball, which causes regular mice to roll unsmooth. A cordless or wireless mouse communicates with the computer via radio waves. such mice need internal batteries. A mouse also includes one or more buttons (and possibly a scroll wheel) to allow users to interact with the GUI. The traditional PC mouse has two buttons, while the traditional Macintosh mouse has one button. On either type of computer you can also use mice with three or more buttons and a small scroll wheel. Touch pad Most laptop computers have a touch pad pointing device.   Moving the on-screen cursor is done by sliding a finger along the surface of the touch pad. The buttons are located below the pad, but most touch pads allow you to perform â€Å"mouse clicks† by tapping on the pad itself. Touch pads have the advantage over mice that they take up much less room to use. They have the advantage over trackballs that there are no moving parts to get dirty and result in jumpy cursor control. Trackpoint Some sub-notebook computers, which lack room for even a touch pad, incorporate a trackpoint. a small rubber projection embedded between the keys of the keyboard. The trackpoint acts like a little joystick that can be used to control the position of the on-screen cursor. Trackball Trackball is sort of like an upside-down mouse, with the ball located on top. A is fingers is used to roll the trackball, and internal rollers sense the motion which is transmitted to the computer. Trackballs have the advantage over mice in that the body of the trackball remains stationary on a desk, so much room is not needed to use the trackball. Early laptop computers often used trackballs. Touch screen Some computers, especially small hand-held PDAs, have touch sensitive display screens. The user can make choices and press button images on the screen. Stylus is often used, which you hold like a pen, to â€Å"write† on the surface of a small touch screen. Graphics tablet A graphics tablet consists of an electronic writing area and a special â€Å"pen† that works with it. A graphics tablet allows artists to create graphical  images with motions and actions similar to using more traditional drawing tools. Joysticks Joysticks and other game controllers can also be connected to a computer as pointing devices. They are generally used for playing games, and not for controlling the on-screen cursor in productivity software. Scanners A scanner is a device that images a printed page or graphics by digitizing it, producing an image made of tiny pixels of different brightness and color values which are represented numerically and sent to the computer. Scanners scan graphics and pages of text which are then run through OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software that identifies the individual letter shapes and creates a text file of the page’s contents. The common optical scanner devices are: Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR), Optical Mark Reader (OMR) , Optical Character Reader (OCR). Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) This is widely used by banks to process large volumes of cheques and drafts. Cheques are put inside the MICR, as they enter the reading unit, the cheques pass through the magnetic field which causes the read head to recognize the character of the cheques. Optical Mark Reader (OMR) This technique is used when students have appeared in objective type tests and they had to mark their answer by darkening a square or circular space by pencil. These answer sheets are directly fed to a computer for grading  where OMR is used. Optical Character Recognition (OCR): This technique unites the direct reading of any printed character. Suppose you have a set of hand written characters on a piece of paper. You put it inside the scanner of the computer. This pattern is compared with a site of patterns stored inside the computer. Whichever pattern is matched is called a character read. Patterns that cannot be identified are rejected. Microphone A microphone is attached to a computer to record sound. The sound is digitized and stored in the computer to later processing and playback. MIDI Devices MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. A MIDI musical keyboard can be attached to a computer and allow a performer to play music that is captured by the computer system as a sequence of notes with the associated timing. Output Devices Visual Display Unit (VDU) The most popular output device is the VDU. The VDU is also called monitor. Monitor is used to display the input data and to receive messages from the computer. It has its own box which is separated from the main computer system and is connected to the computer by a cable. In some systems it is compact with the system unit. It can be color or monochrome. CRT Monitor Traditional output device of a personal computer has been the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor. It contains a large cathode ray tube that uses an electron beam of varying strength to â€Å"paint† a picture onto the color phosphorescent dots on the inside of the screen. CRT monitors are heavy and use more electrical power than flat panel displays. CRT are preferred by some graphic artists for their accurate color rendition, and preferred by some gamers for faster response to rapidly changing graphics. Monitor screen size is measured diagonally across the screen, in inches. Not all of the screen area may be usable for image display, so the viewable area is also specified. The resolution of the monitor is the maximum number of pixels it can display horizontally and vertically (such as 800 x 600, or 1024 x 768, or 1600 x 1200). Most monitors can display several resolutions below its maximum setting. Pixels (Picture Elements) are the small dots that make the image displayed on the screen. The spacing of the screen’s tiny phosphor dots is called the dot pitch (dp), typically .28 or .26 (measured in millimeters). A screen with a smaller dot pitch produces sharper images. Computer must produce a video signal that a monitor can display. This may be handled by circuitry on the motherboard, but is usually handled by a video card in one of the computer’s expansion slots; often the slot is a special one dedicated to video use, such as an AGP slot (Accelerated Graphics Port). Video cards are also called video display adapters, and graphics cards. Many video cards contain separate processors and dedicated video memory for generating complex graphics quickly without burdening the CPU. Flat Panel Monitor A flat panel display usually uses an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen to display output from the computer. The LCD consists of several thin layers that polarize the light passing through them. The polarization of one  layer, containing long thin molecules called liquid crystals, can be controlled electronically at each pixel, blocking varying amounts of the light to make a pixel lighter or darker. Other types of flat panel technology exist (such as plasma displays) but LCDs are most commonly used in computers, especially laptops. Older LCDs had slow response times and low contrast, but active matrix LCD screens have a transparent thin film transistor (TFT) controlling each pixel, so response, contrast, and viewing angle are much improved. Flat panel displays are much lighter and less bulky than CRT monitors. They consume much less power. They are more expensive than CRTs, but the price gap is narrowing. The display size of a flat panel is expressed in inches, and the resolution is the number of pixels horizontally and vertically on the display. Terminals Terminal is a very popular interactive output unit. It is divided into two types: hard copy terminals. soft copy terminals. A hard copy terminal provides a printout on paper. A soft copy terminals provides visual copy on monitor. Printer Printer is an important output device used to get a printed copy of the processed text or result on paper. There are different types of printers that are designed for different types of applications; Depending on their speed and approach of printing. printers are classified as: impact. non-impact printers. Impact printers Impact printers use the familiar typewriter approach of hammering a typeface against the paper and inked ribbon. Dot-matrix printers are of this type.   Dot matrix printers use small electromagnetically activated pins in the print head, and an inked ribbon, to produce images by impact. These printers are slow and noisy, and are not commonly used for personal computers anymore they can print multi-layer forms, which neither ink jet nor laser printers can. Non-impact printers Non-impact printers use electro-static chemicals and ink-jet technologies. Laser printers and Ink-jet printers are of this type. This type of printers can produce color printing and elaborate graphics. Ink Jet Printer For hardcopy output, you need some kind of printer attached to the computer. The most common type of printer for home systems is the color ink jet printer. These printers form the image on the page by spraying tiny droplets of ink from the print head. The printer needs several colors of ink (cyan, yellow, magenta, and black) to make color images. Some photo-quality ink jet printers have more colors of ink. Ink jet printers are inexpensive, but the cost of consumables (ink cartridges and special paper) makes them costly to operate in the long run for many purposes. Laser Printer A laser printer produces good quality images by the same technology that photocopiers use. A drum coated with photosensitive material is charged, and then an image is written onto it by a laser (or LEDs) which makes those areas lose the charge. The drum then rolls through toner (tiny plastic particles of pigment) that is attracted to the charged areas of the drum. The toner is then deposited onto the paper, and then fused into the paper with heat. Most laser printers are monochrome, but more expensive laser printers with multiple color toner cartridges can produce color output. Laser printers are faster than ink jet printers. Their speed is rated in pages per minute (ppm). They are more expensive than ink jets, but they are cheaper to run in the long term if you just need good quality black & white pages. Other Printers Multi-function printers are available that not only operate as a computer printer, but also include the hardware needed to be a scanner, photocopier, and FAX machine as well. Sound Output Computers also produce sound output, ranging from simple beeps alerting the user, to impressive game sound effects, to concert quality music. The circuitry to produce sound may be included on the motherboard, but high quality audio output from a PC usually requires a sound card in one of the expansion slots, connected to a set of good quality external speakers or headphones. Multimedia is a term describing computer output that includes sound, text, graphics, movies, and animation. A sound card is an example of a multimedia output device .

Is playing Sports a good hobby?

Sport is identified as a physical activity carried out by human beings usually executed by following a set of rules and principles to ensure fair competition among the candidates. Playing sports and indulging in physical activities aids in confirming various health benefits including comfortable respiration, muscular development, bone strength, advanced life expectancy, and coronary fitness. Playing sports helps in safeguarding the body and prevents it from contracting various types of diseases like cancer.Also, it assists in controlling unnecessary weight gain and depression by diverting the mind in a positive direction. Some of the affirmative effects of playing sports have been discussed below. It is a known fact that regaling in any kind of physical activity leads to a healthy workout and consequently promotes weight loss. Sports acts as a catalyst for the metabolic processes and resultantly increases lean body mass, burns calories and aids in attaining perfect body shape.There i s a lot of variation in the amount of suggested physical work. It is mainly due to the variation in the shape/size of the body of different individuals and amount of calorie input, nonetheless it is remedial for people who are obese. As enumerated by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Weight stability can be obtained if 2-5 hours are invested in playing averagely demanding sports. Playing high intensity sport is extremely significant for people who wish to reduce their weight adequately.It is advised by physicians that people of all age groups must undertake any kind of physical activity or sport as it in helps in cultivating a healthy heart and mind. As delineated by the British Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, about 40 percent of deaths related to coronary heart disease take place due to insufficient physical work, overweight, mental stress and increased blood pressure. Sports can help in dealing with these physical ailments by reducing the contingen cy of coronary disease by almost 50 percent.Decrease in the strength of muscles, bones and joints, is an inevitable corollary of growing old. Aged people are advised to go for regular walks and practice numerous physical exercises so that their body parts are in healthy and working condition. Thus, it can be concluded that playing sports is very significant for people of all age groups and must be taken up seriously in order to maintain a healthy body.

Price War Essay

How should a company try to deal with the threat of a price war? Fontinelle (2010) believed that price war has a big impact which leads to a string of price reduction that vaporizes the profit margins. There are some solutions which can cope with the menace of a price war. To start with, Rao et al. (2000) showed that the manager of a company should take into account of other options before answering the price cuts call. The manager should consider matching price cut is a good choice or not before deciding. Moreover, additional information about the price war is needed to be figured out immediately. Does the discounted price apply for a short period of time or long term? In addition, the terms and conditions for the promotion are also involved. For example, Starbucks drove their customers crazy because of the 50% discount Frappuccino in happy hour campaign. In addition, it also attracts more new customers. Meanwhile, their competitors should consider about applying the same strategy or do nothing. The competitor’s managers must be particularly careful as the threat of price war is high. In addition, they may get more disadvantages instead of advantages as if their brand is not as strong as Starbucks. Misreading the competitor’s purposes which is one of the main factor causes price war can lead to unavoidable price war (Little, 2003). Therefore, correct information about competitor’s intentions must be obtained carefully. The reason behind the price cuts must be figured out to have the right respond. With the same example above, the competitors’ managers should research in detail about Starbucks promotion campaign to have their suitable marketing strategy. According to Rao et al. (2000), marketing communication strategy plays an important role in ensuring the competitors understand the reason behind the company pricing tactics which assists in avoiding a price war. Advertisement should not only focus on the price but also the quality and benefits of the product. Therefore, the companies should selectively reveal their strategy intentions in the purpose of staying away from price reductions. To avoid igniting a price war, Swartz (2012) claimed that products are required to be differentiated. It means that the products must be customized to become outstanding in the market share. Although other traders may offer products which are similar to those competitors are selling, it doesn’t necessarily mean the company must serve identical products or services. Therefore, there are many ways of differentiation in order to make the customers realize which product is more valuable to purchase. Rao et al. (2000) pointed out that awareness of customer’s level of price sensitivities is also important. To carry out a successful pricing strategy, a company must first comprehend the basic understanding of customer perception of price sensitivity. This changes when new competitors enter the current market as company have to be aware of other competitors pricing strategy as well. As a conclusion, companies should keep clear of price wars as it can be difficult to manage as soon as price wars begin to gain a head start. Arguments between companies regarding price wars should be handled calmly to avoid unnecessary conflicts. As a side benefit, it would also reduce the chances of initiating price wars.

Poverty in Afica ( Ghana) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Poverty in Afica ( Ghana) - Research Paper Example For this reason Africa has poised to become the next frontier of economic growth, yet Ghana and many other African nations have continued to remain in poverty. Majority of the citizens are still in the poverty and a significant proportion has continued to enjoy chronic extreme poverty. In Ghana 28% of the population is living conditions of extreme poverty (Owusu and Mensah, 2013). In this paper therefore, I will be exploring some of the reasons behind Ghana state of poverty despite possessing vast natural resources. Ghana continues to remain poor yet the country is home to vast mineral deposits, arable agricultural land and many other natural resources that are vital to economic development. At a time when manufacturing industries in the Europe, china, Japan, America and beyond are sourcing raw materials almost entirely from the African continent, Ghana and many other nations in Africa have no viable industrial or manufacturing economy beyond agro processing and production of raw materials. This situation can be looked at from different perspectives. Firstly, some have argued that Ghana and the entire Africa lacks knowledge on what can be done with the vast wealth in terms of oil, minerals and gas deposits. It can as well be argued that Ghana does not place any economic value at all to the rich mineral resources. Yet it can also be argued that that Africans are traditionally non-capital oriented and as such they derive satisfaction from just the surface value rather than what lies beneath their natural resource wealth. The most important issue here is that Africa and Ghana in particular is a net exporter of raw materials and this translates into transforming economic benefit for its citizens as would be if it were converting these raw materials into finished products for export. The biggest problem facing Ghana with its rich natural resource base revolves around the capability of converting the resources on a mass scale into finished

Company directors and managers goal of maximising profits Essay

Company directors and managers goal of maximising profits - Essay Example Company directors’ and managers’ goal of maximising profits Managers and the directors set objectives which they struggle to attain of which the main objectives are earning profit, adding to wealth of shareholders, growth and customer satisfaction etc. Directors, at times, are more concerned with growth of the company and addition to the wealth of the shareholders while meeting the expectations of the shareholders with considerable profits as they are the ones owning the business. The prime responsibility with which the directors are entrusted is to maximize the profits for the shareholders of the company who are the actual owners of the company and to them the directors are accountable to. Since the directors of the company are the representatives of the shareholders and act on behalf of the shareholders, the onus lies on them to keep the interest of the shareholders in mind to the add to the wealth of the shareholders who have invested in the company for the same. The key purpose of the board of directors along with the managers is to make sure the prosperity of the company through jointly handle the affairs of the company, at the same time meeting the suitable welfare of its stakeholders especially the shareholders. Klaus J. Hopt mentioned in his research that â€Å"Being responsible for the going concern of the company the directors hold themselves liable and accountable to the shareholders and aim at maximizing their returns, where the law also directs them the same.†

Leading Teams Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leading Teams - Coursework Example a political reform. In a business point of view, a work team has members working independently on a common goal so as to produce a given output. However, a work group consists of two or more people working independently in their achievements, not necessarily working in the same department (Harvard Business School , 2013). In summary, a team works together with a common output whereas a group is more independent to one another. Logical/rational persuasion- presenting factual information and laying out unnecessary arguments is the best way to influence others. It includes putting emphasis on the positive benefits of the course of action. This technique is commonly used upwards like giving suggestions to executives on plan of actions (Hackman, 2002). Inspirational appeal- it is used in a downward fashion with the aim of influencing high performance in a group/team. The leader relates the desired outcome or activity to a set of values or ideals that are respected by the group. It appeals mostly to emotions, which are drivers of motivation. Consultation- it is a fancy word for seeking advice. Always make use of consultation when you are sure of what to do, but requesting how to do it. It works best because when one gives an input, they become more interested and committed to take the initiative. They feel appreciated and involved thus become motivated to pursue to its success. Hughes, R. L., Ginnett, C., R., Curphy, & J., G. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience (7th ed.). New York: Hughes, R. L., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.