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The challenging family situation I would like to share with you is our move from Korea to the United States. In 1989, my life was changed when my family immigrated to a new country, hoping for a better future. My life in Korea was hopeless, because I was a failing student with not much interest in school. I spent the majority of my time in Arcades, wasting my coins on video games. Rather than studying with my friends, as I had told my parents I would, I obsessed over the games. The only positive aspect to my life was my private computer programming lessons. Programming in Apple BASIC presented me with an opportunity to create my own world. One day, my parents told me that we were going to move to the United States of America, and I developed a strong feeling that my life soon would change forever. After spending eleven years in Korea, our family moved a totally different environment. This I knew would be my toughest challenge to date. As a fifth grader attending a new elementary school in a new country, I felt left out because of my inability to communicate. Some kids assumed that I did not understand them at all, so they made rude remarks about me. I understood them, maybe not completely, but I knew the intent of their messages. All that I had was my Apple II computer at which I just sat and programmed when I came home from school. At home, my parents pressured me to study all of the time, but I was frustrated and wanted to return to Korea. I wanted to go back and talk freely with my friends and play games with them. My parents often told me that they decided to move here because of the educational opportunities, yet I continued to rebel and refused to listen to what they said. Over time, my English improved. I moved on to regular sixth grade classes; some of which were challenging, but tolerable because of my teachers whom were willing to help. I always enjoyed class trips to the computer lab, where I would start programming on the computer. Other kids would start to gather around and treat me like a genius. Before long, I made more friends and found that I was enjoying school. Thoughts of going back to Korea faded, and my grades rose to a satisfactory level. This pleased my parents who now encouraged me to invite friends to dinner. When my friends came over, I became the translator between my parents and my friends. Since then, I often translate for my parents in any occasion where translation is needed. Talking to some adults was intimidating and sometimes embarrassing, but I felt mature and responsible. The rest of my school year went by very smoothly, and my self-confidence grew. Now I help other Korean people with language difficulties, helping them to understand English and American customs. Prior to my arrival to the United States, I thought everything would be nice and easy, but it did not turn out that way. Life was difficult, since I had to learn a new language, culture, and customs. One of the best things I learned was that my parents were right. This experience helped change me from a hopeless kid to a confident and responsible young adult. From this experience, I have learned that if one sets goals, works hard towards those goals, dedicates oneself to those goals, and takes advantage of opportunities presented, they can achieve anything.

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Computer Architecture and Assembly Language – Midterm 2011 1. In instruction ADC the operands can be oTwo register only oTwo register and one memory location oCF and two other operands oZF and two other operands 2. After the execution of instruction â€Å"RET† oSP is incremented by 2 oSP is decremented by 2 oSP is incremented by 1 oSP is decremented by 1 3. The extended ASCII has o64 characters o128 characters o256 characters o502 characters 4. The second byte in the word designated for screen location holds oThe dimension of the screen oCharacter position on the screen Character color on the screen oACSII code of the character 5. REP will always oIncremented CX by 1 oIncremented CX by 2 oDecremented CX by 1 oDecremented CX by 2 6. The routine that executes in response to an INT instruction is called oISR oIRS oISP oIRT 7. The iAPX888 architecture consists of _______ register. o12 o14 o16 o18 8. In the instruction â€Å"CMP AX,BX† the contents of oAX are changed oBX are changed not conformed oCX are changed oFlag register are changed 9. All the addressing mechanisms iniAPX88 return a number called ______ address. oeffective ofaulty oindirect odirect 10.The execution of the instruction â€Å"mov word [ES: DI], 0x0720† owill clear next character on screen owill print â€Å"20† at top left of the screen owill print â€Å"20† at top right of the screen owill move DI at location 0720 on the screen 11. â€Å"mov byte [num1],5† is _______ instruction. olegal oillegal ostack based omemory indirect 12. MOV instruction transfers a byte or word from which of the following source location. oDS:DI oES:SI oES:DI oDS:SI 13. The execution of the instruction â€Å"mov word [ES: 0], 0x0741† will print â€Å"A† on the screen, color of the character will be oBlack oWhite oRed oBlue 14.If AX contains FFFFh, then after execution of instruction â€Å"SAL ax, 3†, the result will be o-3 o+3 o-8 o+8 15. If the decimal number â€Å"35† is shifted by two bit to left, the new value will be o35 o70 o140 o17 16. While using STOBS, if DF=1 then oThe value of SI will be incremented by one oThe value of SI will be incremented by two oThe value of SI will be decremented by one oThe value of SI will be decremented by two 17. After the execution of STOSW, the CX will be oDecremented by 1 oDecremented by 2 oIncremented by 1 oIncremented by 2 18. The memory address always move from oprocessor to memory memory to processor omemory to peripheral operipheral to processor 19. An offset alone is not complete without osegment ocode label oindex register odata label 20. Code Segment is associated to _______ register by default. oIP oSS oBP oCX 21. Write down the procedure to clear the selective bit. (Marks: 2) 22. Why REP prefix is generally not used with LODS instruction? (Marks: 2) 23. What is difference between REPE and REPNE? (Marks: 3) 24. Describe Push and Pop with the help of an example. (Marks: 3) 25 . Explain all characteristics of SCAS instruction. (Marks: 5) 26. Describe Local Variable? (Marks: 5)

Critical incident management operations based on an actual disaster Research Paper

Critical incident management operations based on an actual disaster event - Research Paper Example A disaster is an accidental and devastating event that occurs suddenly, causing adverse social and economic impacts in the population or environment it occurs. The effects may include physical injury, deaths, loss and damage on property, emotional and physical hardship, and obliteration of physical infrastructure as well as failure of operational and administrative systems. Before and during a disaster, emergency responders have to intervene to save lives, property and minimize the adverse effects caused by the disaster. However, the uncertainty or infrequency of disasters poses very great challenge for these responders to ascertain the effectiveness of their response strategies (Donahue & o’Keefe, 2007). Consequently, responders usually use various methods and experiences to enhance the manner they respond to similar disasters in the future. This paper will examine aspects of planning, response, recovery as well as mitigation during disasters and the manner the country can improve its response capabilities. The Three Mile high nuclear accident and Hurricane Agnes in the 1979 prompted President Carter and the Congress to establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as the Emergency Management Council (EMC). This aimed at consolidating the responsibilities for disaster preparedness performed by the different federal agencies to one single agency (Mener, 2007). This came out of the belief that it was going to eliminate the communication and the fragmentation difficulties seen during the earlier disasters. With this order from the executive, all federal agencies that had responsibilities and capabilities of providing response during disasters to co-operate with FEMA. It also provided FEMA with the task of ensuring co-ordination in disaster preparedness and aid operations. Nevertheless, the

The Promotion Dilemma by Caroline Smith Case Study - 20

The Promotion Dilemma by Caroline Smith - Case Study Example Caroline immediately set her mind to the task of becoming an exemplary manager. Being with the department for five years, she was able to make several small improvements in the working conditions of the department; and as a consequence, productivity improved for every worker – except Beverly. Whereas the others appreciated and responded to Caroline’s efforts, Beverly just seemed to become more hostile. When management praised Caroline for her section’s improved performance and productivity, they also noted Beverly’s decline and suggested that a strong performance evaluation might be the answer. Caroline did not know much about performance evaluation except for the few she had with her predecessor but was determined that Beverly should be as productive as everyone else. Just immediately after being promoted, Caroline called Beverly into her office and launched a plan for Beverly to increase her production level. Halfway through the communication process, Beverly interrupted with a shaky voice: â€Å"You don’t have to go through all this.† â€Å"What do you mean?† Caroline asked, with distinct irritation in her voice. â€Å"I know you are just looking for an excuse to fire me,† quipped Beverly. â€Å"That’s ridiculous!† Caroline answered. â€Å"No, it isn’t. I know none of our colleagues has ever liked me,† Beverly replied. And with that, Beverly ran out of the office in tears. Caroline called her to stop, but it was too late. Caroline was flabbergasted. She had wanted her business relations with Beverly to get better, not worse, especially after her promotion. She knew Beverly’s fears had no basis – or did they? Caroline wondered whether she might have shown some unconscious prejudice. But she did not have the time to waste questioning her own motives.  

Discussion 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion 4 - Essay Example He established a new social hierarchy system. This was different from what prevailed in the time of his predecessors. His new social hierarchy was based on talent and he himself chose the most able generals, scientists, wealthy men and former nobles as senators. He also introduced a new system of hierarchy of noble titles. These titles could be inherited but they had also had to be supported with wealth. Able and favored generals were often rewarded with estates in conquered territories. He also appointed his sons to exotic positions. His most impressive and long last achievement was the introduction of Civil Code also called Napoleonic Code that was completed in 1804. Under the code property rights, religious freedom and uniform laws of Freedom provided equal treatment for adult males but reduced the rights of women, children and employees. On the battle ground, he went way beyond his predecessors. He did not imply that war, the leader must memorize all the details of past wars and emulate the completely, for instance those fought by Alexander, Hannibal, Ceasar, Turenne, and Frederick the Great. Napoleon was not a greater innovator as a soldier himself. Infact, he did not trust ideas, precisely why he disbanded the balloon companies inherited from the Armies of the Revolution and rejected Rover Fulton’s offer of submarines and naval mines.

Emerging Markets Economies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Emerging Markets Economies - Essay Example This paper is based on the writings of Rousseau and Sylla on financial institutions and their role in expansion of trade and economic growth. Lessons which can be learned by emerging economies from the US are presented and described at length within this paper. Moreover the paper discusses the implementation of various models for a sound financial system and description of its role in enhancing expansion of trade and economic growth of emerging markets. It is through a good or sound financial system that rapid economic growth can be realized by emerging market. As a result, emerging economies must put in place a sound public debt and finances system (Rousseau and Sylla, 2001, p. 2). The financial markets are critical in the development of any economy and thus emerging markets must prioritize stabilization of their financial systems. For example, the remarkable growth of the US capital markets and banking systems is attributed to the rapid growth of its economy and acceleration of tra de within the country and internationally (Rousseau and Sylla, 1999, p. 4). This illustrates the role of financial markets in empowering individuals and businesses through provision of credit facilities as capital to enhance their trade. The efforts of the individual businesses in their trade endeavors will in return promote the ultimate economic growth of the economy. Moreover, the confidence and morale of investors is improved when there is availability and access to credit facilities. As a result, the investors will make use of the credit facilities and invest in the economy leading to expansion of trade and the economy in general. Monetary exchanges which characterize trade activities are promoted through a sound financial system. Banks enhance business transactions which are attributed to expansion of trade within emerging markets and thus growth of businesses. Rousseau and Sylla (2001, p. 42) emphasize that expansion of businesses into corporations and their internalization de monstrates a rapid growth of the economy. Rousseau and Sylla (1999, p. 15) reaffirm that the growth in stock of money or liquid money through expansion and increase of bank loans promotes financial development, economic growth and trade. For example, the increased liquid money in the expanded US bank credit boosted foreign investment through investors who were now more confident to invest in the economy. As a result imports were encouraged in addition to the increased application of modern production methods and thus internal economic growth. In this sense, financial are accredited for expansion of a country’s trade into import and export trade. Because of the growth of an emerging market’s trade into international orientations, foreign exchange is attained and hence further growth of the economy. It is the liquid money which finances businesses within an emerging economy Rousseau and Sylla (1999). The rate of exchange of liquid money within an economy demonstrates tha t there is rapidity of trade activities and hence a reflection of an expanding economy. According to Rousseau and Sylla (2001, p. 21), stable monetary arrangements within a country is one of the most important prerequisites to expansion of trade and growth of the economy. Monetary arrangements include policies which govern the financial systems. This means that emerging markets or economies must

Artificial Intelligence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Artificial Intelligence - Term Paper Example Researchers can create systems that understand human speech, compete with humans during games like chase and imitate human thought (Harris, 2010). Origin and evolution of artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence traces its roots to the ancient-classical philosophers who described the human thinking process as a manipulation of mechanical symbols. This gave rise to the creation of a digital computer that was programmable in the 1940s. This machine was based on the conceptual core of mathematical logic. The success of this device acted as an inspiration to scientists and researchers to start engaging in serious discussions on the possibility of developing an electronic brain (Whitby, 2009). It is believed that artificial intelligence originated from proclamations and thoughts of the primordial Greek scientists and philosophers. The Egyptians then advanced it at around 800 B.C. The Egyptians constructed a statue of Amun, the great in the ancient city of Napata. This statue could move its arm and speak to onlookers. Although the statuette was not intelligent, it portrayed signs of intelligence that inspired the Egyptians (Harris, 2010). In the fifth century, Aristotle advanced what was considered as the foundation of artificial intelligence. He introduced a theory called the syllogistic logic that deduced the first formal reasoning system. Later on, other people such as Euclid, Ramon Lull and al-Khwarizmi came up with fresh developments (Whitby, 2009). Al-Khwarizmi invented algebra while Euclid introduced reasoning based on geometry. On his part, Ramon Lull invented a machine called Zairja. This could generate ideas in a mechanical and nonmathematical format. However, between 17th and 19th century, more ideas and descriptions were added to the thinking process. For instance, Descartes initiated the concepts that animals were just complex machines while Thomas Hobbes described reasoning as a process of reckoning. Gottfried Liebniz attempted to liken the human beings’ reasoning to algebraic calculations. He even developed the Liebniz Computer that could divide and multiply. George Boole who invented binary algebra further advanced use of mathematics to reason (Harris, 2010). The 20th century witnessed many advancements and revolutions with equally growing number of additional players in the industry (Lamb 1). The most significant invention of the robot was by Karel Capek in a play known as Rossum’s Universal Robots. The robots were portrayed as unconscious and mechanical beings who could work for humans as slaves (Harris, 2010). However, the most significant effort towards the advancement of artificial intelligence occurred in 1940 when the first electronic computer was invented. With the subsequent advancements in computer science and theory, artificial intelligence developed significantly (McCarthy 1). The leading brains in this field included Warren McCullon and Walter Pitts who sought to assign mathematical descriptions to the brains of humans. In 1955, Norbert Wiener proved that all the intelligent behaviors were feedback mechanisms’ derivatives (Whitby, 2009). The period between 1956 and 1979 was characterized by further advancements in artificial intelligence industry. Several research facilities on artificial intelligence were set up at Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Princeton. The administration of the US joined in during the 1960s and pressed for more developments on artificial in

Change Process and Models Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Change Process and Models - Coursework Example Without any iota of difficulty, the change that took place can be explained using three change process theories. These change process theories have carefully been enumerated below; in relation to the change that took place within the organization. The first theory that explains the change that took place is the expectancy theory. In an expectancy theory, it is generally said that people are induced to act in specific ways because they are motivated to act as such (Johnson, 2012). What this means is that expectancy theory demands that people pay off the motivation they receive by giving back excellent delivery. Looking at the fact that two people were promoted as a form of intrinsic motivation (Homik et al, 2008), it can be said that the expectancy theory was applied in this instance. This is because by motivating these two employees with the promotions, they will become obliged and expected to work with certain levels of output expectations. If for nothing at all, they will be expected to work above their means as a way of proving to their superiors that they deserve the promotions that were granted them. Another change process theory that comes to play in this instance is that of equity theory. According to the equity theory, people within an organization will be expecting to judge whether or not there is being fair distribution of available resources (Fuchs et al, 1997). With the present scenario, fairness and equity can be judged from the fact that the employees of the organization who were promoted can be labeled as resources because they form the basis of the human resource of their organization (Gardener, 2008). Secondly, fairness was attained because their hard work for their organization was acknowledged and rewarded. Indeed, there had been situations within the same organization whereby some employees were very aggrieved because they felt that their efforts were not recognized

Social penetration theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social penetration theory - Essay Example Their talk involves cliche like it has been long since we talked when they actually have little to say, life has been good it is always like that and you have grown so beautiful used at times to evade the actual topics that are personally involving. The conversations do not involve personal matters on a deeper level. Most comments during the orientation stage could be insincere or with very little sincerity or concern. The exploratory stage is where people give their opinion on light matters that are yet not deep. At this point only casual friendships develop out of social activity and conversations revolve around politics and the weather celebrities and public figures. Conversations may involve talk like I think the senator is doing a good job with his new project. Affective stage involves a lot of personal critical opinion. Persons start to express themselves and their emotion, what they like and what they do not like. They start to use the first person in statements for example, I am really not into bowling, and that man angers me or I like that girl. Relationships at this point may involve kissing and intimate touching and open statements of affection like I love you. At the stable stage, persons not only express themselves they also learn to read the other persons emotions and know what to do to please them and what to avoid doing to avoid displeasing them. At this stage personal matters are shared mutually and the people in the relationship know each other to a reasonable point (Atman, & Taylor 118). Depenetration is a radical stage where friendships may break apart. Here there is exploration in depth of the advantages of the relationship in the long run and its disadvantages. People making such decisions at this point make informed decisions. It is important that relationships be allowed to develop through the stages at their pace without being hurried to allow for the parties involved to freely share their information and develop a good platform of comm unication that is honest. Social disclosure allows for information to be shared at the sharing party’s free will. The information shared could involve activities one has been involved in or hopes to get involved in, the things they like and do not like. People share information depending on the level of trust they have developed in their counterparts and choose the information to share with them. They also consider the repercussions of sharing certain information even with their close friends(Atman, & Taylor 113). People share their personal information to reduce the impact of emotional or mental stress it has on them, to seek an opinion from a second party on major decisions or to gain moral support from close friends. Others expect to gain the confidence of their partners so much that those parties will involve them in their own experiences. Other times the disclosure may lead to the self-disclosing party being viewed differently in a better or taint reputation. The self-di sclosure process is therefore a risk by itself. It may involve very deep rooted emotions and beliefs, secrets and scarring moments of one’s past life. Relations grow with the parties’ ability to communicate. In most relationships people will try not to be a burden and even compromise their own situations to avoid conflict. There is an unspoken expectation by parties to gain confidence and trust from their partners. The relationships do not grow constantly and linearly all the same,

Challenges of Social Integration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Challenges of Social Integration - Assignment Example Further, some diseases need no resources to deal with them but to avoid the causing factor. Another issue discussed is the use of technology to advance the health status of the entire world. Most of the machines are built to suit the affordability by all country levels (Berwick, 2004). From my point of view, most of the issues highlighted in the article are right. The health status of the three world categories differs from one class to the other. The more economically grown countries have financed significantly in the health sector. Use of drugs causes some diseases. Cigarette Smoking causes illnesses such as lung cancer (Ladika, 2002). Liver cirrhosis is as a result of excessive consumption of alcohol. The diseases can be controlled by limited use of such drugs especially in the developing countries and also the developed countries. Developing countries have the minimum level of health followed by middle-countries, and the developed countries have the highest. The health sector can be advanced to a better situation by combined efforts of the government and individuals. The individuals are supposed to take charge of their health.one can take the appropriate measures to prevent one from getting infected. Individuals can also educate each other on health risk behaviors and so improving countries health since number of people getting sick will reduce (Kinkade and Verclas, 2008). The government can take part to nourish the health sector. It can increase the budget allocation for enhancing the infrastructure in health centers. It can also fund campaigns to create awareness on people on health related

Human Resources Presentation Outline Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Presentation Outline Essay Complete a slide-by-slide outline of your Human Resources Presentation using Microsoft ® PowerPoint ®. Consider the layout and the speaker’s notes for each slide in addition to the wording on the slide. Include the following in your outline: On each slide: List the main topics. List two or three subtopics. In the speaker’s note section: Describe the layout or appearance of the slide. Include a brief description of the text the speaker notes will contain. Human Resources Presentation â€Å"Team Presentation† As senior members of the human resources team, you have been asked to give a presentation on the state of the union to the board of directors. The presentation must include past, present, and future legal issues. Create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® presentation with detailed speaker notes summarizing your findings to the board. Use complete sentences, with correct grammar and punctuation, to fully explain each slide as if you were giving an in-person presentation. In your presentation, include at least two main points for each of the following bullets: †¢State and federal statutory and regulatory enactments related to patients’ rights and responsibilities †¢Current principles of patient consent and the resulting implications for the health care industry †¢The current state and future trends of physicians’ rights and responsibilities in the delivery of health care †¢Current components and implications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (LINDA’ part) †¢Brief summary of current and future trends for statutory, regulatory, and common law requirements of confidentiality in the health care industry  (LINDA’s part) †¢Current and future legal and ethical obligations relating to the documentation, retention, storage, and use of medical records Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines and References. Each one of us is doing a total of 4 slides 2 for each bullet, so I only need a total of 4 slides.

A Study On Mass Media Social Norms Media Essay

A Study On Mass Media Social Norms Media Essay Chauhan (2001) in his book television and social transformation has empirically studied the impact of television on college students with regard to their social life, political attitudes, educational performance and their reactions to the advertisement and entertainment programmes. The study suggested that the majority of the respondents admitted that changes have come in their sleeping timings, study timings and also the visiting and the entertaining the guests. Some political serials and programmes have promoted the feelings of patriotism, the political talk-shows was able to establish rapport with the masses as it was admitted by the respondents. Majority of the respondents liked viewing advertisements. Regarding the projection of women on television screen the students did not like the way in which the women are shown on the screen. Moreover, they had no objection regarding the projection of children on T.V. screen. Most of the students admitted improvement in their examination r esults. Finally the respondents suggested allotting more time to entertainment programme as compared to other programmes.39 Shanahan and Morgan (1992) conducted a comparative case study of how adolescents use T.V. and how this relates to interactions with their families in five countries, namely Argentina, Taiwan, Korea, China and USA. In the following study the issues addressed including television exposure, family conflict over television and the relationship of T.V. viewing to family communication. The study indicates a strong positive association between the parents in Argentina, Taiwan and USA. Most of the adolescents watch television with their parents and feel closer and more satisfied the amount of time spends together. 40 Kuo-Yi Wu (1990) studies the role and contribution of television in shaping of social perception such as sex roles, crime and violence, inter-personal relationships and ageing in Taiwan. In terms of perception of sex roles, contribution of television viewing is distinctly contingent upon the background and other social conditions. A more liberal stance is related to heavy viewers both Chinese or American programmes among females and those with high parental education. They generally prefer the foreign programme to the indigenous programmes. A consistent and significant relationship is found between weekday viewing and a more mistrustful world view. 41 Kang (1989) studies the measures of the pervasiveness of the cultural outlook in Korean T.V. programming. The study focused on Korean students perception about traditional and western values in terms of sex roles, the family system, violence and social deviance. He conducted his study on 1169 Junior High School students in Seoul, Korea. Although the finding are not statistically enormous, they seem to indicate that heavy Korean T.V. viewing is weakly related to traditional sex roles, the liberal attitudes towards dating and marriage and to a distorted social reality on violence and social dominance.42 Kang (1989) in his study indicate that Korean students who watch more AFKN (American Forces Korean Network) are more likely to take more liberal position on the sex role attitudes. He apprehended that compared to male, females are predisposed to think and behave in certain non-traditional ways such as wearing jeans and willingness to discount Confucianism. The females also felt that they would share dating expanses. 43 Ware and Michael (1994) analysed 17 quantitative studies from 16 publications using the Meta analysis approach. A significant positive association between exposure to entertainment programmes and the dependent variables suggest that programmes imported from U.S have a small but statistically significant impact on the foreign audience. The study revealed that exposure to U.S. entertainment programmes is more likely to increase preference for American products and influence attitudes toward America. The study also says that exposure to U.S. Television programming alone will not automatically generate an adoption of U.S. values. This impact is influenced by both study characteristics and types of dependent measure.44 Sharriffadin (1995) in his study looks at some of the major economic, cultural and social issues faced by the developing countries arising from the new technology. Author concludes in his study that the new communication era should not be perceived on purely technological phenomenon. It ultimate impact on social and cultural, although technological advancement is the key factor. This new era invites a change in social and cultural patterns.45 Goonasekera (1995) conducted a study on 263 viewers of two metropolitan cities revealed that most popular channels were DD, Star Plus, BBC, Zee and sun TV. Overall opinion towards foreign programme was positive. The elements not liked in foreign programmes are sex, vulgarity, violence and crime. But the overall opinion of the viewers was firmly against foreign television programmes. 46 Kya Bobo and Husten (2000) reveals key finding from the large body of literature on socio-cultural mechanisms that encourage tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents and adults. Authors state that these mechanisms exert similar effects on both alcohol and tobacco use behaviours. Socio-cultural factors that encourage smokers to drink and drinkers to smoke have not received extensive study, but they may account for some of the substantial variations in adult tobacco use rates seen among different levels of alcohol consumption. The authors explains the recent wreaking of association between drinking and smoking that is consistent with changes in societal attitudes toward tobacco and standards of care in alcoholism treatment facilities, the connection may continue to be quite strange among some population.47 Menon and Vohra (2001) conducted a study on the sample consisted of 70 urban middle class (annual income between 4-10 lakh rupees) students in the age range of 18-23 years from colleges in New Delhi affiliated to Delhi University. The upper middle class sample was chosen for their access to television and satellite channels. University students were selected as it was felt that this segment had the independence to watch what they want, and when they want as unlike school children, their free time is not rigidly regulated by the school curricula or parental rules regarding what to watch. Finding indicates the significant gender difference was noticed in the viewership of the sports channel, music channels, English serials, Hindi serials and the family portrayal in the serial they would create (i.e. portraying new trends, nuclear family or a joint family). Further, educational differences between the postgraduate and undergraduate sample were evident in the statistically significant di fferences in the viewership of Hindi serials and family portrayal in the self-creation section. These results indicate that the hypothesis suggesting that females would favour soap operas while the male sample would favour sports and information programmes.48 Verma and Larson (2002) conducted a study to understand the effects of T.V. on youth. A sample of 100 urban middle class Indian families selected for research. The author found in his study on an average adolescents viewing T.V. about 12 hours per week, 90% of this viewing occurred at home, 73% done with other family members, including 7% with grandparents, uncle or aunts. The study indicates that T.V. viewing for these youth is typically a family activity. The finding indicates that the T.V. viewing is typically a relaxed antidote to the stresses of the day that they share with their families.49 Zia Anjum (2004) conducted a study on Cable Television Watching Habits of the Youth in Pakistan. This study was aimed at to collect precise data to analyze the opinion preferences and requirements of the youth in Lahore regarding their cable T.V. watching habits. For this purpose, students of both genders of different colleges and Universities have been contacted so that people belongs to all section of the society can be reached. A sample of 300 respondents in totality selected the result show that young people only acquire entertainment from the cable T.V. They wish to have access to only those selected channels that do not promote immorality and untraditional indecency.50 further, indicates in her study that a large majority (85%) of the college and university students have their own access to cable T.V. A vast majority of the youngsters (62%) spend 3-4 hours daily to watch cable television programmes. The largest portion of the sample under study (39%) only watches cable T.V. for the sake of entertainment, second major reason for which youngster prefer to watch cable T.V. is for Leisure (18%). Majority of youngsters are interested in watching foreign channels instead of Pakistani channels on the cable T.V. 51 ibid Hemamalini et.al (2010) states that though violent images are portrayal in chutti T.V is no relationship between these images and children violent behaviour. Comparing to the television news channels and other adult focussed other channels mostly in native channels the T.V. so not have any moorings towards Indian culture since they are foreign productions. It is stated by authors that it is very difficult to dissociate violent images from the surroundings violence in which the children are captive. Authors state that the programmes that adults watch from in which the children are not spared are more violent images that Chutti T.V. For some children aggression is an expression that gives vent to their emotions. Authors state that children could be aggressive if he or she is hyperactive. This requires a need to channelize the aggression depicted in T.V. images so that it is expressed in a society acceptable manner. Authors explain that children should be discouraged to watch T.V. one h our before they go to bed. 52 Daud et. al (2011) in his study state that television advertisements in general and those involving some celebrities have immense and long lasting impact on youths lifestyle, religious values, family bonding and their decision making for buying various items. Authors state that some of the effects are really damaging for our society which are generally based on combined family system, established religions and cultural value and where majority of people cannot afford to purchase the products, which have severe temptation for youth in the race of show power. 53 Ahluwalia and Singh (2011) revealed in his study that T.V. competes with family, school, society and religious institutions to provide role models and information that affect childrens beliefs, values, behaviour, attitude and lifestyle. This study was conducted to make note of T.V. viewing patterns amongst children from middle and upper middle socio-economic strata of the urban society. A sample of 400 children of 8 to 16 years of age, across the region of Punjab was selected. Both the authors found in his study that on an average children watch 2 hours or less T.V. daily and most of them indulge in bedtime T.V. viewing. They watched T.V. primarily for entertainment and for learning. Childrens most preferred programme was childrens show/serials followed by cartoon/animated programmes. 54 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK This study has analysed Socio-cultural Impact of Television on Youth. The main purpose of this study was to find out the impact/influence of television programmes/channels on the life patterns of youth. As a communication technology, television has a great acceptance and is being used extensively in India. Television viewership is no more restricted to the upper and upper-middle class of India as it used to be a few years back. Being inexpensive and easy to access, television spread rapidly in India. It has become one of the common household commodities. Therefore, this study attempted to understand whether demography influenced the viewership patterns of respondents or not. Television provides a variety of local and foreign channels and helps people in selecting programmes according to their taste and choice. Therefore, the first part of this study explored respondents preferred channels and kinds of programmes, reasons for watching television, preferred time of watching and control over the remote. It justified the application of Uses and Gratification Theory. This theory identifies television consumption patterns according to needs and satisfaction of targeted class. The gratification factor leads to the exposure of channels/programmes which in turn can generate impact/effects. Main part of the present research comes under the impact tradition. It demands discussion on theories based on observational learning and information processing emphasize lasting impact/effects of exposure to media contents. Thus, the study also applies Cultivation Theory in terms of impact through exposure (depending upon heavy and light viewership of television) and Social learning Theory which says that viewers attend and learn from models which are attractive, powerful, rewarding and similar to themselves. They do not act immediately on what they learn from television. Instead, they store such knowledge to be used when their own circumstances elicit it. Hence, the framework of this research is based on the set of three theories i.e. Uses and Gratification Theory, Cultivation Theory and Social Learning Theory. These theories are discussed below in relation with the present study in brief. 2.1Uses and Gratification Utility Theory, often known as the Uses and Gratification Approach offers another way of explaining why people expose themselves to some communications and not others (the preferred channels/programmes); why they perceive a fraction of these to which they are exposed and why they remember- correctly or incorrectly. Blumler and Katzs Uses and Gratification Theory suggest that media users play an active role in choosing and using media. Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their media usage. Theorists say that media users seek out source that best fulfils their needs. Uses and Gratification Theory assumes that users have alternate choices to satisfy their needs (Griffin. 2000).55 Focus of this theory is that viewers attend perceive and remember information that is pleasurable or that will in some way help satisfy their needs. Therefore, this research probed into which television channels/programmes are preferred by the targeted audience and which of their needs are satisfied by viewing them. Uses and Gratification Theory takes a more humanistic approach to looking at the media usage. Blumler and Katz believe that there is not merely one way that the populace uses media. Instead, they believe there are as many reasons for using media as there are media users. According to the theory, media consumers have a free will to decide how they will use the media and how it will affect them. Blumler and Katz believe that media consumers can choose the influence media has on them as well as the idea that users choose media alternatives merely as a mean. Uses and Gratification Theory is the optimists view of media. The theory takes out the possibility that media can have an unconscious influence on our lives and how we view the world. The idea that we simply use media to satisfy a given need does not seem to fully recognize the power of media in todays society. (West, R. and Turner, I..H. 2000: 332).56 2.2 Cultivation Theory (Cultivation theory-sometimes referred to as the cultivation hypothesis or cultivation analysis-was an approach developed by Professor George Grebner, dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennysylvania. He began the Cultural Indicators research project in the mid-1960s, to study whether and how watching television may influence viewers ideas of what the everyday world is like.) 57 Cultivation Theory in its most basic form, suggests that television is responsible for shaping or cultivating viewers conceptions of social reality. The combined effect of massive television exposure by viewers over time subtly shapes the perception of social reality for individuals and, ultimately for our culture as a whole. Thus, cultivation research is in the effects traditions. Cultivation research looks at the mass media as a socialising agent and investigates whether television viewers come to believe the television version of reality the more they watch it. Gerbner and his colleagues argue that television drama has a small but significant influence on the attitudes, beliefs and judgement of viewers concerning the social world. The focus is on heavy viewers. People who watch a lot of television are likely to be more influenced by the ways in which the world is framed by television programmes than are individuals who watch less, especially regarding topics of which the viewer has little first-hand experience. Light viewers may have more sources of information than heavy viewers. 58 This study has used Cultivation Theory by George Gerbner as a guide in exploring the consequences/effects. Under guidance of this theory, this study may be able to emerge as a new theory. Essentially, the theory states that heavy exposure to mass media namely television creates and cultivates attitudes more consistent with a media conjured version of reality than with what actual reality is. The cultivation theory asserts that heavy viewers attitudes are cultivated primarily by what they watch on television. Gerbner views this television world as not a window on or reflection of the world, but a world in itself (Mc Quail. 1993: 100).59 Cultivation theorists argue that television has long term effects which are small, gradual, indirect but cumulative and significant. They emphasize the effects of television viewing on attitude rather than the behaviour of viewers. Heavy viewing of television is seen as cultivating attitudes which are more consistent with the world of television programmes than with the everyday world. Cultivation theorists are best known for their study of television and viewers and in particular, for a focus on the topic of violence. However, some studies have also considered other mass media from this perspective and have dealt with topics such as gender roles, age groups, ethnic groups and political attitudes. Cultivation theorists argue that heavy viewing leads viewers (even among high educational/high income groups) to have more homogeneous or convergent opinions then light viewers (who tend to have more heterogeneous or divergent opinion). The cultivation effect of television viewing is one of the levelling or homogenizing opinion. Gross considered that television is a cultural arm of the established industrial order and as such serves primarily to maintain, stabilize and reinforce rather than to alter, threaten or weaken conventional beliefs and behaviours (Boyd. Barrett. Braham. And Peter, B. 1987: 100).60 Cultivation theorists are well known for their study of television and viewers and in particular for a focus on the topic of violence. However, some studies have also considered other mass media from this perspective and have dealt with topics such as gender roles, age groups, ethnic groups and political attitudes. A study of American college students found that heavy soap opera viewers were more likely than light viewers to overestimate the number of real life married people who had affairs or who had been divorced and the number of women who had abortions (Wimmer and Dominick. 1993: 512).61 Gerbner reported evidence for resonance a double dose effect which may boost cultivation. This is held to occur when viewers everyday life experiences are congruent with those depicted in the television world. For instance, since on television women are most likely to be victims of crime, women heavy viewers are influenced by the usual heavy viewer mainstreaming effect but are also led to feel especially fearful for themselves as women. The cultivation effect is also argued to be strongest when viewers neighbourhood is similar to that shown on television. Crime on television is largely urban. So urban heavy viewers are subject to a double dose and cultivation theorists argue that violent content resonates more for them. The strongest effects of heavy viewing on attitudes to violence are likely to be amongst those in the high crime areas of cities (Gerbner. 1993).62 2.3 Social Learning Theory The principle understanding of social learning theory is tied the social context of learning. Bandura has emphasized the fact that people who observe responses of individuals tend to exhibit the same when placed in similar settings. According to Bandura, behaviours and responses that are repeated, perceived as real, distinct, functional and salient are more likely to be attended to, thus more likely to be learned. When observing an event, which receives some kind of reward like social approval, pleasant experience and when the observer feels confident to perform, its symbolic imitation is facilitated. The social cognitive principle has been widely employed to explain in television effects on a variety of social issues such as aggression, ethnic stereotypes, alcohol, attitudes and behaviour. It also stresses the importance of viewers cognitive activities when consuming television messages (Bandura. 1977). 63 Any person socialization process is influenced by innumerable factors such as family, school, environment factors etc. Direct experience and participation are important parameters which shape the youths impressions of the perceived structure of their environment. Mass media, particularly television plays a crucial role in bringing the outside world into homes. As an important institution, mass media enters the socialization process of an individual. The Social Learning Theory explains how environment influences the behaviour of an individual. DeFleur and Sandra (1989) stated despite general in nature, social learning theory is particularly relevant to study the impact of mass communication because the description and portrayal of social life is a frequent subject in media contents. The most common (and pervasive) examples of social learning situations are television commercials. Commercials suggest that drinking a certain beverage or using a particular shampoo will make us popular and win the admiration of attractive people. Depending upon the component processes involved (such as attention or motivation), users may model the behaviour shown in the commercial and buy the product being advertised. Actions of characters in the audio-visual media can serve as a model for others to imitate. Modelling Theory is also useful for describing the application of general Social Learning Theory which explain how new behaviours are acquired b y people from media portrayals. An individual observes a character, identifies him/her as a model and remembers actions of model and performs them when confronted with similar circumstances (DeFleur and Sandra. 1989).64 In light of all these theories stated above, it is important to mention that the researcher has formulated a combination of the three theories in order to assess what is the main reason of their watching, their preferred channels and programmes (Uses and Gratification Theory). While on the other hand, it has also measured what kind of effects are taking place in the lives of the sample under study? If there are some affects that are changing attitudes of youth under the study. Are these effects long-lasting or short term (Cultivation Analysis and Social Learning Theory). Hence, the researcher intended to explore all this for which the base of above mentioned theories was most suitable and required. Based on the Social Learning, Cultivation and Uses and Gratification theories, the present study hypothesized that characters and their behaviour in programmes of television channels serve as a model for heavy viewers. They may acquire certain characteristics which in turn influence their attitudes. It was also assumed that the youth (aged18-25 years) are vulnerable to influences and tend to be inclined towards change. Youth would serve as a barometer to assess the influence of television. Hence, youth of age 18-25 were selected for the study to determine the degree to which their attitudes were influenced by television. Now, with the availability of the foreign channels, an important question arises: does a youths behaviour reflect what his/her has watched on the television screen? The impact of foreign television programmes on youth involves a number of indispensible factors such as interest in the programmes, viewing pattern, reasons for watching, attitude towards programmes and models of social reality that these programmes promote. The study aimed at finding out whether and to what extent television affect youth in Rohtak and Jhajjar districts. The researcher aimed at finding answers to questions such as what youth think about these programmes in terms of their preferences and relevance. Is there any restriction on youth for watching television channels? Whether they experience an impact of these programmes on their attitudes or not? End Notes Kennedy Shannon. 1997. Television and Society, Journal of Asia Pacific Communications, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 199-204. Gary A. Steiner, The People Look at Television: A Study of Audience Attitudes. New York Alfred. A Knopf 1963. pp. 4-5. George Cromstock, The Impact of Television on American Institutions, Journal of communication, vol. 55, Oct. (1978), pp. 18-28. Robert Hargreaves, Television and current affairs: In politics and the media, (ed) M.J. Clark Oxford: Pergamon Press Ltd. (1979), pp. 9-10. Gilbert A. Churchill, T.V. and Interpersonal Influences on Adolescents Consumer Learning, Journal of Consumer Research Vol. 6, No. 1, June (1979), pp. 23-35. Jha R.C. and B.P.Sinha, Programmes and Audience of Delhi T.V. Analysis, Vidura, Vol. 16, No. 5 Oct. (1979). Comstock George, Television in America, London Sage Publication (1980), pp. 30-36. Jackson Beech et.al, The social world of Heavy: Television viewers, Journal of Broadcasting, Vol. 24, No. 1 winter (1980), pp. 5-11. Harvey W. Eastman and Marsha B. Liss, T.V. Preferences of Children from four parts of the U.S.A. Journalism Quarterly Vol. 57, No. 3, Autumn (1980), pp. 488-491 Hansra, B.S. and Chauhan, H.K. 1980, Television and the Youth Elite, Indian Journal of Social Research, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 42-47.) Robert Churchill, Childrens and parents viewing and perceptions of violence: Journalism Quarterly Vol. 58, No. 4, Winter (1981), pp. 562 and 581. Thomas D.Cook, Deborah. A. Kendzieraki and Stephen V. Thomas, The impact assumptions of Television Research: An analysis of the 1982 NIMH Report on T.V. and Behaviour, Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 1 spring (1983), pp. 189-201. Lesley Johnsono, The Uses of the Media: An Interpretation of the significance of the mass media in the lives of young people, Discourse Vol. 4, No. 2, April (1984), pp. 25-31. Charles Atkin et. al. (1984). Teenage Drinking: Does Advertising make a difference? Journal of communication Vol. 34, No. 2, spring, pp. 160-167. 15. Sirgy M. Joseph, Lee Dong-Jin, Kosenko Rustan , and Meadow H. Lee. (1998). Does T.V Viwership play a role in the Perception of Quality of Life? Journal of Advertising, Vol. 27 Issue 1. Pp. 125-142. 16. Das R.P. 1987. Consumer Behaviour in TV-A Case Study in Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra University Research Journal, Vol. 41, pp. 16-21. 17. Shah, Anupama and kaushal, Anjana. 1988. Impact of Television on Students, Journal of Indian Education, Vol. 13. No.5, pp. 24-29. 18. Sharda, P.V. 1989. Impact of Television on Rural Areas, Communicator, Vol. 25, No. 4 p. 2. 19. Mohansundaram, V. and Dass, Benny. 1990. Television Impact on the Family, Social Welfare, Vol. 37, No.7, pp. 11-13. 21.Mehrotra, N.1991. Impact of Television Viewing on Household Activities, Indian Journal of Extension Education, Vol. 2, No. 3-4, pp. 123-124. 22.Gangadharappa, M. 1991. Impact of Afternoon TV on Housewives in Dharwad City, Communicator, Vol. 26, No.3, Sept. Pp. 32-33. 23.Cosby, C.D. 1992. The Influence of Television Imagery on Selected African-American Young Adults Self-Perceptions, Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol. 53, No.6, Dec., P. 1875A. 24. Singh, Saraswati and Arora, S. 1992. Effect of Television Viewing upon Youths of Doon Valley, Indian Psychological Review, Vol. 38, No, 9-10, Sept.-Dec. Pp. 21-26. 25.Bhasha, S.S. 1992. Impact of Television Violence on Teenagers, Experiments in Education, Vol. 20, No. 11, pp. 289-297. 26.Chauhan, Kanwar. 1992. Social Structure and the Objectivity of Television News in S.R.Mehta (ed), Communication in Social Development, New Delhi: Rawat Publication. 27.Aggarwal, V.B. 1993. Impact of Cable TV on Social Life, Communicator, Vol. 28, No. 3, July-Sept., pp. 7-9. 28.Murthy, J.S. 1994. Students preference for DD and ZTV Programmes, Communicator, Vol. 24, No.4, pp. 10-11. 29.Ninan,S., Through the Magic Window: Television and Change in India New Delhi: Penguine Books, 1995. 30. Chompaisal, Sawangchit. 1995. The perceived Influence of Television on Achievement in Children and Adolescents in Thiland, Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol. 56 No.3, Sept., P. 74 A.) 31.Unikrishnan,N. and Bajpai,S., The Impact of Television Advertising on Children, New Delhi: Sage,1996. 32.Saksena,G., Television in India: Change and Challenges, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. Pvt. Ltd, 1996, pp. 54-55. 33.Karla,R.K.,and Kalra,A., Impact of Cable Television on Adolescents. Kurukshetra Jan-Feb.1996, pp. 78-80. 34.Midson, J. 1997. Television viewing habits of Children in Virginia, Journal of Asia on Pacific Communication, Vol. 8, No.1, PP. 176-189. 35.Kang Jong G. 1997. Television Influence on Cultural and Societal Values Among Japanese Students, Journal of Asia Pacific Communication, Vol.81,pp. 181-190. 36.Hadique Mala and Ms. Ahmed, Jasmine. 1998. TV Viewing Time Pattern of School Children, Communicator, Jan-March, pp. 14-17. 37.Kaur, Jasbir. 1999. Influence of Television on Social Life, Communicator, Vol. 34, No. 1, Jan-March, pp. 32-35. 38. Gaikwad, N.B.2000. Parental Views about the Effects of T.V. Viewing on their Childrens Interest and Activities, Indian Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 37, pp. 21-25. 39.Yanovtzky, I.2001. Mass Media, Social Norms and Health, Communication Research, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 208-239. 40.Chauhan, Kanwar. 2001. Television and Social Transformation, New Delhi: Swarup and Sons. 41. Shanahan, James and Michael Morgan (1992). Adolescents, families and television in five countries- Implications for cross-cultural educational research, Journal of Educational Television, Vol 18 Issue 1 pp. 35-55. 42. Kuo, Yi-Wu. (1990). Television and the value system of Taiwans adolescents A cultivation analysis. Ph.D Dissertation, University of Massachusetts. Dissertation Abstract Inter-National, Vol. 50 No. 12 pp. 3783 A 43. Kang, Jong Geum (1989). Cultural Indicators-The Korean Cultural Outlook Profile, Ph.D Dissertation, University of Massachusetts, Dissertation Abstracts International, Vol. 50 No. 5 pp. 1126A 44. ibid 45. Ware, William and Michael Dupagne (1994). Effects of U.S. Television Programmes on Foreign Audience-A Meta analysis, Journalism Quarterly, Vol. 71 No. 4 pp. 947-959. 46. Goonasekera, Anura (1995). Asian viewers do not see Western programmes as corrupting their culture, Media Asia, Vol.

Market Growth And Competitive Positioning Growth Strategies

Market Growth And Competitive Positioning Growth Strategies Nobody plans to fail but fails to plan. Marketing Planning is the first and foremost activity that a company should perform before embarking on a mission such as launching a new product into the market or revamp of existing product line. Not just in the case of new product launch, but also marketing planning provides a strategic direction to the company in terms of increasing the market share, building brand value and thus obtain increased revenues. 1.1 SOSTAC Model SOSTAC is a renowned model in marketing planning which is widely followed across several industries. It is also claimed to be the most powerful technique of in helping the companies to plan their marketing process. SOSTAC stands for Situation Analysis, Objective Analysis, Strategy, Tactics, Action and Control. Situation Analysis helps visualize the internal and external factors that affect the company which prevail at a given time. This analysis mainly comprises of employing SWOT technique to understand the situation at company level and also PESTLE technique to analyse the global environment which impacts the industry in which the company is operating. By carrying out this analysis, the company can get a snap shot of the current situation which will help the managers to take necessary actions to take advantage of the situation. Elements such as performance, competitors and customers are analysed in this stage. Objective Analysis will provide a clear path to the company in terms of the revenues and sales targets that should be achieved in a stipulated time limit to obtain the desired market share. The main outcome of this analysis is to shape the marketing strategy for the company based on the corporate strategy as to what the company aims to achieve within a time frame. Strategies part of SOSTAC mentions about the need for segmenting the target market and then specifically design the products based on the needs of the customers in each segment. In this stage, the company will go onto design its individual strategies on segmentation, positioning and competitiveness to place the product in a safe position in the market. Strategy emphasizes on the need for designing a USP for each of the product to give it a competitive edge over the existing products in the market. Tactics will help design the 4Ps of marketing by carefully selecting the right mix in order to achieve optimum results in terms of sales. Tactics also inform about the different ways of promotional activities and communication techniques that a company should take up in order to get the attention and create awareness among the target market. Actions refer to the action plan the company should have about who does what and how the strategies are executed. The focus of the company at this stage will be budgets, staff and risk analysis. The allocation of resources and work break down structure are defined in this stage as well as key performance indicators are determined along with the bench marks that are supposed to be achieved. Control deals with the measurement and monitoring of the effectiveness of the strategies that are followed. It mainly revolves around the measurement of performance in each communication channel in terms of ROI (Return On Investment) for the promotional activities. 2. Importance and Scope of Internal and External Auditing Marketing audit forms the base of marketing planning. It is divided into two types, internal and external auditing. The aim of any auditing activity is to review the effectiveness of existing processes and suggest necessary improvements to be made. Internal auditing helps to analyse the strengths and weaknesses within the company and the way the company is performing whereas external auditing helps to assess the external environment that will affect the operations of the company. A wide range of tools are used to carryout auditing such as SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, Porters Five Forces analysis etc. Both the audits together give a multi-faceted approach to look at the companys operations and the need for improvements. The aim of internal audit is to measure the performance of the resources and processes in the company and find the gaps where improvements are required. The main focus of this audit is to review the marketing process and quantify its effectiveness in terms of achieving the sales targets and objectives. Aspects like distribution channels, communication channels, customer interaction, product price and product design are analysed in the internal auditing. The aim of external auditing is to provide an Outside-in view to the company by analysing the external factors such as the competition in market place, the consumer buying behaviour and the trends in market. This assessment will enable the company to predict the dynamics of the market and take necessary actions to sustain and grow within the industry. The global environment of the industry in which the company operates will be analysed by looking at the factors like polity, economy, society, technology, legislature and environment which have a direct impact on the business. This analysis will be helpful in redesigning the business strategy to match with the environment. 3. SWOT and TOWS Process SWOT analysis is carried out at the organizational level to observe the internal capabilities of a company and match them against threats and opportunities presented by outside factors such as competition. It is one of the simplest techniques to conduct internal audit. The main focus of SWOT technique is to analyse the internal weaknesses that can be converted to strengths as well as work on strengths to take advantage of the external opportunities in the market. The limitation of SWOT analysis as tool for designing strategy is that it will not include all the necessary dimensions to be analysed for providing a robust strategy. In order to overcome the limitations of SWOT, Weihrich (1982) developed TOWS technique that will help the managers to go a step further in analysing the state of the company at a given time. TOWS framework is considered to be a situational planning tool that provides more number of parameters to analyse and give a holistic view for designing the strategy of a company. The technique of TOWS analysis is to compare each strength and weakness to each opportunity and threat in the form of a matrix which provides a more comprehensive solution for devising the strategy than in a traditional planning process like SWOT. TOWS technique involves 4 types of analyses as follows: SO: Strengths- to-Opportunities ST: Strengths-to-Threats WO: Weaknesses-to-Opportunities WT: Weaknesses-to-Threats For all the four analyses mentioned above, a matrix can be designed to map each element with the other. The following figure will describe a typical Strengths-to-Opportunities matrix based on the strengths and Opportunities which originated from SWOT analysis: SO Matrix Strength1 Strength2 Strength3 Opportunity1 Opportunity2 Opportunity3 TOWS analysis has to be conducted in succession to SWOT where initially the strengths and weaknesses of the organization are identified. Once the list of SWOT elements is obtained, the organization should then develop strategy to attack the external opportunities with help of its strengths and try to convert the threats into opportunities. This process is done in the TOWS analysis which gives a rounded perspective for the managers to tally and improve every row element in the TOWS matrix against every column element as shown above. Hence both SWOT and TOWS analyses complement each other to inform strategy for an organization. 4. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Strategy formulation is the key to success for launching a product into the market. The foremost objective of any strategy is to give a sustainable competitive advantage to the product over its rivals in the market (Barney, 1991). According to Kotler, the essential elements of any organisations marketing strategy are segmentation, targeting and positioning. These three processes are collectively and shortly termed as STP. Segmentation Dividing the target market into specific groups based on the demographics, habits and location is called Segmentation. The target market is grouped based on the factors like age, sex, annual house hold income etc. This process is very crucial in forming the market strategy because it will inform both product development team and the marketing team on what products to be designed and how they can be promoted to the different sections of people respectively. Effective marketing is all about making what you can sell, but not selling what you can make (Ali, 2001). For example a simple segmentation of market for a Sports Footwear manufacturer can be based on the following factors: 1) Type of Sport 2) Percentage of Men, Women and Children interested in different sports Based on the above segmentation, the company would then decide on the type and quantity of footwear to be manufactured as well as how to market it to the target customers in order to achieve the sales objectives. Therefore Segmentation directly informs the marketing strategy in the initial stages of formulation. Targeting Once the segmentation of customers is over, then the company has to devise strategies to target the identified segments by designing the products that closely match their requirements which could generate optimum sales revenue. Targeting is to identify the target customers who will potentially buy the product when it is out in the market. This process involves identifying three target groups which is mostly common to many industries, the niche customers group, mass customers group and the differentiated customers group. Niche Market: The products designed for this segment are very specific and tailor-made in order to suit the particular requirements of very few customers who are ready to pay premium prices. In Niche markets the volume of sales is very low but sales revenue is high due to premium prices for the heavily customized products. Example: Equipment manufacturer for military needs. Mass/ Undifferentiated Market: In this market products are designed to suit the generic needs of customers rather than meeting specific requirement of each customer. The prices for this target market are relatively low and the companies can achieve economies of scale by doing batch production. In this segment the volume of sales are high and the revenues depend on the volume of sales. Example: Fast moving consumer goods like cosmetics etc. Selective/ Differentiated Market: The needs of customers in this target market are similar but specific. The main reason for companies to address this market is to enhance customer experience and thus grab a significant market share by surpassing the competitors. Product price is slightly higher but is complemented by customer satisfaction hence resulting in increased market share and sales revenues. Example: Apple iPhone can be a classical example of differentiated target market product as it provides enhanced user satisfaction at a premium price. Positioning Any company thinking of introducing a new product into the market should create a launch pad for it as to define the position where it fits into the existing space in the market place. This act of identifying and defining the position can be called Market Positioning. In this process, the main focus is on the quality and the price of the product to be launched. Therefore positioning process should start by identifying the gap in the market place where there is less density of competitors and bleak possibility for new entrants to occupy that position. Market positioning mainly depends on which type of competition is prevailing in the industry (Monopoly, oligopoly, Perfect competition). The below figure demonstrates a situation where there are 3 existing players and a possible market gap where the 4th player, a new entrant can position itself: HIGH PRICE C DHIGH LOW A BQUALITY QUALITY LOW PRICE In the above market place, each of the products are in a different position where the new product D has entered into the space of providing high quality products at a price less than premium. This space was earlier empty as all the other three players are not providing as much quality at the price slightly higher and lower than that of D. Therefore it can be understood that product D can capture a significant market share if right marketing campaigns are adopted. 5. Strategies for Market Growth and Competitive Positioning Growth strategy After successfully launching the product in the market the companies should then look at enhancing the growth prospects for the product by designing appropriate growth strategies. Growth in terms of market share as well as sales revenues. There are various growth strategies like mergers and acquisitions, franchises, strategic collaborations and outsourcing. Ansoffs Matrix explains the various market growth strategies in detail which will help the organizations to select the appropriate strategy that best fits their case. Depending on whether the product and market whether they are new or existing a company should adopt a growth strategy. Ansoffs matrix is a tool whose output will provide a set of growth strategies which can be followed. Figure: Ansoffs Product-Market Growth Matrix Existing Product New Products Market Penetration Product Development Market Development Diversification Existing Market New Markets To understand the market growth strategy in more detail, consider the example of a company which wants to explore a new market by exporting its existing products to another country. Let us say, a UK car manufacturer finds a potential growth factor in Indian market, the strategy would be market development. In the process of Market Development the company should segment its target customers based on the socio-economic sections in the context of India and build an entirely new distribution channel in to sell the cars. The company should also change the pricing structure according to the prevailing competitive prices. Likewise, depending on the type of market and the type of product broadly four growth strategies can be adopted as shown in the figure. 6. Need for differentiated marketing mix Marketing mix essentially deals with the 4 crucial elements which form the core of marketing any product. The 4Ps stand for Product, Price, Place and Promotion. With the following example all the four Ps are explained: Example: Fashion Clothing for Teenagers Vs Formal Clothing for Older middle class Product: A right product has to be designed that exactly meets the needs of the target customers. Target customers in this case are teenagers and older people in middle income group. In UK the market size for clothing is dominated by Women with more than half of the total value of the sector (KeyNote, 2009). By value womens garments contribute for  £19.1 bn whereas Men and Childrens garments are at  £11 bn and  £7bn respectively of the total market value of  £37.2bn as of 2008. The variety of clothes for women is huge and for simplicity purposes only Mens clothing is discussed in this context. Teenagers: Population in the age of 15 to 19 can be treated as active teenagers. Teenagers generally like to be trendy and fashionable. So the product for this target market should reflect the same in its design and appearance. Trousers: Teenagers prefer Jeans for trousers with various styles according to their tastes like boot-cut, low waist, straight fit. T-Shirts: Teenagers prefer round-necks over collar T-shirts Older Middle class: The average annual house hold income in UK per capita is  £14,921 as of 2008 (KeyNote, 2009). The target customers, older middle class population in UK belong to the social grade B based on the classification of the Office of National Statistics. According to the buying behaviour based on age, sex and social grade the penetration is observed to be more in the clothing accessories like rain coats, jackets and polo shirts in this segment (Older Middle class). Hence the products designed for this segment should take the above trend into consideration for selling the clothes easily. Price: Price is the most crucial factor that can influence consumer buying decision and hence should be fixed by considering the factors like right price for right quality and the competitive prices in the market for similar products. In the context of clothing, most of the brands have a varying price structure based on the style and the quality of material used for production. For example, jackets made of cashmere wool are costlier than other ordinary wool and there would not be much price difference in this segment across the brands. Price for natural fibre-made clothes is always premium while there is a great variation in the prices of clothes made up of man-made fibre like Viscose, Acrylic, Polyester and Poly Propelene. As the investment in designing fashionable out fits is high, the price for clothes made for teenagers is higher than that of the clothes designed for Older people. Prices Jeans: Price varies depending on the style Boot-cut:  £15 to  £30 Narrow-fit:  £20 to  £40 Formal Trousers:  £10 and above depending on the fabric T-shirts: Price varies depending on the material Cotton round-neck:  £10 Cotton Polo:  £15 and above Polyester round-neck: From  £6 onwards Place: Place is where the product is available for the customers to purchase. The places might range from a corner shop to that of high street stores and large wholesale stores. There were around 3,530 enterprises in UK that are involved in clothes manufacturing and there is a strong distribution network in UK for clothing manufacturers (KeyNote, 2010). Clothes can be made available at a variety of stores across all the regions in UK. The places which sell clothes in UK are Super markets, sports shops, department stores, independent stores, mail orders and online stores. Teenagers: As the clothes made for this segment are fashionable, they need to be located in an eye-catching area like high street retailers and sports stores. However a large number of clothes can also be sold through online retailer like Amazon which is quite popular among internet users. Older Middle Class: The major place for sales in this segment would be large supermarkets. Older singles and couples visit large supermarkets for grocery and household needs quite often, therefore clothes in this segment might find right place in super markets for large volume of sales. Promotion Promotion is about communicating the brand and the products to the customer who will then make a buying decision. Without the awareness of the brand, the customer would hardly make a purchase. Therefore quantity of sales is directly proportional to the effectiveness of the promotional activity. There are different ways of promoting a product. Advertisement, brand endorsements, email marketing, discount offers like buy 2 for 1, pre-launch and post-launch promotional campaign etc. are some of the commonly adopted promotional techniques. Teenagers watch television quite regularly and hence it is a good medium to advertise. On the other hand, fashion magazines and internet are also very popular among teenagers and advertising on these might attract them to buy the clothes. Older people might not be as good in using the internet as computers are modern and they might feel it difficult to adopt. However television and magazine advertisements might boost up the sales for the clothes in this segment.

Essay --

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (French pronunciation: ​[maÊ ki dÉ™ la fajÉ›t]; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), often known simply as Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France. Lafayette was a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader of the Garde nationale during the French Revolution. In the American Revolution, Lafayette served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington. Wounded during the Battle of Brandywine, he still managed to organize a successful retreat. He served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war, he returned to France to negotiate an increase in French support. On his return, he blocked troops led by Cornwallis at Yorktown while the armies of Washington and those sent by King Louis XVI under the command of General de Rochambeau, Admiral de Grasse, and Admiral de Latouche Trà ©ville prepared for battle against the British. Lafayette was the most important link between ...

Why Feng Shui? Essay -- Philosophy

The word Feng Shui (fung shway) literally means wind and water in Chinese. These major energy sources underlie the belief that environmental factors influence people greatly and this is the basis of Feng Shui. The bagua chart indicates how elements, directions and aspects of life can be of influence. There is a wealth of information on the subject from practitioners and journalists that prove the benefits of Feng Shui. Disbelievers that began to practice it brought great prosperity and luck into their lives leading them to become advocates of the practice. Therefore, it stands to reason that though there is a counter argument against the argument that Feng Shui is hugely beneficial; it is disproven by successful business people, converts and journalists. Business tycoons, financial institutions, architects, offices and homeowners use Feng Shui principles. Many highly successful and intelligent people spend time and money incorporating this ancient art, and yet there are the skeptics that attempt to prove it to be a waste of time. Feng Shui is now a global phenomenon it brings wealth and well-being, yet it is surrounded with skepticism; even the skeptics eventually change when they are deluged with its benefits. Feng Shui is an ancient art which originated in Asia thousands of years ago. It is based on the bagua chart which gives readings and decides on the best actions to take when designing buildings or arranging furniture in the interior of a building. The chart is based on the I Ching, an ancient Chinese text that includes ancient cosmic principles and divination methods. There are eight directions on the chart, which give instructions on what the practitioner should do to manifest good energy, and attract the desired outcomes... ...nne. "Feng shui puts your furniture and your life in order." The Wall Street Journal (1996): 12. Proquest. 9 Apr. 2012 . Lagatree, Kirsten. "Ancient chinese wisdom for the modern workplace." Training and Development 51.1 (1997): 26-29. Proquest. 9 Apr. 2012 . Weltman, Barbara and Michael, Hayes. "Feng Shui for Beginners." Journal of Accountancy 200.6 (2005): 36-39. Proquest. 9 Apr. 2012 . Asis-Leif Designs. 2001/2012. 6 May 2012 Bankrate.com. 2012. 6 May 2012

Stop Smoking :: essays research papers

Behavior Change Contract Paper   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the class was first told about the contract, I thought to myself that this can really help me stop smoking if I stick with it. I smoke about a pack a day, which is 20 cigarettes. I wanted to gradually decrease the amount of cigarettes I smoke every week for 7 weeks until I stopped smoking. Unfortunately this didn’t work and I was smoking the same amount I started with after the first week of the contract. There were three sets of factors that realy influenced me to continue to smoke.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first factor is the reinforcing factor, smoking is a very social and there are so many people that do it. There are always groups of people smoking anywhere, anytime. School is where I smoke the most cigarettes because I know a lot of people that smoke and whenever I see someone I know smoking I will join them and have a cigarette.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next is the predisposing factor, this includes everything that is in my head already. Examples of this would be how I am mentally addicted to cigarettes and it feels like I will never be able to stop. This factor in my opinion has the biggest influence on me smoking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last factor is the enabling factor; today cigarettes are so easy to get, even for minors. Many of the stores wont even check IDs; they just sell them to whomever. Another enabling factor is that I make money, and can afford to buy the cigarettes at whatever price they are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you see these three factors had a lot to do with the reason why I couldn’t stop smoking cigarettes. I also think that another reason why I couldn’t stop was because of the whole reward system.

StatementofWork

Clients are urged to ensure that all the details contained within this proposal meet their requirements before further work commences. If the nature and scope of the project changes the costs and timings need to be revised. Once this document has been approved, the project will progress into the next stages. This may include further documentation detailing requirements and functionality or it may go straight into design. This will depend on the nature of the project. Overview The Brief What Network Solutions is going to be doing is setting up the wired and wireless outwork for Retail/Wholesale Sales at their location in Atlanta Georgia.Objectives and Business Requirements So our main objectives will be setting up all the cat 6 and fiber optic cabling, the server room, the Wi-If access points, the computers, printers and phones. Target Audience This statement is intended for the fallowing parties; the company owners, management and facilitator. Project So what we (Network Solutions) p lan on doing are as fallows. We will be setting up a server room in the basement as the central location. We will be using lockable beanies for the security of the servers.We are going to run a backbone to all the floors, then we will be running Cat 6 cable for each drop aka; computer, printer, access points and extra runs for a ten percent growth. We will be terminating all cables, testing all cables, setting up all workstations, printers and access points. [Insert the estimate here. ] Items Features/Functionality Lockable cabinets To protect the servers Access points For using Wi-If Routers To connect to the WAN Cabling The network the devices Servers To run the network Workstations/mobile workstationsTo provide a place to work Wall plates For ease of access Switches To connect multiple Lana Terminators Ease of access 110 blocks To connect multiple workstations Phones For communication Outline Requirements Promotion and Communication We will be using Continuum for system back up a nd Webfoot for end point solutions. We Network Solutions will be in charge of system backups and network issues. The data will be coming from Verizon and dish, and monitored by Continuum.Its web base client will have an agent installed on each server and local machine enabling he support solution company with data for the backup set, internet speeds, virus definitions and more hardware notifications. Look and Feel Neat and professional. Business Continuity (Disaster Recovery) The Continuum's TATTOO system is a snap shot to a virtual ready cloud so it will be an easy recovery system. Roles and Responsibilities Network Solutions will be taking care of all the install and set up. Assumptions, Exclusions Point of sale is to be provided by another vender and will not be provided by Network Solutions.

My School Essay

I,________,have been a part of the _________School District my entire life. For me school has been a mixture of emotions. Some years I loved school and learning and other years I hated school and felt as if I would never amount to anything. The movie Stand and Deliver made me wonder how much better of a student I could have been if all my teachers cared as much as Mr. Escalante. In elementary school I had mixed emotions. I loved school up until about 3rd grade but then I started to hate school. It became harder for me to get good grades and I felt dumb. Many of my teachers also had my sister, who was an A+ student so they would always make statement about how I should follow in her footsteps and such. But I was never as smart as her or good at school like she was. Once I was in the 3rd grade I began to struggle with all subjects except reading, once this struggle began I started to care less about school and grades. Middle school is where things began to turn around for me. In the 6th grade I had Mr. Pollock as one of my teachers. He was the most caring teacher I have ever had,  he showed me I could do anything I put my mind too and he pushed me to succeed the way Mr. Escalante pushed his students. In the movie Mr. Escalante says â€Å"Students will rise to the level of expectations† and this is exactly what my teacher did to me, he set the expectations high and then pushed me to exceed them. High school was another good experience. I always was a â€Å"teacher’s pet† and got good grades without really trying. I never studied while in high school and was very involved in extracurricular activities. This was good for me then but has caused me problems now. Now that I am in college and have to study and really work hard I don’t do as good as I would like. In my opinion my past schooling has set me up to fail in college. Even though I was taught the things I needed to be taught. I didn’t learn to push myself. I got by either just barely or passing with flying colors†¦ I, Thanh Nguyen, I have been grown up in Vietnam, so I went to elementary, middle, high school there. And the education is a lots harder here in States. For me school has been a mixture of emotions. Some years I loved school and learning and other years I hated school and felt as if I would never amount to anything. In elementary school I had mixed emotions. I loved school up until about 5rd grade but then I started to hate school In my opinion my past schooling has set me up to fail in college. Even though I was taught the things I needed to be taught. I didn’t learn to push myself. I got by either just barely or passing with flying colors†¦

Who Am I

Australia, whose name is Bianca. I am currently 1 6 years of age. I have very strong opinions on many things and I like to debate people on what I believe is right. Sometimes that gets me into a lot of trouble but I stick to what I believe in the end. What defines me is my sense of knowing do belong. I am who I am, I am unique and different and I now that, that is okay, because everyone is unique and different too.I see myself as a bubbly person, who tends to keep her deeper thought and feelings to herself. Sometimes I'm insecure, sometimes I let little things hurt me, sometimes worry about petty little issues that won't matter in the next 10 years but that is just who I am now. Many life experiences have defined the person who I am today, and for that I am grateful.Although not all of hose experiences have been good, they have all been a learning experience for me and have helped shape the person I have become today. I wouldn't change anything I have experienced because I would be a different person. I wouldn't be as strong, as open to new things, wouldn't be as spontaneous, and I just wouldn't be me. Everything little thing every little stepping stone, every little bump has made me the person I am today and I am so proud of that. Who Am I Elegy/Repetition Who Am I Jennifer Leaf Who am I Don't know what to think Living every day Like It's the first 5 How could it get any worse About life They told me to Just Hold on tight 10 Lost and out of control Don't know who or where to turn Will they Just watch me burn 15 to afraid to fall Or am I afraid to loose it all Deniable, completely insane Will I ever find my way Will ever be the same Falling Down the drain Will I ever be someone 26 Or will I Just go out and run Day in And day out Don't know where to go 30 Every day Every night Trying to see the light All I know isWho I could be 35 It's all like a dream to 20 I want to scream and shout Don't know why I'm yelling out Who am 1 40 And I want to scream and shout There is no doubt about it Because I don't Know anymore 45 Too afraid to find life Through the darkness That I fight 50 Will I ever see the light Don't know where to turn to Don't know where to go I did, but now 55 I Just don't know to afraid to back down Vive been fi ghting all my life But now it's time to say goodbye but I will try to find my own light I will try to shine 60 â€Å"Who Am l† is an intensified poem about the question we all ask ourselves everyday our whole lives.Everyone does one of two things, accept the fact that they simply do not know or, pretend that they do. Life is full of questions that we cannot completely answer, Just ponder our entire lives. Within this poem, the phrase, who am l, is constantly repeated. This poem is an elegy, mourning the lost life and the answer to the question asked throughout the poem. The phrase reoccurring in the poem emphasizes the question everyone asks themselves and the question most think they know the answer to. No one can entirely know who they are and what the future might bring.As a result of really not knowing, they pretend they do. â€Å"Don't know who I am/ I did, but now/ I Just don't know (49-51). Or, if they do not pretend they know who they are, they try to be someone else because there life is not written in stone. For some, they might go absolutely insane trying to find the truth behind the unanswerable question. Who am I There is no doubt about it (35-38). The repetition gives the poem an intense look on life and shows signs of confusion, frustration, and anger. The passion in increased in every stanza due to the fact that he speaker keeps on repeating those three words.This allows the reader to imagine that the person in trapped in her own mind, that is about to explode, with no way out. With this repetition, the reader can see the pain in the speaker's words and how made her give up on everything else and is slowly eating her inside and killing her. She has one last attempt at trying to save herself by saying she can shine no matter what, but those three words enforce a tragic ending to her dark story. The elegy aspect of this poem is the loss of herself. The speaker Just gave up on life ND on herself and pities herself because she does not know who she is.The speaker does not realize that no one does and she will never know. Who am I Vive been fighting all my life But now it's time to say goodbye (57-60). The speaker has given up on life because she cannot face the world as an outcast anymore. She need something to be proud of, something to believe in, something to fight for. She does not have the will to keep going like a shadow lurking through the night. Due to the fact that the three words, who am I is slowly annihilating her, the elegy is mainly found in the repetition.She cannot escape from this tragic death and by the last two lines, you know she can no longer fight it and her death is mourned. Her pride and dignity are lost every time those three words are said and that is additionally mourned. Here lies the pride, dignity, and life of the speaker of the poem, she will be missed. I wrote this poem because self-influence and the influence of others is one of the most powerful things. The words in the poem show how b y wasting your life trying to answer and unanswerable question, you are leading ourselves into a trap that you cannot escape.These words can consume anyone and you can lead yourself to your own fatal end. By convincing yourself you have nothing to live for, you are blinding yourself from the truth behind the ever-so convincing lie. This poem is meant to have people believe in themselves and their capabilities and instead of trying to answer who you are as a person, embrace the mystery and be the best person you can be. â€Å"Who Am l† tells the world to fight for what you believe in, because there is always something to believe in. Who Am I â€Å"Who Am I† My name is and I will be telling you a little bit about my Background, interests, goals, and achievements. I am currently a junior at with my family of six which consists of my dad, mom, two younger brothers, and dog. I was born in a little town called Brownwood, Texas and moved to Illinois when I was 6 years old. Some of my interest vary for example I am an avid watcher of old television shows such as the Walton’s and threes company.Another one of my interests is listening to music my favorite type of genre of music is country and rock some of my favorite artist include Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Some of my goals that I hope to accomplish in the near future are attending the college of my choice, becoming a successful person in life and becoming a lawyer. Growing up as a child and until now, (My young adulthood) it has been mine and my parents dream for me to become a lawyer.I have decided to become a lawy er because I have always been fascinated with law, helping others with their problems, and the justice system. I have achieved many goals in my life my top achievements are graduating middle school, getting my driver’s license, and doing better in school. But I feel that getting my driver’s license is my greatest accomplishment of all because after getting my driver’s license I felt that I was in the stage of growing up and entering adulthood. I feel that my Background, goals, achievements, and interests all represent who I am and what I stand for. Who Am I â€Å"Who Am I† My name is and I will be telling you a little bit about my Background, interests, goals, and achievements. I am currently a junior at with my family of six which consists of my dad, mom, two younger brothers, and dog. I was born in a little town called Brownwood, Texas and moved to Illinois when I was 6 years old. Some of my interest vary for example I am an avid watcher of old television shows such as the Walton’s and threes company.Another one of my interests is listening to music my favorite type of genre of music is country and rock some of my favorite artist include Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Some of my goals that I hope to accomplish in the near future are attending the college of my choice, becoming a successful person in life and becoming a lawyer. Growing up as a child and until now, (My young adulthood) it has been mine and my parents dream for me to become a lawyer.I have decided to become a lawy er because I have always been fascinated with law, helping others with their problems, and the justice system. I have achieved many goals in my life my top achievements are graduating middle school, getting my driver’s license, and doing better in school. But I feel that getting my driver’s license is my greatest accomplishment of all because after getting my driver’s license I felt that I was in the stage of growing up and entering adulthood. I feel that my Background, goals, achievements, and interests all represent who I am and what I stand for.

Critically evaluate McGregor’s Theroy X and Theory Y Essay

Critically evaluate McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. How far is it applicable to management and employee motivation in contemporary Chinese organizations? In the modern corporation environment, employees’ motivation plays a pivotal role, thus they should be recognised as a significant part of corporations’ financial assets. There are several distinct viewpoints of approaches to managerial strategies about motivating employees, one of which is McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. It proposes that providing an autonomous environment satisfying employees’ higher needs is more preferable than simply controlling them by rewards and punishment. This essay will firstly evaluate McGregor’s theory. Although influential value of this theory in organization history might be approved, there are two primary issues, invalidity and superficial recognition, which criticisms revolve around. Subsequently, this essay will discuss the extent of this theory’s application in Chinese organizations. Although McGregor’s theory may be employed in few corporations, this theory is generally not applicable in most contemporary Chinese organizations. Many theorists support that McGregor’s theory considers the field of management from a new angle, indicating a strong influential value. In contrast to the principles of conventional management mentioned as Theory X, the advocated Theory Y illuminated a cluster of new or redefined concepts such as self-fulfilling prophecy and responsibility. According to Carson (2005), some of those concepts had been interpreted before; however, McGregor’s theory combined those concepts emerging from separate theories. Based on these compiled conceptions, this theory takes higher-order needs into consideration, which innovatively introduces a profound work value that management should not only involve controlling and monitoring. Moreover, the inclination to responsibility of employees contributes to participative atmospheres in working environment. Lerner (2011) claims that McGregor’s theory can prepare employees’ skills to tackle complicated tasks due to their sense of responsibility, in parallel with improving the potential of an individual. Therefore, this theory, revealing an initial pattern of management strategy, dramatically influences the applied field of organization development. In spite of the influence and originality of McGregor’s theory, there is a primary drawback of the validity, which is regarding the assumption of human nature in this theory. This theory is primarily based on an analysis of  human nature. McGregor (2000) has pointed out that theory X management assumes that people generally are not responsible for work in contrast to theory Y assuming that people are invariably self-controlled. However, the theory X assumption is exaggeratedly negative while the theory Y assumption is overly optimistic. According to Bobic and Davis (2003), there is no evidence that systematically certifies the existence of individuals’ extreme attitudes towards work. Similarly, Francesco and Gold (2005) argued that human nature is not viewed purely positive or negative in all the cultures, drawing on Hofstede’s theory. Furthermore, different employees may have somewhat different characteristics; however, McGregor blended those sophisticated human natures into two simplistic models to introduce a quite deficient theory. Therefore, the theory seems to be invalid due to this relatively unrealistic and inadequate analysis. In addition to the invalid assumption of McGregor’s theory, there is another drawback concerning superficial recognition of autonomous environment and authority which are primary principles of Theory Y and Theory X respectively. McGregor (2000) state that autonomous environment can be acquired by opportunities for self-actualization. Nonetheless, Head (2011) has argued that incentives involving self-actualization are barely effective. Likewise, Bobic and Davis (2003) state that self-actualization is not a pragmatic motivational factor due to the rare opportunity provided by corporations in reality. Although some approaches such as job enrichment can be implemented, managers may not be totally competent to direct this management, which reveals that McGregor’s theory may overestimate the effectiveness of autonomous environment. Conversely, the model of authority representing Theory X may be a more frequently adopted management tool, which is the contrary to what is portrayed in the theory. Head (2011) pointed out authority rather than bureaucracy may offer legitimate power and guarantee development of corporations towards certain direction. In fact, offering appropriate guidance to subordinates and essentially avoiding overly vigorous control stand a significant position in most companies. Consequently, McGregor’s proposal that autonomous environment should be concentrated on while authority is obsolete may require reconsideration because of the superficial recognition. Motivational strategies have been considered as an essential concentration for corporations. With respect to the application of  McGregor’s theory in China, minimal successful instances may be seen in some extremely large conglomerates. Those conglomerates such as Shanghai’s corporations hire numerous workers, contributing to competition and pressure; therefore, employees in these organizations may emphasize higher-order needs because of this particular work circumstance, in accordance with the assumption of McGregor’s theory. Chan and Wyatt (2007) demonstrate that employees in Shanghai’s corporations can be significantly motivated by the satisfaction of self-esteem that is also emphasized in McGregor’s theory. Hence, it seems that this theory can reflect its feasibility in few large Chinese organizations. However, generally, McGregor’s theory reflects low practicability in most contemporary Chinese corporations. According to Alas (2005), most Chinese respondents are more likely to be encouraged by lower needs satisfaction such as incomes, whereas the dominant principle of McGregor’s theory is strategies satisfying higher needs. Therefore, Chinese employees’ concentration on lower needs makes it difficult for them to be motivated by McGregor’s theory. Moreover, Dessler (2006) argued that employee empowerment, one of the principles of McGregor’s theory, is excluded from Chinese corporations. Furthermore, McGregor’s theory is incompatible with the comparatively ingrained Confucian value system in Chinese culture. According to Geren (2011), an abandoned principle in the theory is obedience for authority which is the essence of Confucian value system. Chinese employees largely cultivated in the atmosphere of Confucian value may be uncomfortable with the management of McGregor’s theory. Emphasis on lower needs and the cultural of Confucian value system are both opposite to McGregor’s theory. Therefore, this theory is not applicable in most contemporary Chinese organizations. As a whole, McGregor’s theory may animate original spirit of motivation management; nevertheless, its invalidity is directly resulted from inadequate and unrealistic assumption of human nature. Additionally, excessively focusing on autonomous environment and ignoring efficiency of authority may indicate the superficial recognition in this theory. These two drawbacks can account for ineffective arrangement. As motivation management develops globally, in China, in spite of efficient application in few conglomerates, McGregor’s theory is not compatible with most Chinese organizations because general Chinese condition is the obstacle to successfully adopting this theory. There is no universal theory; hence, in order to improve the effectiveness of management, organizations should utilize distinct management principles flexibly in specific working circumstance. Word account: 1079 Reference List Alas, R. (2008) Attitudes and values in Chinese manufacturing companies: a comparison with Japanese, South Korean and Hong Kong companies. Chinese Management Studies. Vol. 2(1), pp.32-51 (PDF available) Bobic, M.P. & Davis, W.E. (2003) A Kind Word for Theory X: Or Why So Many Newfangled Management Techniques Quickly Fail. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. Vol. 13(3), pp.239-264 (PDF available) Carson, C.M. (2005) A historical view of Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y. Management Decision. Vol. 43(3), pp.450-460 (PDF available) Chan, K.W. & Wyatt, T.A. (2007) Quality of Work Life: A Study of Employees in Shanghai, China. Asia Pacific Business Review. Vol. 13(4), pp.501-517 (PDF available) Dessler, G. (2006) Expanding into China? What foreign employers should know about human resource management in China today. SAM Advanced Management Journal. Vol.71(4), pp.11-24 (PDF available) Francesco, A.M. & Gold, B.A. (2005) International Organizational Behavior. 2nd ed. NJ, USA: Pearson Education (PDF available of relevant chapter) Geren, B. (2011) Motivation: Chinese theoretical Perspectives. Journal of Behavioural Studies in Business. Vol.3, pp.1-10 (PDF available) Head, T.C. (2011) Douglas McGregor’s legacy: lessons learned, lessons lost. Journal of Management History. Vol. 17(2), pp.202-216 (PDF available) Lerner, A. (2011) McGregor’s legacy: thoughts on what he left, what transpired, and what remains to pursue. Journal of Management History. Vol. 17(2), pp.217 – 237 (PDF available) McGregor, D. (2000) The Human Side of Enterprise. Reflections: The Society for Organizational Learning Journal. Vol. 2(1), pp.6-15. (PDF available)