Innovation Management - Logitech Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Innovation Management - Logitech - Assignment Example over a home network for central control. It is also planning to this for remote reading of the water meters known as â€Å"Smart Metering solutions.† To accomplish this Logitech plans to acquire a small high technology firm with the relevant expertise in the new area. Logitech must be prepared to understand that acquiring a new company will have its own problems and issues which the company will have to face. This report presents the analysis the situation of Logitech that is planning to acquire a company in order to extend its product line. This report analyses the value creation of Logitech as it intends to acquire the company. The second part of the report presents the marketing analysis that also includes the external environment analysis of the company. PEST analysis has been used to analyze the external environment of the company. The third part of the report analyses how proper and appropriate innovation management can help the organization in making this change a succe ssful one. The fourth part of the report discusses the role of strategic leadership and what role the leaders can play in formulating strategies and in making sure that the change is successful. Then the report leads to the conclusion. PART I - VALUE CREATION Existing Line Of Products Logitech is a very prominent name in the field of electronics. It has a variety of products to cherish its product line such as: Tablet Accessories From headphones to keyboards Mice & Keyboard Combos HD Webcams which outperform embedded cameras and enable face-to-face meetings Headsets compatible with PCs, Macs and most UC platforms. Multimedia speakers with a variety of range of sizes and styles. Presentation Devices Gaming & Security System Logitech’s product line consists of the following home monitoring and security items also bear a wide variety of product which are all top of the line. These consist of Master Systems Add-on Cameras Premium Services Accessories Bundle Builders Busted Videos Product Proposal Logitech is planning to extend its product line by entering the new sci-tech product arena. It plans to acquire a small high technology firm with the expertise in this area in order to do so. This decision will surely benefit the company a lot. Besides the endless benefits the company will have to consider that the costs of operations will increase. Logitech by acquiring such a company will take responsibility of the existing product line of the company too. Engaging with the new company will increase the responsibility of Logitech. This acquisition will show that Logitech will be the one responsible for that companies product decisions. If that company fails to deliver any sort of perfection in its own existing product line, Logitech name will also be on stake. Smart Metering Solution The acquisition of a whole new company is intended for the product line in which Logitech plans to penetrate. This is a new product to ensure complete solution from home related issu es. This product will help measure the water consumption of the individuals of the house. This is a very important device because water has become a rare commodity these days. To ensure the least wastage of resources and the efficient monitoring of the usage of water, this device will prove to be very useful. Competitors There are already a few companies which are working and producing smart meters. These companies would prove to be the

Crime and Deterrence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Crime and Deterrence - Essay Example Through evaluation of literature however, it is clear that much of the efforts to put into place stringent policies and adopt sophisticated tactics by police have not been up to the task of deterring crime. This paper therefore intends to answer the question of whether potential offenders are deterred from committing crime by change in policy over man power or sophistication of police tactics. Policies in criminal justice influence people towards engaging in crime and for those that are meant to influence positively, this occurs through either incapacitation or through deterrence. When such a policy is imposed and it makes people who would have committed a crime to change their minds, then the policy would be said to be effective in deterring the crime. In other instances, the criminal justice system may impose policies that would prevent possible crimes through putting potential criminals out of circulation such as through detention and this is called incapacitation (Chalï ¬ n & McCrary, 2013). It must however be appreciated that not all policies that are adopted that become effective over the task and this therefore justifies the objective of this study in analyzing the effectiveness of adopting the policy of increased police manpower and sophistication on tactics by police in deterring crime as seen through literature. Chalï ¬ n and McCrary conducted an evaluation on studies and other literature on criminal deterrence and established that economics have a fundamental effect in influencing the effectiveness of the tools adopted to deter crime. While focusing on such literature over two decades, they established a mixed outcome where very strong evidence of crime responding to police as well as legitimate market opportunities but little evidence was found to ascertain that crime responds to levels of severity in criminal sanctions imposed. The whole essence of deterring

Government Functions Essay Example for Free

Government Functions Essay In the economic system of any country, the government is the authority governing the day to day transactions and dealings between individuals whether private or public. Other functions are enforcement of rules and regulations, overseeing the making and execution of contracts and setting of standards to be followed. To do this, resources are required hence collection of taxes. The functions aside, the government itself owns firms within the economy hence a player. The role played by the state/government has been under close support and criticism simultaneously. In some countries, the government’s role is welcome whilst in others it detested. The main object of government in both scenarios though is the allocation of scarce resources and creating an environment suitable for such resources to be exploited. This is achieved through ensuring that law and order is maintained. External costs incurred by businesses that are not factored in the business transactions are also taken into account by the government. This is in order to protect them from exploitation which may otherwise lead to bankruptcy and collapse. The government’s role shouldn’t be solely that of creation of a good environment for business via maintenance of law and order. Rather, it should go beyond this by being a key player in the economy. Law and order though facilitates stability as well as reduces corruption hence encouraging investment. Using the opportunity cost principle, the uses to which scarce resources can be put are many and the real costs are those which are forgone. These are incurred in cases where corruption is existent. Examples of such costs according to Sowell include delay in performance of certain economic activities given an unviable corrupt economic environment this results to non-development of basic infrastructure that would have been used to carry out the economic activity. In turn, planned investments do not occur hence existing output levels are not increased due to lack of expansion. The final results are normally unemployment accompanied by brain drain as the environment is similarly not viable to work in. Simply put, higher corruption levels are accompanied by low economic growths and low per capita incomes. Other effects of corruption are discrimination in the employment sector and profiling of workers. Contributing to slow economic growth are also long bureaucratic processes. All these contribute to driving away investors. Corruption doesn’t necessarily come in the form of direct bribes. It may also be in the form of nepotism and tribalism which is currently prevalent in most countries. The law being a set of rules and principles that are used in the day to day running of a country ought to have the following characteristics;- reliability; uniformity in application i. e. they must portray a sense of fairness and equality; rigidity i. e. they should not change from time to time. Rigidity brings about stability. Countries with laws that have these characteristics are prone to boost investor confidence as well as encouraging skilled labor to immigrate into the country in search of job opportunities. Such skilled labor may not have been available locally. This set of rules and principles should be impartial but discriminatory at the same time. The discriminatory aspect of some laws has at times proven to boost economic growth. However the statement holds only when the discriminating facet is known by the parties involved well in advance. If the discriminating nature of the law is known, the economic environment will be more stable as compared to where the justice system is discriminatory in interpretation and application of the law. The law may be discriminatory on the basis of aspects such as religion and race. However, if the economy grows, the growth will be felt across the board and not just by those for whom the law discriminates. Even though some laws have discriminatory aspects, they should not in any way allow for the exploitation of one by another nor allow for the interference of one’s activities by another with malicious intentions. A country’s economy is majorly dependent on the existence of a government. Nonetheless, this dependability also takes into consideration the government’s effectiveness in law enforcement. Geographically, some regions within the same country will have laws being more enforced than others. However, extra costs incurred by businesses in ensuring that goods and services reach the consumers are always transferred to the same consumers. This reduces demand due to high prices. Property Rights On property rights, focus should be placed not just on the owners of such but more so on the general effect the existence and exercise of such rights has on the economy. The exercise of property rights may result to economic effects which impact negatively on the populace as there maybe no single individual to blame. As a result, property rights should be closely monitored but even more emphasis ought to be placed on automatic self-monitoring by individuals as a solution. The mere fact that the property rights do exist creates a sense of self-monitoring on the individual which is more effective and less costly as compared to government monitoring. This self-productivity results to increased productivity and lower commodity prices as there is less wastage. However, negligence may also result on the part of the property owners and class stratification. However, given that property rights do have a greater economic efficiency, the general population will have higher living standards when the economic growth that results trickles down. However, restrictions such as setting of minimum standards and creation of Boards to oversee the use of certain property should be put in place. These will help prevent exploitation. Stringent laws need also be put into place by governments and respective authorities. In creation and application of restrictions to property rights, one has to have in mind that property rights do have intentions and effects. Economic incentives by the government do play a big role and such rights need to be looked at from the economic angle i. e. the incentives that are brought about by them. One should also ask what the effects of changing them or completely doing without them are. Social order is a function of existence of laws, government institutions to ensure the maintenance of law and order and acknowledgement of such by the citizens. The degree of social order differs from one country to another as well as from one individual to another. It is the existence or inexistence of a social order and its level that determines how business dealings are conducted between individuals. Social order should be upheld in all aspects of government. This may in turn extend to the rest of the community hence doing away with corruption thus bringing down transaction costs. If the social order is inexistent or at a low level, enterprises tend to be small scale. This translates to lower production and by the economies of scale, the end user experiences higher prices. A good social order thus attracts investment. The government can boost this by encouraging honesty within its administration, indirectly supporting or detesting cultures that are pro-honesty. The same can also be achieved via school curricula. Another factor that can either undermine or develop the social order are the nature of a country’s law. However, the market has a way of creating its own social order. External costs and benefits do exist in business and they occur outside the parties that are part to an actual transaction. These are however not accounted for in the market place and it is for this reason that the government has to come in to make decisions regarding external costs and benefits via legislation and regulations. Some benefits are indivisible. They are either a whole or nothing at all. To decide any aspect about them is thus better left to government. External costs on their part are felt either directly or indirectly by individuals. The individuals thus decide basing on how the external costs impact them and their activities. In countries with popularly elected governments, most of the decisions made by are not put into much economic consideration. Focus is actually mainly placed on making the people happy and not necessarily on economic improvement. Most of such decisions are political and not economically beneficial to the country. CHAPTER 18: GOVERNMENT FINANCE Like any other enterprise whether profit making or non-profit making, resources are needed to enable a business e a continuing venture. On the part of the government, its spending aspect if a factor of revenue collection. Revenue is raised via tax collection. How this tax is collected greatly affects how much will in effect be collected as it impacts on the citizen’s view on taxation policies. Any change in taxation policy by the government will automatically result in behavioral change by the tax payer in terms of expenditure and savings. This change is however in no scale predictable and may go at length to affect the performance of the economy at large. No rule can be said to be applied by government to predict this change. The net tax paid by an individual is a factor of the number of taxes that are applicable on a said person and their position economically. Value Added Tax (VAT) takes a bigger share from the poor than it does from the rich as spending on consumer goods makes up a greater percentage of the poor person’s budget whilst saving or re-investment makes up a greater percentage of the rich’s budget. However, tax paid by individuals is a mixture of both regressive and progressive taxes. However, the official legal indicator of incidence of tax does not necessarily show who bears the incidence of tax. Before a government makes decisions on whether or not to increase a particular tax, factors to be considered are how the tax is collected. This determines whether the tax is being felt by the individual or not. Increasing or decreasing the tax may thus not necessarily result to behavioral change by the consumer. One way through which government raises income is through sale of bonds. It is this level of sale of government bonds that determines the national debt. The impact the national debt will have on the economy is a dependent on what percentage it is of the country’s GDP. However, both GDP and national debt increase over time as a result of increased population size. The vice versa is also true. Sale of bonds is considered a future investment by the government and who bears the cost of the national debt is worth considering i. e. whether it is the government or the tax payer. To the government, accrued interest over time is one cost. This interest may affect investor confidence both in the short and long term. As bonds are sold and re-sold over time, their interest rate has to be increased lest they lose their value. This however lowers investor confidence in the long run. The rise in government interest rates may bring about a ripple effect increase on other interest rates as investors look for money with which to purchase the bonds. Influence of government may however make product prices independent of their costs despite the above ripple effect they may have at the same time. In an economy, there always are unmet needs which the government must satisfy. However resource distribution by government takes into account not the maximization of their use but rather merely re-distribution. It is this that explains why government may undertake projects that are not economically profitable or necessary as well as why some public utilities are offered at prices which are way below their actual market value or at no value at all. Spending by the government is mainly a factor of whether or not there is the need to spend whilst the principles behind such spending are outlined by the law. Through its expenditure, the government is able to influence the economy’s net purchasing power. Increased government spending implies more money will be in the economy thus leaving more at the hands of households for spending on other commodities other than those for which the government has already paid for. Costs as a result of government spending can either be to the government or the economy. It should be clear who is bearing the cost and the nature of the cost. As utility varies from individual to individual, the desire to purchase due to price disparity can thus be controlled via price controls or subsidies. The latter have however proven more fruitful than the former since subsidies transfer the total cost of an item to the entire population rather than letting a single individual to incur it. Here the cost is thus on the economy, not the government. From this, one can deduce that government finance comes in to bring a solution to the price-utility problem by creating an even bigger problem or rather shifting the cost from the government to the economy. The pattern of government expenditure is majorly a political function. Projects that prove politically building are more likely to be undertaken. Any government has got its obligations and current and future expenditure make up the government’s obligations regarding expenditure. Future obligations may seem not that costly until it reaches a point where they must be incurred. Their costs are accounted for but not incurred until the need arises. Incentives can be either political or economical. Incentives such as government pensions are majorly dependent on the size of the working and the retired population. A good balance enables pension payment. On the private side however, payment of insurance benefits is dependent on the currently existing subscribers to the insurance. CHAPTER 20: INTERNATIONAL TRADE Some have argued that in international trade, while one country gains, another loses. But both parties should be gaining in a way otherwise there wouldn’t be a reason to trade. A country may gain via for example economic growth. This has been the general effect of international trade. However, terms used in international trade such as trade deficit and surplus do not necessarily reflect a country’s economic wellness. To determine this, one has to look past the figures involved in international trade. A country may have quite a number of reasons why it should or should not engage itself in international trade. Reasons for however outweigh those against. Those for include absolute advantage, comparative advantage and economies of scale. In terms of absolute advantage, one country can produce particular commodities at prices cheaper than those of another or products of a higher quality. This may encourage it to pursue international trade. As for comparative advantage, the opportunity cost of one country A to produce a certain commodity at the expense of another is much lower than that of country B. Comparative advantage is thus all about efficiency of one country as compared to another. The costs forgone in producing a product should be lower and income generated from the production line opted for ought to be higher hence making them economically viable. The returns should also be in surplus enough for the country to purchase the commodity it forgo to produce. In terms of economies of scale, some ventures are viable only if there is enough market to consume the output. Such markets can be created through exports of commodities hence maximizing advantages brought about due to economies of scale or large scale production. Apart from enabling countries to achieve economies of scale, international trade also facilitates countries to fully utilize their comparative and absolute advantages. However, economies of scale have also resulted in the downfall of some infant industries where protectionist policies are inexistent. In as much as many countries may engage in international trade, some succeed whilst others do not. Reasons for the downfall of others may be the restrictions that exist in International Trade. These include emphasis that has been placed on efficiency of the production process. Another effect of such restrictions are collapse of domestic industries where protectionism does not exist. However international trade itself brings about government interference with trade due to policies such as protectionism while it may result to creation of monopolistic markets and unfair competition finally. Arguments for International Trade restrictions Different arguments have been put forward for international trade to have restrictions. The high wage fallacy argues that commodities produced by highly paid workers cannot compete with those produced by low paid ones. This does not hold since the argument does not distinguish between wage rates and labor costs and between labor costs and total costs. Wage rates may therefore be higher yet the total costs are lower due to economies of scale hence higher profits. Restrictions may also exist so as to save jobs domestically. However, just as free trade results to growth in the economies of all countries engaged simultaneously so do trade restrictions result to reduced economic growth or even reversed economic growth. Restricting trade thus does not result in increased employment. Rather, there will be less spending in the economy. The infant industry argument posits that local developing industries ought to be given time to grow to a level at which they can compete with other industries. However, survival of an industry is not a factor of its growth in terms of production and sales. Political muscle plays a key role in determining the fate of an industry. The National defense argument tries to explain why countries opt to have suppliers of things that are essential for their own national survival lest the external supplier turn enemy. Examples of such commodities are ammunition. Last on the list of reasons for protectionism is the dumping argument which is however restricted given the uncertainties of determining production costs. Here economies of scale may come into play and a supplier selling his/her commodities at lower prices abroad may actually be mistaken for dumping. These restrictions to trade may come in the form of tariffs which are taxes on imports and aim to raise their prices. The restrictions may also be in the form of import quotas which bring about uneven competition beside achieving the same objective of raising import prices. CHAPTER 21: INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS OF WEALTH International wealth transfers may take the forms of either direct or indirect foreign investments or remittances from citizens whose domicile is abroad. Rich countries always tend to invest in fellow rich counties due to fear of not getting a return on their investment if done in a poor country. Political and economic stability, corruption levels, level of honesty amongst the country’s populace as well as movement of capital within a said country’s economy are factors affecting the decision of whether to or not to invest. International trade takes into account only goods exchanged between countries leaving behind service output. It is for this that International trade has to be at a balance despite the fact that measures used in international trade may not be true reflectors of the trade. An economy that has concentrated in service production rather than goods will tend to export more services and import more commodities. The decision of whether a trade deficit is harmful or not is best done by comparing the deficit with the performance of the whole economy. As a result, the Balance of Payment measure is a better reflector of international trade than the Balance of Payments. Economic transactions are not zero-sum activities where only the buyer and the seller gain, rather it is a wealth creator to both the parties directly involved and to the â€Å"spectators. † Immigration and emigration which are key factors in international trade result to knowledge transfer, new ideas and businesses being created, job creation amongst others. However, on the dark side of the same are diseases, brain drain, increase in crime, collapsing economies and terrorism. Imperialism which implies the domination and exploitation of one country by another is also a means of wealth transfer. However, international investments have been argued to be equal to imperial looting as the subject country loses more than it gains. This explains the class strata of first, second and third world countries. Ceteris paribus, imperialism is more of a moral than an economic argument. Foreign aid, which entails wealth transfer from richer to poorer countries or from one government to another, may or may not be used for intended purposes. The use of foreign aid in government investments has more often than not resulted to mismanagement due to corruption. Some foreign aid comes with strings attached in the form of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs). Such aid has proven to deter rather than encourage development. World over, the inexistence of a body to oversee the giving of aid to poorer countries has resulted to exploitation of the recipient. Aid may be in the form of cash grants or goods and services to the recipient country. However, the under-utilization of most of the resources in the recipient country is what leads it to have a need for foreign aid. CHAPTER 23: MYTHS ABOUT MARKETS The name â€Å"market† in itself is a myth as a market is viewed as a thing rather than the people in the market themselves who are engaging in business activity. This has led to rigidity of the market. In a market, variation of prices from one seller to another is always notable. This, economists would say defy the laws of supply and demand but in actual sense they do not. Rather, supply and demand should be looked at from the point of view of different consumers. Each consumer will have a different of demand and supply curve intersections due to utility. Prices in the market ought to be ‘affordable’ and ‘reasonable’ is a notion that is not realistic. It implies that prices should be independent of the market forces of demand and supply as well as production cost but should instead favor the purchasing power of the consumer. The third myth about markets is that some firms may tend to sell their products at below normal prices so as to drive away competition. This myth has not been proven though hence is not that realistic. Fourth is the issue of branding. Despite its advantages of making suppliers and manufacturers to emphasize on quality, the products being sold are more or less the same. What will actually be different is the pricing products or services with brand names that are widely known will definitely cost or charge more. A business, no matter how small is linked to the economy as a whole. Te role different enterprises play in the economy is a factor of whether they are classified as profit and loss or as non-profit making enterprises. However, there exist differences between the two in that profit and loss organizations will always tend to emphasize on quality in order to maximize profits whilst in non-profit making organizations, the customers themselves will not be in a position to emphasize on quality since they are already paying far less than the true value of the commodity or service they are getting. It is the nature of the organization that finally determines what name will be given to the extra amounts remaining after costs as well as how it will be used. In some its called profit whilst in others it is revenue. The ‘Trickle down theory|; is more of a political than an economic theory. The theory posits that those opposed to equality in resource distribution tend to believe that resources should be bestowed on the rich so that it may in effect trickle down to the rest of the populace. The theory is a myth since economically one has to spend first so as to make an income. This spending comes in the form of say purchase of goods and services for sale as well as payments made for their delivery. The economic reality is thus exactly the opposite of the ‘Trickle Down effect. † CHAPTER 24: NON-ECONOMIC VALUES Economics is not a value in itself. Rather it compares values. The market on its part is a reflector of the people’s attitudes and actions as well as beliefs. The issue of the market with respect to moral and social values arises when the market is looked at from the angle of the impact it has on such issues. The society’s moral standards will determine how transactions are conducted in the market. Non-economic values in the market tend to introduce morality into business by defining words such as greed alongside maximization of profit for example and others. These non-economic values however put aside economic concepts like the laws of demand and supply that are used in price determination. These non-economic values are also one-sided since they tend to lean on the consumer’s side mostly whilst forgoing the seller’s side. However, greed cannot be termed to be a product of any particular economic system. Rather it is an intricate trait in all humans and which all have to cope with. The difference however comes with regard to how this greed manifests itself in the different economic systems and how it is controlled. The term greed is however neither adequate or fair in explaining the desire of the seller to make as much profit as possible out of the buyer nor the wish of the buyer to purchase the product with the highest quality at the lowest price. Greed is thus a two way concept which only looks at who is on the gaining end. Exploitation is another term that crops up whenever non-market values are mentioned. It can simply be said to be that which is beyond the acceptable as per the society’s moral standards. Exploitation is thus based on emotion and not the facts existing on the real world. The disparity between greed and exploitation comes in that whilst the former occurs in almost all types of economic systems, exploitation mostly occurs in monopolistic markets where no free competition exists and the buyer has no wide choice of commodities given the factor of the sole supplier. To regulate the above, the government may put in place regulations such as trade barriers, tariffs and quotas as well as value added tax or corporate taxes. Taxation by the government may however be considered as both greed and exploitation. Greed since even the poorest of persons in the economy pays taxes whether in the form of VAT or income tax and exploitation as the government enjoys a monopoly of taxing the people yet one may argue that the quality of services is not guaranteed. The market however takes into consideration many factors before pricing decisions are made. At times the employer for instance may be at the receiving end when the employee has a greater bargaining power or where the demand for services he/she can render is higher than what the market can supply. Here, both greed and exploitation come into play. In as much as governments try to control or maintain at a low the levels of exploitation and greed, the measures put in place might actually serve to make even worse the life of the consumers in cases where exploitation and greed did not exist before. The principle of fairness when looked at from the non-market values point of view carries with it two assumptions. First is that all individuals are playing by the same rules and secondly that all players have the same potential. However, these two may not hold as different individuals have different desires, priorities and thus derive different levels of utility from the same activity, commodity or service. Fairness doe not have a specific definition hence it is majorly those in power who are left to define what is and what is not fair. However, vested interests may underlie the making of such decision. Some groups may also be completely ignored in deciding what fairness is. Economics being majorly concerned with the distribution of resources and values tends to critic â€Å"unmet needs† of the society. Here, the decision of whether a government should carry out a project or not is a function of what has to be sacrificed in order to satisfy the unmet need. However, the existence or identification of an unmet need is not a justification of it to be met. CHAPTER 25: PARTING THOUGHTS The economic concepts and principles cannot all be listed given the imaginative nature of the human mind. However, in as much as new concepts and principles are being developed whilst older ones continue to be refined and refuted, the bottom line should be that they all ought to divorce from emotions which vary from human being to human being. Rather there ought to be basic concepts and principles that are followed by both new and old economic ideas. The above fallacies ought to carry precision in the use of words as well as clarity in order to ensure their true or intended ideology is achieved. A common feature of most economic fallacies is that they focus on the initial consequences of particular policies and not the long term effects of the same. Confusion thus results as focus is placed not on the benefits or effects of policies but rather on the objectives of such policies. The importance of economic principles supersedes their use in only economic factors. If keenly looked at, most things do have economic aspects in which economic principles ca be applied. Instead of focusing on the objectives of goals, of main concern should be the activities that will be pursued t achieve such goals, what the particular legislation or goal encourages and discourages, the regulations that will follow the attainment of the goal, the long term effects of activities aimed towards attaining the goal. Last but not least, we ought to look at similar goals that were attained in the past and the impact they had. In as much as economics carries many fallacies, a distinction should be made between what is practical and what is indeed a fallacy.

Kudler Fine Food - Marketing Essay Example for Free

Kudler Fine Food Marketing Essay With the marketing focus review, this paper will discuss the potential technology solutions for customer contests, loyalty points programs, purchase tracking, benchmarking of internal versus external service processes, and the management of inventory and related costs. Also concepts such as consumer databases and customer relationship management systems (CRM) will be elaborated upon. A potential technology solution to support customer contests can be achieved through a simple manner of employing an online survey that can be held daily. A winner would be selected each day. The winner would enjoy the prize of being in the presence of Kathy Kudler in being taught how to prepare specialty foods in a cooking class. Another suggestion for a prize would be to provide tickets to special and private events that are held by Kudler Fine Foods. On the technology end of this solution, the customer would fill out the online survey and the information would be stored in a database. At the end of the month, a winner would be randomly selected from the database for the contest. The cost of the implementing and maintaining a program and the database would be affordable for Kudler Fine Foods. Essentially, the time and cost would be made up by the targeted customer’s desire to enter said contests to fully enjoy the Kudler Fine Foods executive experience. Also another option for a prize is to have cooking classes that are presented by cooking professionals, celebrities, or food experts rather than just the owner, Kathy Kudler. The Loyalty Points Program, also known as â€Å"frequent shopper program†, is a program that would allow the customer to accumulate points that can be used within the Kudler Fine Foods stores. With this program, customers shopping and purchasing habits can also be tracked. With the points that have been accumulated by the customer, the points can be exchanged for high-end items within the stores. By employing this program, Kudler Fine Foods will be more familiar with their customers as well as their spending habits. In addition to, this program will allow Kudler Fine Foods to keep track of each and every customer on the frequency of their visits to the stores and keep having them come back to accumulate more points. On the technology side of this programs, a data management system would be need to be constructed and maintained in order to keep track of the multitude of customers and their accumulation of â€Å"loyalty† points. This data management system would service all of the Kudler Fine Foods stores in ensuring that the all of the data is integrated for new customers, customer information is updated, and that duplicates are prevented. To allow customers to redeem their accumulated â€Å"loyalty† points, web servers would need to be set up to assist with the vast amount of data. Also, redundancy of the said servers would need to be implemented in case there is a hardware or software failure. The most important piece of the â€Å"loyalty† program is the card itself. It is a card that the customer would carry and has a unique identifier dedicated to that customer. With these cards, the customer can view online their accumulated points and purchases at Kudler Fine Foods. Kudler Fine Foods utilizes purchase tracking to follow profit, profit margin, and transactions that have taken place over a period of time. With the large amounts of data, Kudler Fine Foods will need an effective, efficient, and accurate means of capturing and storing this information. In stating that, the main server will need to be located at the main store so as to be a focal point for all communications that happen between all stores. Benchmarking can be described as the most effective method in relation to both products and processes. Other successful business entities that are similar to Kudler Fine Foods can be viewed as a model such as Wal-mart. Being able to view Wal-mart as a model for the processes, Kudler Fine Foods is able to meet benchmarking, if not higher, and continuously improve on it products and processes. On the technology side of benchmarking, online web based training courses can be created to teach and inform employees on the new products and services. An important part of Kudler Fine Foods is inventory management since Kudler Fine Foods is a store that sells a large amount of fine foods. Not knowing what is in stock can lead to an overstock or a shortage of merchandise. Having an overstock simply spells wasted money that could have been spent elsewhere. Having a shortage of product would lead to dissatisfied customers. On the technology side of inventory management, IT is a huge factor in tracking, recording, and warning about inventory. A main server would be connected to the point-of-sales machines and continuously keep track of all of the inventory from each and every store. The inventory management system would always be updated from when a new inventory is placed into stock and when an item is taken out of inventory. In conclusion, Kudler Fine Foods currently has a strong foothold in its marketing abilities. Employing the suggested potential technology solutions would not only promote efficient and effective processes but would also allow for room potential growth and increased revenue. With this vision in mind, this mission statement of Kudler Fine Foods will be met successfully as well as all of the standards that Kathy Kudler is counting on. References https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Kudler2/internet/index. asp

Teaching exam classes

Teaching exam classes Teaching exam classes Getting students to participate in writing activities in class can be an arduous task. However, our best efforts as teachers to make the prospect of writing a fun and collaborative activity, it is often met with groans of reluctance. Often, students have had negative experiences of writing in the language classroom in the past, perhaps they see it as a waste of class-time, which could be better spent practicing their oral skills, or perhaps they simply find writing a difficult and laborious task even in their first language. Whatever the reason, getting adult students motivated to write in class can be tough. However, for teachers it can be very useful to monitor students writing in class. They are at hand to answer any language difficulties, give advice on how to structure sentences in a more natural way, provide vocabulary that students are lacking and generally be available to deal with individual needs as well as noting common problem areas. This is of great benefit to students too of course, much more so than receiving a marked piece of written homework covered in red pen. Exam writing Students who are studying for exams do tend to be slightly more motivated when it comes to writing in class but still often prefer to do the actual task for homework. The following activity ideas are ways in which we can teach the nuts and bolts of academic writing in an analytical way, illustrating a step-by-step approach that will hopefully show students the value of writing in the classroom without the pressure of simply being told to put pen to paper. Each of the seven activities focuses on specific areas of writing, such as planning, layout, content, etc. However, the activities are fairly general and could be easily adapted to suit most task types that exam candidates are required to do, such as writing a formal letter or an article. In this activity students get a good idea of what examiners are looking for and learn how to avoid making common mistakes while also picking up tips on good examples of language. Students look at 2-4 model texts ranging in level from a fail to a strong pass. Real candidate answers are ideal if you get them. Students note the good and bad points about each answer and write comments under headings such as layout, organization, content, style and accuracy. Students share their comments with each other before looking at the real examiners comments if you have them. Here, students are made aware of differences in register and appropriacy of language, while building up a stock of suitable phrases they can use in formal letters. Students receive a formal letter which has several phrases written in the wrong register, i.e. informal/slang. Students identify which phrases they think are unsuitable for a formal letter and underline them. Then, they try and rewrite the phrases using a more formal style of language. Finally, students choose the correct answers from a list provided. You can make this activity more communicative by dividing the class into two groups and giving each group a different letter to work on. When they have rewritten their phrases they pair up with a student from the other group who has the answers for their letter and compare answers. How to teach an FCE class The First Certificate in English (FCE), administered by UCLES, is a general English examination for upper intermediate learners. Teaching an exam class for the first time can be daunting but experienced teachers tend to agree on the following advice. The first task will be getting to grips with the exam specifications. I need to be familiar with each of the five papers, which are Reading, Writing, Use of English, Listening and Speaking, ideally before student begin in first class. The Exams Officer in my school should have a copy of the FCE Handbook, which explains exactly what skills and language knowledge my students need to have before they take the exam, as well as providing a sample paper. Be aware of issues like learner motivation and classroom morale. Learners in exam classes tend to be more goal oriented that those in a general English class. Remember that students will have to pay a fee to sit the FCE as well as for the preparation course, the advantage of which is that having invested in an exam course then the average FCE student tends to be highly motivated to succeed. However, motivation and high morale can be very fragile things. If my students need to be familiar with the exam conditions and requirements, and regular timed practice under exam conditions will help them get used to exam rubrics, different question formats, time restraints, doing tasks efficiently and filling in the answer sheets correctly. Dont be afraid to share information with your students by explaining, for example, the marking criteria for assessing their writing tasks. Be explicit about the value of classroom activities. As well as having high expectations , I may find that my students have quite definite ideas about what an exam class should be like. A student may try to undermine by saying that discussion activities, for example, are a waste of time in an exam preparation class and that time should be spent doing grammar exercises or practice tests. However, this situation is less likely to happen if I explain at the outset that pair and group work activities are invaluable for the Speaking paper, in which candidates are examined in pairs and their ability to interact with a partner is assessed. Try to instill good study habits from the start. What my students do outside the exam classroom is just as vital in preparing for the exam. Use tutorial time to help individuals identify their strengths and weaknesses in each paper and to structure their homework/self-directed learning accordingly. Often, the most successful learners are those who keep good records of their learning. Encourage learners to keep a vocabulary notebook, organized in a way that is meaningful to them. Types of exams and exam questions There are many types of exam questions used at university and need to prepare for different types of questions in different ways. To prepare well for exams should enquire about the nature, length and value of each exam so that can allow adequate time and effort for preparation. Check assessment details in course materials and with teaching staff. May find it useful to record for each exam so that clear about what the exam will cover and when and where it will be held. This information will help guide preparation for the exam. Some different types of exams questions, with a brief description, are listed below. For each type, use the link to additional suggestions relating to this type of question, how can best prepare for it and practical strategies for answering the question: Multiple choice questions offer a range of choices from which select the most appropriate response. Short answer questions require answers of up to a paragraph. The nature of the questions may vary. Some questions may test you recall of information, others may test ability to apply concepts to new situations. Essay question require you to write an essay type response to a topic. Essay questions may be arranged in sections in the exam paper which reflect different sections of the course. Open book questions allow to bring and use reference materials in the exam room. Take home questions are questions that are given to take away and complete and then return within a specified time e.g. 24 hours. Oral questions are used to test oral language skills. Typically they are taken individually. Practical questions test practical skills and techniquesusually in laboratory, clinical or field settings. There are differences in the learning need to do for different types of questions. I previous experience of exams may mean that I have developed very good approaches for some types of questions but not for others. If I tackling new types of questions, find out about my student lecturers expectations as well as the exam requirements. The timing and duration of my preparation will be determined by a number of factors. For example, if my exam is worth a high proportion of the overall grade, I would be wise to prepare throughout the semester. If its worth a small percentage of the grade I may decide to study intensely in last few weeks, but Ill need to lay the groundwork for that study in the way I take notes and file my work throughout the semester. Exam Materials Responsible for what you leave outside the exam venue. There will be no bag drop at exam venue. Bags left outside the exam venue are left at the owners risk and are not the responsibility of the University. Responsible for what you bring into an exam. Bring only what you need for the exam, especially your student card. Cheating includes introducing into an exam venue any book, note, document, or instrument which is not authorized by the examiner or the examinations officer. The consequences are severe. About on-line learning We believe that distance learning works best when it captures, as far as possible, the dynamics of face to face learning, even when that means less flexibility (see below). A sense of isolation can cause people to drop out of distance learning courses. Our Distance/On-line Teaching Exam Classes Courses have the following key features, which ensure motivation remains high. Variety of ways of learning Through our virtual learning environment you will use the internet to communicate with tutors and fellow course members, access materials and complete learning tasks. Interaction Our virtual learning environment (VLE) allows you to communicate individually and collectively with tutors and other course members, both for social and study purposes. You will be assigned individual, group and pair tasks, as in a real classroom with the difference that, instead of all working at the same time you can log on and off and contribute at times which are convenient to you. You may, on a few occasions, be required to log on at the same time as other course members for lessons, conferences or chats in the virtual classroom. A real class of fellow students In many distance courses, learners start and finish courses at any time of the year and join an infinite number of other distance learners at various stages of their course. Our courses have start and finish dates and a defined group of participants, just like our face-to-face courses. You will have tasks and deadlines to keep and be expected to maintain an appropriate rhythm. In other words, flexibility is limited in order to maintain motivation. Learning how to learn on-line As well as learning about teaching and language you will have the opportunity to experience and reflect on the nature of on-line learning itself. Ease of use You will find it easy to use the virtual learning environment, even if you are relatively unfamiliar with this kind of learning and there will be plenty of support and guidance from tutors to deal with any queries and make sure you are on track. upload and download course information and material access materials on and off-line participate in live and non-synchronised discussions send work to tutors and receive feedback communicate with tutors and other members of the class individually and as a group. interact in ways similar to a real classroom with the advantage of being able to access it at times convenient to you. We use style/messenger or telephone for personal tutorials. You will need to have regular access to a computer with internet connection, but wont need to spend huge amounts of time actually on line. We recommend you install style if you dont have it already to take advantage of cost free calls to tutors. Conclusion All of the activities are intended to facilitate each stage of the writing process, from planning a first draft to editing the final answer. By analysis both good and bad model texts, students are made aware of what examiners are looking for and can learn to avoid common errors. Overall, this very guided approach to exam writing should make students feel more confident about attempting writing tasks.

The Battle Between Good And Evil :: essays research papers fc

The Balance Between Good and Evil   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Balance Between Good and Evil   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is an author’s painting of the evil that resides in all of the human race. The tropical island setting presents an environment free from civil order introducing a battle ground for the war of good and evil. Showing different side of human nature one can ponder the question â€Å"What would I do?† Golding explains the good, bad and balance of human nature, revealing that in times of despair man can easily regress to a primitive state, leaving the strong willed to promote civil order, but often be extremely out numbered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ralph and Piggy’s sense of responsibility and maturity initially brings to the island a voice for everyone, calling for a brotherhood among the boys in order to survive and eventually be rescued. Early on the novel reads â€Å"There was a stillness about Ralph's as he sat that marked him out: there was his size and attractive appearance; and most securely, yet most powerful there was the conch.† (Golding Pg. 22). This quote describes the presence Ralph promoted on the island early on in their adventure. He encouraged equal say amongst the boys through the conch. In order to speak, one had to have possession of the symbolic shell. The shell representing the Parliamentary government in which they had left at home. Furthermore, Piggy, gaining an influential voice through Ralph, shouts his concern to the immature reckless boys â€Å"The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach... Then when you get here you build a bonfire t hat isn’t no use. Now you been and set the whole island on fire.† (Golding pg. 47). Like Ralph, Piggy’s responsibility and ability to plan for the future contradicts the actions of the boys, which in turn is the main reason for the separation between Jack and Ralph. Ralph and Piggy strive for a civilized way of life, yet find Jack leading an indirect revolt against any attempt to maintain order. Ralph and Piggy represent the good, civilized world in which they have come from; unfortunately the freedom of the island breathes life into Jack’s evil side, causing chaos to lurk throughout the boys.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jack Merridew represents the evil and dark ambitions that can take over a person when given the lack authority in a setting such as the tropical paradise. In given such freedom, Jack slowly loses his fear of punishment; seen here, his innocence still remains but

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 Essay -- 1984 by George Orw

The book 1984 by George Orwell is merely a warning of what could happen to a society in the future after many years of decline. In the nineteen fifties it was thought of as a prophecy. Many people actually thought that George Orwell was a madman for predicting all of these events in this book to happen in the year 1984.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story takes place in Oceania that is as a big country where there are smaller parts to it, like London where the main character Winston Smith lives. London is the former capital of the former country England. Obviously the story takes place in the year 1984. There are three classes living in Oceania: the Inner Party, the Outer Party, and the Proles. The Inner Party makes up about only two percent of the population. The Inner Party is the ruling party. The Outer Party makes up of about fifteen percent of the population. All of the daily administration is handled by the Outer Party. The Outer Party is described as small, powerless, and indispensable. It is the equivalent of a middle class. The Inner party selects a small number of the Outer party to join the Inner Party. Then there are the Proles who make up the rest of the population.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Government in Oceania is divided into four gigantic Ministries: The Ministry of Truth, The Ministry of Peace, The Ministry of Love, and The Ministry of Plenty. The Ministry of Truth controls the news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts. The Ministry of Peace controls all of the concerns of war. Th...