Friday, November 29, 2019

Adc Telecommunications Financial Ratio Analasis Essays -

Adc Telecommunications Financial Ratio Analasis Accounting 6000 Financial Statement Analysis ADC Telecommunications October 29, 2000 Corporate Background ADC Telecommunications (ADCT) is a communication equipment manufacturer located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Since 1952, the company has successfully weathered the tumultuous transformation process of technology. Today, ADC Telecommunications exclusively focuses on manufacturing computer-networking equipment. Increasing demand for fiber optic transmission systems like asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), synchronous optical networks (SONET) and most wireless communications systems, provide significant opportunities for ADCT. The company currently focuses on enabling communications service providers to deliver high-speed services to residential and commercial customers. The following is an annual analysis of ADCT's financial ratios of years 1995-1999. Overall Performance Measures The averaged price/earnings (P/E) ratios for ADCT are 36, 36.3, 39.4, 27.5, and 64.1 for years 1995-1999 respectively. The P/E ratio for ADCT is very stable from 1995 to 1997. In 1998, the P/E ratio fell over 43% to 27.5. The P/E ratio then rocketed to 64.1 in 1999, a 57% increase in one year. This dramatic increase indicates current investors are placing more value on future earnings as compared to previous years. One-reason ADCT investors pay more to own the stock is the growth potential in the communication equipment sector. For example, Internet traffic doubles every 100 days, illustrating the growth potential for ADCT's sales and bottom line earnings (Annual Report, 1999). Investors are currently willing to buy the stock at an inflated price due to two main reasons, the company's future earning potential and present growth rate in the industry. The returns on assets (ROA) ratios for ADCT are 9.20%, 11.40%, 11.60%, 11.30% and 5.20 for the years 1995-1999. There were no ROA industry averages in the Almanac of Business and Financial Ratios, written by Leo Troy. ADCT's ROA ratios remain constant (around11%) from 1995 -1998. In 1999, ROA dropped 54% to 5.20. This decline indicates that ADCT may not be utilizing its assets properly. One explanation for the 1999 decrease is ADCT's acquisitions. For example, ADCT purchased Broadband Access Systems for 2.25 billion exchange of stock (Datek, 2000). Recent acquisitions require additional long-term debt and are reflected in the ROA reduction in 1999. However, this trend is recent and may be viewed only as a temporary adjustment until the 2000 financial statements are released. There were no return on shareholders equity (ROE) industry averages in the Almanac of Business and Financial Ratios, written by Leo Troy. ADCT's ROE ratios are 10.8%, 14.2%, 14.5%, 16.0% and 7.0% for the years of 1995-1999 respectively. One notable trend in the ROE ratios is the 56% drop from 1998 to 1999. One explanation for this is found on ADCT's income statement. There is a significant drop in net income in 1999 verses 1998. Non-reoccurring charges were 148,977,000 and 9,168,000 for years 1999 and 1998 respectively. These increased expansion costs decrease net income, thus reducing the ROE ratio for 1999. ADCT must focus on revenue generation from these recent acquisitions to improve the return on shareholders equity. This recent drop in ROE needs to be compared to 2000 ROE ratios to provide a more complete picture of future returns for ADCT investors. Profitability Measures The gross margin percentages for ADCT are 52.5%, 50.4%, 50.0%, 50.5% and 51.7% for the years 1995-1999. The industry comparisons of gross margin averages are 43.1%, 40.3%, 41.2%, 40.4% and 40.6% for the same years. One noticeable difference is ADCT's gross margin percentages are consistently 10% higher than industry comparisons. One reason for exceptional gross margin performance is ADCT's sales mixes, sales volume, lower component costs and consolidation through acquisitions. ADCT's gross margin is 10 percent higher than the industry average, illustrating another aspect of the company's high profitability. ADCT's profit margins are 9.4%, 10.6, 9.3, 10.6 and 4.5 for 1995-1999 respectively. There were no profit margin industry averages in the Almanac of Business and Financial Ratios, written by Leo Troy. Profit Margins have remained stable at 10% until a 1999-drop to 4.5%. This sudden drop in 1999 can be attributed to the previously mentioned decrease in net income in 1999 due to non-reoccurring charges. This drop in 1999 can be viewed as a temporary decline until compared to the 2000 financial statements for ADCT. Earnings per share (EPS) for ADCT are $.45, .69, .90, 1.16 and .58 for

Monday, November 25, 2019

11 Things You Must Avoid During SAT Practice Tests

Things You Must Avoid During SAT Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you preparing for the SAT by taking practice tests? Awesome! You’re on the right track! How can you ensure that you’re getting the most out of each practice test you take? You need to make sure you’re taking each practice test underrealistic testing conditions. What’re you doing (maybe subconsciously) that’s ruining your realistic testing conditions? #1: Not Timing Yourself You need to stick to the exact timing of the SAT.If you’re not following the timing, you’re not going to be prepared the day of the test.You need to time yourself on your SAT practice tests so that you get used to the pacing of the test. It’s like training for a marathon. Don’t show up to a marathon without timing your practice and expect to place!The SAT is amarathon. Time yourself. Get used to the pace, so you don’t have issues on test day! Not sure the exact time you’re allowed for the SAT?On the SAT, the time allowed for each section is listed on the first page of that section of the practice test. See below: If you want more guidance, thencheck out our guide to SAT timing. #2: Using Your Phone But, Dora, you just said to time myself, and if I can’t use my phone, how do I time myself?I recommend that you use a watch instead of a phone.If you get used to timing yourself with your phone, you may feel lost the day of the test when you’re not allowed to use your phone. (NOTE: you’re not allowed to have your phone out at all during the test even during breaks). Instead, buy a cheap watch such as this one which you would be able to use the day of the test.Start using it during your practice so that you get used to pacing yourself with the watch. What if I use my phone in airplane mode?Don’t do it!Yes, it’s better than using your phone not in airplane mode, but you’ll still have the same issue: you’ll be so used to relying on your phone to pace yourself that you may feel confused using a normal watch/clock the day of the test. What if I’m using my phone as my calculator?No!!!Your phone will not be permitted the day of the test, so make sure you buy yourself an approved calculator and use it during your SAT math calculator section practice, so you get used to it. #3: Using Your Calculator On All Sections Speaking of calculators, remember that you’re only allowed to have your calculator out for one part of the test: the SAT math calculator section.You can’t have your calculator out for the Reading, Writing, or non-calculator Math test.During your practice, you should only use your calculator on the one math section that allows you to use a calculator. Do not use your calculator on the non-calculator math section.You need to practice your mental math so that you’re prepared to do mental math the day of the test.If during your practice, you use your calculator instead of your brain, you’ll be tempted to do so the day of the test. #4: Watching TV, Listening to Music, and/or Wearing Ear Plugs For some students, watching tv and/or listening to music while you take your practice test will serve as a distraction, making them score worse because they can’t concentrate.For other students, watching tv and/or listening to music can serve as an aid, helping them maintain their focus, artificially increasing their score.Either way, you cannot have the TV on nor music playing during your practice tests.You need to get used to taking the test in a quiet environment. That being said, do not wear ear plugs during your practice.Some students like ear plugs because it cuts out all background noise.However, the College Board does not allow the use of ear plugs during their tests.You need to get used to hearing background noise while you take the test because on your test day, you’ll have background sounds of paper rustling, pencils scratching, erasers rubbing, and more. Not during practice tests! #5: Eating and/or Drinking You will not be allowed to eat or drink during the test.You’ll be allowed to eat and drink outside of your testing roomduring the scheduled breaks. Don’t eat or drink while taking practice tests (exception: you can eat and drink during the break).This may sound silly, but it is important.If you're trying to eat and test at the same time, that can be a problematic distraction. Also, your body gets an energy boost when you have a snack or drink water.If you eat and drink non-stop during your practice, you’ll likely get an energy boost, and the test may seem â€Å"easier.†Then, the day of the test you might be surprised when the test seems â€Å"longer† and â€Å"harder† because you don’t have the added energy from the food and drink. As I’ve said, the SAT is amarathon.Train for the SAT as such.During your practice, only grab food or drinkduring the scheduled breaks. #6: Taking Unscheduled Bathroom Breaks Just as you won’t be allowed to eat or drink during the test, you also won’t be allowed to leave the room to go to the bathroom during the SAT.You’ll have to wait to go to the bathroom until the schedule breaks.Practice this during your practice tests. You need to get used to only using the restroom during the scheduled breaks.The last thing you want on your test day is to be thinking about how badly you need to pee while trying to take the test. I highly recommend using the restroom immediately before the test begins (or you start your practice test). #7: Not Sitting at a Desk Where you take the test is important, don’t sit on your couch or your bed!You need to get used to sitting upright.If you lounge on the couch or bed while taking your practice tests, you might feel thrown the day of the test when you’re put in a new, uncomfortable desk. Set up your practice test environment like the actual SAT test environment.Sit at an empty desk or table with nothing on it other than your practice test booklet, pencils, erasers, and calculator (when allowed). NOOOOOO! #8: Splitting the Test Over a Few Days Remember how I said the SAT is amarathon?Well, runners aren’t allowed to split up a marathon across several days.You need to practice sitting for full-length SAT tests.While you might not have 4 hours every day to sit for a full-length practice test, you need to make sure you sit for at least two full-length practice tests before you take the real SAT. On the days where you cannot sit for a full-length practice test, you should, at least, complete a full section of the test.For example, sit for the full 25-minute non-calculator math section without taking any breaks.The same rules mentioned in this article apply when you sit for just one section of the test: no food/drink, no music/tv/ear plugs, etc. #9: Not Bubbling In It’s easy to forget about the scantron and just to circle the answers in your practice test.However, using a scantron can be confusing, so you don’t want your first time using one to be on the day you take the SAT/ACT. During your practice tests, practice bubbling in answers as you work through your practice test.You want to get practice bubbling in so that you don’t accidentally bubble in wrong answers the day of the test.If you have time, I recommend double checking your scantron answers with your booklet answers at the end of the section, so you make sure you didn’t accidentally bubble any incorrectly. #10: Using Pen Since you need to practice bubbling in, you also need to practice using a pencil and eraser!You’re required to use a pencil on the SAT. NOTE: You cannot use a mechanical pencil. You can only use a regular #2 pencil. I recommend bringing at least 3 sharpened #2 pencils with you to your test center. Also, you should have a basic pencil sharpener and a big eraser. Take your SAT practice tests using these supplies.The day of the SAT you want to walk into your test center feeling confident and comfortable.To do that, you need your practice to mimic the real testing environment as much as possible!Get used to having these supplies on your desk. Get used to sharpening a broken pencil with your hand sharpener! If you’re anything like me, any little issue can spike your nerves during a big test.Practice with pencils, erasers, and a pencil sharpener, so you don’t get nervous using them the day of the test. Get your pencils ready! #: Using Any Support Material Do not use any extra materials during your practice tests.As I’ve mentioned, the day of the test, you won’t be allowed to have anything on your desk except for your test booklet, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, and your calculator (only during the calculator math section).Only use those materials during your practice! Do not use a formula cheat sheet (other than what’s provided in the SAT math section if you’re taking the SAT), and do not use a dictionary to look up words!During the test, you will not be able to use any outside resources, so do not incorporate them into your practice. If there are words you don’t know during your SAT practice test, try to figure out what they mean by using context clues(use the words around that word to figure out what the word means).Try your best to answer the questions without looking the word up.Circle the words you don’t know so that after you finish your practice test, you can easily find those words and look them up in a dictionary. Summary: How to Get Realistic Practice All of the above can be summarized simply: obey the rules of the test during your practice!Realistic practice will prepare you the best to ace the test and make you feel confident and comfortable the day of the test. Still unsure of how to get realistic practice? Check out our guide to making your practice test just like the real thing. What’s Next? Not sure whether the SAT or ACT is right for you? Let’s help you pick the right test for you! Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Figure out how to find your target school. Interested in attending Harvard or another Ivy League school? Check out our guide to getting in! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

(Balance Scorecard) Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

(Balance Scorecard) Accounting - Assignment Example According to balanced score card, the performance of a firm is measured on the basis of four perspectives, which are financial, customer, internal business process or value chain and learning and growth. The name balanced scorecard reflects balance between long term and short term objectives, financial and non financial measures, leading and lagging indicators, and between internal and external perspectives. Balanced score card is more than a system of measurement. It should be transformed into a strategic management system (Brigham and Louston, 2009, p.112). The new measurement system is used to align and communicate with the new strategies of firm and to properly manage them. For this, the suggested steps could be: classification and translation of strategy and vision, communicating and linking the strategic measures and objectives, planning, setting targets and aligning strategic initiatives and enhancing the learning and strategic feedback (Chandra, 2011, p.95). There are a community group of volunteers who are taking over some greenhouses at a nursery garden with an objective to grow plants as a way of providing training to the young people with learning difficulties. The principal sources of income to this community group of volunteers will be the sale of food and plants which are grown at the site, individual funding from each of the learning disabled, grant funding and charitable donations. It is advisable to them to use an appropriate balanced scorecard for the work. The use of balanced scorecard will provide the nursery volunteers with lot of benefits and the balanced scorecard should be produced with an appropriate number of financial and non-financial measures. In addition, the grant funder can apply some key performance indicator to the contract to reassure themselves that the service is being run appropriately by the volunteers. It is important to build a balanced scorecard which communicates the strategy of firm for certain

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Georges Coffee- Business Development Strategies Essay

Georges Coffee- Business Development Strategies - Essay Example The management of George's coffee has some different ideas for the promotion of their business in an extremely competitive industry. Some of their plans and strategies to cope with the competition include using Electronic mailing as a method to boost their sales through methods such as e-marketing (direct marketing), setting up an E-brochure for ready reference. The main objective of the study is to identify methods which are suitable for Geroge's coffee which can enhance the chances of their success in a competitive field. It is imperative that the methods suggested shall yield results for a longer period of time and hence they should have time relevance. Every new business or business units, however,big they are before starting or venturing into a new business or expanding naturally goes for a market feasibility study. In other words, a market feasibility study allows them to understand important factors such as their own Strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities and threats, also by co nducting a market feasibility study they can understand the external business environment as such. We know the business environment is very fluid in nature and the market situations as well as the market requirements tend to vary from time to time. In order to reap rich dividends the management has to understand the scope or the extent of usage of the methods suggested. ... The business requirements for George's coffee in terms of plans and strategies to survive the heat are: Internal requirements: i. Sound supply chain mechanisms which are cost effective, innovative and sustainable for a long time. ii. Development of a strong and unyielding distribution network for easy distribution. iii. Use of electronic services for enhanced performance. External requirements: i. The methods developed shall flexible enough to accommodate changes as per the requirements of the organization. ii. The methods have to designed in such a fashion that they can be used for a long time and reusable. iii. The methods have to be tested and re- tested again and again for better application and results. Scope of application: Inorder to reap rich dividends the management has to understand the scope or the extent of usage of the methods suggested. I'm a firm believer of the fact Business strategies are custom made and any method or application suggested for one particular business may or may not be applicable for another one. They are totally custom made as per the requirements of organizations. Hence the management has to understand the scope upto which the methods can be used extensively and for better results. Also the methods suggested can be time bound, so usage after a certain period of time after which the methods have to be reconfigured as per the market dynamics once again. Usage of obsolete methods may not yield effective results as such. Factors influencing the business development plans: There are several factors which can act as hindrances in the business development of George's coffee as such. Broadly we can

Monday, November 18, 2019

A Doll's House Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

A Doll's House - Essay Example Torvald deals Nora as a father figure as he calls her with different names to indicate towards her inequality in the relationship such as â€Å"little sky-lark†, â€Å"little squirrel†, â€Å"little spendthrift been†, â€Å"little pet†, â€Å"little one†, little Nora†, â€Å"little song-bird† and many more. In every word used for Nora, little is used necessarily and indicates towards the fact that Nora is considered as a child like character who needs training and is in no way equal to her husband. Nora never minds such names and considers her a playful character for her husband’s pleasure and is always ready to amuse him. She acts like her husband’s puppet. She is like a kid who wants her elders to be happy with her. Nora takes some loan for the life of her husband and conceals this from him and when Torvald knows about her doing, he loses his temper. Torvald doesn’t realize that whatever Nora has done was for his own safety. He only sees his reputation and social status. He is unable to realize Nora’s love for him. He only blames her for injuring his reputation. At seeing the reaction of Torvald after reading the letter, Nora says: Nora has an increase in her knowledge related to her husband and herself. Here an increase in knowledge can be sensed. She knows that her condition is shameful in her marriage. Nora is able to see the true nature of Torvald by his reaction towards Nora’s doing. He calls her a â€Å"hypocrite, a liar, worse than that, a criminal† (Ibsen 75). Torvald’s abusive attitude towards Nora makes her understand her status as an individual in her household. She informs Torvald, She identifies her existence as a doll as she has no recognition of her own. She comes to know that she is unable to acquire her right as an individual by her husband and her father who are both highly domineering and authoritative. At the end when she wants to leave the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Target Market And Projection Marketing Essay

Target Market And Projection Marketing Essay Ikatan Sdn Bhd that provide technology measured will be officially register and Headquarters is in Shah Alam, Selangor. Ikatan Sdn Bhd aims to be the most competitive and reliable company in provide technology product. Our business concept is basically to provide technology devices that mainly focus on ultrasonic distance measures. Besides that, we also provide services for the products especially for maintenance. Warranty for 1 year will be issued to the customer. To get to us, the customer can contact us directly to our office number, fax or by internet. Our customer services are ready to help you with accurate information. 1.1.2 Product Concept Our product is low cost, simple to use, heavy duty and environment friendly. Once an order is confirmed, we will send our staff to go over costumers place to deliver our product. All prices quoted are inclusive of relevant taxes in Malaysia. The customer may pay some amount of deposit before completing the payment. Transportation fees will be charge. Our product will base according to the customers land area. Our product also can be adjusted to the customers information on how frequent they can measure the distance. 1.1.3 We have already classified our target market which we think could bring a very high profit monthly. In our case, we had agreed to divide the target market into some categories which are target customers and target places. For the target customer, we have three types of people which are contractor, university and retailer. For different type of people, there would be different rate of charge since we consciously consider their economic ability and stability. 1.1.4 The Competitive Advantages As part of the marketing n business world, we cannot run and avoid from competitors. This is the challenge that we have to face. So in order to be constantly competitive, we decided to innovate the current availability of technology in measuring and making it for easier, user friendly, low cost and the most important thing is environmental friendly. Our product intelligent system will be developed by our research department which uses up to date technology and easy maintenance. With that, we are sure that our company can compete with other competitors at the highest level in technology. 2.0 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION A measuring tape is the common tool in measuring length and distance. However, the nature of the tool requires the user to pull out the tape according to the length that wanted to be measured. This can be problematic when the length is quite long or when measuring height and difficult places.    By replacing the tape with an ultrasonic pulse, the inconvenience can be overcome. Ultrasonic pulse greatly simplifies the process of straight line measurement. This ultrasonic pulse give benefit to user who want to measure at difficult place such as behind the cabinet that the tape cannot reach or measuring the height of ceiling Figure 2.1 : front view of Ultrasonic Distance Measure Figure 2.2 : Picture of Ultrasonic Distance Measure 2.1 Product specification Auto stop: switches off if you do not press any key for 4 min.   LCD screen on a luminous background. Memory: allows you to measure and to store 3 different measures Calculation of area and volume.   Addition and Subtraction function: allows you to add or subtract 2 measures.   Clearing of memory function: allow you to delete quickly all the measures stored.   Correction of errors: the distance measurer indicates that a distance measured is either too long, or too short.   Power supply: 1 x 9V Alkaline type Battery (Not included)   Units of Measure: Feet/Meters   Accuracy: +/-0.5%   Frequency: 40 kHz (ultrasonic pickup)   Range: 0.91m to 20m   Dimensions (H-P-l): 142 x 73 x 47mm   Weight (without battery): 144.6g   3.0 TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION Uses ultrasonic wave(40kHz) Generated in a particular direction. If there is an object in the path of this pulse, part or all of the pulse will be reflected back to the transmitter as an  echo  and can be detected through the receiver path. By  measuring the difference between the pulse being transmitted and the echo being received, it is possible to determine how far away the object is. The input of the product is the time of taken for the ultrasonic pulse bounce back from an object. Uses LCD to display measurement. Have backlight for easy reading of the measurement MARKET RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS Market size is the estimation how big our market can be in our market area. In order to determine the market size in the area, we might have one of our staff to stand with a clipboard and a sample menu in front of the space and ask pedestrians if they would frequent such an establishment. He will park himself on the corner one early morning and do the same at noon, evening and on a weekend to determine how many customers we can expect on a daily basis. This also will be particularly important when planning a budget. For every company, marketing plan is the most important part of the business. There are no uses of good quality product if the company fails to sell the product maximally. The good marketing plan should study about the customer behavior, what the customers needs and wants, which are the potential buyers and how to satisfy the customers. Customer For our business, we did some research for the targeting customers. We have classified our customers in some categories. They are contractors, university and retailer. Because of limited resources and competition in our market, we hesitant that we are able to sell our product with equal efficiency and services to the entire market. Therefore, before we decide which market to enter, we analyze the best potential buyers using market segmentation. We divided our market segmentation into three groups to offer our product with different market mix: Group 1: contractors. Group 2: university/college Group 3: retailer A contractor is a group or individual that contracts with another organization or individual (the owner) for the construction, renovation or demolition of a building, road or other structure. A general contractor is defined as such if it is the signatory as the builder of the prime construction contract for the project. Contractors conducting work for government agencies are typically referred to as prime contractors. The responsibilities of a prime contractors working under a contract are essentially identical to those outlined above. So that why we target our market to contractor, so that we can get many benefit from them. Our secondary customer is university/college. A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is a corporation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education. We target university because their student maybe will use electronic devices for the certain courses such as engineering, architecture and many more. Next costumer is retailer. For retailer, we will deliver our products at them and they will promote and display it at costumer like civilian, student and anyone who wants to buy it. Primarily, we have planned a fine and efficient services to offer our customers. Our service is with respect to the customers demand. Customers can directly reach us by dropping by to our company at Shah Alam. We will strive in order to improve our services and meet our customers needs and satisfaction. 4.2 Market Size and Trends Figure 4.2 : Current Total Market Size for Three Consecutive Most Previous Years The size of the current total market is thoroughly taken consecutively since year 2008 until year 2010 and represented in a bar chart as above. As visualized, the size of the current total market in 2008 is 2850 units. For year 2009 and 2010, total market size is slightly increases to 2904 units. In the following year, the total size is much better among those after year 2008 when achieved to 2904 units. Competitors Strengths Weaknesses Techshop Enterprise high quality of materials most expensive Not have too much experience Kurnia Tech one year warranty most expensive Juana Sdn Bhd cheapest product among all no warranty iRaybull Enterprise good service They have many competitors even the location are strategicTable 4.2 : Major Competitors 4.3 Competition and Competitive Edge As we can see from comparison table above, there are four (4) main competitors with the same interest. The four main competitors are Techshop Enterprise, Kurnia Tech, Juana Sdn Bhd and iRaybull Enterprise. Many costumers are preferably to go among these four companies due to their strengths in marketing. However, there are some weaknesses for these companies. We successfully encountered their strengths and weaknesses as shown in the table above. This is to ensure that our company is different and far better than them. As for us we provide quality, affordable and reasonable price, on time schedule of installation, simple yet new and advanced technology, good service, friendly workers, and maintenance free. By providing all these features, we are not only giving benefits to our business but also to customers. They will find our new programmed product and service is better than others could offer. We do not need to hire foreign employees to work with us our own native is better than them. This will help to improve and to show others that we are also competent as we successfully create such technology which is the first in country. This will shake our competitors a bit. The fundamental value that had been added to our service is the main thing about customer satisfaction and guarantee. Customers are always right, that what we use. To make sure customer is always right, the review of our service and product is continuously. This can ensure customer feel good and happy with service given and product sell, also, increase marketing of company. 4.4 Estimated Market Share and Sales 4.4.1 Market Share Market share before Ikatan Sdn Bhd Market share after tree month Ikatan Sdn Bhd enter 4.5 Marketing Strategy 4.5.1 Strengths and Weakness of Competitors Our product has several competitors such as Techshop Enterprise, Kurnia Tech, Juana Sdn Bhd , iRaybull Enterprise and others. All competitors have their own strengths and weaknesses. In general, all the competitors strengths are: They have a stable financial with a good reserve of equity due to their amount of years the company has established in the market. Their company is well-known. They have regular customers. The qualities of their products are proven. They have good promotion strategies. They provide good services. They have good in take over the customer The competitors weaknesses are: They sell their product with higher price. They dont have any market plan for their customers. The location is not suitable. The working hours is not flexible From our researched, we decide that our marketing strategy is based on marketing mix. Below are the results of the research: Product Ikatan Sdn Bhd provides the product where the customers can get many benefit from using our product. Price We promote the product in a lower price compare to other competitor Location We locate our company at the strategic place that easily for customer to come and buy it. Promotion For the promotion, we use the pamphlet to approach our market target. Apart from that, we also uses our communication skills to persuade the customers and convince them that our product can give more benefit to them. 4.5.2 Overall Marketing Strategy For our product ultrasonic distance measurer, we have come out with some business strategies in order to deliver a convincing promotion: Signboard or signage at appropriate place and clearly visible. Provide delivery services to the costumer who has order the product and that will make easier for customer to take order. We will spread widely the pamphlet to the retailer and other customer to promote our product 4.5.3 Sales Tactics Ikatan Sdn Bhd sales tactics are enforced by its sales forces and direct mail. Marketing department has already assisted by sales forces hired by top management in order to distribute company information and to promote product specialties to customers. Moreover, Ikatan Sdn Bhd has developed its own website which initiated by those sales forces and company software engineers from Engineering Department. Through mail, it will be more convenience for customers to reach companys products and thus own them via internet purchasing which is easier, faster, and most importantly secured. 4.5.4 Advertising and Promotion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Business Card All the board of company directors will be provide with business card as an advertising method when dealing with the customers. Pamphlet We use high quality and attractive pamphlets to give good perception to our customers together with the information about our company. Signboard We used high quality and coloring signboard at nearest area to attractive customers assumes them to visit and gain to try in our company. Website 4.5.6 Distribution 1. Distribution to Contractor 2. Distribution to University/College 3. Distribution to Retailer 5.0 MANAGEMENT TEAM Chief Executive Officer (CEO) MOHD ZULHIMI BIN ZAILANI 860605-56-6905 Administration Executive MUHAMMAD REDHUWAN BIN ZAINI 870120-10-5667 Operation Executive ABDUL MUID BIN MOHD SALEH 870103-03-5185 Finance Executive MOHAMAD ZULFADLI BIN MOHD ALI 870729-10-5333 Marketing Executive MOHD IZZUDDIN BIN MOHD YUNAN 860410-56-6163 5.1 Position Description Position Description 1 Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Provide leadership to ensure that the mission, ethical values and core guiding principles of the Company are put into practice. Lead the executive management team to be effective developers of solutions to business challenges thereby establishing credibility throughout the organization and with the Board. Responsible for driving the Company to achieve and surpass sales, profitability, cash flow, business goals and objectives. Motivate and lead a high-performance management team; attract recruit members of the executive team not currently in place and retain the executive leadership team; provide mentoring as a cornerstone to the management career development program. Represent the Company and its values with customers, vendors, shareholders, government and regulatory bodies, other stakeholders and the public generally. Support the recruitment, selection, individual development and monitoring of the executive management team and other senior management personnel to ensure the Company maintains a strong succession plan. Spearhead the development, communication and implementation of effective growth strategies and processes. Collaborate with the executive management team to develop and implement plans for the operational infrastructure of systems, processes and personnel designed to accommodate the growth objectives of the Company. 2 Administration Executive Provide secretarial / administrative support to the Company Senior Management Reporting to Operations Manager on the day to day operations related issues. Preparing operations reports and analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall operations functions Responsible for requisition and maintenance of office equipment including furniture and fixture, telephone system, keys Responsible for printing of office stationeries, including envelopes, letterhead, name card Coordinate documents for approval Communicate with internal and external parties on matters related to administration / office management activities Liaise with the building management on building management matters e.g. car park, maintenance, safety etc. Renewal of License, Insurance, Contract, Advertisement 3 Finance Executive Provides leadership for the entire sales and sales support organization in the sales, support and implementation of Company products and services. Develop and manage account plans/profiles Create and develop customer solutions and sales proposals. Lead in the negotiation of long-term contracts. Attain and exceed forecast sales objectives for Company products and services. Identify, understand and analyze product sales applications, new product opportunities and innovative new sales ideas. Develop sales forecasts and manage them on a bi-monthly basis and submit to management. 4 Marketing Executive Create marketing plans geared toward end users for each key product within portfolio, in line with strategy and targets and within budget. Work with the in-house designer to produce materials of visual impact and within brand guidelines. Work with the business innovations department to develop new ideas for reaching end user markets using the latest in electronic technologies. Communicate to rest of marketing team about new innovations and how they can be used to leverage marketing efforts. Write copy for each product, reflecting key messages, features and benefits. Involve key stakeholders for product at each stage of campaign, and report results once completed. Preparation delivery of marketing plan within key objective. Events planning, organization and execution. Copy writing of articles, marketing materials etc. Liaison with media and publishers as required Ensuring that all marketing materials do no deviate from the established Brand image of the business. Market research and competitor analysis. Maintains up to date with professional sector news. Supporting the development of the website. Focus on both business growth and client retention. Use email, ad words and other electronic marketing techniques to inform customers of new products and generate sales. 5 Operation Executive Responsible for smooth execution of training programmers and events Responsible for providing administrative support Accountable and responsible for the entire events and programmers from initiation to closing Willing to work flexible hours whenever necessary including weekends. 6.0 FINANCIAL PLAN The administration, marketing and operational is important in a business plan. However without any proper financial planning the implementation of a business is net worth it. From the data and information that included in the financial plan, it will help the company to evaluate their ability in managing their financial in order to run the business. Financial plan is the plan that shows the short term financial requirement in order to start a new business. It also shows how the requirement can finance the business using internal and external source. Beside that it can prove the reliable information about changes ion net resource resulting from profit directed activities. Financial planning is the last thing to prepare in this project to complete the business plan. It consists of total expenditure and budget to establish a good business. All the expenditure is such as administration, marketing, and operation budget. Actually, the basic objective of financial plan is to provide financial information which is important in determining some economic decision. Financial information is not information which is needed to be considered in making decision, but it is more important than that. We can say that, every decision make will base on financial information. 6.1 Purpose of financial plan To analyze the project and financial plan To ensure the initial capital are adequate, ability and sufficient To identify the purpose and relevant source of fund To determine the amount of loan re-payment and depreciation of fund fixed asset To appraise availability before actual investment is committed To evaluate how far or potential return on investment To make a party such as a financial institution to be confidence with the financial of the company in order to make a business loan 6.2 Strategies of financial plan Makes sure that company have sufficient amount of cash in order to take trade discount, to maintain credit rating and to meet unexpected cash needs Give advice and opinion to other department such as administration, marketing and operation in order to reach the business purpose Make sure the increase in business profit at the good stage and better performing Make sure that cash was used efficient and effectively without wastage in expenses Try to seek business opportunity in order to increase the financial strength or wealth of economy SALES AND PURCHASE PROJECTION PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION COST SCHEDULE ADMINISTRATIVE, MARKETING, AND OPERATION BUDGET Activities Start Deadlines Business registration 15 Oct 2010 2 Nov 2010 Trade mark registraton 20 Oct 2010 5 Nov 2010 Labours intake 15 December 2009 25 Feb 2010 Start production 1 Nov 2010 28 Nov 2010 Product promotion 15 Dec 2010 2 March 2011 Trial product 15 Dec 2010 1 Jan 2011 First sale 2 Feb 2011 31 August 20117.0 PROJECT MILESTONES Here are the project milestones for our company. 7.0 CONCLUSION It can be conclude that Ultrasonic Distance Measure has great potential to penetrate into the market due to low prize and high efficient usage. This was confidently proven by our experts through researches, surveys and development for more than two years. I believe this product will be successfully achieves our target sales. As a management team of Ikatan Sdn Bhd, we need to fulfill our customer needed. So, the good relationship between supplier and customer are very important. We are promise to give 100% commitment to our company. 9.0 APPENDICES Figure 9.1 Picture of Ultrasonic Distance Measure Figure 9.2 Technology used of our product Figure 9.3 Maps of our company located

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Comparing Virtue and Vice in Garrick’s Romeo and Juliet and Bowdler’s R

Virtue versus vice is of great concern in the 18th century, an issue that causes a major shift in the presentation of plays on the stage. Stage writers adapted well-known plays to meet the criteria and expectations of the time. Contributing to the overall acceptance of virtue on stage is the enforcement of decency and cleanliness by both the ruling class and the audience. A famous actor of the time, David Garrick, not only abided by these rules but also worked them to his advantage. Garrick packed theater houses with his talent and versatility as an actor, while at the same time promoting an acceptance of cleaner versions of plays. Many of these adapted plays were by Shakespeare, though Garrick himself wrote plays that were as universally accepted. Audiences today may criticize the inadequacy of these adaptations, but during the 18th century audiences expected and loved them. What were these changes exactly and where did they originate? Garrick himself does not begin this movement towards virtue, but simply accepts the changes present. In 1698, Jeremy Collier wrote A Short View of the Immortality and Profaneness of the English Stage. This piece strongly attacks the current conditions of the theater and the various "immoral" works by certain authors currently published. The Longman Anthology of British Literature writes, "by portraying wickedness in ways that give delight, [Jeremy Collier] argued contemporary plays cultivated in their audiences the vices of their characters" (2270 Longman Anthology of British Literature). These authors include such notable minds as John Dryden, William Congreve and William Wycherley. Collier especially criticizes the profane use of language and the abuse of clergy all of which, he felt, manage... ...sctn=1 Garrick, David. The Dramatic Works of David Garrick, Esq. Vo. 1 London, 1798. Greenbalt, ed. The Norton Shakespeare Based on theOxford Edition. New York: London, 1997. Frye, Northrop. "Essay date 1986." Mark W. Scott, ed. pgs 575-579. Hume, Robert D. "Before the Bard: Shakespeare in Early Eighteenth-Century London." ELH 64.1 (1997): 41-75. November 14, 2000. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/elh/v064/64.1hume.html>. Jameson, Anna Brownell. "Essay date 1833." Mark W. Scott, ed. pgs 423-425. Knight, Joseph. "David Garrick" Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Vol. 15. November 7, 2000. http://galenet.com/serv/LitRC/hitsc=1&b=17171779&savedsrch=&NR=Garrick&OP=contains&DT=Author+RE. Scott, Mark W. ed. Shakespeare Criticism. Kansas City: Gale Research Company, 1987. Ulrici, Hermann. "Essay date 1847." Mark W. Scott, ed. pgs 427-428.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Different Perspectives in Psychology Coexist Rather Than Conflict

This paper approaches the topic from a consideration of psychological research in the fields of sex and gender and language. It does so in general terms and avoids discussion at levels of detail. Therefore where a reference is made to specific research the intention is to do no more than exemplify a general principle. The paper will conclude that different perspectives in psychology do at times co-exist, though complement and conflict are frequent.It will suggest the lack of a decisive answer is a result of the relative immaturity of Psychology as a discipline and a concomitant lack of adequately powerful theories that might serve to unite otherwise disparate perspectives. A consideration of how psychology approaches the study of sex and gender reveals, amongst others, four significant theoretical perspectives that are for the most part quite distinct in terms of their objects of knowledge and consequent methods of analysis.Biological psychology is concerned with explaining the diffe rences between male and female in terms of hormones, genes and brain structure. It is mechanistic, with a strong empirical tradition. Evolutionary psychology attempts to explain differences between sexes in terms of behavioural selection for reproductive fitness. Whilst in large part necessarily theoretical, it embraces empirical methods as a means of testing theories. Social constructionist psychology approaches sex and gender through the study of discourse in various historical, cultural and social contexts and so is hermeneutic.Finally psychoanalytic psychology primarily uses clinical observation and the study of infants to gather evidence of how humans acquire and develop a sense of sex and gender (cited in Holloway et al, 2007, pp. 127ff). (6) The immediate impression from the above is that the scope for complement, conflict or co-existence is not clear-cut. Given that they do not share common objects of knowledge, the hope might be for complementary theories that together cont ribute to a broad understanding. Certainly the biological and evolutionary perspectives appear complementary at the theoretical level n that both regard biological sex as the determinant of gender and view differences between sexes as biological features that have been selected for during evolution. However, biological psychology attempts to explain differences in male-female psychology in terms of selected physiological characteristics, for example dimorphism in brain structures (cf. Hofman and Swaab, 1991, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p. 139). On the other hand the evolutionary psychologist would principally argue in favour of selected behavioural characteristics such as differences between male and female sexual attitudes (cf. Clark and Hatfield, 1989, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p. 146).There is thus an apparent conflict at the level of analysis. It is therefore ironic that evolutionary psychology must perforce co-exist with biological psychology since, given the understand able constraints on its ability to conduct the sorts of empirical investigations that might be wished for (cf. Herrnstein-Smith, 2000, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p. 173), it is dependent on a certain amount of corroboration from the biological perspective, amongst others (cited in Holloway et al, 2007, pp. 84). (22) Whereas the biological and evolutionary perspectives agree that biological sex lies at the heart of explaining gender, the social constructionist perspective explicitly rejects that view; sometimes for political reasons (cited in Holloway et al, 2007, pp. 185; see Spence, 1984 and Spender, 1980). Social constructionism regards both sex and gender as characteristics that are revealed only through discourse and action. They are a consequence of the individual's behaviour and experience in a given cultural, social and historical context (ibid).The depth of the conflict is exemplified by a comparison of evolutionary studies that emphasise cross-cultural stability in part icular sexual preferences (cf. Singh 1995, p. 148; Buss and Schmitt, 1993, p. 148, cited in Holloway et al, 2007) and social constructionist ideas such as Bem's (1994, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p. 153) Gender Schema Theory. Crucially, for the social constructionist gender is something that is continually re-established throughout the lifetime of the individual (cited in Holloway et al, 2007, pp. 153). From the biological and evolutionary perspectives, it is predetermined. 33) Whilst the psychodynamic perspective largely complements the social constructionist, in terms of its interpretive or hermeneutic methodology, its explanations largely focus on the unconscious given that its objects of study entail â€Å"the meaning of the biological differences between men and women and how these become internalised in the child's mind† (cited in Holloway et al, 2007, pp. 184).Thus both the social constructionist and psychoanalytic perspectives conflict with the biological and evolu tionary approaches at the methodological level. Uniquely however (ibid, p. 86) the psychodynamic perspective recognises both biological and cultural contributions to it's theorising. It is not without its share of conflict however. Within the perspective, Freudian notions of the opposite sexed p arent as ‘sexual object of choice' and ‘penis envy' (ibid, p. 161f) quickly came under scrutiny of female and feminist psychologists (cf. Horney, 1926, cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p. 163). There is also conflict with evolutionary explanations of rape as an adaptive strategy (compare Thornhill and Palmer, 2000 and Rose and Rose, 2000 cited in Holloway et al, 2007, p. 71, p. 172). (26) Turning to a consideration of the study of language and meaning, one finds an equally intriguing mix of potential co-existence, complement and conflict when comparing the three principal perspectives. The evolutionary perspective sets out to explore the origins of language and its implications for the human species; the cognitive perspective adopts an information processing approach to the transmission of meaning; and the social constructionist perspective focuses on â€Å"meaning making† as a dynamic between interlocutors (cited in Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 119).It is possible therefore to view the three perspectives as at least co-existent. Their objects of knowledge are different and one might expect their cumulative product to contribute to some sort of unified theory. Indeed, from the evolutionary perspective Deacon (1997, Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 115) suggests that language is a social phenomenon that defies explanation only in psychological, or only in neuro-biological terms. (9) However, the potential for conflict between the cognitive and social constructionist perspectives is revealed in how they view meaning as the object of knowledge.For the former it is something that is constructed internally by the individual prior to transmission, and subsequently rec onstructed by the audience. For the latter it is negotiated as a result of discourse between individuals – meaning emerges as the result of a complex interplay of intentions, interpretations and power-relations. Thus, there is cause for disagreement as to what â€Å"meaning† is and where it comes from (cited in Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 102). That this is adequate to justify a claim of conflict seems weak since the types of â€Å"meaning† espoused by the two perspectives are themselves different.Further, at the level of common sense they are mutually sustaining. The very notion of discourse requires at least two participants seeking, though perhaps not achieving, a consensus of meaning. This demands that at some level each participant is cognising about their intended meaning and how the other is construing it. The implication is that the two perspectives ought to complement the other, or at least co-exist. (6) A key social constructionist argument against a pur ist cognitive perspective is that linguistic (and other cognitive) processes cannot be â€Å"transparently reported† (cited in Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 11). This argument is one that cognitive researchers have long acknowledged.Commenting on early research into the cognitive modelling of language Boden (1977, pp. 113ff, et passim) notes that a person's understanding of language in a given instance is dependent, not simply on their knowledge of the world around them, but crucially on their understanding of their relationship with their interlocutors. Other researchers emphasise the point (cf. Sperber and Wilson, 1986, cited in Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 99). For their part, social constructionists such as Edwards et al (1992, p. 42, cited in Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 112) recognise the importance of the cognitive perspective and suggest only that theirs is a new perspective that offers different insights. Therefore, unless a researcher is determined to hold to one or the other perspective as a matter of purist dogma, it seems more reasonable given the disparate loci of the respective objects of knowledge and the statements that each perspective favourably acknowledges the other, then the cognitive and social constructionist perspectives are thus far co-existent. (32)Within the evolutionary perspective there is a debate as to whether language evolved as an adaptational advantage and was the foundation for other cognitive abilities (Pinker, 2000 cited in Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 121), or as a consequence of selection for an ability to form and manipulate predictive metarepresentations (Sperber, 2000 cited in Cooper and Kaye, 2007, p. 121). These are polarised and conflicting views. Pinker's would complement the cognitive perspective with its emphasis on information processing, whilst Sperber would complement the social constructionist.However, Deacon (1997) offers evidence that both capacities evolved in parallel. If he is correct, then there are substant ial grounds for seeking a complementary accommodation between the cognitive and social constructionist paradigms. (6) Even from this scant evaluation, one is struck by the disparate objects of knowledge, types of theory and methodologies. The inevitable conclusion is that psychology is characterised by perspectives that at one or more of these levels conflict, co-exist or complement.One might wish for a parallel to the cosmologist's search for a Unified Theory of Matter; where although theories might diverge cosmology has one over-arching object of study and one comprehensive methodology in computational empiricism. Psychologists do not stand on such substantial bedrock. The questions they pose are often difficult to formulate computationally without reducing the predictive power of any solution, or indeed are abstractions that cannot be treated computationally without trivialising them (see Sundem, 2006 for amusing examples).Whereas the history of physics can be measured in thousan ds of years, psychology as a recognisable discipline has existed for just over a century. A sense of internal conflict muted by convenient co-existence and fortunate complement should not therefore come as a disappointment. It is merely an acknowledgement that psychology is still an emerging and diverse field, and that whatever conflict exists can reasonably be attributed to a lack of sufficiently powerful theories with which to reconcile the different perspectives. This essay focuses on the social perspective of psychology referring Language nd Meaning and Gender and Sex. It deals with the relationship between psychological theory and method in a range of material in both chapters, with particular attention to how social influences shape human development and behaviour. Language and Meaning ‘Language and meaning’, is used to describe a social constructionist approach to language. There are several ways in which the social perspective has promoted understanding in this area. There are primarily two different psychological perspectives on language: cognitive and social.These approaches take evidence from different research bodies, each of which have a different focus As social beings, we continuously interact with other people, thinking about our use of language and how it may best serve us. The social constructionist perspective sees language as a way of creating meaning between individuals as they interact. The social psychological perspective defines the human world as being created through language, making it one of its most powerful and important features. This approach to language sees people using language to take action and achieve objectives.Language is seen as a means by which goals might be achieved. The social psychological approaches to language therefore focuses on understanding language and its meanings as a social process. It sees language as an interactive process between people. It is seen as social because it involves this very i nteraction, and it is through this social interaction that meaning is created. Social psychology argues that there is more to language than the knowledge of syntax, semantics, phonics and coding and other rules of language, even if these are described as being interactive within a cognitive approach.This argument helps define the contrast between social psychological and cognitive approaches to language. In social psychological perspectives, the purpose of language is not to reflect thoughts and emotions and convey them neutrally to someone else. Instead, the motivation for language is defined by the desired action brought about by the use of language. Social psychological approaches to language do not place meaning inherently in the constructions of language such as lexicon, grammar or semantics in the same way as cognitive approaches do.One of the methodological complexities involved in researching language is that we must use language itself as the means by which we research it a s a subject in its own right. This issue is at the centre of the tension that exists between cognitive and social approaches to language. The paradox here is that the necessity of responding in language may predetermine what is said about language. The cognitive perspective assumes that there are separate cognitive processes that language can represent in communication to others, or in dialogue with the self.The accuracy of this depends upon how closely language communicates the cognition behind it. Cognitive psychologists believe that the thinking that underlies language can be studied accurately and in social isolation. However, discursive psychology argues that, when people use language, they do so in a social context, with an audience and for a reason. The social constructionist approach views language as the means for the socially produced meaning. It is the means by which people construct their world, interact with others and set out to achieve their objectives.The cognitive a pproach sees language as the part of the cerebral information processing. It can be argued that meaning is generated by people as they communicate. There is therefore a tension between the social constructionist and cognitive perspectives with respect to meaning and whether it is communicated between people or constructed between them. The social constructionist perspective on language is that it is a tool for social interaction. These different views of language have different implications – the cognitive perspective is that language underpins human thought.The social constructionist approach has no particular implication for the relationship of language to thought as it places language firmly within a socially constructed context. Sex and Gender ‘The psychology of sex and gender’, is used to refer to the social constructionist approach to sex and gender. There are several ways in which the social perspective has promoted understanding this area. With respect to the two terms (sex and gender), there is a distinction between the biological and the social.However, biological sex may also be expressed in behaviour that is influenced by social factors and psychological meanings. Therefore, as labels, sex and gender may only be useful as theoretical constructs. However, gender is usually taken to refer to social constructs that pertain to biological differences. These sex differences can be the result of interactions between biological, psychological and social processes. Social constructionist psychology looks at how sex and gender have been constructed within particular social contexts.It examines these social constructions and their influences. The social constructionist perspective is based upon the theory that the construction of meaning through language and social practices as discussed in the section above has produced patterns of behaviour, cognition and emotions that are gender-differentiated. Social constructionism argues that behavio ur cannot be directly explained solely by biological, reproductive sex. It also argues that the world is constructed to have two biological types (male and female) who have many diverse social and behavioural manifestations.This suggests that the many discourses of masculinity and femininity are socially produced. Social constructionism sees reproductive sex as being the visible difference between the sexes that provides the basis for a range of socially constructed gender differences. According to this perspective, biological sex is not central to explaining gender identity, but is a visible indicator to which a range of socially constructed gender differences are attached. Discourses about masculinity and femininity are therefore used by individuals to create their own gendered positionality.Gender is seen as being constructed throughout life, as behaviour and experience is defined through cultural manifestations of gender. Evolutionary psychologists also acknowledge social influe nces on sexual behaviour. However, they provide no systematic way explaining this in their experimental approach. The strength of the social constructionist approach to gender is its ability to take into account the social and cultural contexts of individuals. Evolutionary psychology however does offer some explanation of the origins of gender difference.The social constructionist perspective argues that sex is not central to explaining gender differences. Evolutionary and social constructionist perspectives have contrasting ideas about the relationship between sex and gender. Psychoanalytic psychology takes a different approach to social constructionism’s emphasis on external influences in determining people’s behaviour. However, both social constructionism and psychoanalysis are based upon the interpretation of meaning.Unlike evolutionary psychology, psychoanalysis, in common with social constructionist psychology, believe that the researcher’s positionality a nd subjectivity is inevitably involved in research. The onset of puberty is an example of the convergence of biological, psychoanalytic and social constructionist perspectives. The psychoanalytic and social constructionist approaches use methods that consider people’s beliefs and experiences, and focus on the interpretation of meaning by relying on the interpretation of symbolic data.The social constructionist perspective examines the importance of culture in the construction of gender. The psychoanalytic perspective acknowledges both the importance of biological difference and the social and cultural meanings inherent in this difference. The social constructionist and psychodynamic perspectives may be seen as complementary to each other in terms of methodology, as both use approaches are based on a hermeneutic theory to understand the meanings of gender.Conclusion The social constructionist perspective underpins discursive psychological theories of meaning as emerging from c ontext and interaction. Although the social perspective goes some way to addressing the influences of language and gender issues, there are some aspects which are also given a different perspective by other approaches. This can be seen in the sometimes useful linguistics frameworks of syntax, phonics, semantics etc. which is adopted by cognitive psychologists.In some instances the social perspective complements other perspectives. Such an example is psychoanalysis in the area of sex and gender. However, in other instances it more commonly just co-exists, for example in the case of social constructivism and evolutionary psychology. Social constructivism is in clear conflict with the cognitive perspective in the area of language as illustrated and argued above. Cognitive and social constructionist perspectives make conflicting assumptions about communication.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Product Innovation

Product Innovation Salient features of the product for innovation emphasized on the continuously changing market needs and trends in the market. The trends identified the need to implement an innovation strategy on Rexona which had been a leading bathing soap and household brand for many years.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Product Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to the changing times, need, customer behavior, and substitute products, the first phase of innovation on Rexona commenced. Emphasis was on the kind of soap that addressed the problem of an oduor due to sweating, a problem associated with different physical and psychological effects. The parameters included According to the article Innovation Zen (2006), a radical innovation made the toilet soap unique and synonymous with household use. Unique characteristic features of the soap, a common toilet soap, included an attractive smell and ability to maintain that status for a number of hours in addition to other extras. According to Innovation Zen (2006), an innovative approach on the product included analyzing the chemical characteristics of the soap and technologies available to address those concerns. Chemical Researched Scientific research was conducted to bring to light the chemical processes involved when human beings sweated with an emphasis on the type of sweat involved and the chemical composition of the sweat. According to Innovation Zen (2006), human beings responded to two kinds of sweat, sweat due to stress or anxiety and sweat due to emotional stress. According to Innovation Zen (2006) Rexona, a popular soap and household name synonymous with bathing was innovated along the line of the different types if human sweat. Modular and radical approaches to innovation were used in undertaking the innovation on the deodorant article (Innovation 2010). The article Innovation (2010) asserts that research findings pointed to the arms and hands as the specific sources of the unpleasant smell. In addition to that Information and previous knowledge on the deodorant was collected and analyzed to identify various stages of product improvement in relation to research findings on the sweating of the body and the available technology to develop and innovate the deodorant. According to Innovation (2010), technology was readily available and an innovative approach to product development commenced. This included developing an anti-perspiring chemical formulated in the house hold soap. The micro-capsules formulated into the innovation acted by blocking instant and long term chemical perspiration reactions which could result in unpleasant odours. This could in the end make the user feel fresh for a long time.Advertising Looking for thesis on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Innovation (2010) â€Å"Our Rexona deodorant uses body- responsive micro-capsule technology that kicks in when it’s needed most, giving people the confidence to face the days more stressful situations.† This innovative approach was supported by scientific formulations and relevant technology to address instant or long term perspirations. However the innovation has been incremental based on market needs and changing trends in addressing customer needs, tastes, preferences while remaining competitive in the market over the years. According to Innovation (2010) the innovative approach could impact well on the personal needs of individuals who use the deodorant in their homes. The Market Today According to Timeline (n.d) the soap was developed back in 1899 and has undergone successive innovation till today. Currently the deodorant has been innovated to address scents varying from silver ice to extreme scents as critical needs in the market toady. References Innovation. (2010). Intelligent Deodorant. Web. Innovation Zen.(2006). H enderson – Clark Model. Web. Timeline.(n.d). Web.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Stop Stealing Songs essays

Stop Stealing Songs essays Have you dreamed that you could get your favorite artist fs songs such as Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, and Beatles without any payment? The dream has come true: Napster, an online music sharing soft. It enables its users to download music files through the Internet, which means that as long as one music lover has a computer and connection to the Internet, the music lover can get popular songs, classical music, and even national anthems. One CD costs about fifteen dollars, but Napster does not require its users to pay because the users are just borrowing and lending their music files with each other. This is just like a dream. I do not even know how much money I have spent to listen to my favorite musicians. The dream, Napster, has attracted over eighty millions of music fans all over the world since it was made in 1999, according to USA Today. Unfortunately it has also caught music companies f attention and Napster was sued. The battle between the music companies and Napster, which pretends to be a messiah for music fans who complain about CD prices or just want songs free, were likely to be the lose of Napster and, in fact, it was. The Supreme Court ordered Napster to limit its service and the limitation of the service has been performed; however, this is not enough. Napster should completely stop its service because it is, in reality, violating the copyrights, users are not paying artists, and it can spoil the future of online music and movies distribution. Napster is certainly violating the copyrights. An excuse that is often generated by the music stealing users is that they do not distribute music files that they have, but they just borrow and lend the files among the users, so they are not violating the copyrights. Even though personal music trading, which has been frequently done among music consumers since the invention of tapes and CD fs, may not offend against the law and, as a result, the users may not be violat...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Professional Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Professional Ethics - Essay Example This blackmailing continued for months till a young girl in Canada reported the matter to the police. This report resulted in his arrest and subsequent sentencing. Internet has become an important part of our daily lives. Adolescents are increasingly depending on computers for various tasks including games, chatting and school assignments. This increased use of the Internet puts them at greater risk of befriending pedophiles and hackers. Any contact with such a person can cause emotional trauma and girls may even encounter serious physical danger since many pedophiles pose as younger people looking for friends. With increased use of computers, Internet has become a haven of online pedophiles: "the very same offenders that once combed the playgrounds seeking victims now lurk into cyberspace" [Kopelev, 1999]. These pedophiles are causing serious injuries to others especially younger people since they are more vulnerable. It is important ethical use of Internet is promoted and increased use is regulated. With more people gaining access to cyberspace, it is important that online activities are carefully monitored and regulated with the help of strict anti-hacking laws and computer misuse laws. Governments must understand that these laws should be regularly updated and improved because older or dated laws may not cover advanced misuse such as DoS attacks and illegitimate access. Exploitation of adolescents is easier since they have their own set of problems and families may not always be available to hear them out. In such cases, they resort to their friends online and since pedophiles have ample time, they "are often willing to devote considerable amounts of time, money and energy in this process. They listen to and empathize with the problems of children. They will be aware of the latest music, hobbies, and interests of children" [FBI]. Thus adolescents and children become an easier target for pedophiles who can then misuse the information gathered and can cause serious emotional and even physical danger to their hapless victims. Ethical Discussion: The major ethical issue in this case is unethical access to computers with the aim of blackmailing young girls into submission. We understand that illegitimate access to any computer is simply unethical and unlawful. If a person uses a tool to gain access, the person is committing a serious offence, which is covered by the modified Computer Misuse Act of Britain. The law clearly states that a person would be found guilty of a serious offence "if he supplies or offers to supply any article believing that it is likely to be used to commit, or to assist in the commission of, [a hacking offence]". Here the word article refers to "any program or data held in electronic form". [Outlaw.com] When a person gains access to a computer and then uses it for illicit purposes, it only adds to the gravity of the offence. The Computer Misuse Act of 1990 makes it clear that a person would be charged with a criminal offence if he gains unauthorized access to data knowing that such access is unlawful. The law is current being reviewed to extend its scope. However it is commonly believed that CMA is effective enough to secure an arrest and prison term for someone like Ringland. Apart from legal issues involved,

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Motivation Assignment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivation Assignment - Case Study Example These aspects can determine the level of motivation among employees (The Certified Accountant, â€Å"Expectancy Theory†). There are several disciplines in the field of motivation and one of them is the expectancy theory. This theory is devised by Victor Vroom. He assumed that motivating an employee requires making a connection between effort, performance and inspiration. The productivity of employees depends on aspects like employee behavior, ability, knowledge, experience and proficiency. Vroom’s expectancy theory is made on the basis of three attributes which are Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality (The Certified Accountant, â€Å"Expectancy Theory†). Valence: It is the emotional direction which employee embraces with respect. The desire of employee can be extrinsic benefits like higher income, job promotion, free leisure time or intrinsic benefits like job satisfaction. Organizations need to determine the acts that can make an employee more grateful. Expectancy: Expectancy deals with the faith of employee about his/her ability. Each employee possesses dissimilar expectations and degree of confidence about their capability. Expectation is illustrated as the strength of an employee’s faith if a particular task is achievable or not. Organization must find out the materials, training and administration requirement of employee for a particular task. Instrumentality: Instrumentality is the idea of gaining something after completing a task. An employee always thinks that if he/she performs well, a worthy result will be gained. Thus, it is the perception of employee that whether he/she will gain the expected result even it is assured by the organization. It is the responsibility of organization to make sure that promised compensations are realized. The following figure shows the relationship between Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality. The instrumentality is impacted by the belief among