Publicity Strategy Used by the Dot in Bukidnon

Promotional tool is defined as a communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyers purchasing decision retrieved from wikipedia. This will help the product to be well- known to the public. Promotional tool is to very important in commercial and non commercial industries like hospitals, school and universities to arouse their marketing interest. Televisions, radio, newspapers, internet and word-of-mouth are some common forms used in promotion. A very good promotional tool will help a particular business to gain more profit because of the market popularity about the product. The more familiar the product is the more possibility that he market will demand on it, that is why promotional tool of particular firm should be well developed, convenient to the public and applicable to the market. Business industries are one of the sectors in the industry that uses promotional tool for the awareness of the market and their product. Aside from that is the tourism industry. Tourism may be defined as a travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes (wikipedia). Tourism brings money to the public by tourist spots. A very good tourist spots will lead to a progressive living, as what Sec. Ace Durano (said) â€Å"kung maraming turismo maraming trabaho† and that is really true, because a single tourist spot can give profit to many businesses. An example is a tourist who dines in restaurant could give benefit to the restaurant and the restaurant will purchase new ingredients from the market which will give the market a profit, and the market will buy again supplies from the farmers. And that is the greatest effect of tourism in the country and the most important tool for a good and progressive tourism in promoting. Bukidnon became very well known because of its asset which is tourism. Philippines is not rich financially but it’s abundant in natural tourist spots. There are many tourist spots in the different regions of the country. These tourist spots become familiar to other countries because of a good promotional tool that the government used. Tourism really developed, if a good promotional tool will be used. The Department of Tourism (DOT) uses internet, televisions, newspapers, brochures, and even in some appliances like the very well known Magic Sing which uses the different tourist spots in the Philippines as its background. Those are some of the advertising techniques that they used. The researchers, being the residents of Bukidnon, want to know the promotional tool used by the Department of Tourism of Buidnon’s tourist spots. It has been observed that tourist spots in Bukidnon do not even know other tourist spots in Bukidnon and even on the location of the tourist spots. The researcher focuses on the promotional tool used in tourism industry in Bukidnon to know the reasons why it is not familiar, and conduct a study to know the specific rules and approaches used in solving problem on the not well known tourist spots in Bukidnon. Conceptual Framework This study is based on the concept of Libed (1980), that region X has been singled out of te major tourist destinations in 1979. It was reported that 179 international tourist had been recorded to have visited the province. By that, promotional tools are focused on this study to promote Bukidnon natural tourist spots. According to McDonough and Ackert (2002), Promotion is the activities of people to communicate with others about business. In tourism, this includes wide variety of activities including brochures, billboards and newspaper ads. Promotion also includes careful planning. Accordingly there are four main promotional tools: advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and publicity. Developing an effective promotional strategy demands more than just being aware of the tools of promotion. Promotion is an ongoing process that requires much planning. And a strategy is a careful plan. The schematic diagram in Fig. 1 illustrates the four main promotional tools and its effectiveness. The first frame shows the promotional tools. Under promotional tools first is publicity. Publicity strategy generates new tourist and increase sales, creates awareness of products by providing information about new or unique aspects (retrieved from publicity ship. com). Advertising is a form of communication that intends to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take some actions upon products. These include wall paintings, billboards, street furniture components, printed flyers, radio, cinema, television ads, web banner, magazines, newspapers and etc. Personal selling is an oral communication with potential buyers with the intention in making sale. The personal seller may focus initially on developing a relationship with the potential buyer, but will ultimately end with an attempt to â€Å"close the sales†. This may include negotiation on same travel and for operators. Sales promotion, a media or non-media marketing communication are employed or pre-determined and limited time to determine customer demand. Examples are contest, point of purchase displays, rebate, free travel such as free flights. The second frame is on the effectiveness of the tools used by the Department of Tourism. This will be identified through distributing questionnaires to the respondents. Showing the list of natural tourist spots and the different promotional tools that are possibly used. The respondents may identify the questionnaire of particular tourist spots if familiar or not. Fig. 1 Schematic diagram showing the variables of the study. Statement of the Problem. This study investigates publicity strategies used by the Department of Tourism to promote the tourist spots of Bukidnon. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions. What are the promotional tools used by the Department of Tourism in promoting Bukidnon’s natural tourist spots? How effective are the strategies used by the Department of Tourism in promoting the popularity of the Bukidnon’s tourist spots. Significance of the Study As this research is concerned with the promotional tool used by the Tourism, this study will refresh the ideas and strategies in promotion. This study is hope to shed light to the following. Department of Tourism of Bukidnon shall have an action towards promoting natural tourist spots. However, this study is one way to make province of Bukidnon show its hidden land of magnificent and infinitely varied scenery of mountains, caves, forests, lakes, waterfalls, rivers and streams. For the Department of Tourism and staff and officials, this study will provide them an information and ideas how they promote natural tourist spots of the said province. It also serves as a basis to provide them on how to maintain and manage the promotional tool in order that it will remain its identity as one of the most visited spots in the country. For the people in the community who receive the indirect benefit of the study , this study will help them to start their simple source of income. It will help lessen the number of overseas workers. It will help the economic stability of the province as it increases its per capita income. It will also increase the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), increase in foreign revenue and develop small industries. For the student whose inclinations are in tourism industry, this will help them in the different promotional tools used by the DOT. Consequently, they will learn how these promotion strategies are done. Delimitation of the Study This study is delimited to the DOT’s promotional tools for Bukinon’s tourist spots for years 2010-2011. It is further delimited to the promotion of natural tourist spots that need to be promoted domestically and internationally. To gather needed data, a self-made questionnaire will be used. It will be distributed to number of respondents, computed by slovin’s formula. Definition of Terms The following terms are defined theoretically or operationally. Promotional tool. This term is one of the elements of marketing mix (product, price, promotion, and distribution). It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing or persuading a potential buyer’s purchasing decision. In this study promotional tool is a strategy used by the DOT to promote Bukidnon’s natural tourist spots. Tourist spots. These are places of interest where tourists visit typically for inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities (Reyn Ramas).

Evaluation of Iraq war through group think Essay

The War on Iraq was decided by a small group of people that was headed by the President and comprised of the Vice-President, Defense Secretary, CIA Director and other senior administrative officials. The decision to go to war was a decision of a small think-tank rather than of an individual or a larger group of people. The decision of the think-tank pushing the case for the Iraq War seems to be an apt example of confirmation bias. This confirmation bias during the events leading to the Iraq War has led to a widening rift between policy makers and the intelligence community. It is widely believed that the war think-tank defied the pointers presented by the official intelligence. Instead, the intelligence available in a raw form was misused to publicly justify the war on Iraq and build a positive public perception that would endorse the war. As the Washington Post reports the discussion on the war; â€Å"The case was thin,† summarized the notes taken by a British national security aide at the meeting. â€Å"Saddam was not threatening his neighbours and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. However, the think-tank was convinced about going for a war with Iraq and it used the available intelligence to confirm its beliefs. Cognitive diversity was missing in the think-tank that drew up the plan for the Iraq War. All members involved in the decision process had same political leanings, were to a large extent a culturally homogenous group and formed a small team that worked closely with each other on various policy making issues. The team did not comprise of various political voices even though the decision to go to war impacted the entire country. It did also not take advice and heed to objections of World bodies like the United Nations when some of the member countries objected to the unilateral action of the United States and its ally Britain to go to war. The team did not invite any new members to its coterie of decision makers to infuse fresh or alternative thinking in its decision making process. As Senator Barbara Boxer said, â€Å"Iraq was a war of choice, not necessity†. The intelligence community was roped in only to substantiate claims made by the think-tank on the reason to go to war. The group behaved with a preset agenda ignoring the alternatives at hand and made biased decisions. The Iraq War is also an example of group comparison where the decisions of the individual members could have been different from the decisions of the group that they were part of. The study of group polarization began with an unpublished 1961 Master’s thesis by MIT student James Stoner, who observed the so-called â€Å"risky shift†, meaning that a group’s decisions are riskier than the average of the individual decisions of members before the group met. After the wide public criticism of the U. S. handling of the war, two prominent members of the Iraq think-tank put in their papers. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell resigned after almost 4 years of at the helm of affairs. He was seen as less supportive of the war even though he was the public face on international forums to drum up support amongst its traditional allies. Whereas Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld who took over the course of foreign policy after Powell’s exit was seen as a hardliner. It seems that the hardliners would have grown even more resolute in their decision to go to war after several rounds of deliberations that the think-tank might have had. They would have presented intelligence information and other reasons to hard sell their belief thereby subduing the reluctant supporters of the war.

Designing and executing strategy in aviation management Essay

Management Introduction             Airline strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by the airlines’ top management on behalf of owners based on consideration of resources. Airline always focuses on their customers in terms of pricing, food, more user friendly website and cooperation with travel agents. Developing a customer focused strategy is one of the key roles of customer leaders. There are various ways in which an airline can implement customer focused strategy; evaluate the services they provide to customer base, use customer feedback tools to get information about their customers, train their employees to offer customer focus, consider providing customer incentives and work their business copy, create the service vision, develop a customer service strategy, build an appropriate customer service framework, deploy leaders and managers who will become organization’s service, design and implement customer-centric pro cesses that make purchasing easy for customers. Evaluate services they provide to customer base. Their customer focus ideas are going to be the bridge or the answers on the key services that they offer. Use of customer feedback tools to get information about your customers is one essential starting points of developing a customer focus. It helps one to figure out what your customers like and what appeals them. Customer research helps airlines to develop goals and objectives like: use pre-sale and post-sale feedback. Getting information from your customers before the deal is made will help you adapt those deals and arrangements to be more attractive to the people you are trying to reach. Use surveys, questionnaires and similar customer focus tools. The airline staff need to get to know their customers and understand what they want from them. Customer service managers need to focus on all their customers consistently and there are many ways of gathering customer intelligence. Also where satisfaction surveys are concerned the custome r experience depends a lot on customer expectations, for example EasyJet might score higher because we have low expectations but we might score British Airways lower because we have high expectations. Airlines need more reliable methods of evaluating the customer experience and they need people to make this happen Train your employees to offer customer focus. The staff should understand their roles in approaching the airline business with a customer focus. This includes elements of customer service, customer focus is about keeping attention on the customers, anticipating their needs and valuing their input. Consider providing customer incentives. They could be in form of temporary sale offers or targeted giveaway programs. When the airline has identified what customers like, they use these items to reach out to their base further. Work your business copy. Airline should focus on making communications and business copy adopt a customer focus tone and outlook. Customers are readers they get information about the airline through websites, printed brochures or other written materials. Creating the service vision or service personality is an identifiable set of service characteristics that define how an organization service proposition is different from that of its competitors. Some airlines have a service promise or customer charter but whatever method one has of communicating their service standards to their customers is important to make sure those promises are achievable and shared by all teams in the organization. Develop a customer service strategy and this determines the overall direction of the organization and in particular how the organization will go about delivering customer service excellence. This is high level plan that communicates to everyone involved within the organization how it will develop relationships with its customers in order to maximize customer satisfaction and customer loyalty and achieve business success. Used to prevent non-aligned and disjointed activities between departments and drives everyone towards the same service goals. It includes service plan to ensure the strategic objectives are met and this should be shared with employees as everyone is going on the same journey. If one does not keep people informed rumors and gossip spread faster. Build an appropriate customer service framework. A learning and developed framework will help identify how the organization is going to go about delivering service excellence. Reward and recognition, celebrating success are key motivators for employees. Customer service performance will improve when organizations provide support through valued reward and recognition systems. This level of recognition results in higher levels of employee satisfaction which translates into better customer service for the customers. References Evans, N., Campbell, D., & Stonehouse, G. (2003). Strategic management for travel and tourism. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.Flouris, T. G., & Oswald, S. L. (2006). Designing and executing strategy in aviation management. Aldershot, England: Ashgate.Lawton, T. C. (2007). Strategic management in aviation: critical essays. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate.Ray, S. J. (1999). Strategic communication in crisis management lessons from the airline industry. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books.Hill, C. W., & Jones, G. R. (2013). Strategic management: an integrated approach (10th sEd.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Source document

In God's Grandeur by Hopkins and Ozymandias by Shelley, which speaker Essay

In God's Grandeur by Hopkins and Ozymandias by Shelley, which speaker makes a more convincing argument against human ambition How does he do it - Essay Example The speaker discusses the message he received from a traveler about a sculpture in Egypt. Evidently, both poems give attention to human ambitions, although in different perspectives. This paper will highlight how each poem develops a convincing argument against human ambition. Evidently, the speakers in each poem are against human ambition, as this paper will depict. In the poem titled Gods Grandeur, the speaker says, â€Å"The world is charged with the grandeur of God/ It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; / It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil† (1-3). In these three lines, the speaker suggests that God’s glory has evidently filled the world, causing it to shine and flair. In addition, God’s glory causes intense flashes of light to be evident on the earth. The speaker compares God’s greatness and His works on earth to an electric current charging the earth. However, after introducing the measure of God’s greatness exhibited on the earth, the speaker goes forth to discuss how human beings do not heed God’s spirit but rather choose to destroy the earth. The speaker says the following, In the above lines, the speaker pinpoints how different generations have been working on the earth with their activities having negative effects on the earth. It is unfortunate that human beings have occupied different parts of the earth and immensely destroyed nature. For example, during the industrial revolution, all the vegetation was cut down and tall buildings replaced the tree. The speaker makes it evident that human beings have lost any connection to nature. He uses the last line in that stanza to highlight that human beings wear shoes that serve as a barrier between their feet and the earth. For this reason, it becomes impossible for human beings to remember the advantages of living in harmony with nature. In the second stanza, the speaker highlights how God’s greatness keeps renewing the earth despite the destruction caused

Global Trade Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Trade Operations - Essay Example International trade has also played a pivotal role in offering economic growth in the countries involved. International trade has also helped countries to reduce their manufacturing costs. For instance, a country can concentrate on what it produces efficiently and effectively. The countries specialize on the field where their absolute advantage lies. This case involves international trade between two countries that are located in different parts of the world. Both countries are different but they are linked together by trade. Background; Trade between CHINA and UK China and UK have enjoyed productive trade relations for a long time. Statistics reveal that trade between the two countries is increasing significantly. In 2009, UK – China bilateral trade in goods was more than $ 201.16 billion. The value is expected to increase significantly in the future. More than 56 Chinese companies have also been listed in the London Stock Exchange. In 2009, UK, imports from China was $ 15.97 billion. Desired Incoterms In 2000, International Chamber of Commercial Terms issued International Commercial Terms (Incoterms) that are now adopted in international trade throughout the world. The Incoterms that are basically used by these traders is the Free on Board (FOB). In this case, the seller is required to deliver the goods to a carrier identified by the buyer. For FOB, the seller delivers the goods after which they are cleared for export (Grath 2008). Importing from China While importing from China, an importer is supposed to create a relationship with the supplier. After establishing a relationship, an individual or organization is required to confirm the terms of trade between the two countries. After confirmation of the trade terms, the parties then agree on the terms of payments. This is followed by approval of samples. Finally, an order is placed in writing after which the freight forwarder is appointed (Grath 2008). In 2008, China exports to UK were $36.07 million. These statistics reveal that there is a strong trade relationship between China and United Kingdom. Exporting to China Exporting from China is almost similar to the importing process. The first step is for the exporter to develop a relationship with the buyer. Then, the two confirm the terms of trade which applies for the two countries. The two parties are then required to agree on the conditions of payment. This involves the deposit balances well as receipts of goods. It is also, important to have samples approved before receiving an order with the new buyer. This should be in writing. The order should indicate the exact order and the terms of trade. Regulations guiding trade in EU and non- EU countries Although the international trade has opened new markets for many companies, it has some complications. For example, trading between EU and non EU member is crucial bearing in mind that the two regions may have different regulations. In this case, the trading companies are required t o adhere to the jurisdiction within the region where the trade is taking place. Some restrictions are unhealthy since they undermine the ability of companies to export freely. The regulations within the EU regions favour the trade between the member states. It promotes free movement of goods and services between the members. The member states are required to withdraw all restrictions to the member states. Therefore, all businesses in the member states can easily

HISTORY OF HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HISTORY OF HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS - Essay Example Health informatics is defined as â€Å"a combination of computer science, information science and health science designed to assist in the management and processing of data, information and knowledge to support healthcare and healthcare delivery† (Conrick, 2006, p. 4). Meanwhile, the health information system (HIS) is a subsystem of a health care organization (e.g. hospital, healthcare network) that is responsible in the processing and storing of information (Winter, 2011, p. 1). Healthcare system and health informatics are influenced by several factors. Three of the most influential factors are ongoing cost control pressure, more data on patients and treatments, and new information technologies. The ongoing cost control pressure involves cost containment and is driven primarily by concerns about escalating costs spent on information processing. In 2006, the annual budget healthcare institutions spend on information and communication technology ranges between 2.5% to 3.3%, dep ending on the number of beds (Winter, 2011, p. 5). In comparison with the non-computer-based institution, hospitals with computer-based system have to invest a large portion of their budget for maintenance of the system.

Spiritual Life Coaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Spiritual Life Coaching - Essay Example However, for this to happen, one must comprehend the true depiction of coaching to begin with. Coaching does not come about as a routine norm for many – it is the basis of attaining a significant level over other individuals yet feeling occupied with one’s own self over a period of time. Since coaching adheres to some good standards on its way, there is a dire requirement to set things right within a person’s entirety. For this reason, it is closely linked with his spiritual life which is cleansed from the inside, and is pure in the most basic sense. A spiritual life is not always assisted by coaching alone – there are other perspectives to it as well. This can be gauged from the dimensions that a society finds itself connected with. It could comprise of the good deeds, the mannerisms of sanity, discussions on topics that have a positive and long-lasting effect, and a number of other subjects related with honesty, clean ways to spend a life, being good to others, use of morality, etc. Coaching is at times even compared along side the training modules and mentoring regimes. This is because these are much similar yet have minute differences existent amongst them. What is important however is to gain an understanding that all three of these – coaching, training and mentoring form the very crust of success that an individual is looking forward to having within his fore, so that his spiritual life could be restored and he can enjoy the benefits that life has to offer to him, time and time again (Walz, 2005). When coaching connects itself with the essence of a spiritual basis, then only can a spiritual life come into full action. This has been proven with the passage of time and much research has already showed that the relation between the two indeed exists. The coaching phase is therefore directly reliant on how well the peers are able to garner interest so that the ones being coached know exactly what to expect out of it and how to go about completing their respective tasks. The spiritual life basis will result from the very same not before they have been taught the very basics of coaching and are geared to reach the top most levels under the aegis of coaching. Whether or not coaching speaks to a person’s spiritual life largely depends on how well he has been coached, as discussed in the above paragraphs. If his coaching helps him to seek an inner world pleasure, then this means something is driven correctly as far as his life realms are concerned. On the other hand, if he believes that he is not being able to satisfy his own self through the coaching methodologies and norms, then this implies for the loss that he has to take the burden of (Nielsen, 2012). What remains to be seen is how well he musters up confidence to turn the coaching module into one of a spiritual journey so that his own life could benefit from it. Often times, the success is in the head alone, yet difficult to envisage due to a n umber of mental blocks along the way. When coaching experts are asked regarding the process of coaching and how it can be termed as merry for one and all, they credit the same to the willpower of the individuals, and how well they adapt to the different situations and behave in accordance with the same. This is much similar to how coaching should be carried out where the inner essence needs to bank on the premise of bringing about a positive change, so that success within such dimensions could be achieved without any hindrance or difficulty. This is however no easy task because the person under consideration has to comprehend his nuances accordingly and thus identify where he has gone wrong all this while by taking the corrective steps along the way. From biblical research, it has been proved that anything

Security Survey Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Security Survey - Assignment Example This survey also involves interviewing all employees working in the firm, day and night shifts, meeting with security officers and other law enforcing bodies in the urban area where the firm is situated (Davis, 2008). This survey, if done properly, will help the firm identify the risks, threats and plan well to reduce the security-related expenses. It will also help the firm to know areas of weakness in security issues. Since this manufacturing plant is located in the urban environment, it is important to recognize the number of risks that it might experience. These risks include theft, air and noise pollution, traffic congestion near the plant and terrorism, which is a global threat to almost all organizations. In order to reduce these risks, the firm needs to erect a tall stone fence that does not allow passer bys to see the activities carried inside the compound of the firm. In this kind of location (urban), one gate to the firm is more effective to allow easier access control. The gate should be made of a tough steel metal that cannot be destroyed easily by thieves and other employees who might intend to sneak with the company’s property. This should be done in all entrances and exits of the compound. To save time while at the access points, two entrances are more suitable to enable security officers conduct friendly security checks to the employees. This will also help the security officers identify outsiders who pretend to be staff members of the firm. The security check helps to prevent the entrance of illegal weapons such as grenades, firearms and other crude weapons that may create a massive loss to the firm. These entrances should have two security officers, both male and f emale. Disasters like fire and earthquakes are experienced in many parts of the world; therefore, emergency exits should be available in all the small and large firms to allow easier

Features of Employment Relations Systems and their Impact on the Essay

Features of Employment Relations Systems and their Impact on the Position of Women in Labour Markets - Essay Example Reduced levels of unemployment indicated that few households lacked a working adult. During this period, most of those working in different institutions were high school drop-outs with an estimated one third of the total population of the United Kingdom working in the manufacturing and agricultural industries. However, the 21st century has seen none of the above features in still existence in many economies across the globe. Most, if not all jobs are now evenly distributed across all genders with a host of households in each country having more than one member in the labour force. On the contrary, the steady rise in unemployment rates is an indicator that there are a number of families in which no member is employed or has a definite job. An increase in education and improved formal structures for learning has seen a rise in the number of high school graduates and college/university graduates as well; hence an increased mass of human resources available to the market. In addition, th e emergence of other fields and or industries, for instance, finance, business services as well as property management, building and construction services has resulted in the creation of more stable jobs than the manufacturing and agricultural sector could provide. ... The Employment Relationship An employee relations system can be referred to as a legal concept used by organizations and or institutions in different countries worldwide to refer to the relationship between an employer and their employees for whom the employees perform certain activities (work) under defined procedures and conditions but in return for salary and or wages. Employee relations help the employer and the employee to come up or develop obligations and rights to govern the performance of both the employee and the employer towards the success of their respective organizations and or institutions. Over period, this tool has acted as a medium through which employees gain access to various benefits, obligations and rights that are related to employment with respect to social security and laws of labour. According to Verma (2003), â€Å"an employee relations system is the key point of reference for determining the nature and extent of employers’ rights and obligations to wards their employees.† (p. 519). Today, intense changes are taking place in the contemporary world of work with particular concern on the labour market. These changes have led to subsequent emergence of new types or rather forms of employment relationships. As a result, market flexibility has been increased as well as an increase in the number of employees uncertain of their status of employment and thus falling out of the normal protection scope of employment relationships. This is a challenge that is described by the International Labour Office’s Director as follows: â€Å"The State has a key role to play in creating an enabling institutional framework to balance the need for flexibility for enterprises and security for workers in meeting the changing demands of a global economy. At

Comparing Life Experience Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comparing Life Experience - Research Paper Example Upon the meeting of the blind person, all this thoughts get dispelled. Carver ensures the blind man becomes humanized as a human being so the present stereotypes’ get broken. Everyday Use is the short story about a mother, Ms. Johnson and her daughters Dee and Maggie. Maggie got burnt badly by a fire. She still has the scars all over the arms and legs. Dee, her sister is healthy and has no problems. Whereas the world rejected Maggie, Dee was always the favorite. Every day use I about how one’s culture and heritage should become applied daily so as not to forget the traditions. Dee is ashamed of her families’ heritage, and the narrator in the Cathedral is uncomfortable with the blind person presence in their home. From the stories, we are able to see that, those with the problems are not the people with disabilities rather the people treated as superior to the disabled people. In Cathedral, Carver demonstrates that salvation lies in the contacts of humans and the connection. In the introduction of the story, it is evident that the narrator (also the husband) was indeed lonely. He had a poor relationship with his wife as he questioned if he loved her, since he did not want to invite Robert (the blind man) her friend whom she truly cared for. The wife told the narrator; that if he loved her, he would do that for him, and if not, okay (Carver 1). The narrator felt insecure by Robert, especially since she had told Robert about him and they had never met. He also had no close relationships with other people. The narrator is jealous of his wife’s first husband, smokes marijuana daily and is envious of her wife’s friendship with the blind man. Just like in the cathedral, in the short story Everyday Use, Maggie is nervous because of the presence of her sister in the home. According to the author, Maggie is nervous about her sister Dee, because of her burn scars. She feels inferior to her sister because she has had many opportunities th at she did not have. Mama says, â€Å"Maggie will still be nervous until her sister leaves† (Walker 14). In the narrative, Alice Walker, personifies the different ways of culture and heritage in Dee, the mother, and Maggie. Each one of them has different qualities and philosophies of life. Nevertheless, contrary to the cathedral, Mama and Maggie are both proud and happy of her life. Mama is happy of the life she is living. Dee, on the other hand, is like the narrator in the Cathedral; she is not happy and thinks that she is in control of her life. She believes in her own self and does not to get associated with her sister and mother. The mother explains how she always wanted the best things and how she always got what she wanted. The narrator writes, â€Å"At sixteen, she had her own style and knew what style was† (Walker 20). This gets seen in the story when she wants the churn top and the dasher and also the old quilts that the mother had promised to give Maggie. Mag gie, on the other hand, has accepted life as it is and lives in the uneducated world with happiness in her heart and not material possessions. In the short story, the only names mentioned were of Robert’s wife who died (Beulah) and Robert. The narrator refers to himself as I and is not associated with a name together with the wife. This is dehumanizing to both the husband and wife. The husband feels that he gets stuck in

Philosophy Questions Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Questions Essay Question One A causal claim, by definition, is a statement about the causes of things. Regular (non-causal) claims are considered to be any declarative statement. While the regular claim can simply be made about anything as long as it is a declaration, causal statements require a certain sense of cause and effect. Causal claims examine the complex processes in which people, forces, events, and other things interact to cause certain phenomena. Causal claims rarely are proven due to the different things that may happen to cause things. Feedback: I agree with the answer because causal claims are definitively hard to prove. It depends on how you look at the event in question. Impartiality is a virtue when exploring causal claims and is often hard to keep when personally involved in the matter. Question Two A real life example of common thread reasoning in advertising is Listerine. Listerine is a mouthwash that claims to kill more germs than any other leading mouthwash. In actuality, mouthwash does not actually kill germs and the rate of germs killed does not meet FDA standards for antiseptics. The common thread would be that all mouthwashes claim to kill germs and they really do not. Most of them also claim they are antiseptics when they do not meet current FDA standards. Feedback: Listerine is a mouthwash which makes false claims as does many mouthwash companies. The common theme among these companies is their determination to market a product with falsehoods. If all of these companies make false claim, then what are they to be called?

Work experience placement to Little Sutton Nursery and Club Essay Example for Free

Work experience placement to Little Sutton Nursery and Club Essay Between 9 June and 20 June 2003 I went on a work experience placement to Little Sutton Nursery and Club. The placement lasted for two weeks. I worked Monday to Friday from 8. 45 a. m. to 3. 30 p. m. My main supervisor, who was the Manager of the Nursery, was Mrs. Debbie Blythe. On the first day I arrived at 8. 40 a. m. and I was introduced to the other members of staff. During the work experience placement I carried out a variety of jobs. The main job, which was extremely important and had to be carried out from the moment the children arrived to the moment they left, was supervising them. The days at the nursery were very structured. The children arrived at 9. 00 a. m. Between 9. 00 a. m. and 9. 30 a. m. was the time when the children sat on the carpet. The register was taken and a story was read to them. At 9. 30 a. m. the children did different activities these varied from craft to learning to count. At 10. 45 a. m. the children helped the staff to tidy up the activity they were doing. After tidying up the younger children went to the toilet before having a drink and some fruit. After having a break it was playtime again until 11. 50 a. m. when it was lunchtime. At lunchtime the children went into the dining hall with the Infant Scholl. They all had cooked school dinners. Lunchtime usually lasted about 25 minutes. After dinner the children watched a video lunch about 1. 30 p. m. At 1. 30 p. m. it was playtime until 2. 45 p. m. At this time all activities and toys were completely cleared away. The children were given a drink and a story was read until it was time for them to go home at 3. 15 p. m. While the children playing or carrying out activities, such as craft, I would do a variety of jobs. Almost everyday or my placement, I was asked to supervise the craft activity in the morning. This itself involved a number of tasks. I had to make sure each child was wearing an apron. I also had to write the childs name on their work. Once the child had finished the activity, I had to make sure the work was put on a rack to dry. I also had to make sure the children did not run out of glue or paint etc. Sometimes a child would ask me to read them a story. This usually gained the attention of other children and I would end up reading to a small group. A lot of the time the children wanted me to play with them. One day during my placement, I organised a game of dominoes with a group of six children. At break time I would sometimes make drinks for the children and prepare the fruit. Another job which I really enjoyed doing and I felt was rewarding was helping the children to complete counting books which the Nursery had produced. I think that the children enjoyed doing this with me and I found this interesting. I also learn a new skill which I how to teach children to count. I found this my most rewarding achievement. As well as teaching children to count, I also learnt many other different skills on my placement. An important thing which I had to do when reading to children was to speak clearly. I am usually a quite unclear and very fast speaker, however, during the placement I improved this skill. Another thing which I found to be very important when handling children was to have patience. Very often the children did not do as they were told the first time and therefore this meant I must have patience with them. I found this became easier as time went on. During my placement I found that I didnt really encounter many problems. However, in the first week I found myself asking questions constantly about where things were kept. After the first week I almost knew where everything was kept and routines became more familiar to me. Another minor problem I encountered was with some of the children. They were very stubborn and would not do as I asked. This was worrying sometimes as I felt they were endangering themselves. I resolved this problem by informing another member of staff. At my placement there were between 10 and 12 other members of staff. I found most of the staff very pleasant and willing to help me. However, I few of the staff were quite intimidating and I felt a little uncomfortable or lost for words when I was around them. Also, I found one of the members of staff to be very condescending. I felt as though she was talking down to me and spoke to me in the same way in which she spoke to the children. This really got on my nerves at first, but after a while I chose to ignore it and not to let it bother me. This placement has helped me to understand the disadvantages and advantages of this type of work. It has also helped me to decide on what I would like to do in the future. I found out that being a Nursery Assistant is a very badly paid job, although it is very hard work. This is the only real disadvantage of this type of job. I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. This job can be very difficult at times, but can also be very rewarding. I think that young children are lovely to work with. This placement has made me realise that I would definitely like to work with children as a future career.

Group Work Reflection Example

Group Work Reflection Example In today’s work culture and dynamic environment educational institutions and organizations require students and employees to work together in groups at certain tolerant and coordinative levels, thus proving â€Å"experience of working in group or teams† (Blease, 2006 cited Kelly, and P.2007). The students are asked to work in groups as it allows students to learn interactively. Moreover the researchers report that, regardless of the subject matter; students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is taught and retain it longer than when the same content is presented in other instructional formats (Barbara Gross Davis, Tools for teaching). There are number of possible reasons why students are asked to work in small groups. Some of them are as follows: Generating a broad array of possible alternative points of view or solution to a problem Giving students a chance to work on a project that is too large or complex for an individual Allowing students with different background to bring their special knowledge, experience , or skills to a project , and to explain their orientation to others Giving students a chance to teach others Giving students a structured experience so they can practice kills applicable to professional situations There are numbers of benefits for students working in groups for short period of time or large projects such as: Students who have difficulty talking in class may speak in a small group. More students, overall, have a chance to participate in class. Talking in groups can help overcome the anonymity and passivity of a large class or a class meeting in a properly designed room. Students who expect to participate actively prepare for class. Students get prepared for their professional future. Our group was formed to complete an assignment on a case study â€Å"Merged School Business†. The assignment was to critically analyse the case study and to find out the problems in the merger and then provide recommendations on strategies and practices to management. The purpose of this report is to reflect my experience on our group assignment. In this report I will discuss my experience in relation to formation of our group, organization of work and how did we manage our group work. Group Formation This is the initial stage. This is the time when the group members and the tasks of the group will be decided. Students can form their own groups or either they can be assigned. Our case falls in first category teacher gave us some time to form our group so we selected our group members and formed a group of five. We were familiar to each other faces as we all were class mates; but at that time everyone introduce himself/herself to others. We decided to select a leader to make communication smooth and clear, than we took contact numbers from each other. We also discuss a bit about our group assignment that what needs to be done. Everyone shared their ideas on the project. Organization of Work The first challenge faced after group formation was how to organise the work to complete the task on time. At first stage we divided the task in to smaller pieces and assign these parts to each team member. Developing a time line is the best way to complete the task on time, so we decided for each task when it should be completed. Now all team members know who will do what, in what format and by when. We made our Gantt chart like this: *Denotes task for meeting Understanding and Managing Group Processes In order to perform effectively in a group it is important to understand and manage group processes properly. Some suggestions in this regard are as under: Group work best if everyone has a chance to make strong contributions to the group project and to the discussion at meetings. At the beginning of each meeting, decide what you except to have accomplished by the end of meeting. Select someone from group to write ideas to record all meetings and group’s decisions. Allocate responsibility for group process; in order to do that a group leader can be selected. Save some time towards the end of the first meeting and periodically as the group continues; to check in with each other on how the process is working. By following the mentioned group process we proceeded with our group assignment as follows: Including Everyone and Their Ideas: We gave a chance to everyone to contribute their ideas about assignment. Our goal was to produce as many ideas as possible. We listened all the ideas carefully and then we mentioned all the ideas sheet so we don’t forget them or they don’t get lost. By using this approach we improved our group work a lot and did some creative modifications as well. Group Leadership Group leadership helps to work group more effectively, so we chosen a group leader. The group leadership helped us in number of ways such as: Group leader was responsible to monitor that the work is organized to get it done. He was also responsible for understanding and managing group interactions to keep the positive atmosphere. The leader also encouraged every one’s contributions with an eye to accomplish the work. In order to do this, he observed our group work process to check is the group moving quickly, leaving some people behind? Is it time to shift focus to another aspects of the task? He also encouraged group interactions and maintained a positive atmosphere. He also anticipated what information, material or other resources the group needs as it works. He was also responsible for beginning and ending on time. So he planed work accordingly. Focusing on Direction After we gathered a large numbers of ideas we categorize and examine them. Then we choose some ideas among all of them. Then we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. We also ask group members to vote for ideas that helped us to eliminate some of them. Moreover based on this voting we rank the ideas in priority order and then finalized them. Making a Decision After everyone’s views are heard and all the points of agreement and disagreement are identified, the group tried to arrive at an agreement that makes sense to everyone. Decisions are an important for group. So we were quiet careful in deciding. Our group made all the decisions based on all members’s input. Problems Here are some problems which we encountered during our group project: Floundering: While we were figuring out the work and were trying to decide everyone’s role in the group, the group work got a bit delayed and some work got postponed. Dominating or Reluctant Participants: Some of the group members were taking more share of the discussion by talking too often by telling lengthy stories and by not letting others finish. While others were speaking rarely as they were having difficulty to get in the conversation. Digressions and Tangents: As some group members were telling many interesting side stories it was acting as an obstacle in group progress and we were lagging behind out timeline. Getting Stuck: After giving the case background and highlighting some issues we got stuck at solutions or possible strategic solutions. This problem was moving our group progress down than expected. Recommendations/Solutions In order to improve the group project and get better results we can give some recommendations to mentioned problems such as: To avoid delays in work at initial level some sentences can really help such as: Here’s my understanding of what we are trying to accomplish. Do you all agree? What would help us move forward: data? Resource? Let’s take a few minutes to hear everyone’s suggestions about how this process might work better and what we should do next. In order to discourage dominating people humour can be used. For the people who do not speak non verbal actions such as looking at them can be used to include them in discussion. Moreover asking quiet participant about their thoughts outside the group may lead their participation within group. In order to stick with main theme of discussion, try to summarize where discussion was before digression. When a group feels that it is not making a progress they should look on the things which are preventing them from progression. Conclusion At the end of the project, what matters the most is what we have learned from our group work experiences. During the tenure of working together, situations cropped up and tested us on the scales of making the decisions and handling the pressures and exceptions. As per Belbin (1993), Team performance is influenced by the kinds of people making up a group, and testing indicates that certain combinations of personality-types perform more successfully than others but the key to its implementation is how the team analyzes its performance and then adapts the situation so as the result can be achieved. Team work was definitely one of the most important aspects of our project. We would have been unable to accomplish anything if we had not worked together. Even though the design process was broken up into individual pieces, we often consulted with one another when we ran into difficulties with our work. Team work was definitely one of the most important aspects of this project. We would have been unable to accomplish anything if we had not worked together. Even though the design process was broken up into individual pieces, we often consulted with one another when we ran into difficulties with our work. As a result we managed to achieve a strong out come thus enhancing our knowledge, competencies and empowering group as a whole. References Ellen Sarkisian, Derek Bok Center., 2007. â€Å"Working in Groups† Derek Bok Center for teaching and Learning,Harvard University J. Sketchley, A. Mejia, I. Aitken et al., Work Improvement in Health Services. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1986 Moon J.(2004), A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning, London, Routledge Falmer Experience of working in groups or teams, Human Resource management,UkEssay.com

Essay --

Immanuel Kant addresses a question often asked in political theory: the relationship between practical political behavior and morality -- how people do behave in politics and how they ought to behave. Observers of political action recognize that political action is often a morally questionable business. Yet many of us, whether involved heavily in political action or not, have a sense that political behavior could and should be better than this. In Appendix 1 of Perpetual Peace, Kant explicates that conflict does not exist between politics and morality, because politics is an application of morality. Objectively, he argues that morality and politics are reconcilable. In this essay, I will argue two potential problems with Kant’s position on the compatibility of moral and politics: his denial of moral importance in emotion and particular situations when an action seems both politically legitimate and yet almost immoral; if by ‘politics’, regarded as a set of princip les of political prudence, and ‘morals’, as a system of laws that bind us unconditionally. In Perpetual Peace, Kant writes, â€Å"all politics must bend the knee before right† (Kant, PP pg. 125). He claims that morals, in the sense of the doctrine of right, should demand more significance in political decisions, or even be the predominant consideration. To emphasize the lack of between morals and politics, Kant cites Matthew 10:16: â€Å"Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves† (Kant, PP pg.116). Wisdom is not sufficient if it is not conducted towards a consistent purpose with an application towards morality. Kant considers the wisdom of the serpent to be used for the betterment of morality. Not only should politics be congruent with morals, but also properly conceived poli... ...metimes it is the mechanisms that keep the political wheels in motion. If politics were absolutely subservient to morality and honesty, it would seem not only rather unrealistic but also undesirable. In the face of this problem, a challenge for Kant would be to defend the practicality and intuitive desirability of ‘honesty is better than any policy’. Kant’s claim in Perpetual Peace supplies an inspiring vision of a just, peaceful and flourishing cosmopolitan world. It is true that morality and justice demand truthfulness, civil obedience and a full suite of basic rights and liberties; however, because human nature and emotion subsists of more than duty to moral law and there exists circumstances that demand lying, civil disobedience such as revolutions and the temporary restriction of rights and liberties, there does exist a conflict between morality and politics.

Gender Identity without Gender Prescriptions Essay example -- Philosop

The feminist philosopher Susan Bordo suggests that the dilemma of twentieth-century feminism is the tension between a gender identity that both mobilizes a liberatory politics on behalf of women and that results in gender prescriptions which excludes many women. This tension seems especially acute in feminist debates about essentialism/deconstructionism. Concentrating on the shared sex of women may run the risk of embracing an essentialism that ignores the differences among women, whereas emphasizing the constructed natures of sex and gender categories seems to threaten the very project of a feminist politics. I will analyze the possibility of dismantling gender prescriptions while retaining a gender identity that can be the beginning for an emancipatory politics. Perhaps feminists need not rely on a reified essentialism that elides the differences of race, class, etc., if we begin with our social practices of classification rather than with a priori generalizations about the nature of women. Perhaps it is easiest to begin with that which seems self-evident: we categorize people according to sex. Therefore, it also seems self-evident that women form a (natural) group based on a shared sex, resulting in a common gender identity. Historically, feminism politics have relied on this assumed sameness among all women. Feminism can represent the interests of all women because, after all, women are all alike in being women. Of course, women differ with regard to race, class, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and so on. But these differences have been seen as less basic than the shared similarity of sex and gender. Recently, however, more and more feminists have protested that these differences matter just as much to one's identit... ...sitions within each of these [economic, cultural, socio-political] contexts .... Despite considerable variability in what this means for particular women, this general feature of women's experience is sufficiently universal, by all anthropological and historical accounts, that it would seem to support at least a qualified conception of a distinctive women's standpoint, one which takes into account the fact that gender is by no means the only factor shaping women's lives" ("The Philosophy of Ambivalence: Sandra Harding on The Science Question in Feminism as found in Science, Morality and Feminist Theory" eds. Marsha Hanen and Kai Nielsen, Calgary: U of Calgary P, 1987, 68). (25) Bordo, Feminism/Postmodernism, 153. (26) To paraphrase Bordo "the chief imperative was [is] to listen, to become aware of one's biases, prejudices, ignorance" Feminism/Postmodernism, 138.

Essay --

A characteristic property can help identify a substance. A characteristic property will never change even when the volume of a substance is varied. A characteristic property also does not change when a substance changes state in matter. A physical property cannot identify a substance. A physical property will change when the volume of a substance is varied. It can also change when the substance changes state in matter. For example, if the volume and mass of a substance changes then the physical appearance will also change. However, the density, which is a characteristic property, will not change at all. The boiling point of a substance is the temperature that a substance changes from a liquid to a gas. The boiling point of a substance is a characteristic property because the boiling point of a substance will never change even when the volume and mass changes. The only thing that will change is the time that it takes to reach that temperature. If the mass and volume of the substance is small, then it will take a small amount of time for the substance to reach the temperature. However if the mass and volume of the substance is larger, then it will take a longer time to reach the temperature. The purpose of this lab was to see if when the volume of a substance changes so does the boiling point. The procedure of the lab on day one was to get a ring stand and clamp, then put the substance in the test tube. Then put the test tube in the clamp and then get a Bunsen burner. After that put the Bunsen burner underneath the test tube to heat it. The procedure of the lab for day two was almost exactly the same, except the substances that were used were different. The hypothesis was accepted. The hypothesis was if the am... ...roup seven had were that day one plateaued at a lower temperature than day two. It was learned that changing the volume of the same substance will never change the boiling point of the substance. However having two different substances with the same volume will result in two different boiling points. The purpose of this lab was to determine if changing the volume of a substance will change the boiling point. This is useful to know in real life because if someone wanted to boil water to make pasta and did not know how much water to put in the pot. If the person knew if changing the volume of a substance will not change the boiling point, but only alter how much time it takes for the substance to reach the temperature. Then the person would know that it would be better to not put too much water in the pot, because it would take longer for the water to boil.

Landing at Inchon

Landing at Inchon: Foolish Risk or Calculated Gamble? Campaign Analysis: Operation CHROMITE The Ultimate Challenge for the Commander is deciding on where and when to commit forces to best leverage available combat power against the opponent. General Douglas MacArthur has been criticized for his decision, even though it succeeded, to make the invasion of Korea at the harbor of Inchon. This paper explores the legitimacy of that decision based on the principles of military power. A popular military aphorism is that victory has a thousand fathers, while defeat is an orphan.The American invasion of Inchon during the Korean War must certainly be the exception to this. General Douglas MacArthur, loved by some, hated by others, rightfully deserves all of the credit for such a bold and audacious decision. In retrospect, his decision deserves perhaps a bit more circumspection. If Inchon had failed, whether tactically or strategically, not only could the war’s outcome have been different , but most certainly MacArthur would have been lambasted in his own time, as well as our own by arm chair theorists and generals.Was his decision soundly based in military principles, balanced by ends to means? Or was it a gambler’s last toss of the dice? America’s war aims at the onset of the Korean War were simple: Drive the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) out of South Korea, back across the 38 th parallel and re-establish peace on American terms. These were the explicit aims. The strategic priorities will sound strikingly familiar to those familiar with strategic debate in this era of Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti and Operation Desert Storm: End the war as quickly as possible and keep U. S. casualties to a minimum.Even in the 1950s, there was a political drive to keep wars short and bloodless; to attain national ends without expending resources. Perhaps the national tendency to hope to attain something for nothing is a fundamental characteristic of America. For th e North Koreans, the opposite was true. Kim Il Sung’s aim was to reunify the two Koreas. Since he could not accomplish this politically, he resorted to military means to gain a political end. He had committed North Korea’s limited resources and manpower utterly and completely to the reunification of the Korean peninsula.Kim Il Sung may not have realized it, but he had two possible branches of strategic priorities. The first was to drive the Americans out of the Pusan Perimeter and back to Japan, thus allowing him time to consolidate his hold politically, socially and militarily on Korea. The second branch, far more subtle, would have been to keep the Americans bottled up at Pusan and continue to attrit American lives, while consolidating his hold and strengthening his long logistical tail. By killing Americans, North Korea could make victory appear extremely costly to the American government and perhaps wear down the political will to fight.The political will to fight would be backed up by how the American military would actually conduct the fight. American doctrine has historically been framed by the notion of preparing to fight the next war as the last one was fought. While this type of doctrinal thinking came back to haunt the U. S. in Vietnam; strangely enough, it was the correct approach for Korea. The American military had of course, only just finished fighting World War Two five years prior to North Korea’s invasion of South Korea. While the U. S. orce structure had been dramatically drawn down and was unprepared to fight the next war, its doctrinal approach to waging war had not changed. American doctrine during the previous war was offensively oriented, relying primarily on the infantry to hold key terrain once the enemy had been pushed off. The attrition of enemy forces was secondary to seizing and defending ground. Offensive action was used to envelop a foe’s flank, without resorting to frontal assaults. Armor’s ro le was to gain the initiative either with an envelopment or a penetration at a weak point in the enemy’s front.Tanks were regarded as the best weapon to kill another tank. The doctrinal use of artillery and close air support made great strides during World War Two. By the end of that war, the U. S. Army was very good at conducting offensive war, largely because they did not have to defend their own homeland as the German Army had been forced to do. However, American defensive doctrine was weaker. Reliance on fortified strongpoints made penetration of American lines easy, as the 1 st Armored Division discovered to its regret during the opening phase of the Kasserine Pass battles.A strongpoint defense with mobile armored counterattack forces might work against an attacking tank division, but it was ill-equipped to deal with an infiltrating infantry force which attacked at night, bypassing the strongpoint and raided logistical bases. On the whole, the experience of the previous World Wars had molded the American commanders’ methods of waging combat. General Douglas MacArthur had been a regimental commander during World War One and an Army commander during World War Two. During both of his previous experiences, he had relied on boldness, audacity and the offensive to gain and maintain the initiative over his opponents.MacArthur’s brilliant use of amphibious operations in the Pacific against the Japanese had already provided him with the experience necessary to decide on an amphibious landing at Inchon, far behind enemy lines, to cut off the North Korean logistical lines of communication and quickly recapture the capital of South Korea, Seoul. As the American doctrinal approach to the operation was the same as in the previous conflict, so essentially were the forces at MacArthur’s disposal The U. S. Army force structure was centered on the pre-eminence of the infantry divisions, with integrated armor support.An infantry division had thre e regiments, with three battalions each, and four infantry companies per battalion. The division also had one tank battalion, parceling one company of M-24s (outgunned in comparison to the Russian made T-34 which the North Koreans used) to each regiment. During the drawdown which followed World War Two, the number of infantry battalions per regiment was reduced by one. The infantrymen’s arsenal largely consisted of small arms, mortars and heavy machine guns. However, the infantry had no truly effective anti-tank weapon. The standard issue 2. 36 inch rocket was no match for the thick armor of the T-34.The three division artillery battalions (one per infantry regiment) had also suffered cutbacks, dropping from three batteries each to two. With this structure, the X Corps, commanded by Major General Almond, was established to conduct the amphibious assault at Inchon. X Corps consisted of the 1st Marine Division, plus one regiment withdrawn from the Pusan Perimeter in order to br ing that Division to a full wartime strength of three regiments, and the 7th Infantry Division. While X Corps was the assault force, overall command and joint support was under the umbrella control of Joint Task Force (JTF) 7, with seven subordinate task forces.JTF-7 was a true joint operational command, incorporating Navy, Army and Marine units in order to support the assault force. JTF-7 would strike the North Koreans at a weak, unprepared point, effecting surprise and mass before the North Koreans could react. North Korean military doctrine closely resembled the Chinese model. Mao Tse Tung’s approach was to avoid strong points and infiltrate an enemy’s lines to hit the weakly defended rear areas, in order to destroy vital logistical areas. The North Koreans were not as road bound as the American army was, which gave them more flexibility than the Americans.North Korean equipment was largely Russian and Chinese made, including the awesome Russian T-34. The North Kore an force structure closely resembled the Chinese and Soviet triangular formation. On the offense, the two up and one back method was used. On the defense, this formation was reversed. The infantry division’s main body was usually preceded by four tank battalions, whose objective was to punch through an opponents main defenses and continue on into the rear areas, leaving the infantry to mop up.While sorely lacking in air support with only nineteen outdated Soviet aircraft and almost no navy to speak of, the North Koreans did possess the T-34 tank and towed artillery. In the Inchon/Seoul area, the 3 d, 10 th and 13 th Divisions were astride the Seoul-Taejon-Taegu highway, within easy striking range of the landing areas. Some 400 soldiers of the 3 d Bn, 226 th Independent Marine Regiment and elements of the 918 th Artillery Regiment defended Wolmi-do Island, the invasion’s initial objective. North Korean shore artillery consisted of 75mm guns inside concrete revetments. O peration CHROMITE succeeded for several reasons.First, the U. S. (with British assistance) was able to establish and maintain air supremacy; strike aircraft were able to hit North Korean units during daylight hours and attrit units in the Seoul-Inchon area. Control of the skies permitted the isolation of the invasion area and prevented reinforcing units from reaching the invasion area. Control of the sea permitted the logistical support of the assault force without fear of interruption by enemy surface or submarine forces. The presence of a secure logistical base on Japan ensured a smooth flow of supplies, both to units at Inchon as well as Pusan.With naval gunfire support, the Americans also pounded defensive positions on Wolmi-do Island with high explosives and napalm, effectively neutralizing the North Koreans. Securing the island was absolutely critical to success of the operation, because without it, the North Koreans could enfilade the invading amphibious forces with artillery and small arms fire. The capture of key terrain at Inchon, specifically Cemetery and Observatory Hills was also crucial in ensuring that X Corps would have a secure beachhead. Seizing the high ground east of Inchon at Yongdungp’o and Sosa gave the American the advantage of holding key terrain rom which to continue their operations to the east. The capture of Kimpo airfield on the morning of 18 September facilitated the staging of Marine Corsairs flying Close Air Support missions for the Marines on the ground. Further, small unit actions, such as the capture of the causeway linking Wolmi-do with Inchon illustrate the value of highly trained, motivated, veteran soldiers as a combat multiplier. In retrospect, the preconditions for victory were already and in place and the outcome of foregone conclusion; the combination of U. S. naval and air supremacy seem to have guaranteed it.However, the most critical action was Douglas MacArthur’s single minded determination to land X Corps at Inchon instead of the location preferred by the Joint Chiefs, Kunsan, 100 air miles south of Inchon. MacArthur had other options, besides Kunsan, which all seemed more prudent, but he stuck to his guns. Indeed, if he had simply introduced more troops into the Pusan Perimeter, or had made the envelopment more shallow, he would not have ended up with the results he achieved: Namely, a complete disruption of the North Korean LOCs and the recapture of Seoul.Instead of simply pushing the North Koreans back or pushing from another side, CHROMITE was designed to completely unhinge the North Koreans and throw them off balance by hitting them from the rear. Only MacArthur’s decision ensured a quick victory without resorting to a slow, bloody series of battles back north up the Korean peninsula, which would have allowed the North Koreans to retreat along their supply lines. The smashing success of CHROMITE, followed by the recapture of Seoul, coupled with the breakout from t he Pusan Perimeter by the Eighth Army, helped the Americans accomplish their principle war aim.The North Koreans were unable to disengage from the American Eight Army units in front of them and reinforce the invasion area. As part of their force was held by Eighth Army, even while withdrawing, North Korean rear area support units were devastated by X Corps. MacArthur’s hammer and anvil technique ensured the virtual collapse of the North Korean army. While the Americans gained their goals, the North Koreans nearly lost everything. In their gamble, they had committed all of their resources, stretching themselves thinly, only to have their logistical tail cut behind them.They retreated rapidly back across the 38 th Parallel, closely pursued by American and ROK units. MacArthur’s decision to land at Inchon, instead of further to the south as the Joint Chiefs would have preferred, was not only in accordance with the classic fundamentals of war, but more subtly, closely adhe red to Clausewitz’s approach. MacArthur realized that he had to make a political statement as well as conduct a military operation. The psychological effect of quickly recapturing the South Korean national capital sent a very strong statement to the rest of the Pacific rim, including China and Russia.CHROMITE was shrewdly designed to signal that America stood by her allies and would come through in a crisis. MacArthur’s adherence to the principles of war is a model for future similar operations: OBJECTIVE: General MacArthur chose Inchon as the landing site for the amphibious operation primarily because of its proximity to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Inchon, located on the west coast of the Korean peninsula, is eighteen miles west of Seoul. MacArthur saw the recapture of Seoul as vital for winning the support of the United Nations and for putting fire into the motivation of the Allied Asian countries.Inchon was thus not only a military objective but a political o ne. OFFENSIVE: MacArthur saw Operation CHROMITE as the means towards taking the initiative away from the North Koreans. CHROMITE would place the Allied forces on the offensive and gain the decisive momentum required to prevent the war from stagnating and becoming a long, drawn out war of attrition which MacArthur, a veteran of World War One was already familiar with. MASS: The invasion force, X Corps, consisted of 70,000 troops. Intelligence estimates put the NKPA strength in the Inchon-Seoul area at 8,000 soldiers, of whom 1,800-2,500 were garrisoned in the landing area.This was later confirmed by POWs who stated that the Inchon garrison numbered 2,000. The U. S. Eighth Army, in the Pusan perimeter, was occupying the attention of the NKPA in the south and would keep the North Koreans busy in that sector. ECONOMY OF FORCE: MacArthur ordered one Marine regiment out of the Pusan perimeter in order to beef up the 1 st Marine Division, X Corps. This was a great risk, but the 1 st Divisi on commander, Major General Oliver Smith, did not feel that he would be able to accomplish the landings without the regiment.When MacArthur reviewed the risk of pulling one regiment out of Pusan, he reasoned that once the landings were successful, the NKPA would withdraw north to counterattack, thus taking pressure off Eighth Army. MANEUVER: The Americans had the advantage of interior lines at the Pusan perimeter, but were free to exploit exterior lines because of the lack of an opposing naval force. The North Koreans were strung out all along the Korean peninsula with long LOCs. The NKPA was also at a disadvantage because of their terrain induced flanks: the Korean coastline.CHROMITE was designed to be a flank attack with the goal of attacking deep in the enemy's rear, disrupting his LOCs and cutting off the main force's avenue of retreat. UNITY OF COMMAND: General MacArthur activated X Corps, appointing his Chief of Staff, Major General Edward Almond, as the commander. This was mo re critical than it appears on the surface because of the very multi-service nature of the Corps. With one Marine Division and one Army Division, a lesser commander might have decided to let each Division commander have his own area, without a single unified command and staff structure.MacArthur’s creation of X Corps for a single mission ensured that he could pick a commander who would follow his guidance to the letter, ensuring mission success, without squabbling over seniority and interservice rivalries. X Corps' sole mission was the Inchon landings and the subsequent capture of Seoul. General Almond understood this, and also knew that once the landings were completed, he was to return to Japan and continue his duties as the Far East Command CofS. SECURITY: MacArthur realized that operational security of Operation CHROMITE was of primary importance to the success of the landings.Surprise could not be achieved unless the enemy was caught wholly unprepared. Under a cloak of s ecrecy, X Corps staged out of Yokohoma and Kobe Japan behind a perfect natural screen, Typhoon June and in front of another one, Typhoon Kezia. SURPRISE: This was achieved partly because of negligible North Korean air and naval capability to gather intelligence on American troop movements. Also, Inchon was not considered the best location for an amphibious assault, by anyone, North Korean or American. Inchon has no beaches, only mud flats. There is also a serious tide problem, with a tidal variance of -. feet at low tide and 32 feet at high tide. However, CHROMITE was a complete success. The assault troops encountered only spotty resistance and friendly casualties were much lighter than expected. Within 24 hours of the main landings, the 1 st Marine Division had secured the high ground six miles east of Inchon. SIMPLICITY: CHROMITE was designed to be a single envelopment. X Corps made the amphibious assault at Inchon while the Eighth Army broke out of the Pusan perimeter to tie down and hold the NKPA in place. This prevented the North Koreans from reinforcing their rear areas.The Eighth Army was then to drive north, pushing the logistically cut off NKPA back north, where the Americans would link up with the landing force at Seoul. CHRONOLOGY OF OPERATION CHROMITE: 4 July- Planning conference chaired by MacArthur, who proposes an amphibious assault designed to cut the North Korean Lines of Communication (LOC) at Seoul. 12 August- CINCFE Operation 100-B issued naming Inchon as the target area for the assault. 23 August- Planning conference in Washington, during which MacArthur convincingly presents his case for the assault at Inchon. 6 August- General Order 24 is issued activating X Corps, naming Major General Almond as the commander. 28 August- The Joint Chiefs concur in principle with MacArthur’s plan. 31 August- Lt. Eugene Clark begins his intelligence collection mission at Yonghung-do. 3 September- JTF 7 OPLAN 9-50 issued. 4 September- Air attacks beg in against North Korean forces in the Seoul-Inchon area. MacArthur places the 1 st Marine Brigade under X Corps. 6 September- MacArthur confirms earlier orders and announces that D-Day will be 15 September. 11 September- X Corps units, the 1 st Marine Division and 7 th Infantry Division depart from ports in Japan. 3-14 September- The U. S. Navy’s Gunfire Support group arrives off Inchon and begins the bombardment of Wolmi-do Island with air support provided by TF 77. 15 September- D-Day- X Corps arrives at Inchon. 0500: Air strikes hit Wolmi-do Island. 0630: High tide in Inchon harbor. 0633: 3 d Bn, 5 th Marines land at Wolmi-do Island. 0750: Wolmi-do is secured. 1730: High tide in Inchon harbor. 1732: 1 st Marine Regiment lands at Blue Beach, Inchon. 1733: 5 th Marine Regiment lands at Red Beach, Inchon. 16 September- D+1: 7 th Infantry Division begins arriving at Inchon harbor. 130: Initial D-Day objectives secured. 18-19 September: 7 th Infantry Division lands and moves so uth of Inchon into a blocking position to protect the beachhead from counterattacks from the south. BIBLIOGRAPHY Appleman, Roy E. South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu (June-November 1950). The U. S. Army in World War II. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, 1961. Doughty, Robert A. The Evolution of U. S. Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946-76. Leavenworth Papers No. 1. Ft. Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute, U. S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Panera Bread Case Study Essay

INTRODUCTION: Panera Bread is one of the great American success stories of breaking trends, and shaking up the market with complete innovation. Not only were they successful, but they were able to achieve this success while doing things their own way. Product and Service differentiation were the keys to this bakery-cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s success. Before Panera Bread’s creation in ___, never had a business combined the relaxing environment of a cafà © with the fresh aroma of an artisan’s bakery. This proved to be a gold mine for its owner and stakeholders, and the analysis of this period from 2001 to 2003 shows exactly why. In this analysis, we will examine the success factors of Panera Bread and explain why they were able to achieve some of the goals they had accomplished thus far. We will also explain some alternatives and opportunities that Panera Bread may look forward to taking advantage of in the future. Panera Bread’s mission was to create the bakery-cafà ©; a place the combined the welcoming atmosphere of coffee shops, the food of sandwich shops, and the quick service of fast food restaurants. They named this type of service â€Å"fast-casual† dining and the term fits because of the atmosphere and quality of service they were able to provide. Panera Bread targeted 5 key consumer dining needs which include the following: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS: CURRENT SITUATION The company’s revenues rose from 350.8 million to 977.1 million between 2000 and 2003 as a result of new unit expansion, with 419 stores opening between 1999 and 2003. In 2000 system wide comparison sales and annualized unit volumes increased 9.1% and 12%. The growth of these two metrics decreased in the years following with system wide comparable sales and AUVs increasing only .2% and .5%. GENERAL ENVIRONMENT The fast-casual dining market consists of those companies that seek to fill the gap between fast-food chains and full-service restaurants. These companies offer speed, efficiency, inexpensiveness, hospitality, quality and ambiance. These restaurants fall under fast casual when they offer self-service, a check between 6 and 9 dollars, slightly more expensive than fast food but cheaper than full service restaurants. Other requirements include that the food be made to order and the dà ©cor being upscale. This market of restaurants experienced significant growth between 1999 and 2003. Continued growth was expected with sales projected to reach 50 billion in the following decade. This growth was expected to come at the expense of fast food chains. The industry’s growth started with high profitability and diverse dining avenues, with concepts such as Mexican, Chinese, and bakeries. Opening costs for these establishments in relation to annual sales was minimal, allowing more new players to get into the market with fresh concepts and menu items. Also the maturing of baby boomers and their children contributed largely to the growth of the fast casual market. This demographic expressed insufficient time for cooking while growing tired of fast food and desiring a high-quality, fresh, healthy dining experience, without the time consumption of a full dining restaurant. This market has effectively emerged itself into a legitimate trend in the restaurant industry. Modern day customers seek establishments that combine qualities such as a casual atmosphere, quality, and quick service. Panera Bread focuses on these aspects of their bakeries by offering breakfast, lunch, daytime â€Å"chill-out, lunch in the evening and take home meals; in alignment with consumer dining  needs. The company’s customer base included seniors, matinee-goers, shoppers, business professionals, and students. The company focuses on delivering high quality foods, targeting suburban dwellers and workers as a premium specialty bakery and cafà ©. Panera Bread was a pioneer in the cafà ©-bakery segment with unique concepts and operation strengths, which has led the company to its current position in the fast casual dining market. The company designed its concept in meeting the consumer’s needs of efficiency and the desire for high quality dining, which aren’t met by traditional fast food chains. The company strived to establish Panera Bread as a leading national brand, with its operation quality, real estate strategies, and design being integral to their success Each company-operated bakery had computerized cash registers to collect point of sale transaction data, used in generating marketing information. Product prices were programmed into the system from the corporate office. The company’s in-store information system was designed to assist in labor scheduling and food cost management, to provide corporate and retail operation management fast access to data, and to reduce administrative time. These systems supplied data to the company’s accounting department daily, enabling them to use the data to generate weekly reports on sales and other important elements. The company also monitored the average check, customer count, product mix, and other sales trends. Also, facilities had systems that allowed the dough facilities to accept electronic orders from the bakery and deliver orders to the bakeries. TASK ENVIRONMENT Employees consisted of full time associates in administrative or general positions, commissary operators, bakers, and associates at the bakeries. As of December 2003 the company had 3,924 full time associates, of whom 344 were employed in general or administrative roles principally at or from the company’s support centers. The company also had 4,078 part-time hourly associates at the bakeries. The company’s priority was staffing its bakeries, fresh dough facilities, and support centers with skilled associates, investing in training programs to ensure quality. The company  offered incentive programs and bonuses to salaried employees, with the addition of product discounts and employee stock options. Panera Bread believed that providing bakery-cafà © operators the opportunity to participate in the success of the company would enable the company to attract and retain highly motivated and experienced personnel, resulting in a better customer experience. The company targets mostly those individuals in urban areas, focusing on white collar workers who seek a fast and healthier alternative from fast food burgers and other common establishments of fast service. With a large focus on individuals seeking a fast, quality bakery product, the company seeks to give its target customers a stylish ambiance to dine in. Panera Bread’s competition derived from sources within its trade areas. The stores competed based on consumers need for breakfast, lunch, daytime, lunch in the evening, and take home bread sales with the competitive factors being location, environment, customer service, price, and quality of products. The company also competed for leased space in desirable locations where certain competitors had capital resources that exceeded those available to Panera Bread. Those primary competitors included specialty food and casual dining restaurant retailers, including national, regional, and locally owned concepts. Panera Bread had a fresh dough facility system that supplied fresh dough to the company owned and franchise operated bakeries daily. The company had 16 commissaries that prepare the fresh dough. These commissaries assured product quality and consistency, headed by the company’s master artisan baker, Mile Marino, who has been with the company since 1987. The company also entered into five year contract with a company named Bunge for its supply of frozen dough. The company also signed an agreement with Dawn Food Products to prep and deliver the frozen dough; structured as a cost-plus agreement. Franchised bakery’s operated under individual contracts with either the company distributor or other regional distributors, with three companies serving as the primary distributors for Panera Bread. The company has had increasing stock holder’s equity between 1999 and 2003, with its most recent total stockholder’s equity equaling 195,937 in December of 2003. Total incurred liabilities of the company equaled $46,235 in December of 2003 which made for a total liabilities and stockholder’s equity of $245,943  for the year. INTERNAL ANALYSIS The company strategy centered around a conceptual focus on the specialty bakery category with a focus on artisan attention bread made with all-natural ingredients. The strategies implemented by the company focus on meeting the important consumer trends met by fast food chains, while striving for a more upscale environment. In an effort to make Panera Bread emerge into a nationally dominant name, the company framed its menu, operating systems, prototype, and strategies around effective competition within sub-level business targets. This helped to company to increase profits between 2002 and 2003. The unique character of Panera Bread’s quality in its cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s, menu options, distinguished bakery design, along with the valuable locations of its stores contributed to its success. The company planned to combine company and franchise efforts in order to achieve its growth. Franchising proved to be a key factor in the company’s success, allowing the company to expand mo re rapidly due to increased resources to outfit the strategies and concepts produced by Panera. At the closing of the 2003 fiscal year, the company had 429 bakeries in operation and documented intention of opening an addition 409 bakeries. The company has 8 key executive officers with extensive experience, both with Panera Bread and also with other major corporations and organizations including Starbucks, Fidelity Investments, and other companies. All of these officers obtained their position with Panera between 1999 and 2003. The company derives its culture from the pre-existing chains of fast food and full service dine-ins. In an effort to supply consumers with a third option that combined the attributes of both of these markets, the company, through many stages of conception, effectively identified a niche within urban consumers. The company pioneered a new market segment of food service trends and through constant growth and innovation has built a successful company. The company is structured with top management and board executives establishing and updating views goals and visions for the growth and target of the restaurant chain. The company has both corporate and franchise operated bakery’s that adhere to the vision and direction of company management and consumer trends. STRATEGY FORMATION: Panera Bread has maintained its business strategy over its lifespan and they continue to employ a product/service differentiation strategy to sustain their competitive advantage as a fast-casual dining experience. This strategy has enabled them to grow very swiftly over the past 15-20 years and has given them a substantial hold on the market for fast-casual dining. Panera Bread’s decision to employ this differentiation strategy correctly, gives them the best opportunity to succeed for their target market. They are in a market where there are many ways to differentiate the products and services they provide. Buyers often perceive these differences as the product/service having value. Fortunately, few rival firms are following this distinct differentiation approach. Ron Schaich and his team were correct when concluding that this differentiation strategy would attract patrons which gave Panera Bread every reason to employ this strategy. To differentiate themselves from the likes of McDonald’s, Burger King, or Pizza Hut; they focused on an extremely high quality of food products. This played into their game plan of becoming a specialty cafe and they continued to choose the best and most natural ingredients for their products. Every loaf of bread is baked with the four ingredients, water, natural yeast, flour and salt, no chemicals or preservatives are ever used. Another practice they employ to provide first class products is within their supply chain. To provide fresh dough to their locations every day, they have many regional fresh dough facilities. These facilities would go through a 48 hour process to prepare bread and bagel dough for shipment, which provides consistent quality and efficiency to all the locations. Panera Bread also found that many customers were more health conscious which prompted them to introduce a full line of whole grain breads. Other improvements that they instituted included new artisan sweet goods, egg soufflà ©s and natural anti-biotic free chicken all to meet the customer’s ever changing preferences. These are the practices upon which Panera Bread has continued to provide an exceptional distinct product line to its customers in hopes of sustaining a competitive advantage. Panera has also implemented change in other areas to provide their customers with a differentiated service experience. They have employed a cafe design which created one of the most comfortable and warm environments to dine in. This has been very successful for their strategy of distinguishing themselves and their offerings to customers. Like Starbucks, they wanted to create an environment in which consumers would identify Panera Bread as a neighborhood meeting place. As a result, patrons would continuously use a Panera Bread location for all sorts of gatherings whether they are for business or pleasure. One of the greatest benefits that Panera Bread provides to its customers is free wireless high-speed internet and since they were one of the first to do so, this created a competitive advantage for them. The fast-casual dining industry is generally a new concept. At this point, Panera needs to sustain its leadership and competitive advantage in this industry to continue to grow and fend off competitors. One of the best defensive strategies that they can employ is the leverage gained by economies of scale. With these economies they can continue to offer their products on their terms, which give them an advantage over the competition. This in turn gives them more control over the market and the suppliers in this industry. Here they can block avenues for current competitors as well as new entrants. If they can continue to stay on the top of the industry they can continue to employ this defensive strategy. One of the main reasons that Panera Bread is relevant is because of its size. At this point they are one of the largest fast-casual dining businesses and they use this size to stimulate further growth. Continuing to grow gives them the opportunity to generate more revenue if executed well with the right buyers. Revenue is always a great reason for expansion and Panera Bread knows this. They are one of the best in the restaurant industry at recognizing shifts in consumer preferences and being able to make the proper adjustments to satisfy their customers. This is crucial especially in today’s world where change is continuous and rapid. As Panera Bread consistently strives to be a leader in product and environmental offerings,  it’s crucial that they continue to be aware of and progress along with the changing world. Even though they can employ some of these strategies in the future, they can’t lose track of their business model for fast-casual dining restaurants in the process. Though Panera Bread has been very successful during this period, there are some strategies which they can enact to stimulate a growth in profits. Unfortunately, with each benefit from an alternative there is always a cost that Panera Bread may or may not be willing to incur. Firstly, Panera Bread could try to vertically integrate their products. This would call for them to pre-pack some of their bread and sandwich products and sell them in local grocery chains across the United States. This strategy would make their products more accessible to the general public even where there are no Panera Bread cafà ©-bakeries nearby. One of the key risks with strategy would be the possibility that product quality would diminish because the products are not being made fresh within the actual bakeries. The second strategic alternative would be the use of mini cafes within retail stores. This strategy has already been implemented by Starbucks with their mini cafes inside of Target retail stores. This would also make the products more accessible to the general public, thus giving Panera Bread more exposure. This strategy would require Panera Bread to train managers within the retail store to be able to handle the proper preparation of their products. Lastly, the third alternative would be acquiring local cafes and transforming them into new cafà ©-bakery locations. This strategy would essentially eliminate competition and create new areas where these products can be accessed. On the other hand, if Panera Bread is unable to conduct full takeovers, there is a risk that they could lose some of the authenticity of their products/services.