The Real Country Way of Doing Things

The short story how I learnt to be a Real Countrywoman is written by Deborah Mocha in England 1995. It is told by a first person narrator, and it is told In flashback. The short story deals with a modern housewife, who is moved from London to a little town long away from London. They moved on the country because her husband Edwin got fired, when the school he taught on was dissolved. Another quite Important reason for moving was that the government was brutish and philistine, and London was full of fumes and pollution, so Edwin said they should move.But the point In the story starts after they were moved In to the country. They are slating In the kitchen and were opening Christmas cards. Edwin opened the last one, It was a brown envelope, and It contains a letter from their local council. They wrote that they were going to build a two-lane dual carriageway through their local wood. The local Inhabitant were going to campaign against the ring road, but the only alternative was through their member of parliaments daughters rolling school, so It was not a possibility.But the narrator will not let all this spoil her loving wood. So she starts to plant preserved and rarely plants to the wood. She doesn't tell anybody about this, even not Edwin. In the end the wood got designated as a site of Outstanding Scientific Interest. So the ring road is built through the riding school instead of through the wood. The narrator has a quite complicated relationship whit her husband, Edwin. In the start of the text the nearly even speak to each other, and they heaven had sex for the last two years.They are very different; the narrator is a modern housewife, who likes being in the city, shopping and being at cocktail parties. And Edwin is more a country man; he likes the nature, the peace and fresh air. In the first time since they have moved to the country the narrator misses her busy life in London very much. The narrator thinks it is boring living in the country, and she has a very debilitate attitude of the new lifestyle, she speaks also bad about it. They have total different values. The narrator likes the stores right around the corner, her friends and shopping.Edwin is more shut in, and he emphasizes a calm family life and nature. In the beginning of this short story they were opposites and their preferences made them divided, but in the end they get interested in one other and reunite and started speaking with each other. The narrator feels very alone In the country in, but when she starts saving the wood, she has something to do, and spent her time on. The gets very interested In plants, and she gets happy to have a little secret; â€Å"l hadn't felt so happy since I was pregnant†.All through this short story the narrator Is quite ironic and sarcastic; this makes the story a bit funny In spite of the fact that It Is a sad story for her In the beginning. The narrator entrust her to the reader, and makes the reader feel Like a friend or somethi ng Like that, because she tells her deepest feelings to us. It can make us feel quite accessory, because we know about her plans. We are also told a lot of details about the narrator and Dawdles love life, which also Is quite personal. The mall themes In this short story are marriage, family life, countryside of doing things vs.. City side and personal values.In the end the narrator starts liking nature, and get interested in the plants and trees in the local w en also Tina It quilt stimulating Tanat seen could set a goal, Ana rater all she could finally reach it and see that what she have done has made a difference. She feels finally important on the country when she saves the wood. She also enjoys all the people who come to see the new wood, and she likes that people all over comes and knock on their door and ask the way and admire their cottage. Another thing that tells us that she likes their new lifestyle is, that she is started to sell eggs.She is absorbed in this egg-sale, an d we gets to know that their eggs is guaranteed almoner-free because she feeds them with her organic bread. Sometimes people even leave their children to play with the narrators children, while they walk through the field to look at the orchids. And after all this wonderful experience with the wood and all the nice people, she doesn't miss Camden Town at all. Finally she decides to do teas. She is going to buy Old-style spiced buns, and throw away the packets. She has learnt a lot these past years, and she found â€Å"the real country way of doing things. †

Statistik dalam penyelidikan pendidikan

PENDAHULUANTajuk ini dipilih kerana parity pengkaji hendak mengetahui tahap penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi ( TMK ) di kalangan guru-guru Sains sekolah menengah di daerah Gombak bagi memastikan kejayaan mengintegrasikan teknologi ke dalam bilik darjah. Pendidik yang berkompetensi teknologi memahami hubungan di antara fungsi asas komputer dan pembelajaran pelajar. Setiap kali suatu teknologi baru diperkenalkan dalam bilik darjah, ada pihak yang Akan menyokong dan mendakwa teknologi ini Akan merevolusikan cara guru mengajar, cara murid belajar dan secara amnya keseluruhan cara pendidikan dikendalikan. Dalam abad ke-21 ini, negara menghadapi cabaran baru kesan daripada globalisasi, liberalisasi, pengantarabangsaan dan perkembangan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi ( TMK ) . Sehubungan dengan itu Malaysia memerlukan modal insan yang juga celik TMK, progresif dan mampu bersaing di pasaran kerja planetary. Oleh itu, guru-guru perlulah lebih `competent ‘ dan `well-informed ‘ , dimana seseorang guru itu berkemampuan mengolah maklumat dan pengetahuan yang sebegitu banyak dengan ketajaman daya analisisnya dan kemampuannya untuk berfikir secara integratif dan conceptual. Ini akan membolehkannya bertindak balas dengan cepat terhadap perkembangan pesat di sekitarnya. Beberapa masalah timbul mengenai pengetahuan tahap penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi di kalangan guru-guru Sains di sekolah menengah. Antaranya adalah:Sejauh manakah tahap penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains?Adakah penggunaan TMK membantu meringankan beban guru dalam P & A ; P Sains?Apakah faktor-faktor yang mendorong dan menghalang penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains?OBJEKTIF KAJIANObjektif kajian ini ialah untuk:Untuk mengenalpasti tahap frekuensi penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains.Untuk mengenalpasti tahap frekuensi bentuk bahan TMK yang digunakan oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains.Untuk mengenalpasti faktor yang mendorong penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains.Untuk mengenalpasti faktor yang menghalang penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains.Untuk mengenalpasti kelebihan penggunaan TMK dalam P & A ; P Sains.SOALAN KAJIANKajian ini dijalankan untuk menjawab beberapa persoalan mengenai tahap penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains.Apakah tahap frekuensi penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains?Apakah tahap frekuensi bentuk bahan TMK yang digunakan oleh gu ru dalam P & A ; P Sains?Apakah faktor yang mendorong peggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains?Apakah faktor yang menghalang penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam P & A ; P Sains?Apakah kelebihan penggunaan TMK dalam P & A ; P Sains?METODOLOGIDua teknik analisis telah digunakan dalam kajian ini, yakni yang pertama analisis deskriptif dan yang keduanya adalah analisis inferensi. Statistik deskriptif membantu mengatur, memaparkan dan menerangkan informations dengan menggunakan jadual, graf dan teknik rumusan. Terdapat lapan puluh responden, oleh itu ianya boleh diklasifikasikan sebagai sesuatu populasi. Selain daripada itu, statistic inferensi pula merangkumi teknik atau langkah yang menggunakan sampel ujikaji untuk membuat keputusan dan generalisasi terhadap sesuatu populasi. Justeru, demi memenuhi keperluan ujikaji, dua jenis analisis deskriptif telah digunakan. Analisis ini menggunakan peratus untuk menerangkan maklumat tentang latarbelakang responden seperti jantina, umur, bangsa, opysen, bilangan tahun mengajar matapelajaran sains dan latarbelakang pendidikan tertinggi. Analisis yang disertakan dalam kajian ini turut mengandungi peratus, min, sisihan piawai, mod, average serta julat minimal dan maximal untuk menerangkan pembolehubah-pembolehubah yang telah dipilih diatas. Selain daripada itu, empat jenis statistik inferensi turut digunakan dalam kajian ini. Chi- kuasa dua digunakan untuk mengkaji hubungan antara dua pembolehubah nominal, iaitu jantina dan bilangan tahun mengajar matapelajaran Sains. Ujikaji-T pula telah digunakan untuk menentukan min antara pembolehubah-pembolehubah tidak bersandar. Korelasi Pearson R, juga telah digunakan untuk menganalisa perhubungan di antara pembolehubah-pembolehubah tidak bersandar. Pembolehubah-pemboleh ubah yang dikaji adalah tahap penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh guru dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains, faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh guru, serta kelebihan penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains.SAMPEL KAJIANDalam kajian ini, sampel terdiri daripada guru-guru yang mengajar mata pelajaran Sains di sekolah menengah. Sampel kajian ini dipilih secara rawak mudah yang terdiri daripada pelbagai bangsa dan agama. Persampelan rawak mudah merupakan proses menggunakan sampel bila mana individu dalam populasi mempunyai kebarangkalian yang sama untuk dipilih. Bilangan sampel terdiri daripada 80 Pongo pygmaeus guru yang mengajar dalam mata pelajaran Sains di sekolah menengah.INSTRUMEN KAJIANDalam kajian ini satu set soal selidik telah digunakan untuk mengumpul informations iaitu: –Bahagian A: Soal Selidik Latar Belakang RespondenBahagian B: Soal Selidik Tahap Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi Oleh Guru-Guru Sains ( TPTMK )Bahagian C: Faktor-faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains ( FPTMK )Bahagian D: Kelebihan Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains ( KPTMK )Bahagian A: Soal Selidik Latar Belakang RespondenBahagian A adalah soal selidik berkaitan dengan maklumat diri subjek. Antara item-item yang dimuatkan untuk mendapatkan maklumat pe ribadi guru ialah umur, jantina, bangsa dan opysen matapelajaran, Di samping itu juga, soal selidik ini berkaitan dengan sumber maklumat mengenai bilangan tahun mengajar dalam mata pelajaran Sains dan latar belakang pendidikan tertinggi. Sumber maklumat ini telah diubah suai oleh pengkaji agar bersesuaian dengan kajian yang dijalankan. Subjek diminta menandakan ( / ) terhadap sumber maklumat yang berkaitan dengan diri subjek.Bahagian B: Soal Selidik Tahap Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi Oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains ( TPTMK )Bahagian ini adalah doal selidik mengenai tahap penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi terhadap subjek yang dikaji. Alat kajian ini sebenarnya menguji tentang kekerapan tahap penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi subjek dalam Masa seminggu dan juga tahap kekerapan penggunaan peralatan, perkakasan atau perisian yang dibekalkan semasa pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains. Responden dikehendaki menjawab dua puluh Lima soalan dengan menggunakan dua pilihan jawapan iaitu ya atau tidak.Bahag ian C: Faktor-faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains. ( FPTMK )Bahagian C adalah soal selidik berkaitan dengan faktor-faktor yang mendorong dan menghalang penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh guru dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains. Dalam bahagian ini juga, responden dikehendaki menjawab Lima puluh soalan dengan menggunakan dua pilihan jawapan iaitu ya atau tidak.Bahagian D: Kelebihan Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains. ( KPTMK )Bahagian D pula, merupakan soal selidik berkaitan dengan kelebihan penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh guru dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains. Bahagian ini terbahagi kepada dua kumpulan soalan. Responden dikehendaki menjawab soalan dengan menggunakan dua pilihan jawapan iaitu ya atau tidak.PEMBOLEHUBAH KAJIANPembolehubah bebas dalam kajian ini ialah umur, jantina, bangsa, bilangan t ahun mengajar dan latarbelakang pendidikan tertinggi. Manakala pembolehubah bersandar adalah tahap penggunaan TMK dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi serta kelebihan penggunaan TMK. Soalselidik ini terbahagi kepada empat bahagian iaitu Bahagian A, B, C dan D. Bahagian A mengandungi pembolehubah-pembolehubah di bawah:JantinaUmurBangsaOpysenPengalaman mengajar matapeajaran SainsLatarbelakang Pendidikan TertinggiDalam kajian ini terdapat satu set borang soal selidik yang mengandungi tiga bahagian iaitu Bahagian A, Bahagian B, Bahagian C dan Bahagian D. Dalam Bahagian A, soal selidik latar belakang responden digunakan untuk mengumpul maklumat daripada responden, bilangan tahun mengajar dan latarbelakang pendidikan seperti yang dipaparkan di atas. Bahagian B pula, adalah soal selidik berkaitan dengan tahap penggunaan TMK guru dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains. Soal selidik tentang tahap penggunaan TMK ini terdiri daripada item-item yang berkaitan dengan tahap kekerapan mengunakan TMK dalam seminggu semasa sesi pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains. Selain itu, item-item berkaitan dengan kekerapan menggunakan peralatan, perkakasan atau perisian TMK dalam Masa seminggu. Bahagian C, adalah berkaitan dengan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains. Dalam bahagian ini item-item yang terdapat dalamnya adalah berkaitan dengan faktor mendorong dan menghalang responden dalam menjayakan pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains dengan menggunakan TMK. Bahagian D, adalah mengenai kelebihan penggunaan TMK oleh guru dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains. Bahagian ini terdiri daripada 50 soalan tertutup yang memerlukan responden menjawab ya atau tidak. Soalan -soalan yang dikemukankan merangkumi, kebaikan dan kelebihan TMK dalam meringankan beban guru dengan menjimatkan Masa, tenaga dan coss dalam penyediaan sesi pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains.LATARBELAKANG RESPONDENItem-item dalam bahagian A soal selidik secara umumnya digunakan untuk mengenalpasti demografi responden Dari aspek umur, jantina, bangsa, opsyen, bilangan tahun mengajar matapelajaran Sains dan latar belakang akademik responden. Seramai 80 Pongo pygmaeus responden yang terdiri daripada 100 % guru Dari Lima buah sekolah menengah di sekitar daerah Gombak. Seramai 40 Pongo pygmaeus responden terdiri daripada guru lelaki, manakala selebihnya merupakan guru perempuan. Majoriti respoden Lelaki and Perempuan masing masing adalah 50 % ( n=40 ) Majoriti respoden adalah dalam lingkungan 30-34 tahun iaitu sebanyak 31 % ( n=25 ) .Diikuti 30 % ( n=24 ) adalah responden dalam lingkungan umur 25-29 tahun. Umur 35-39 ( n=2 ) responden adalah sebanyak 15 % manakala 14 % responden adalah dalam lingkungan 40-44 tahun. 45 keatas adalah sebanyak 6 % dan 4 % adalah umur diantara 20-24 tahun. Majoriti responden adalah Bangsa Melayu iaitu 44 % ( n=35 ) .Dikuti oleh bangsa Cina 28 % ( n=22 ) , 21 % ( n=17 ) adalah bangsa India, manakala 8 % ( n=6 ) adalah dalam kategori lain lain. Majoriti responden 85 % ( n=68 ) adalalah Dari aliran Sains, manakala 15 % ( n=15 ) adalah dalam aliran Bukan Sains. Sejumlah 39 % respoden ( n=31 ) mempunyai Pengalaman Mengajar diantara 4-6 tahun, 0-3 tahun dalam sebanyak 34 % ( n=27 ) , dikuti 7-9 tahun 20 % ( n=16 ) dan hanya 8 % ( n=6 ) mempunyai Pengalaman Mengajar 10 tahun ke atas. 75 % respoden ( n=60 ) adalah kelulusan Ijazah Sarjana Muda, manakala bagi Ijazah Sarjana dan Diploma masing masing adalah 13 % ( n=10 ) .Analisis informationsEmpat inferens analisis telah dijalankan. Khi kuasa dua digunakan untuk menguji perhubungan antara dua pembolehubah-pembolehubah tidak bersandar nominal, jantina dan bilangan tahun mengajar matapelajaran Sains. T-tests telah dijalankan untuk bandingkan cara antara pembolehubah-pembolehubah bersandar. Tiga pembolehubah bersandar yang telah dikaji ialah: Tahap Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi Oleh Guru-Guru Sains ( TPTMK ) , Faktor-faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains ( FPTMK ) , Kelebihan Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains ( KPTMK ) .Ujian DeskriptifJadual 6.1, 6.2 dan 6.3 menunjukan tahap-tahap bagi TPTMK, FPTMK, dan KPTMK masing-masing. Nilai berangka dimensi pembolehubah-pe mbolehubah di atas sahaja tidak menunjukkan kekuatan relatif tahap-tahap ini. Beberapa perbandingan diperlukan untuk menandakan ini. Jadual 6.4: Ujian Analisis Khi Kuasa Dua Antara Jantina Dan Bilangan Tahun Mengajar Untuk Keseluruhan Sampel ( N=80 ) . Langkah 1: H0: Tidak ada perhubungan jantina dan bilangan tahun mengajar H1: Terdapat perhubungan antara jantina dan bilangan tahun mengajar Langkah 2: Kami menggunakan taburan X? untuk menguji darjah kebebasan atau perhubungan antara pembolehubah jantina dan bilangan tahun mengajar Langkah 3: Menentukan kawasan penolakan dan bukan penolakan. Tahap signifikan ialah 0.05 atau 5 % . Kawasan dalam hujung kanan = ? = 0.05 Darjah kebebasan, df = ( Jumlah barisan – 1 ) ( Bilangan ruangan – 1 ) = ( 2 – 1 ) ( 4 – 1 ) = 3 Daripada Jadual X? , untuk df = 3, ? = 0.05, X? = 7.815 Langkah 6: Nilai 3.3 yang diperolehi adalah lebih kecil daripada nilai kritikal ( 7.815 ) dan ia jatuh dalam kawasan bukan penolakan H0. Oleh itu, kami menolak H1 dan mengekalkan H0 ; dimana tidak adenosine deaminase signifikan ( p & lt ; 0.05 ) perhubungan antara jantina dan bilangan tahun mengajar ( X? = 3.3, P & A ; gt ; 0.05 ) . Pekali korelasi additive adalah 0.0018 ( dibundarkan kepada 2 tempat perpuluhan ) Interpretasi: Korelasi di antara TPTMK and FPTMK adalah lemah. Korelasi kuasa dua, merupakan pekali bagi penentuan. r2 = ( 0.0018 ) 2 = 0.00 menunjukkan kiraan 0 % terhadap varians bagi skor FPTMK dalam kes ini. Langkah 4: Menguji dapatan signifikan R melalui hipotesis nul supaya tiada hubungan yang signifikan di antara skor TPTMK dan FPTMK. Bagi menguji nilai dapatan signifikan R yang diperolehi, pertama perlu setkan Arass signifikan yang hendak diuji iaitu 1 % atau pada P & A ; gt ; .01. Kemudian uji hipotesis mengenai populasi pekali korelasi P menggunakan sampel pekali korelasi r. Selain itu jadual taburan T boleh digunakan dalam ujian ini. Apabila n – 2 merupakan nilai darjah kebebasan. Hipotesis nul merupakan pekali korelasi additive di antara dua pembolehubah yang kosong, ? = 0. Hipotesis alternatif boleh menjadi: Pekali korelasi additive di antara 2 pembolehubah yang kurang daripada kosong, ? & A ; gt ; 0 Pekali korelasi additive di antara 2 pembolehubah yang lebih daripada kosong, ? & A ; lt ; 0 Pekali korelasi additive di antara 2 pembolehubah yang tidak sama dengan kosong, ? ? 0 Catat hipotesis nul: ( ? merupakan pekali korelasi populasi ) Holmium: ? = 0 ( Pekali korelasi additive adalah kosong dalam populasi ) H1: ? & gt ; 0 ( Pekali koralsi additive adalah positif dalam populasi ) bermaksud satu hujung ( Apabila kita menguji H1: hanya korelasi positif wujud di mana Iowa adalah mustahil bagi korelasi negative wujud ) ( Selain itu, kita harus menguji H1: ? ? 0, apabila kami ingin menguji korelasi kedua-dua atau negative iaitu ujian dua- hujung ) Langkah 5: Pilih fungsi taburan yang perlu digunakan. Taburan populasi untuk kedua-dua pembolehubah adalah normal. Oleh itu, kita boleh menggunakan taburan T untuk menunjukkan ujian tersebut adalah pekali korelasi linear. Langkah 6: Menentukan kawasan penolakan dan bukan penolakan Aras signifikan adalah 1 % . Melalui hipotesis alternatif, kita dapat mengetahui ujian itu adalah hujung kanan. Oleh itu Kawasan pada hujung kanan taburan T = 0.01 df = n – 2 = 80 – 2 = 78 Melalui taburan T, nilai kritikal bagi T adalah 1.292. Kawasan penolakan dan bukan penolakan untuk ujian ini adalah seperti di bawah: Langkah 8: Membuat keputusan Nilai bagi ujian statistik T = 0.016 is adlah kurang daripada nilai kritikal T = 1.292 dan Iowa jatuh di kawasan yang bukan penolakan. Oleh itu, kita menerima hipotesis nul dan membuat kesimpulan bahawa tiada hubungan additive yang signifikan, di antara TPTMK dengan FPTMK.DAPATAN KAJIANKeputusan Khi-kuasa dua menunjukkan bahawa tiada hubungan di antara jantina dan kawasan khas. ( X2= 3.3, P & A ; gt ; 0.05 ) . Sampel ujian-t yang berpasangan dijalankan untuk menilai jikalau terdapat hubungan di antara FPTMK dan TPTMK, FPTMK dan KPTMK serta TPTMK dan KPTMK. Keputusan menunujukkan bahawa min bagi FPTMK ( , SD= 8.9314 ) adalah signifikan dan lebih besar daripada min bagi TPTMK ( , SD=6.853 ) , t ( 158 ) =44.6329, P & A ; gt ; 0.025. Ini menunjukkan bahawa terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan di antara FPTMK dan TPTMK di kalangan guru. Keputusan ini juga menunjukkan bahawa min bagi KPTMK ( , SD=6.293 ) . Ujian-t di antara FPTMK dan KPTMK T ( 158 ) =51.7703, P & A ; gt ; 0.025. Ini juga menunjukkan bahawa terdapat perbezaan signifikan di antara FPTMK dan KPTMK di kalangan guru. Keputusan ujian-t di antara TPTMK dan KPTMK adalah T ( 158 ) =6.7902, P & A ; gt ; 0.025. Ini juga menunjukkan bahawa terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan di antara TPTMK dan KPTMK di kalangan guru di daerah Gombak.KESIMPULANKesimpulan yang boleh dibuat daripada analisis empat inferensi adalah khi-kuasa dua menunjukkan bahawa tiada perhubungan di antara jantina dan bilangan tahun mengajar. Manakala kesemua keputusan ujian-t menunjukkan bahawa terdapat hubungan di antara jantina dan pengalaman mengajar. Tambahan pula, keputusan kesemua ujian-t tak bersandar yang utama iaitu Tahap Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi Oleh Guru-Guru Sains ( TPTMK ) , Faktor-faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains ( FPTMK ) , Kelebihan Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi oleh Guru dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains ( KPTMK ) ada menunjukkan perkaitan antara satu sama lain. Pekali korelasi Pearson di antara tiga pembolehubah ( TPTMK, FPTMK, KPTMK ) menunjukkan bahawa tidak terdapat hubungan additive yang signifikan di antara mereka. Berdasarkan pada keputusan analisis yang di perolehi, di sarankan adalah baik sekiranya tahap penggunaan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi oleh guru ditingkatkan. Ini secara tidak langsung akan membantu parity guru meringankan beban guru-guru di sekolah dan Iowa juga akan memberikan kesan baik terhadap pelajar. Guru-guru baru juga harus menjalani kursus pra-pratikum di mana mereka perlu didedahkan kepada Pendekatan Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi dalam Pengajaran Sains. Manakala guru-guru yang sudah berada dalam perkhidmatan atau guru yang berpengalaman, boleh didedahkan kepada Penggunaan Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi melalui kursus pendek atau kursus dalaman. Umumnya, Iowa boleh dikatakan bahawa ramai guru yang berpengalaman secara semula jadi mempunyai banyak pendedahan dan motivasi untuk membangunkan profesion pengajaran mereka. Walaubagaimanapun, kepercayaan ini boleh menjadi persoalan dalam konteks fakta dimana kebolehan dan kecemerlangan seseorang individu boleh meningkat melalui insiatif sendiri atau pembangunan serta keazaman untuk memperbaiki diri sendiri. Oleh itu, ia boleh diringkaskan kepada realiti bahawa Iowa bergantung kepada diri guru itu sendiri untuk menyedari dan meningkatkan kemahiran pengajaran sendiri untuk menjadi guru yang inovatif dan kreatif.RUJUKANCoakes, S.J. , et Al. ( 2008 ) . SPSS Analysis Without Anguish. China: John Wiley & A ; Sons Inc.Green, S.B. , et Al ( 1997 ) . Using SPSS for Windowss: Analyzing and Understanding Data. New Jersey: Prentice HallMann, P.S. ( 2007 ) . Intoduction Statistic 6th Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & A ; Sons Inc.Norusis, M.J. ( 1997 ) . SPSS Guide to Data Analysis. New Jersey: Prentice Hall

The Gemstone of Minnesota's History Research Paper

The Gemstone of Minnesota's History - Research Paper Example After studying and conducting various researches for the matter, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports the process by which the sediments were formed. For years, this erupted area sweltered in immense heat and volcanoes, after which Minnesota was covered with huge ebbs of sea water giving a cooling down affect. The ice-age period contributed towards the formation of sediments as the earth was covered with large pieces of ice throughout the period, as a result of which masterpieces like Lake Superior Agate were founded. Lake Superior located at the North of Duluth conceived the most historic and remarkable agate of Minnesota, the â€Å"Lake Superior Agate†. Lake Superior agate is Minnesota’s state gemstone, colored by the state’s biggest industrial mineral - iron, formed around a billion years ago from lava eruptions and distributed across the state by glaciers during the ice ages. Lake Superior Agate was a notable discovery as every geologist was interested in studying the causes behind the production of these sediments. After much research, a framework was developed to study the formation process. About a billion years ago, a catastrophic event hit the earth tearing apart North America and splitting it into two separate pieces. These events caused the rocks to hit deep beneath the earth which further caused the eruption of volcanic activities. The lava flowing out from the valley was, thus, exposed to the Northern and Southern areas of the earth. The tectonic force which was strong enough to break two continents apart also caused the trough of the earth to emerge which then became the basin of the Lake Superior1. The Lava eruptions, however, became the basis of the formation of the Agates. According to the geologists, the lava flows contained huge quantities of water vapors along with the carbon dioxide producing air bubbles within the deposits. Later, when there were ebbs of sea passing through the deposits, these bubbles dissolved ferric and quarts, along with other materials within the deposits which formed the basis of the colored areas within the agate. These sediments now became harder and, thus, started flowing free within the Lava flow. After about 20 million years, ice-age hit the earth, further triggering events resulting in the production of the Agates (Lynch and Lynch 2011). Not longer than 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, a Superior Glacier hit Minnesota carrying the sediments along and took them along towards South. Some of the agates were also crushed beneath the surface of the glacier and, thus, these were also transported south. The refined and polished agates were formed as a result of the activities of the huge glacier over the sediments (Wolter 1986). Whenever one observes the rock, the beautiful red color amazes a layman as a human mind is confused about how this color became incarnated within. However, the scientists have confirmed that the Ferric/Iron which is now vastly found in the mineral area of Minnesota has caused the pigmentation of the Agate after various chemical processes undergone by the events mentioned above. Thus, to understand the process which went into the production of the rock, studying the geography of the area also becomes important. Since the sediments had travelled through a distance, ending up in the shores of Lake Duluth, it is interesting to note the location and presence of the Agates

Analysis of the main forces driving the market for Essay

Analysis of the main forces driving the market for - Essay Example The first spike in the price of oil occurred in 1974, when the price of oil shot up to more than $10 a barrel as a result of the Arab embargo on oil owing to the Arab-Israeli war in September 1973. This was a significant event in the history of oil, as it demonstrated the power of oil in its impact on world economics and politics. (Williams, L.J. Oil Price History and Analysis). The period from 1974 to 1978 world oil prices remained more or less stable and turbulence free. Prices remained in the $12 to $14 a barrel range. (Williams, L.J. Oil Price History and Analysis). However two political incidents were soon to disturb this period of calmness. The Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979 and a theocratic government with a strong anti-American stance emerged from this revolution in Iran. This was enough to trigger a sharp rise in the price of oil around the world and was compounded by the Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980 and as a result oil prices jumped to $40 a barrel. (Sjuggerud, S. Dr. History of Oil: The Single Greatest Prize in All History). This spurt in oil prices was to have two reactions. Exploration for oil in countries outside the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) became more frenetic on one side and the OPEC countries increased production to stabilize prices leading to a drop in prices and by mid 1986 prices of oil dipped to as low as $10 a barrel with the increased production of oil outside the OPEC countries and within the OPEC countries. (Williams, L.J. Oil Price History and Analysis). In an effort to raise the low prices of oil, OPEC brought in a quota of production for the member countries and fixed a price objective of $18 a barrel in December 1986. This self enforced discipline by OPEC showed signs of failing even by early 1987, with member countries overshooting the production quotas

Australian Retailing Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Australian Retailing Industry - Essay Example Since the retailers are situated in a more convenient location than the manufacturers, consumers tend to choose retailers over these specific producers of goods. Annual reports give certainties that today, the retailing industry remains one of the top grossing industry in Australia. From the year 1993 towards the year 2000, retailing employed at least 920,000 people, which is almost 45% of the total number of workforce employed within the said country. It has been noted through reports that through the years 2005 towards the year 2006, the employing capabilities of the retailing industry in the country would increase up to 22% higher than the present statistical data that it presents in the Australian economic industries. (ARS, 2006, Internet) As of the latest statistical surveys, it has been carried on that there are at least 70,000 individual retailing business organizations in Australia submitting up to $150 Billion of business profits to the national treasury system. As it could be noted from these particular reports, the retail industry is indeed making up a large part of the entire national economy of Australia. Knowing that Australia holds at least 35% of its population devoted to employing the minorities or the Immigrants, it could be expected that the management policing and practices would naturally be directly affected. (ARS, 2006, Internet) Management and the Retail Industry Considering the fact mentioned earlier, the Australian community is made up of a large number of minorities or immigrants who have been entering the boundaries of the country searching for employment. Hence, through this particular truth, it could be observed that the management... The researcher states that today, being able to make amends with the way the management deals with the organization’s workforce is one way by which the business entity is ensured with the success that it aims to achieve in the future. This is the primary reason why management could not passively deal with the issues that concern the employees when dealing with the retail practices. Particularly in Australia, retail businesses are soaring high and are indeed making a great mark in the country’s industrial statistical reports. To support the claims mentioned above, a study on the Australian retailing industry shall be studied in this essay. The system of retailing business is based upon the process of busying and reselling used or new items to final consumers in the market. This procedure is mainly done by major industries that are not able to manufacture their own products. The idea revolves around the possibilities of creating profit from the manufactured products throu gh adding a certain amount called interest from the principal or original amount that the products were sold to the retailers. As the products passes through from retailers to retailers, it could be observed that the amount or the price of the product continuously rise as the money aims to suffice the capital or investment placed by the retailers themselves. Retailers have naturally brought in their products directly to the target buyers to ensure their organizations of the right kind of market influence that they need to penetrate for better market effects.

Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Public Relations - Essay Example The essay "Public Relations" deals with how a product’s perception can influence its sale and growth. Regardless of the quality, product perception (Alan Louis Hospital and the Pedophile book) can determine whether the product is deemed valuable or invaluable by the general public. Therefore, there is need to brand a product successfully in order to attract new customers and ensure the loyalty of existing customers. According to Barnett, the Alan Louis Hospital case study provides an ideal opportunity for comprehensive analysis. The hospital, though not well known, has a variety of strengths, which include its high ranking position in patient care when compared to the other more established hospitals in the region, its better customer care service due to its lesser size, allowing for better patient care and treatment, highly qualified personnel, up to date medical facilities and equipment, good patient relations and good brand image. However, the hospital is plagued by a few weaknesses, such as its poor market penetration and brand recognition. Despite its quality services and positive patient reviews, the hospital is not well known, which has led to lower patient entry levels. The hospital’s major competition is the other mainstream hospitals in the region, which has better brand recognition. It is quite easy to remedy these situations if the hospital can be able to utilize its opportuni ties, which include social media, advertisements, regional health care expos, billboards and broadcast media.

Absenteeism within the Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Absenteeism within the Work Place - Essay Example Researchers as well as practitioners are also performing their part to find a remedy that can at least reduce employee absenteeism and thereby improve the productivity and savings in cost. It is known commonly that absenteeism results in cost and productivity problems, puts extra burden on other employees, and ultimately affects adversely customer satisfaction and the country's economy. It has been observed through many studies that lack of absenteeism results in better quality, lower costs, and greater productivity (Hazzard, 1990). Absenteeism is pervasive in all organization irrespective of size, type and nature. However, it is higher in manufacturing organizations. Research supports both reward and punitive mechanism of destructing absenteeism and helping organizations meet its demand to various stakeholders. The present study is an attempt to suggest some solutions to this mounting problem of workers absenteeism. The study basically aims to assess the reasons of absenteeism among the selected sample respondents from industrial background. It also attempts to understand the impact of unauthorized absenteeism on productivity and cost of production and ultimately on profit. The study takes a descriptive as well as explorative approach where in attempt is made by the researcher to describe the various factors responsible for employee absenteeism and to explore the relationship between variables.... It also covers studies and publications on remedial measures of absenteeism adopted by employers and those suggested by researchers and practitioners. As already mentioned, absenteeism is a universal phenomenon. However, it is mostly seen in the manufacturing/industrial sectors. It has been observed that employee absenteeism is higher in manufacturing organisations than in any other areas (Hazzard, 1990). It has also been understood that it is higher in union settings than in nonunion settings. Another significant study concludes that absenteeism is more common among women than men as women are more sensitive to family needs (Dunn and Youngblood, 1986). Another interesting finding is that absenteeism is high among unmarried than among married workers. The reason for the same observed is that married employees find more financial pressure than single employees and as such there is less chance of employees taking unscheduled leaves (Drago and Wooden, 1992). The studies undertaken so far to explore the reasons for/ factors responsible for employee absenteeism vary one to another. However, one common conclusion among studies across industries and countries is that employee unscheduled absenteeism should be restricted and given due importance as it will serious repercussions on productivity and profitability. Steers and Rhodes (1984) claim that employee attendance is determined by two factors, basically, (a) employee's motivation to attend, and (b) the employee's ability to attend. The first factor is concerned with the organizational factors that stimulate employees to attend for the work. These factors include cordial working

Discuss how the American criminal justice system has impacted the Essay

Discuss how the American criminal justice system has impacted the Black community, 1880-2011 - Essay Example One can find extensive research material on African American criminal justice system. There is a great inequality visible in the criminal justice system of America. It has been pointed out by Pastore and Maguire (2000) that African Americans comprise of only 12 percent of U.S total population but they make 29.7 of all arrests. Since beginning of the court system in America, black people have been given fewer privileges and rights. Dred Scott decision considered the black slaves as property of their masters who purchased and brought them to America. According to one report of Justice Department, quoted by Free (2003), illustrates that number of African American youth is six times more than that of white people found in jails. These black criminals often get harsher punishments than White criminals. These disparities are crystal clear when comparison is made between non-Hispanic African American females and non-Hispanic White criminal females arrested by authorities (Beck & Karberg, 20 01). With passage of time, the condition of these detained African American criminals has worsened . It has been found that when cases of these people are brought into courts they mostly take more time than the cases related to white criminals.

Helen Essay Example for Free

Helen Essay 1. Helen’s responsibilities to each of the following groups: a. The Accounting   Department and the University –Helen’s responsibility to the Accounting   Department and the University is to uphold honour and pride. Every student is an emissary and a reflection of his or her alma mater. b. Other students in the class and in the department- Helen’s responsibility to the other students in the class and in the department is to encourage truthfulness. Being one of the top students, it is inevitable for the other students and the department to look up to her. c. Big Apple LLC-Helen’s responsibility to the Big Apple LLC is to uphold integrity, trust and loyalty. The accounting firm invited her to join them with the intention and hope to hire the best and well-suited person for the job. d. The professor of Accounting 544- Helen’s responsibility to the professor of Accounting 544 is to maintain credibility and respect to his teachings. e. Her bestfriend- Helen’s responsibility to her bestfriend is to promote trustworthiness. Someone who cannot be trusted with little cannot be trusted with much. f. Herself- Helen’s responsibility to herself is to defend her integrity. Cheating is simply a deception of one’s self. 2. From an integrity perspective, Helen should walk away from the opportunity to take a copy of the final exam from the professor’s mailbox.   Because once she gets caught, she might end up not graduating at all aside from totally losing her summa cum laude standing. In other words, she will get expelled. However, if she doesn’t get caught, she might repeat again this mistake and ruining her integrity and somehow degrading her dignity as an accountant. 3. If I were Helen and I have a goal of qualifying for summa cum laude, I would reconsider my priorities and curb time for some things that would not contribute to the attainment of my goal. I would rather consult my professors should I have a hard time dealing with my courses. I would devote more time to studying so as not to compromise the ethics that I stick by. 4. Assuming that the Empire State University provides a $5,000 award to all students who graduate summa cum laude, I will stand by my decision to uphold integrity. Because integrity is not something that you do today and forget tomorrow should the circumstances change. Integrity is the code of value that you stick by. Integrity is who you are no matter what. 5. There should be a consequence for the student who provided the exam to Helen. Because the very act of getting the exam from the professor’s mailbox is stealing and cheating. 6. Should the Empire State University have an honor code my answer would be the same. Because I personally believe in integrity and as I’ve said in my previous answer (number 4) integrity is not something that you do today and forget tomorrow should the circumstances change. 7. As a fellow student in Accounting 544 with Helen, I might feel cheated on and disappointed if I found out about what she did. I might feel that way because I could have been doing things truthfully, looking up to her, and believing that she has done things honestly to get the highest academic honor only to find out that it should not be hers. It would simply be unfair to the class,disrespect to the professor, dishonour to the university, and unethical to accounting.

Coolest thing i ever did Essay Example for Free

Coolest thing i ever did Essay The coolest thing I’ve ever done or should I say the dumbest thing I ever done was run my mother’s car into our house. It was the end of summer starting my freshman year at Destrehan High School and I wanted to do something that would have made me seem cool to the kids around the neighborhood so I decided to steal my mother’s car. My mom owned a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder that she didn’t really use, usually just my step dad would use it to go to work and my mom used the truck so I didn’t see a problem with them riding together one morning so I can have the car for myself for the day. One morning during the beginning of the week my step dad had set the key down on the table and it was just a key so I could have easily took it and have everyone else think he misplaced it. For two days straight my parents was looking for the key and I acted as though I had no idea of what they was looking for but he just used the spare key. The third day I woke up and I looked out my window and I saw the car outside knowing I still had the stolen key under my mattress. I was a little too anxious because I knew I had the car to myself and I couldn’t get caught for taking it. It was around eleven o’clock when I got up and went get in the car. A free adventure I took and I thought I was a grown driver driving on the road with other drivers but I wasn’t it was very illegal but I didn’t care†¦ I felt cool. An hour went by and I traveled all over Destrehan I felt like my cool patch should have been given to me that day because it took a lot out of me to do something that crazy. I arrived back to my place without being stopped by the police or pulling up to the truck in the driveway, I felt so bad even hammer couldn’t touch me. My step dad always parked the car really close to the end of the driveway so that was my goal to do, I pulled in, parked the car, and got out. Then I realized I wasn’t close enough and they would have notice something funny. So I decided to get back in the car and park it correctly. Backing up I didn’t notice that I was that far away so I pushed on the gas because our driveway was more of a hill so I needed a little help getting up there. When I pushed the gas I went to fast and had hit the trash can that was in front the house, I thought it was funny and didn’t really worry about it because I could have switched it out with someone else’s. I got out and I noticed I parked the car correctly so that was a good thing but when I walked towards the trash can I heard some noise behind it and I saw that the front window was shattered, that’s when I realized things just got real. I started to panic and come up with lies to explain the window since the car didn’t look damage. My friend Shawn came outside and stared making fun of me because he knew I was going to get in trouble. As he walked in my house to go get something to drink he noticed something that I should have took a look at. His exact words were â€Å" umm Laci I think you should come take a look at this† I know I was inside but I couldn’t understand why I could see outside, that’s when I knew I was dead but I still felt cool for some reason. Explaining this to my mom wasn’t easy at all so I stayed a few feet away from her. When my step dad arrived home he did a little bit more investigation and saw that not only did I brake the trash can, the window, and ran the car through the wall but I also smashed the hose pipe that was connected to the house inside the bricks so there was no water in the house at all. It took them a long time to forgive and trust me again and it also took a lot of butt whippings to relive all that anger out of my mom. Out of all that happened in that week in a weird way I still felt pretty cool for that since it was a fun story to tell to the class. So I am glad to say that was the dumbest, scariest, and coolest thing I ever done.

General Environment Facing Under Armour Marketing Essay

General Environment Facing Under Armour Marketing Essay Target in men, women and youth. (Under Armours diverse product line for men, women, and youth is complex, but the message is simple: wear HeatGear when its hot, ColdGear when its cold, and AllSeasonGear between the extremes.) Cultural differences. (Product transcends cultural differences and it is appealing to many athletes, regardless of nationality; Under Armour is puisuing a worldwide scope via regionalization.) Economic Increase economic condition by improving the sales balance and reducing the seasonal variability in sales, inventory efforts and distribution. Economic risk. (The degree of economic risk associated with the premium pricing and Under Armour is feeling the effects of the current declining retail consumer market that is affecting the broader economy.) Current economic downturn challenges Under Armour to compete against major rivals. Political/ Legal The company works with multiple licensees directly throughout the product development process to ensure that the products are aligned with its brand and quality expectations. Under Armour does not have a patent on any of the materials use in its products. Therefore, it needs to be cautious in its licensing agreements so companies do not steal its know-how and introduce their own versions. Under Armour signed a five- year partnership agreement in April 2009 with Cal Ripken, Jr. The intellectual property rights laws and regulations of countries in the global market vary dramatically. Sociocultural Under Armour missions is to enhance the experience for all athletes by applying passion, science, and the relentless pursuit of innovation to create clothing with temperature control, comfort, and flexibility. Under Armour has reached regular athletes, active outdoor enthusiasts, elite tactical professionals, and active lifestyle consumers. Planks shirt truly did regulate athletes body temperatures, lending to improved performance. Under Armour had five lines of clothing made for every climate. Footwear product line designed for high performance through a highly breathable and lightweight design. Global Under Armour is able to successfully penetrate the sports apparel market by using the image and influence of: domestic and international professional teams, collegiate teams, Olympians, and individuals. Under Armours products are sold worldwide, with the companys headquarters located in the United States and support offices in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. Under Armour sells products in 13 countries, including in-house distribution in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Sales in other Western European and Asian countries are done through partnerships and third-party distributors. Under Armour do not have to contend with the challenges associated with establishing manufacturing plants in foreign countries. Technology Plank created a synthetic shirt made of high-tech material that had a snug fit designed to feel like a second skin. Products are offered through the company website. For the first ten years of its existence, the company was able to sustain operations by using off the shelf software programs. Under Armour invested in a new SAP system. This system is a key to the companys ability to add products to list of offerings, as it allows Under Armour to manage a more diverse inventory and to ship directly to distributors. Physical Environment When Plank was a football player he grew tired of having to change his damp, heavy t-shirt under his jersey, so he set out to create a unique product that would meet the needs of all athletes. Though the materials and technology used to create its products are not exclusive, by implementing an effective corporate strategy Under Armour has been able to fashion itself as a profitable business and remain a key player among competitors. Use Porters Five Forces Model to analyze the apparel, footwear, and equipment industry in the US. Given this analysis, is the industry attractive or unattractive? Porters Five Forces Model Medium threat to new entry Under Armour operates in a highly competitive industry where the dominant competitors have significant breadth of market coverage that is difficult to find an entry point. The main competitors have been advertising and establishing distribution channels, marketing agreements, and recognition for many years. High threats of substitute products Under Armours major competitors are Nike and Adidas with similar or competing product offerings. Under Armour does not have a patent on any of the materials used in its products. High intensity of rivalry among competitors There is stiff competition in the athletic apparel industry with companies of various sizes employing different strategies in order to attract consumers to their product and brand. The larger companies continuously increase competition by spending large amounts of money on product innovations, advertising, and sponsorship. High bargaining power of suppliers Under Armours customers is willing to pay the price for its products because their products have value in it. Some of it suppliers are commodities and thus are subject to price fluctuations; for example, petroleum-based materials are used in Under Armous products and the petroleum industry has experienced significant swings in price and relative availability in recent months and years. Under Armour relies heavily on suppliers and manufacturers outside of the United States. Seventy to 75 percent of the fabric used in its products comes from only six suppliers, lending to Under Armours weak position relative to its suppliers. Low bargaining power of buyers Under Armour has developed unique products that consumers value. The customer is willing to pay the price because the Under Armour product has value in it. Who are Under Armours main competitors? How do they measure up against these competitors? Classify the competition under the 3 Is framework immediate competition, impending competition, invisible competition. Competitor analysis Competitors Nike. Adidas combined with Reebok. Columbia Sportwear. SportHill. Immediate competition The immediate competitor is Nike. Nike is the leader in athletic shoes and captured half of the athletic shoe market. Footwear is new product line that was launched by Under Armour in fourth quarter of 2006. Under Armour is likely to introduce other athletic shoe like basketball shoe in future. It is a challenge of Under Armour to drive into athletic shoe market because Nike has already captured most of the market share in footwear. Another immediate competitor is Adidas. Adidas, who is the second largest athletic apparel manufacturer in the world after merging with Reebok. The apparel is major revenue of Under Armour. In year 2007, the apparel dominated 84% total sales of Under Armour. Reebok second largest manufactured in athletic apparel manufactured, so the merger between Adidas and Reebok become the immediate competitors for Under Armour. Impending competition The impending competitor of Under Armour is SportHill. SportHill utilizes the expertise of elite athletes to perfect its design and innovative new products. It is well known for quality, comfort and reliability. Their clothing can be found globally in most major retailer stores and can be purchased online. Therefore SportHill poses a threat to Under Armour. Invisible competition The invisible competitor of Under Armour is its suppliers. The intellectual property rights in technology, fabrics and processes used to manufacturer Under Armour products are generally owned by their suppliers and not unique to Under Armour. The lack of proprietary product rights, intellectual property rights in foreign countries, and a heavy reliance on relatively few third-party suppliers and manufacturers could adversely affect the long-term sustainability of the firm. Conduct a SWOT analysis to understand Under Armours strengths and weaknesses. Using the table below, conduct a SWOT analysis identifying the firms strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the table below. SWOT Analysis Strengths Employees work as one team. Plank manages his company with a unique team-driven style. Under Armour is one team and my job is to help ensure we operate and execute as one team. Strong leadership. Planks drive to keep trying even during difficult times when it seemed the company might never flourish is what made it possible. He knows every aspect of it because at one time he actually did the work himself. Under Armour sells products in 13 countries, including in-house distribution in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Under Armours accessories category is developed and managed directly by Under Armour. Under Armour possesses an efficient operations and distribution network. SAP system has the ability to add products to its list of offerings, as it allows Under Armour to manage a more diverse inventory and to ship directly to distributors. Weaknesses Low level diversification. 84% of its revenue comes from athletic apparel and gear. Highly dependent upon premium priced products that are closely related. Opportunities Utilizing broad-based, frequently free endorsements and well-received publicity, Under Armour has also reached regular athletes, active outdoor enthusiasts, elite tactical professionals, and active lifestyle consumers. Success was initially slow in coming, but once Plank made his first big sale to Georgia Tech University, Under Armour grew rapidly. During 2007, Under Armour increased its marketing initiatives by opening self-owned retail and outlet stores. By leveraging its licensing partners (JR286, Inc. and USG), Under Armour can provide a wider range of branded products to its customers. Under Armour signed a five-year partnership agreement in April 2009 with Cal Ripken, Jr., a retired professional baseball player, to be their official uniform representative. Under Armour feels this is a great opportunity because Ripken previously was partnered with Nike. Threats The main competitors have been advertising and establishing distribution channels, marketing agreements, and recognition for many years. There is stiff competition in the athletic apparel industry with companies of various sizes employing different strategies in order to attract consumers to their product and brand. The larger companies continuously increase competition by spending large amounts of money on product innovations, advertising, and sponsorship. Under Armour faces several issues and challenges. These challenges include the current economic downturn, competing against major rivals such as Nike and Adidas/Reebok, and maintaining a positive brand image despite setbacks, such as the recent recall of its mens protective athletic gear. The lack of proprietary product rights, intellectual property rights in foreign countries. A heavy reliance on relatively few third-party suppliers and manufacturers. Under Armour relies heavily on suppliers and manufacturers outside of the United States. 75% of the fabric used in its products comes from only six suppliers. Conduct a Value Chain analysis to identify value-creating activities. Value Chain Analysis Firm infrastructure The companys operations from Planks grandmothers basement moved out into a manufacturing warehouse in Maryland. Human resource management Having been part of a sports team, Plank manages his company with a unique team-driven style. Under Armour is one team and my job is to help ensure we operate and execute as one team. Many of his first employees were his college classmates and teammates. Most of them are still with Under Armour and play important roles in management. In order to facilitate its international expansion, Under Armour hired several new executives with experience in international business, most notably Peter Mahrer. Technology development At the end of Under Armour first year of operations, Under Armour had five lines of clothing made for every climate, and the companys operations were moved out of Planks grandmothers basement into a manufacturing warehouse in Maryland. After Under Armour went public in 2006, Under Armour invested in a new SAP system. This system is the key to the companys ability to add products to its list of offerings, as it allows Under Armour to manage a more diverse inventory and to ship directly to distributors. Procurement Under Armour relies heavily on suppliers and manufacturers outside of the United States. 75% of the fabric used in its products comes from only six suppliers. Inbound logistics For the first ten years of its existence, the company was able to sustain operations by using off the shelf software programs. Operations Under Armour licenses its brand name to independent manufacturers for other miscellaneous products such as bags, socks, headwear, eyewear and watches. The company works with multiple licenses directly throughout the product development process to ensure that the products are aligned with its brand and quality expectations. Outbound logistics After Under Armour went public in 2006, Under Armour invested in a new SAP system. This system is a key to the companys ability to add products to its list of offerings, as it allows Under Armour to manage a more diverse inventory and to ship directly to distributors. Products are offered through the company website and retailers, and the company stores in the United States, Europe, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Marketing and sales Products are offered through the company website and retailers, and company stores in the United States, Europe, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Service When customers would request products that Plank had not created, he would respond, Of course we make that! and then immediately go to work with suppliers and contractors to deliver on his promise. What is Under Armours business-level strategy? Is the strategy appropriate to offset the forces in the industry? Conduct an analysis of Under Armours business strategy by using the 4 Ps Framework. The 4 Ps Framework is used to understand a companys strategy based on its: Position (Mission, Values, and Vision) Priorities (what is important to the firm in the short and long terms) Payments (what it will spend its money on to reach those priorities) Performance (how it will measure success) Position The task at hand was to simply make a superior T-shirt and nothing more. Under Armours mission is to enhance the experience for all athletes by applying passion, science and the relentless pursuit of innovation to create clothing with temperature control, comfort and flexibility. Under Armours stated goal is to be a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance products. Ever since its inception in 1996, Under Armours leaders have strived to achieve the companys vision of becoming the worlds leading performance athletic apparel brand by employing a differentiation strategy through innovation. Priorities For short term, there appears to be a trend that sales are higher in the third and fourth quarters of each year, aligning with the football and basketball seasons and the traditional holiday gift-giving season in the United States. For long term, Under Armour has been able to quickly earn loyalty after a customer has had one or two good experiences with their purchase. Payments For short term, Under Armour has contemplated putting more emphasis on its baseball product line to improve the sales balance and reduce the seasonal variability in sales, inventory efforts and distribution. For long term, they have the technology in the fabric and the design and the features satisfy what the athlete needs. Their model is getting to the athletes-supplying them with great product that helps them perform better. Performance This is further evidenced by a 133 percent compound annual growth rate and an equally enormous increase in operating income from $5.7 million to $52.5 million between the years 2003 and 2007. As of 2007, Under Armour had $606 million in sales revenue, far surpassing its first years revenue in 1996 of $17 thousand. Do you recommend any changes to its strategy and/or foresee any challenges? Dependability on suppliers. Under Armour relies heavily on few third-party suppliers and manufacturers. Under Armour should try to find more suppliers for their fabric. Even if the price of fabric rises or suppliers stop supplying the company, Under Armour still has other suppliers to carry on its business. Strategies for competition. There is a stiff competition in the athletic apparel industry. Under Armour should do more advertising to bring awareness to people about the companys brand. This way, Under Armour could have more competitive advantages in the market. Lack of patents. Under Armour should apply for patents for its products innovations to prevent other competitors from duplicating its products.

Physics and the Olympics :: Sport Sports Olympic Competition

The Olympics are fabled to have originated from a Greek myth, in which Hercules won a race at Olympia, a plain in the small state of Elis, and then decreed that the race should be enacted every four years. The more likely story is that the Olympic festival was a local religious event until 884 BC, when Iphitus, the king of Elis, decided to turn it into a broader festival. To accomplish that, he entered into a temporary truce with other rulers, allowing athletes and others to travel peacefully to Olympia while the festival was going on. In 776 BC, the Greeks based their chronology on four-year periods, called Olympiads, and the Olympic festival marked the beginning of each Olympiad. Today, the Olympics are still held every four years, and advanced in technology and fitness training have enhanced world records to the absolute maximum. All Olympic sports have experienced major changes over the years, but here I will discuss a few of the more famous Olympic events; the 100-meter dash, the javelin throw, and the pole vault. The Greeks actually had a sprint of about 190 metres called the stadion in the ancient Olympics, which was a sprint down a straight track and back again. The technology of the day consisted of nothing more than a wooden post at one end to help the runner on his return back up the track. Races originally began with the athletes standing upright, with their toes resting in grooves in a stone starting sill - hence the expression "toe the line". False starts were punished by flogging from a judge standing behind the athletes. Later it seems that a starting gate (called the husplex) was used, much like that used in horse-racing today. In the modern Olympics, sprinters start from a crouching position, pushing against starting blocks to help them accelerate. Blocks were introduced in the late 1920s and were first used at the 1948 Olympic games in London. Instrumented starting blocks appeared in the early 1980s, and consisted of a spring plate and a microswitch. In the late 1980s units based on strain gauges emerged, although they were very sensitive to the push of the athlete against them and caused many wrong false starts in competitive races. An improved strain-gauge version that worked quite well was introduced in about 1993, and two years later an "intelligent" version was developed.

Individual and Society: The Royal Family :: Essays Papers

Individual and Society: The Royal Family What was it like to be looked upon as the most noble group of people in a nation as important and vast as England? The most powerful positions of the royal family were the king and queen of course, depending on who had the crown at that time. When one became the king he would inherit all of the riches and powers that come along with being the king. If he were to marry a woman then she would become part of the royal family, but not really be a ruler with the king. If one were not part of the royal family they would never live the glamorous life they lived. The king and queen could show their power through public executions, making new laws, and their ability to do whatever they wanted to. The royal family changed the course of history by bringing about new religions, theories, the English Reformation, the changing of boundaries, taking part in the Enlightenment, and countless other things. The royal family was brought about in the mid-1000’s when King Edward the Peaceful was crowned at Bath. Many Viking invasions and King Ethelred’s weakness to be a powerful king forced him out of the monarchy, and his son, Canute, took control of the nation. King Canute made England the heart of his Scandinavian Empire and was admired by all he ruled. When Canute died and his stepson, Edward, then took the throne blending many traditions since he was not originally from England. After Edward’s death and Harold of Norway was killed in battle, the first distinctively important king of the royal family took over, William I started the first major family in royalty, the Normans. After the Normans ended there were six more dynasties of families to rule England at one time or another. The next of these was the Angevin Empire which started the time period when the English monarchy "became the first European power to work out a concept of government, the "community of the realm," which significantly broadened participation in government and altered the relationships between king and subject" (Plumb 58). The other five families--the Plantagenets, the House of Lancaster, the House of York, the Tudors, and the Stuarts -- were significant during their time but all occurred before the time period being studied. The first empire that deals with Western civilization after 1715 is The House of Hanover, which starts in 1714 with King George I.

Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby Analysis

John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, share a theme of dehumanization. Dehumanization is portrayed through two opposite social classes, the wealthy and the working class, and the ways in which women are treated by men.Of Mice and Men is a novel about George and Lennie, two migrant farmers, who have been hired to work at a farm after being chased out of their last job. The Great Gatsby is concerned with its protagonist, Jay Gatsby, and his devotion to rising into the upper class to impress Daisy Buchanan who left him because he was poor.In the end, characters from both novels are either dehumanized due to their class or because of their gender. Throughout Of Mice and Men, the wealthy upper class dehumanizes the lower working class by manipulating and taking advantage of them.Curley's wife lives a life in luxury on the farm with no work and plenty of free time. She wanders around the farm claiming that she is looking for her husba nd, but in reality she is exerting her power over the workers. When Crooks, one of the workers, talks back to Curley's wife, she threatens, â€Å"I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny† (Steinbeck 79).Steinbeck emphasizes that she could not only have him falsely condemned, but doing so would be no trouble at all. Crooks then, â€Å"reduces himself to nothing† and replies, â€Å"Yes, ma'am† with a â€Å"toneless† voice because he knows that it is true. Steinbeck's diction further advocates the theme of dehumanization, particularly when he describes Crooks' voice as â€Å"toneless†.Crooks' monotonous response indicates that he has accepted his role as unimportant and voiceless. Instead of then walking away, Curley's wife continues to take advantage of his inferiority by â€Å"waiting for him to move so that she could whip at him again†.This short exchange demonstrates how the rich gain satisfaction from abusing the hel pless. Earlier in the story, George, Lennie, and Candy, another planter, decide to pool their savings together in order to purchase a farm and be their own bosses. At the end of their conversation, George wisely adds, â€Å"Don’t tell nobody about it, Jus’ us three an’ nobody else.They li’ble to can us so we can’t make no stake† (60), George understands that if their current boss discovered the plan they composed, he would take advantage of the high dependence they have on their next pay checks and fire them.The wealthy class will do whatever it takes to prevent the impoverished from becoming prosperous. On the other hand, in Of Mice of Men, Curley's wife can also be the victim of dehumanization rather than the oppressor. She is often portrayed as a metaphor for problems in the story because she is a woman.Steinbeck expresses this by purposely not giving her a name. Her only identifier is her marriage to Curley, whom she rarely talks to. Tha t identifier is a large reason for why George loathes her. When George and Lennie first meet Curley's wife, George refers to her as â€Å"poison†, a â€Å"piece of jail bait†, and a â€Å"rattrap† (32).He utilizes words that compare her to inanimate objects of disdain that give the sense that she is not a lady or even an actual person, but again a metaphor for problems. In addition, George commands Lennie to â€Å"let Curley take the rap† rather than ordering Lennie not to go after Curley's wife.George uses the word â€Å"let† because no one looks for trouble with Curley's wife, but some one has to tolerate her and that unfortunate soul, in George's eyes, should be Curley. Then when Lennie accidentally kills her, the main concern is not her, but how to keep Lennie from getting in trouble.Anything that is tied to Curley's wife can only mean danger. Similarly, The Great Gatsby contains multiple examples of the wealthy dehumanizing the poor. When Nick , the narrator, and Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, visit the valley of ashes to see Tom's mistress, Myrtle, they also encounter Myrtle's husband, George Wilson, a poor car mechanic.George inquires when Tom will be selling him a car with a tone of desperation in his voice. Tom, sensing this desperation, threatens to â€Å"sell it somewhere else after all† (Fitzgerald 25). George quickly tries to take it back but his voice fades off with submission.Fitzgerald effectively chooses the words â€Å"faded off† to characterize George's reply because like Crooks in Of Mice and Men, it supports the notion that some of the lower class workers recognize that arguing back with the upper class is useless.It is apparent that Tom enjoys dangling this sale over him because George is depending on it. Later in the novel when Nick and Daisy are visiting Gatsby's house, Gatsby calls his servant, Klipspringer, over to play them some music. When the servant walks in, Nick immediately notices that Gatsby had him change his attire to make him look more presentable for Daisy.Klipspringer explains that he was sleeping but Gatsby interrupts to ask him if he plays the piano and then interrupts him again when Mr. Klipspringer tries to admit that he is out of practice. Gatsby commands that he not â€Å"talk so much† and just play (95).Gatsby's request that he not â€Å"talk so much† connects back to the voiceless characteristic that Crooks in Of Mice and Men understands to pertain to himself. In this short conversation, Gatsby is attempting to help Klipspringer understand that this characteristic pertains to him as well by not allowing him to finish a single sentence.Much like Of Mice and Men, in The Great Gatsby women are dehumanized to unimportant and frequently ignored roles. When Gatsby and Tom Buchanan have their altercation on the subject of Daisy, she tries to add in her own opinion â€Å"with a visible effort†, crying out that she â€Å"won't stan d this! † and begs to leave (133).However, both of these remarks are completely ignored with no response from anyone. Fitzgerald emphasizes that Daisy is being ignored by having her cry out opinions â€Å"with a visible effort† and then following that with a response that makes it appear as if no one even hears her.Later in the novel, Wilson starts to go insane and treats Myrtle inhumanely. When his neighbor hears a loud disturbance coming from Wilson's house, Wilson calmly explains to him that it is just his â€Å"wife locked up there† (137).Wilson is treating her more like an animal than a human being. In the next sequence, Myrtle is hit by an oncoming car that ends her â€Å"tremendous vitality†. It is very ironic that in the end, Myrtle dies when she was so full of life, yet Daisy will continue her life as an insignificant and overlooked wife.In the passage illustrating her death, Fitzgerald forcefully uses pronouns to describe Myrtle's mangled body to suggest that â€Å"she† is just another poor girl from the valley of ashes whose death will create little impact on the world.In Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife finds it remarkably effortless to threaten the farmers because of their low position on the farm's hierarchy. However, it is just as easy for her to become the victim of dehumanization being that she is a woman. She is perceived less as a person and more as a metaphor for problems.Likewise, in The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby express signs of disrespect for the working class, such as George Wilson and Mr. Klipspringer. Also, Myrtle and Daisy often find themselves continually treated inhumanely and seen as unimportant.John Steinbeck conveys the dehumanization of the lower class through manipulation, and the dehumanization of women by using Curley's wife as a literary device to prove a point. F. Scott Fitzgerald also uses manipulation as a tool to dehumanize the working class, and he dehumanizes the women b y frequently characterizing them as voiceless.

Justin Anson Distillery, Inc Essay

Justin Anson Distillery, Inc. is a company that produces quality whiskey and distributes their product throughout America. The company has recently has been trying to expand and increase their production. In order to increase their production they need to obtain more barrels in which they can age their whiskey for the necessary 4 years. This is going to incur the company many more costs in their production and also increase their inventory levels. It is now the firm’s dilemma how to report these new costs so their financial statements are accurate but also reflect the growth they are attempting. It is also important that the companies financial statements reflect will upon the company so they can obtain new loans from the bank to fund their growth. Question Analysis Assuming Anson decided to charge barrel costs (but not warehousing and aging costs) to inventory, what 2012 income statement and balance sheet items would change, and what would the new amounts be? (Assume no change in work-in-process inventory) Charging barrel costs to inventory would increase the operating income on the income statement and increase the amount of assets on the balance sheet. Both of these values would increase or decrease by the amount of the cost of the barrels, which in 2012 was $4,366. This would increase current assets from $21,813 to $26,179, and the operating income would increase to $6,883. If Anson’s suggestion of including all warehousing and aging costs in inventory were accepted, how would the 2012 financial statements be affected? (Assume no change in work-in-process inventory.) The 2012 financial statements would look drastically different if this were the case. Originally the costs charged to cost of goods sold was much greater in 2012 because the extra barrel costs were charged to this account. If they were charged to inventory instead of the cost of goods sold, the company will show a much greater profit. It will also lead to a build of inventory though and the assets of the company will increase dramatically and that will show up in the financials on the balance sheet. In your opinion, what costs should be included in Anson’s inventory when preparing financial statements to be submitted to Valley National Bank? The first thing that the company should do is checking the ethics of any accounting changes they are planning on making. If it is found that charging these costs to inventory could cause their statements to not meet standards then the changes cannot even be considered. However, if it is acceptable, it would be in the company’s best interest to charge only barrel costs to inventory. This would allow them to still control their inventory levels by allowing them to control how many barrels they want to purchase. Also, the financial statements will still show operating profits because the cost of barrels not being used as a part of sales wont show up in the costs of goods sold section of the income statement. By including this cost in inventory the company can still report favorable numbers and control their inventory in order to minimize the negative effects of inventory build-up that could hurt their financials in the future.

End User

End user database Description A simple, searchable online database made up of structured records whose content Is generated by the participants. The records normally contain personal Information relating to a set of individuals. The database is self-perpetuating in that in order to access It, participants are usually made to submit their own information. Usually incorporates instant messaging capability for connecting participants based on a match. Purpose The purpose of this method Is to ‘find' others with matching needs or take control ever your data.For example, matching interests in order to connect or trade. Participants benefit from being able to use a single touch point for identifying matches and are able to compare offers from a pool of potentially similar records. Improves the likelihood of success through pre-vetting. Strengths * Can offer anonymity while retaining high levels of personal detail and control over how these are shared (I. E. Citizen held records). * Ma y include advanced testing to determine compatibility or matches between participants and records. Useful research tool, e. G. For determining average prices. Weaknesses * There is often a charge to access the database. * Sometimes there can be a stigma associated with being on a private database (e. G. If participants are looking to date). * Can soon become out of date and usefulness out of perspective it inactive records are not deleted. End users are those persons who interact with the application directly. They are responsible to Insert, delete and update data in the database. They get Information from the system as and when required.Types: a) Direct users: Direct users are the users who SE the computer, database system directly, by following instructions provided in the user interface. They interact using the application programs already developed, for getting the desired result. E. G. People at railway reservation counters, who directly Interact with database. B) Indirect user s: Indirect users are those users, who desire benefit from the work of DB'S Indirectly. They use the outputs generated by the programs, for decision making or any other purpose. They are Just concerned with the output and are not bothered about the programming part.There are several categories of end users: 1 . Casual end users occasionally access the database, but they may need different information each time. They use a sophisticated database query language to specify their requests and are typically middle- or high-level managers or other occasional browsers. 2. Naive or parametric end users make up a sizable portion of database end users. Their main job function revolves around constantly querying and updating the Off database, using standard types to queries and updates-called canned transactions- that have been carefully programmed and tested.The tasks that such users perform are varied: Bank tellers check account balances and post withdrawals and deposits. Reservation clerks fur airlines, hotels, and car rental companies check availability for a given request and make reservations. Clerks at receiving stations for courier mail enter package identifications via bar codes and descriptive information through buttons to update a central database of received and in-transit packages. 3.Sophisticated end users include engineers, scientists, business analysts, and others who thoroughly familiarize themselves with the facilities of the DB'S so as to implement their applications to meet their complex requirements. 4. Stand-alone users maintain personal databases by using ready-made program packages that provide easy-to-use menu-based or graphics-based interfaces. An example is the user of a tax package that stores a variety of personal financial data for tax purposes.

The Personality of Luxury Fashion Brands Essay

Charles and Keith is a multinational company that is fashion industry dealing with brand from Singapore. It offers both men’s and women’s fashion collections. Their products include ties, shoes, belts, wallets, sunglasses among others. The company is owned by Charles Wong and his brother Keith Wong. It was founded in 1996 in a place called Amara Shopping Centre in Singapore. The purpose of this report is to highlight the progress made by Charles and Keith since the day it was founded and its future plans. The report includes analysis of the company, their customers’ profile and the products offered. A comprehensive analysis has been carried out on customers demand using SWOT analysis method. It has revealed strengths such as strong brand name, uniqueness and affordability of the product, weaknesses, and opportunities available to Charles and Keith such as online market and threats. Further, porter’s five forces have also been carried out. Other analysis carried out include STEEPLED and VIRO. It will also provide background information about the company. Subsequently, the report will mention business strategies of Charles and Keith, its financial planning as well as its management considerations. At the end, the report contains conclusion and recommendations made after carrying out the analysis. The future of the Charles and Keith looks bright. This is because our estimates highlights that new market will emerge in China whose economy has grown with over 10% in the last five years and Russia. Expenditure on fashion in the word is also expected to increase in the next one year Charles and Keith is a fashionable brand that deals with women’s bags, belts, shoes and sunglasses. It was started in1996 by two brothers; Keith Wong and Charles Wong. The fist store was opened in Amara Shopping centre in Singapore. Charles and Keith is a multinational chain that has more than one hundred and seventy outlets all over the world. The company boast of getting awards like The Enterprise Award for Singapore Business Award in 2008 and Excellent Service Award in 2002. At a tender age, the two brothers acquired the skills of running business from helping their parents in their shoe store in a place called Ang Mo Kio. Charles opened a shoe store in Amara at the age of twenty two and two years later his brother Keith joined him in 1998. Keith was in charge of designing shoes while brother dealt with sales. To enable them deal with competition, they started buying their stock from China instead of Singapore. They proceeded to open twelve more outlets in major suburban malls and shopping centres in Singapore. It was not until 2000, that they began opening outlets overseas. Product of Charles and Keith appealed to both local and international customers due to their low prices and uniqueness because they have an in house design. Charles and Keith became a brand for selling women’s and men’s collection in 2007. Their products increased to include bags, ties, wallets, sunglasses and belts for both men and women. Charles and Keith aims to increase their stores from current 170 to 500 in the next five years. In order to cater for changing taste and preferences of customers, they formed a team of seventy designers. These designers are led by Keith and they come up with new designs and trends every month. Charles and Keith have established themselves as the most preferred brand in fashion industry. Industry  Business Description                  Charles and Keith is in fashion industry. In 2010, the industry was worth over $ 2, 560 trillions. In US alone, over $ 20 billion are spent on fashion every year and it generates revenue of $ 250 billion annually. Men wear is expected to exceed $ 402 billion in 2015 while women wear is expected to exceed $ 621 billion by the same year. Fashion industry continues to grow and new market continues t emerge. An example is China. The economy of China grew by more than 10% in the last five years; this has led to Chinese citizen become interested in luxury goods as symbol of status. This presents a wide market for companies like Charles and Keith. Charles and Keith produce fashion accessories and footwear. It serves a retain market sector and its three brand names are Charles and Keith, Charles and Keith signature label and Pedro Group Pte Ltd. Two of its products are not sold through wholesale or distribution. Franchisees are used to sell Charles and Keith and Charles and Keith signature label as sales operators all over the world where they have outlets. Their products are stilettos, exotic pumps, fashionable bags, sunglasses, heels and wallets. The organization of the company is democratic and they have a culture of taking the opinion of all stakeholders on board whenever they make decision. The future plans of Charles and Keith is to expand networks and increase the number of outlets from the current 170 to 500 in five years time. Conclusion                  From the analysis above, it is clear that the company has a strong name. This gives the company the strength to charge very high prices because their clients put additional value on brand name. The statement â€Å"Charles and Keith† has a very positive effect on the success of the company. SWOT analysis shows that Charles and Keith reap high profits because of having cost advantage. It is observed from the analysis that Charles and Keith has strong management. This helps it unleash its potential and utilize it strength while at the same time eliminating weaknesses. The product of Charles and Keith are unique and as such they are easily distinguished from their competitors. This makes it possible for the company to charge high prices because their products are differentiated. It is also observed that Charles and Keith lack a scale. This causes the company to have high cost per unit of output. This ends up having a long lasting impact on the company which reduces the value of the company. Lack of scale makes the company have low profit than it should. Five porter’s forces have revealed that the suppliers are less powerful because the company requires a large number of inputs from different suppliers. It is further discovered that their customers are very powerful they decide the future of the company. Though their products are cherished by many people, the customers’ switching cost is very low which increases their power. Further, Charles and Keith are not threatened by new entrants into the industry because they have unique products and their customers are loyal to them. Charles and Keith has a good business strategy that helps them penetrate the highly competitive industry. Their strategy involves marching ideal employees to the right job. This gives them an opportunity to realize full potential and to be innovative. It makes them to be highly organized. Their human resources management is competent and hires people from different backgrounds, skills set, ideas and nationality. This makes them have strong job responsibility and serve their customers better. They also have a strong combination of design and affordability. This means that even in the period of recession the company will continue making huge sales. It has helped the company a great deal by employing multiple strategies in carrying out business. They signed regional distributors and gave franchises licenses. They also signed manufacturing firms. It has young and passionate employees in the teams. Their creativity, passion and their learning spirits make the brand strong. The companies motivating factor is said to be new business goals that bring change. The company has social responsibility which encourages their staff to have ethical behaviors. The company is backed by DBS, a large bank in Singapore, which give gives the finances to expand their operations. They have an effective finance teams that give them advice on how to carry out their operations in most productive and profitable ways. The management of Charles and Keith has been seen to be democratic. They take views of everyone whenever they are making decisions. When they are developing business, they identify new segments and markets and come up with good strategies to enter while positioning and strengthening their brand. Recommendations                  Charles and Keith should take full advantage of online markets. They can expand and increase their business at very little expenses. This would bring a positive impact on the company in the long run. It would increase their value and give them a competitive edge over their competitors because online market is defendable easily. The company should continue to support innovation because taste and preferences of their customers keep on changing at a faster rate than the rate at which they bring new products in the market. Innovation and new product would increase their customer base and at the same time increase their business. This brings short term as well as long run positive impact into the company. With only 170 outlets in the world, Charles and Keith are missing out on large market in the world. They should increase their operations in the international market. This will not only increase revenue but also give them a competitive advantage. This is because once they enter a certain international market before their competitors. They will dominate it and build customer loyalty. They can also use revenue generated in some of their outlets overseas to drive out competitors elsewhere where competition is stiff. They should also consider transferring their factories to areas where cost of production is low. This can be in terms of cheap labor or cheap raw materials. This will increase their profits and be able to lower prices in order to fight competition. Since they only deal with franchises and distributors, they should form partnerships with other companies. This will create synergy which benefits them. This would also make them enjoy other benefits that they could not have achieved on their own. The company is facing stiff completion in the industry. I therefore recommend they start acquiring their competitors especially the ones that are in deep financial crises. They can also deal with competition by merging with other companies. Through this Charles and Keith will make huge profits because they will change from being price taker to price setter. Introduction of scales will make the company. The management of Charles and Keith has failed in addressing the issues of availability of threats. This makes the company unable to increase prices because customers will switch to their close substitutes. This is a real threat that if not addressed could bring short term and long term negative effects. This threat can be overcome through aggressive marketing strategies, differentiating products and building strong customer loyalty. Charles and Keith should have a scale that measures the cost per unit of output. This will enable them to increase the volume of production while at the same time reducing cost. Introducing scale means that the company will start realizing short term positive impacts through value addition otherwise the company will continue operating without maximizing on their resources ad making low profit. The company should increase their advertisement campaign and capitalize on their brand name as we have seen through the above analysis that it is their major strength. Currently the company has three brand names,, it should come up with other brands to tap on other unexploited sectors. This will help them diversify their operations and increase revenue. They should also put their strength in getting new customers since current customers are loyal to their product. References Carrara, G. (2009). Exhibition Review: 4 Linesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ A Fashion Exhibition + Installationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ Diverse Takes On Fashion. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, 13(3), 379-386. GonzÃÆ' ¡lez, A. M. (2010). On fashion and fashion discourses. Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty, 1(1), 65-85. Kim, J. E., Kim, H. S., Choi, H. S., & Lee, K. M. (2013). Fashion Market Analysis and Consumer Research for Expansion of Korean Wave Fashion into the Singapore Market. Fashion & Textile Research Journal, 15(5), 797-807. Melchior, M. R. (2010). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Doingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Danish Fashion: On National Identity and Design Practices of a Small Danish Fashion Company. Fashion Practice The Journal of Design Creative Process & the Fashion Industr, 2(1), 13-40. Wu, J. (2009). Internationalizing and Industrializing Fashion: Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival (SIFCF) Review. Fashion Practice The Journal of Design Creative Process & the Fashion Industr, 1(2), 259-266. CHARLES & KEITH Online Store. (n.d.). CHARLES & KEITH Online Store. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.charleskeith.com/SGStore/CK/home Charles & Keith | Flats | Covered – Ballerina – For Sale Philippines- 13230033. (n.d.). Charles & Keith | Flats | Covered – Ballerina – For Sale Philippines- 13230033. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/13230033/Charles+%26+Keith+%7C+Flats+%7C+Covered+-+Ballerina Heine, K. (2010). The Personality of Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing , 1(3), 154-163. Ross, J., & Harradine, R. (2011). Fashion value brands: the relationship between identity and image. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(3), 306-325. Surchi, M. (2011). The temporary store: a new marketing tool for fashion brands. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(2), 257-270. Source document

Business Research Methodology and Regular Maintenance

Owning a bar in the Hobart City is quite an interesting and a fascinating idea. Since the citizens of the Hobart city are quite extrovert, they usually like to spend their leisure hours in a sophisticated bar with their friends or dear ones. The name of the bar will be â€Å"On the Groove.† The plan is that the bar will be having a club with dance floor accompanying it. It is very important to conduct primary and secondary research so that it turns into a successful venture in the long run. The three important issues which is required to be analysed for the opening of a bar in Hobbit are the Location for the setup of bar, to compete with the prevailing competitors and their innovative ideas and the cost involved for setting up and maintenance in a regular manner (Grapebar.com.au, 2016).   The locations of the bar play a major role in its growth and development throughout its existence. Many a time due to the location of bar it gains popularity and customer’s attention as compared to those which are located in less popular areas. The choice of location will totally depend upon the bar will look, the kind of customers which it expects and the level of its contribution which towards the society. The next step will be to decide whether to purchase the requisite location or to take it up on lease. This decision will be depending upon the level of budget which has been proposed for â€Å"on the groove†. At last, it will depend on the owner of the bar how to sync the concept of the bar with the proposed location in order to achieve the best competitive advantage with respect to location and its services. At times, due to the popularity of location, customers usually gets attracted towards the bar to spend their leisure time and this automatically becomes one of the reason behind significant increase in the level of revenue for the bar. So, by choosing proper location for â€Å"On the Groove† the owner can expect increase the level of revenue and can expect prospective advantages accruing from it (Entrepreneur, 2016). It is very important for a bar to always come up with innovative ideas so that it does not loses its customers and it's quite capable to attract the prospective ones regularly. Like, along with the dance floor you can have a mixture or a combination of Sports Bar and beer bar at the same time. This will attract those kinds of customers who are inclined for the above said specialty. It will also be a one stop destination for those people who want to enjoy the drink along with grooving on the dance floor.   With the growing rapid changes in the needs of the customers, it has turned very important to have innovative ideas and to implement the same in the business from time to time. This will not only increase the number of customers but will also increase the level of prospect for the survival in this kind of industry. Not only this, it will be quite successful in gaining an edge upon its competitors in the market. It is very important for being a successful business owner, to underst and the latest Buzz in the market, to remain alert with the changing needs and wants of the customers and also conscious or proactive towards the environment. If the owner of â€Å"On the Groove† is quite innovative and creative it will be a plus point for him to carry out the concept of bar in the Hobart City (Entrepreneur, 2016). In order to proceed further with the concept of setting up a bar it is very important to analyse the target market in the industry. For this, critical analysis and research is to be conducted by collecting data regarding need of the customers in the form of surveys, the current position of similar bars in the state, level of regular and fixed type of investments by its competitors etc. The first and foremost step involved is the amount required for rent or lease followed by the level of investment in fixtures, various licences, opening stock, utilities, payroll, marketing expenses, legal services, types of insurance, accounting and various other miscellaneous expenses . Just for the purpose of consumption, it would be advisable to have 10% of the total other expenses to be allocated for miscellaneous expenses. This will be referred as total initiation cost for â€Å"on the groove†. Other cost like security terms for safety in order to prevent breakout is another important aspe ct to maintain a bar. From the owners point of you, raising a bar is equivalent to nurturing a child right from giving a name to it, ensuring its smooth functioning, hassle-free, higher revenue earnings   can be compared to the style of parenting having a child who is happy, well assured, adjusted and ready for his adulthood in the coming future.   Proper cash settlement by means of collecting the same from the customers, distributing among the employees in terms of their salaries and keeping aside owners share of profit can to add different setup inside the bar for effective cash management setup. This will be the additional cost for the owner. If the owner of the bar has conducted its cost benefit analysis and have considered the above mentioned cost it would be advisable to move ahead with on the groove. Profitability should be ensured to the owner after adjusting all the above mentioned cost judiciously (Entrepreneur, 2016). The above three factors play a major role in deciding the commercial viability of the bar in the Hobbit City. If all the three factors shows positive response during analysis, it would be quiet beneficial to the owner to have a bar in the City. Being updated with innovative ideas and controlled cost it will be a successful venture (Grapebar.com.au, 2016). Entrepreneur. (2016). How to Start a Bar/Club. [online] Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41460 [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Fell, J. (2016). Three Things About Owning a Bar That Might Surprise You. [online] Entrepreneur. Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219351 [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Grapebar.com.au. (2016). The Experience Grape – Wine | Food | Bar. [online] Available at: https://grapebar.com.au/the-experience/ [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016].