Effective Communication And Interpersonal Skills - 942 Words

Nurses that demonstrate leadership skills have â€Å"the ability to influence others, through effective communication and interpersonal skills† (American Sentinel University). Commonly, directors and senior nurse managers are confined to a different schedule than bedside nurses; working outside of clinical practice and patient interaction and focusing primarily on addressing organizational issues, increasing morale and productivity among staff all while increasing the quality of patient care. Effective communication and the ability to influence is realistically maintained through minimal interpersonal contact. So, how is a leader expected to fulfill these requirements without continuing clinical experience and observing implemented changes? In 2013 a request for visible leadership care among Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in London resulted in a new approach for senior nurse management and directors. As a reaction to The Francis Report the London government and Departm ent of Health encouraged senior nurse managers to return to the floor among bedside nurses as a way to increase visible leadership through first hand experiences (Davies, 2013). In response, Davies (2013) examines the effectiveness of the senior staff and directors integrating with bedside nurses and the impact, if any, on visible leadership. Upon release, The Francis Report recommended a need for strong leadership while emphasizing that a way to achieve the recommendation would be for senior staff toShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills1264 Words   |  6 PagesInterpersonal communication is a fundamental skill that nurses use every day to interact and communicate. These skills include clinical empathy towards patients, diverse cultural understanding, non-verbal communication and skills used to communicate with deaf patients. 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Interpersonal skills are a required skill set to have an effective conversation with another individual, which makes interpersonal skills extremely important in the Business community. Interpersonal skills are important in the business community because an individual must be able to communicate effectivelyRead MoreSummary With ever increasing pace of change and complexity within businesses, it is easy to900 Words   |  4 Pagesmanagement development are no longer producing the desired pace and quality of results. Typically the effective management aspects include problem solving, interpersonal communication, decision making, conflict management, negotiation, team building and motivation. To achieve these eminent skills with the accurate quality of management, an individual must begin with strengthening the skills that complement his/her best behaviour (Zenger 2009). Being self aware is highly important in today’sRead MoreEvaluation Of Interpersonal And Written Techniques1500 Words   |  6 Pagesreport which covers the evaluation of interpersonal written techniques. I will provide strong insights of each techniques in each category. I am going give an in-depth explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of two techniques each from written communication and interpersonal skills. From interpersonal skills I have to choose to evaluate the use of positive language and active engagement. For written communication skills I will be evaluating the effective advantages and disadvantages of usingRead MoreDear Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center,. I Have1409 Words   |  6 PagesDear Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center, I have been recently taking an interpersonal communication course and have discovered a great deal of information that I believe can be extremely beneficial to our agency’s communication effectiveness. I invite you all to think back to one of our previous meetings, do you recall any of the following? A lack of eye contact, a lack of enthusiasm, and frustrated looks on faces? How about an overall sense of discontent so much so that people are disengagedRead MoreThe Importance Of Listening And Sports Science Australia1285 Words   |  6 Pageswith the purpose of making recommendations for incorporating interpersonal communication among coaches. 1.2 Limitations The report is limited to the single communication topic of interpersonal communication. The three skills that are in focus, associated with interpersonal communication are listening feedback and questioning. This is then applied through the specific discipline of coaching. 1.3 Scope This report will explain the skills of listening, feedback and questioning, whilst discussing the

Rise Of American Theaters And Consumerist Desires

Rise of American Theaters And Consumerist Desires In the early twentieth century movies signified modernity by becoming the most prevalent medium of culture in the United States in a period of time where the social makeup was shifting from a predominantly middle class to working class neighborhoods that were made up of many different communities. As a direct consequence, nickelodeons, temporary storefront theaters, and vaudeville programs all flourished in the working class districts. By the late 1920s, almost every large American city showed off a new â€Å"picture palace,† an elaborately constructed movie theater. Moreover, with this transition from previous vaudeville houses and nickelodeons to the rise of these so-called picture palaces in the United States, new spaces of consumerism were forged that focused on enlightening the average spectator as movie moguls such as the notable Samuel â€Å"Roxy† Rotahfel who envisioned a specific function for all major theaters. Consequently, I would argue that these new spaces of consumerism transformed and transfixed its audiences architecturally (looking at the physical space of the theater) and psychologically (reading space as consumerist fantasy) in Roxy’s picture palaces such as the Family Theater and the Regent Theater and how these theaters fit into the market of mass consumerism in creating desire as well as a release from modern societal pressures. Additionally, I would like to explore how Roxy and his team carefully created anShow MoreRelated Whitman and Neruda as Grassroots Poets Essays1812 Words   |  8 Pagesand Neruda as Grassroots Poets â€Å"The familial bond between the two poets [Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda] points not only to a much-needed reckoning of the affinity between the two hemispheres, but to a deeper need to establish a basis for an American identity: ‘roots,’ as Neruda referred to his fundamental link with Whitman† (Nolan 33). Both Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda have been referred to as poets of the people, although it is argued that Neruda with his city and country house, hisRead More Shakespeare in Contemporary Movies Essay4875 Words   |  20 Pageshides nothing: its function is to distort, not to make disappear. (119, 121). Injecting Shakespeare into movies involving the struggles of the disempowered ends up distorting the source of their oppression, making them personally responsible for their rise, or fall, and making teachers, if not ineffective, then responsible for the accurate (appropriate) transmission of Shakespearean values. Shakespeare functions as a symbol of middle-class ideology, and even when that ideology is shown, unwittingly orRead MoreArt as an Embodied Imagination22095 Words   |  89 Pagesresearchers to revisit Kant’s question, â€Å"How is experience possible?† In deï ¬ ning the noun experience as â€Å"the apprehension of an object or emotion through the senses or mind† and the verb to experience as â€Å"to participate in personally; undergo,† the American Heritage Dictionary highlights the sensorial and the corporeal. New research on consumer experiences also emphasizes the importance of embodiment. Pham et al. (2001), for instance, state that consumer assessments are often based on both feelingsRead MoreArt as an Embodied Imagination22095 Words   |  89 Pagesresearchers to revisit Kant’s question, â€Å"How is experience possible?† In deï ¬ ning the noun experience as â€Å"the apprehension of an object or emotion through the senses or mind† and the verb to experience as â€Å"to participate in personally; undergo,† the American Heritage Dictionary highlights the sensorial and the corporeal. New research on consumer experiences also emphasizes the importance of embodiment. Pham et al. (2001), for instance, state that consumer assessments are often based on both feelingsRead MoreMarketing Man agement 14th Edition Test Bank Kotler Test Bank173911 Words   |  696 PagesNeeds; wants D) Needs; demands E) Demands; needs Answer: C Page Ref: 9-10 Objective: 3 Difficulty: Easy 24) When Frank buys his own house, he would like to have a home theater system and a jacuzzi. He plans to save enough money in the next three years so that he can fulfill his wish. Franks desire for the home theater and the jacuzzi is an example of a(n) ________. A) need B) want C) demand D) unstated need E) latent demand Answer: B Page Ref: 9-10 Objective: 3 AACSB: Analytic

Get Marketing Strategic Solution on Evaluations Of Co-Brands

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Marketing for Evaluations of Co-Brands. Answer: Introduction Strategic marketing is mainly used by an organization to create a strategy to better reach and satisfy customers by augmenting the profit and productivity of the company. Strategic marketing helps a company to identify the needs of the customers as well as to generate a marketing plan in order to achieve customer satisfaction. It also helps to improve the performance of the company and to create those programs that will help to improve relationship with the customers. Strategic marketing also helps to recognize one or more sustainable competitive advantages that a company has in the market (Wilson and Gilligan 2012). Over 75 years ago, Godiva began as a small praline-making industry run by the Draps family out of their home in Brussels, Belgium. Previously the company was called Chocolatierie Draps until Joseph Draps determined that he wanted to manufacture a more elite chocolate and open up a chocolate shop. Draps chose the name Godiva for his chocolate company. In the year 1966, the Draps family got in touch with the American company Campbell Soup Company. The Campbell Soup Company obtained one-third of a stake in Godiva in the same year. Godiva persists to be the leader in the premium confectionary category with more than 450 boutiques worldwide (Spiggle, Nguyen and Caravella 2012). Analyse the company's history, development, and growth Pierre Draps Sr. began making pralines in his confection workshop in Brussels in the year 1926. He had three sons who were young and their names were Joseph, Francois and Pierre Jr. They all worked for the family business from an early age. However, they took over the business when their father died. The family was intensely enthused by the legend Lady Godiva and named the company in her honour. The values that were associated with Lady Godiva were that she was courageous and generous. Godiva sweets are mainly defined by their look, smell and taste. In the year 1946, Pierre Draps Jr. idealized his Truffle Original masterpiece that includes an intense dark chocolate mousse in fine dark chocolate that is rolled in pure cocoa powder. This chocolate was named as Godiva dark chocolate and this chocolate became iconic for the industry. Godiva was also appointed as an authorized chocolatier to the Royal Court of Belgium in the year 1968. Godiva established its role as an ambassador to its home country after receiving the prestigious Royal Warrant. It also established itself as a high-quality Belgian Chocolate industry. In the year 1966, Godiva travelled across the pond to the United States that made Godiva available to the most graceful departmental stores in the USA. Today, the company has more than 266 boutiques in the United States (Garrone, Pieters and Swinnen 2016). Figure: Godiva USA (Source: Mohegansun.com 2016) The signature offering that is generally made by Godiva is a creamy ganache that is inserted into a replicated shell of high quality chocolate. The best-known creation by Godiva was Comtesse that was celebrated by Lady Godiva herself. The speciality of the chocolate was that the chocolate was a milk chocolate rather than a dark chocolate with a chocolate cream centre. Another most important speciality was Autant that was a hand tinted chocolate leaf mainly made from coffee and chocolate creams covered in milk chocolate. In the year 1972, Godiva opened global boutiques in USA that helped the company to gain importance, by the year 2016 Godiva has more than 600 boutiques, and it has presence in over 100 countries (McCabe 2015). Godiva is mainly perceived among the premium brands that include Louis Vuitton and Estee Lauder. The ultimate goal of Godiva was to increase the sales goal and to make a turnover of $5 billion within 10 years. The USA plant in reading, PA, manufactures the same amount of chocolate for the US market as the Belgian plant manufactures for the rest of the plant (Mathias and Raspa 2016). Analyze the external environment Pestle Analysis Godiva is identical with consumption of chocolate worldwide. It has emerged as an international brand with departments situated in USA. The following Pestle Analysis on Godiva will help to shed light on various external factors that have an effect on the chocolate industry (Grnig and Khn 2015). Figure: Pestle Analysis (Source: Created by Author) Political: In the context of the USA, Godiva had managed investment and payment to shareholders. The USA economy was hit by a serious downturn at the end of 1980s that resulted in the decline of sales of Godiva products. For example, Government and NGOs in the USA invest heavily in cocoa farmer development programs. Economic: Though the economic downturn affected the expansion plan of Godiva, the sales of the company remained quite steady. For example, Godiva was able to gain a 30 percent increase in its annual sale. Social: Godiva was mainly introduced due to opposition to alcohol that made the company so popular. Technology: Godiva used the technology to elevate the online experience of the customers by launching ecommerce sites. Small team of Godiva had been limited in its aptitude to create and launch experiential content prepared with robust digital functionality (Winkelmeyer et al. 2016). Porters five force analysis Threat of new entrants (Low): As far as Godiva chocolate industry in USA is concerned, the threats of new entrants are low due to the existence of economies of scale as well as need for large capital wants. The existence of switching cost and the lack of access to distribution channels had also lowered the threat for new entrants for Godiva. Bargaining power of buyers (High): The bargaining powers of buyers are largely increased for due to a large volume buyer in the market. Since, chocolates have a large number of substitutes so it becomes easier for customers to switch their brands. As a result, the buyers have the power to drive down prices (E. Dobbs 2014). Figure: Porters five Forces (Source: Created by Author) Bargaining power of suppliers (Low): The bargaining powers of suppliers are relatively low as Godiva is an important customer to the supplier group. As a result, the supplier does not pose a threat of forward incorporation. However, due to concentration of the supplier group the bargaining power sometimes become moderate. Threat of substitute (High): The threats of substitutes are always high when it comes to chocolate industry. Godiva has a high number of substitutes that includes non-chocolate snacks that are mainly preferred by health conscious people (Magretta 2013). Competitive Rivalry (High): Godiva has two major competitors that include Lindt and Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. Intensity of rivalry is always high as both the chocolate companies are equally famous in the USA and they supply equally delicious chocolates. The industry lifecycle model Figure: Industry lifecycle model (Source: Annettestephen-marketingjournal.blogspot.in 2016) Introduction: Godiva was introduced in the year 1926, when Pierre Draps Sr. started the manufacture of chocolates in Brussels mainly for sale in the local shops. At the introduction stage, there are no such threats from substitutes and in the year, 1926 there was hardly any well-known chocolate industries that produced delicious chocolates. As a result, the bargaining power of buyers also remained comparatively low. This was mainly because the buyers will try their best to get hold of the suppliers, as they are limited (Balland, De Vaan and Boschma 2013). Growth: The growth of the industry started from the early 1970s and sales started to grow rapidly as it reached to $22 million within four years. However, in the growth stage the number of competitors also increases rapidly as other firms also enters the growing market. However, the power of buyers will remain comparatively low as demand exceeds supply. Godiva had also expanded its market in New York and America by setting up a second headquarter to expand its growth. As a result, Godiva earned profit due to increase of its growth (Stark 2015). Maturity: At this stage, the bargaining power of buyers increases as the capacity matches or exceeds demand. Godiva began a chain-wide remodel of its stores in the USA. Godiva also initiated a new promotional campaign in order to boost sales for Valentines Day. However, at this stage losing a large customer could be negative to suppliers (Bos, Economidou and Sanders 2013). Decline: The decline stage mainly poses new challenges as capacity exceeds supply. This in turn raises the power of the buyers. However, the weakest competitor of Godiva will withdraw from the industry that will lead to decline in the rivalry between industries. However, the threat of substitutes will become high for Godiva. Strategic group maps and apply a framework to evaluate your closest competitors A strategic group is a group of firms in an industry that follows the similar strategy along the strategic dimension. Competitor Analysis: The competitor analysis compares Royce and Laurent Bernard as Godiva two major competitors in terms of product range, traits of the chocolates as well as price and channel of distribution (Tarakci et al. 2014). Identification of Competitors objectives Brand Vision Traits Price Product Channel of distribution Lindt The vision of the company is to make the finest product as well as to match the high standards with equally ethical and sustainability standards 1. Delicate 2. Fine 3. Quality 4. Smooth $10 per 100g 1.Lindor Milk Stick 2. Lindt Milk Can 3. Hello Mini Sticks 4.Lindor Cornet Dark 5. Hello Diva Jewellery Box 1.Boutiques 2.Stores Laurent Bernard To spread the world about how truly brilliant chocolate can be 1.Craetive 2.Styled with Love 3. Quality 4. Delicate $23 per kg 1. Cakes 2. Jams 3. Pralines 4.Chocolate Bars 5.Confectionary 1. Boutiques 2. Hotels 3. Banks 4. Online 5. Restaurants Market Segmentation Markets are usually categorized into diverse market segments that provides to a subgroup of individuals as well as organization that shares one or more characteristics that cause them to have identical product needs. The selection of a target market is a very vital decision for Godiva, as it requires significant effort as well as commitment to put into practice a suitable marketing mix. In the premium confectionary brand, Godiva continues to be the leader. Godiva mainly targets the wealthy retail markets as well as business market segment. The wealthy retail markets mainly targets the customers who prefer premium confectionary products as well as look for something beautiful to indulge. On the other hand, business market segment seeks for gifts for special events that include weddings and parties (Wedel and Kamakura 2012). Analyse the company SWOT Analysis Strength: Godiva is the world largest leader in chocolates. The company is known to have the best manufacturing and a broad distribution channel. It is also a highly expanded company operating in different parts of the economy. Godiva is also known to have an eye-catching design that acts as a plus point for the company. Figure: Godiva Boutique (Source: Moda4.com 2016) The image shows the first shop in USA that is featuring new global design of Godiva. This was mainly designed by New York based design firm d-ash design (Hollensen 2015). Godiva has also following promotional strategy in order to expand its business. Godiva has launched a new wedding collection to make it more available to the individuals. It also introduced large wrapped chocolate bars, Godiva gems such as chocolate truffles and caramel-filled chocolates in the USA. Weakness: One of the most important weaknesses about Godiva is that the company diversifies their product. In other words, they become unsuccessful on numerous instances. Porters Value Chain Figure: Porters Value Chain (Source: Preplounge.com 2016) Inbound Logistics: These procedures related to Godiva are receiving, storing and distributing inputs internally. The main inputs that are used by Godiva that needs to be stored are cocoa beans. Cocoa bean is mainly available from large pods of cocoa. Godiva needs to build a good relationship with their suppliers in order to create value (Miller and Mork 2013). Operations: These activities transform inputs into outputs that are mainly sold to the customers. The cocoa beans are mainly spread out on large tables to dry them. Once the chocolate is sold to the customers, the company creates value to the customers. Outbound Logistics: With the help of this activity, chocolates are delivered to the customers. With this strategy, Godiva had decreased their price to $10 from $50 so that the customers can purchase the chocolates on the daily basis (Priem and Swink 2012). Marketing and Sales: With the help of this strategy, Godiva will convince its customers to purchase the product from them rather than its competitors like Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. The type of marketing that is followed by the company is trade marketing. Godiva mainly worked to continued to exist the trend by marketing its products as an expensive gift items (Powell 2012). Service: With the help of this strategy, Godiva will be able to maintain the value of their product. VRIN framework Is valuable? Is Rare? Is difficult to imitate? Is organization organized around? Result Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable competitive advantage Yes No No Yes Comparative advantage Yes Yes Yes Yes Temporary advantage. The rare resources that are used by Godiva include Grade A dairy butter and heavy cream that are used in large quantity. Any other American candy manufacturers rarely use this resource. They mainly use an exclusive Belgian recipe that makes the product different from its competitors. Under sustainable competitive advantage, the recipes are not possible to get imitated. Under comparative advantage, it is valuable however, it is not difficult to imitate the recipe (Talaja 2012). Collaboration Godiva mainly collaborates with the Ritz-Carlton and Beijing premium chocolate brand. This relation will prove effective, as with this collaboration, Godiva had also launched afternoon tea with a unique chocolate experience. The company also introduced eight iconic pieces of chocolate and a brand new flavor in order to celebrate 90 years anniversary. Godiva has a good lateral organizational relationship with its workers. The individuals have fun while working at Godiva. The individuals are also able to learn about different things while working at Godiva. Godiva also has a stronger relationship with the highly engaged customer base. For example, Godiva has recently opened a chocolate rewards club that is known as the Godiva Chocolate Rewards Club that offers customers with free chocolates. Godiva also shares a vertical organizational relationship with the higher up managers that helps the company to develop (Fukawa and Niedrich 2015). SWOT and TOWS Godiva has a large distribution channel and it involves eye-catching design that will provide an opportunity for the company to expand its product line. This will lead to expansion of the market and provide an opportunity to the company to open new boutiques in new countries. The biggest threat for Godiva is that most of the people are becoming health conscious and as a result, the individuals will mostly prefer to have fruits rather than chocolates. One of the biggest weaknesses of Godiva is that it becomes unsuccessful on numerous instances or occasion. Godiva mainly earn profits during festivals however, if these festivals drop the sale o the product will also drop (Hamel 2013). Godiva can maximize most of their strength by building their brand image to increase their brand recognition. This will help Godiva to use most of their strength to take advantage of their opportunities. Godiva also needs to improve the variety of products it offers so that new entrants in the confectionary industry are not able to take away its market share. Godiva can overcome its weakness by introducing new alternatives and smaller and cheaper stock keeping units. As a result, Godiva will be able to overcome its threats by exploring new markets in the global market. Corporate level strategy Mission and goals of Godiva Mission of Godiva is to expand business globally with high quality products and services. Product diversity is the goal of the company. It specializes in dark chocolates. However, gourmet biscuits, coffee and cocoa, party snacks, chocolate eggs are also sold in different boutiques and stores of the company. Keeping good finical position in the business along with the business expansion is another objective of the company (Ertek et al. 2013). The company emphasizes the taste, smell and quality of the product. It focuses more on product quality rather than quantity. Nature of subsidiaries, acquisitions and portfolio investment Godiva first started its business in Belgium. During 1966, it set up business in USA. In order to expand business in market, the company has taken several strategies like merger and acquisition with another global company. Yildiz Holdings from US-based Campbells Soup Company acquired Godiva during 2008. This year has been marked as the year of globalization for Yildiz Holdings. As Godiva is a global company, this acquisition has facilitated the acquirer company to have a global presence. The organization strategies of management for both the companies were different. Yildiz Holdings is privately owned and entrepreneurial company (Cavusgil and Cavusgil 2012). Therefore, management style was different from that of Godiva. As Godiva was a global name, owner of Yildiz Holdings kept the brand name of the product same due to recognition. The acquisition was successful, as Godiva became top performing retail company during 2008 despite having global financial crisis. During 2014, the Godiva maker Yildiz Holdings bought DeMets Candy Co for $221 mn. The acquisition was successful for Godiva. The new acquisition has helped the company to expand business in North America. This investment has helped the company to make its asset base strong. The acquisition was successful as the corporate objective of both companies was similar. Both the companies were well-recognized and strong brand in North America. The acquired company had growth rate before merger with Yildiz Holding. Distribution channel of the acquired company was extensive in North America (Eisner, Baugher and Korn 2012). Therefore, Yildiz got advantage for expansion of existing business. Godiva has been befitted in many ways. It has the market share of DeMets Candy Co, its skilled laborer, companys assets. During 2013, the Yildiz Holding made $8 billion revenue after making 10 joint venture and acquisition in total. However, during 2013, Godivas share was dropped from 56% to 50% (Cho, Fiore a nd Russell 2015). Exchange of resources After acquired by Yildiz Holding, the new owner transferred the resources from Yildiz Holding to Godiva. The resources have been utilized to improve performance of the company. The main ingredients of the Godiva chocolate are cocoa, which is imported from Africa, central and South America and a few parts of Asia. This company collects the ingredients directly from farmers to get the resources at a lower cost. The unique flavor of chocolate used in Belgium based subsidiary is imported in USA to keep the taste of Godiva product unique worldwide (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel 2015). This company exchanges resources across different subsidiaries. Business level strategy of Godiva The business level strategy of Godiva includes product differentiation, market segmentation and cost leadership in the market. In order to fulfill the vision of Godiva, the company uses strategy such as focusing on best quality chocolate, which is accessible at reasonable rice in the market. Being a global leader in the market is another business strategy of Godiva. The strategy of using best quality chocolate indicates that the company gives priority to the innovation and new product development at a regular basis. Adding local flavor in the market is a part of the brand strategy of the company (Bateman 2015). The distribution channel of the company is very strong for years. Online shopping facilitates the technologically advanced consumers. Attractive graphics and design of the official webpage are made in order to influence the consumers to purchase the products. Online shopping facilities make the products accessible to the consumers (Shen, Fishbach and Hsee 2015). Market segmentation of Godiva is done based on different types of customers. There are experimenters among the customers, who are impulsive buyer. This type of customers has no choice of planning to buy in future. They take decision based on the product price. Some customers of Godiva prefer quality of the product. There are customers, who like to get gifts with chocolate package. Utilizing the market segmentation theory, the company has been able to reach the broad markets in the world (Anderson and Martins da Silva 2015). Cost leadership is a common business level strategy. A company is said to have cost leadership, when it has economies of scale, economies of scope in production. These factors facilitate the firm to keep cost of production at low level. Low cost further facilitates the firm to keep product at competitive level. Economies of scale of a firm indicate that the firm has falling average cost over the production level of single type of product. Economies of scope is said to have, when the firm has low average in producing different types of products. Godiva has both economies of scale and economies of scope. It has economies of scale in chocolate production as it can import ingredients from different region of the world at low cost. It has economies of scope as it produces different types of products mentioned above at a lower cost. Therefore, it can be said that this company has cost leadership in the market (Leong et al. 2015). Godiva has Competitive risk in the global market. However, the threat is not high. Due to having cost leadership of Godiva, new entry in the market is not easy. Lindt Sprungli is emerging Swiss chocolate company, which wants to overtake Godiva in future. During 2015, it has been able to make a global presence by opening 50 shops. This company is trying to expand its business share through merger and acquisition policy. Lindt Sprungli has increasing sales growth over the years. The only drawback of the company is its high cost structure. The increasing cost of production is due to having high price of raw material. This company has improved in 2015 despite having global economic slowdown (ft.com, 2016). Therefore, Godiva is likely to get tough competition from Lindt Sprungli. Product distinctiveness of Godiva lies in the product packaging. Godiva automatically offers classic boxes with chocolates. Its close competitors like Royce and Laurent Bernard offer such packaging however, not as the standard of Godiva. The design of the chocolate are innovated at the time of different occasions. Product differentiation is another competitive strategy of the company (Huynh and Olsson 2015). Along with varieties of chocolate, the company offers coffee product in different retail outlet of Godiva. Godiva uses skim pricing as a business strategy. Skim pricing is used by a company to set the product at a high level initially and reduces the price subsequently. This strategy is chosen by the company to earn high profit margin foregoing large sales volume. This skim strategy is taken to focus on differentiated products. Business strategy According to Raymond Miles and Charles Snow, the business level strategy can be categorised into four types such as prospector, defender, reactor and analyzer. The company has followed prospector strategy in business operation. It took strategy of continuous innovation in the product development and business expansion in new markets since its foundation. It has taken numerous risks and challenges in business operation in order to progress in the growth process. From a prospector, the company has developed as an analyzer. It has maintained market share and has created the prospect of innovation. Overtime, the company has maintained customer base in all the market, where it has strong presence. Comparison with corporate strategy In reality, corporate strategy complements the business level strategy. Business expansion through merger and acquisition, addition investment, partnership are parts of corporate strategy. These strategies are required to support business strategy such as product diversification, pricing strategy, market segmentation. Corporate objective would be successful if the business strategies are implemented properly (Leong et al. 2015). Analysis of business strategy linking with SWOT analysis Main strengths of Godiva are package design, broad distribution channel and promotion strategy, which are part of its business strategy. As the company provides premium product at a premium price, this provides little connection with the local market. There is instance that the company has failed in case of product diversification. Sale of Godiva ice cream during 1999-2007 was dropped after launch due to having problem with the partnership firm. The company has opportunity to expand business in the developing companies. Economic downturn, rising competition are threats to the company, which have impact on the sales and required business strategy of the company (Cho, Fiore and Russell 2015). Linking with stages of the industry lifecycle This company has experience about different level of business strategies. After the start of the business, it has a long period of growth phase. Economic downturn in USA and across the world is resulted in low profit margin during that period. Due to having competitive disadvantages, the company faced decline stage. Available strategy option Under the skim pricing, the company lowers the price of the product at the later stage. It may happen that some new customers, who take decision-seeing price, may choose alternative option compared to Godiva. Bundling strategy can be utilized in marketing plan. Price bundling allows the firm to offer various products within a same package at a discounted price. This strategy can be useful technique in market segmentation and product diversification. Recommendation Godiva has risk of rising rivalry in the USA market. Therefore, the mission and vision would be strategic in the present context. Despite having strong brand value, Godiva has less market share compared to its rivals. More synergies with similar group may enhance business condition. For the success of business, asset and resource management is essential. The company can create another brand name to explore business in developing countries. Due to high quality, many customers think those low-income groups are excluded in the market of Godiva. Therefore, low product price can help to access greater market. It is recommended for the company that it needs to play the role of analyzer rather than a prospector. It is required to hold the customer base in order to expand the business further. Old customers are important part of market promotion of new product. Continuous update of existing products is necessary for sustainability. According to analyzer strategy, it needs to take strategy according to changing market environment. Conclusion It can be thus concluded that the bargaining powers of suppliers are relatively low as Godiva is an important customer to the supplier group. Though the economic downturn affected the expansion plan of Godiva, the sales of the company remained quite steady. It has also been concluded that Godiva uses skim pricing as a business strategy. Skim pricing is used by a company to set the product at a high level initially and reduces the price subsequently. Yildiz Holdings from US-based Campbells Soup Company acquired Godiva during 2008. It has also been concluded that Godiva mainly collaborates with the Ritz-Carlton and Beijing premium chocolate brand. This relation will prove effective, as with this collaboration, Godiva had also launched afternoon tea with a unique chocolate experience. The design of the chocolate are innovated at the time of different occasions. Product differentiation is another competitive strategy of Godiva. References Anderson, M. and Martins da Silva, P., 2015. Evaluations of co-brands: a two-country comparison.Expert journal of marketing,3(2), pp.51-61. Annettestephen-marketingjournal.blogspot.in. (2016). Marketing Diary - Annette Stephen: Product Life Cycle. [online] Available at: https://annettestephen-marketingjournal.blogspot.in/2013/09/product-life-cycle.html [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. Balland, P.A., De Vaan, M. and Boschma, R., 2013. The dynamics of interfirm networks along the industry life cycle: The case of the global video game industry, 19872007.Journal of Economic Geography,13(5), pp.741-765. Bateman, C.R., 2015. University of North Dakota.Journal of Economics and Economic Education Research. Bos, J.W., Economidou, C. and Sanders, M.W., 2013. Innovation over the industry life-cycle: Evidence from EU manufacturing.Journal of Economic Behavior Organization,86, pp.78-91. Cavusgil, S.T. and Cavusgil, E., 2012. Reflections on international marketing: destructive regeneration and multinational firms.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,40(2), pp.202-217. Cho, E., Fiore, A.M. and Russell, D.W., 2015. Validation of a fashion brand image scale capturing cognitive, sensory, and affective associations: Testing its role in an extended brand equity model.Psychology Marketing,32(1), pp.28-48. Dobbs, M., 2014. Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates.Competitiveness Review,24(1), pp.32-45. Eisner, A.B., Baugher, D. and Korn, H.J., 2012. Campbell: Is the Soup Still Simmering?.Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies,18(5), p.65. Ertek, G., Kasap, N., Tokman, S., Bilgin, . and nanolu, M., 2013. Competitive pattern-based strategies under complexity: the case of Turkish managers.A Systemic Perspective to Managing Complexity with Enterprise Architecture, p.301. ft.com. (2016). Lindt sets sights on Godivas crown in luxury chocolate. [online] Available at: https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3d128168-e531-11e5-bc31-138df2ae9ee6.html#axzz4Ipik2NWc [Accessed 30 Aug. 2016]. Fukawa, N. and Niedrich, R.W., 2015. A Fluency Heuristic Account of Supraliminal Prime Effects on Product Preference.Psychology Marketing,32(11), pp.1061-1078. Garrone, M., Pieters, H. and Swinnen, J.F., 2016. From Pralines to Multinationals the Economic History of Belgian Chocolate.Available at SSRN 2785572. Grnig, R. and Khn, R., 2015. Global Environmental Analysis. InThe Strategy Planning Process(pp. 89-96). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Hamel, G., 2013. Difference Between SWOT TOWS Analysis. Hollensen, S., 2015.Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Huynh, R. and Olsson, M., 2015. A study assessing the relationship between ingredient branding and purchasing intention within a service environment. Lamb, C.W., Hair, J.F. and McDaniel, C., 2015.MKTG 9. Cengage Learning. Leong, c., Tu, a., Kuong, a., Nguyen, t. and Liaw, n., 2015. case analysis for. Magretta, J., 2013.Understanding Michael Porter: The essential guide to competition and strategy. Harvard business press. Mathias, E. and Raspa, R., 2016. Godiva, Lady (Anglo-Saxon; england).Folk Heroes and Heroines around the World, p.240. McCabe, M., 2015. Fine Chocolate, Resistance, and Political Morality in the Marketplace.Journal of Business Anthropology,4(1), pp.54-81. Miller, H.G. and Mork, P., 2013. From data to decisions: a value chain for big data.IT Professional,15(1), pp.57-59. Mohegansun.com. (2016). Godiva Chocolatier | Mohegan Sun. [online] Available at: https://mohegansun.com/poi/shopping/godiva-chocolatier.html [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. Powell, G.R., 2012.Marketing calculator: Measuring and managing return on marketing investment. John Wiley Sons. Preplounge.com. (2016). The Value Chain - Consulting Case Analysis | PrepLounge.com. [online] Available at: https://www.preplounge.com/en/bootcamp.php/business-concept-library/useful-business-analysis-tools/the-value-chain [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. pricingsociety.com. (2016). Pricing Over the Product Lifecycle: Adapting. [online] Available at: https://pricingsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/4thqtrjrnl_art3.pdf [Accessed 30 Aug. 2016]. Priem, R.L. and Swink, M., 2012. A demand side perspective on supply chain management.Journal of Supply Chain Management,48(2), pp.7-13. Shen, L., Fishbach, A. and Hsee, C.K., 2015. The motivating-uncertainty effect: Uncertainty increases resource investment in the process of reward pursuit.Journal of Consumer Research,41(5), pp.1301-1315. Spiggle, S., Nguyen, H. and Caravella, M., 2012. More than Fit: Brand Extension Authenticity (Web Appendix).Journal of Marketing Research, Forthcoming. Stark, J., 2015. Product lifecycle management. InProduct Lifecycle Management(pp. 1-29). Springer International Publishing. Talaja, A., 2012. Testing VRIN framework: resource value and rareness as sources of competitive advantage and above average performance.Management: Journal of Contemporary Management Issues,17(2), pp.51-64. Tarakci, M., Ates, N.Y., Porck, J.P., van Knippenberg, D., Groenen, P.J. and de Haas, M., 2014. Strategic consensus mapping: A new method for testing and visualizing strategic consensus within and between teams.Strategic Management Journal,35(7), pp.1053-1069. Wedel, M. and Kamakura, W.A., 2012.Market segmentation: Conceptual and methodological foundations(Vol. 8). Springer Science Business Media. Wilson, R.M. and Gilligan, C., 2012.Strategic marketing management. Routledge. Winkelmeyer, C.B., Peyronel, F., Weiss, J. and Marangoni, A.G., 2016. Monitoring Tempered Dark Chocolate Using Ultrasonic Spectrometry.Food and Bioprocess Technology, pp.1-14.

The freedom to carry it forward Essay Example For Students

The freedom to carry it forward Essay All private actions were submitted to a severe surveillance. No importance was given to individual independence, neither in relation to opinions, nor to labour, nor above all to religion Thus, among the ancients the individual, almost always sovereign in public affairs, was a slave in all his private relations4 This is what the ancients deemed to be free, that is free from rule by a sovereign, but a shared sovereignty between the citizens of the state. It had particular emphasis on participation in the daily affairs of the state and on decision making for the state. This shared sovereignty was crucial towards the ancient democracy because of the bellicose nature of the states during that period of time. He showed that ancient liberty formed because there was no real freedom from coercion from other states. Constant saw modern democracies as very different from those of the ancients and that it embraced different ideals and operated differently. The most important point with modern democracies is that it worked through a representative function in society. We will write a custom essay on The freedom to carry it forward specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The underlying difference could be seen through a pragmatic view that modern states are incredibly large and thus direct democracies on a daily basis would not only be disruptive to daily life but also impossible. All ancient republics were restricted to a narrow territory. The most populous, the most powerful, the most substantial among them, was not equal in extension to the smallest of modern states. 5 Furthermore, in ancient democracies, there was no universal suffrage and enfranchisement of most citizens thus it was not necessary for there to be a representative democracy. Representative democracy was a product of pragmatism and a market driven economy based on commerce. States today are very much driven by the market economy, and thus individuals are more self interested in their own affairs. Citizens of the modern state are more concerned with their liberty to be left to their own devices where they could engage in their own economic activities rather than to deliberate on a constant basis in the political sphere. Constant believed that the stability and beneficence of modern liberty was based on three distinct judgements: the civilising impact and evident mutual advantage of international economic exchange, the effective military security of all relatively commercialised societies against military threats from pre-commercial societies, and the manifest absence of rational material advantage for any modern state power in pursuing either its own interests or those of its subjects by the threat of use of armed force against other modern states. 6 Modern liberty differed considerably from that of the ancients, as modern liberty would be what Isaiah Berlin called negative liberty or freedom. Alternatively, positive freedom or liberty is what Berlin called that of the ancients. Negative freedom, is a notion where the individual is allowed actions when no one is interfering with your right to action. There is a lack of constraint, whereas positive liberty (that of the ancients) is to have the ability to carry through an objective and the freedom to carry it forward. To understand how Constant was lead to believe that ancient democracy was dangerously impractical; is to understand what would happen when ancient liberties are placed on a modern world. Constant shows the difference between the ancients and moderns in terms of the outcome of these differences. Firstly the size of a country causes a corresponding decrease of the political importance allotted to each individual7 Constant believes that, in ancient states, the individual citizen still wield considerable power in terms of his political influence whilst in modern states, he does not.

Hower House essays

Hower House essays Hower House is a Victorian Second Empire Italianate Mansion; it was built in 1871 by architect Jacob Snyder. The home belonged originally to John Henry Hower and his wife Susan. The house was occupied by the Howers and there descendants until 1793 when it was donated to the University of Akron by Grace Hower Crawford. The time that was represented by the Hower House was 1871 to around 1973. Some facts I learned were that the fireplaces in the Hower House are actually stone and just appear to be marble or wood. The fireplace that looked like it was wood was very interesting because its impossible to have actually wooden fireplace because it would catch fire. In the era of the Hower House a persons wealth was dependant on how many rooms there house had in it. The Hower House has 28 rooms. Most houses of the era didnt have a closet in the bedrooms because the government counted closets as rooms and taxed people if they had them. The Hower House has a closet in every bedroom bec ause the family was rich enough to afford such amenities. I also learned what an actual Griffin is (and not just someone who goes to Buchtel). A Griffin was a gargoyle like creature that was half eagle and half lion. The house had statues of Griffins that were used as table legs and such. Another fact I learned was that most of the furniture and a decorative pieces in Hower House came from places outside the U.S. The Howers loved to travel and collect goods from all over the globe. My guide also showed me a steep set of stairs that led to the top of the towers. She claimed that on a clear day you could see Cleveland but also added that she never went to the top of the Tower because she wasnt allowed. I thought that was interesting because I knew the house was big but I didnt think it was that big. I learned that people who lived at during this time did basically the same things we do but it was ...

Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Sample

Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Sample Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Example Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Example It is very difficult to surprise a person in the modern world. Technological and scientific progress reached a huge success, and its pace is constantly increasing. If someone told a person from the early XX century something about the mobile phones or computers, he or she would be taken for a full. The main reason for the development and progress is a desire of a human being to live comfortably. That is why today we can talk about such technology as smart home. Many people know about the existence of smart homes already. In brief, they are fully monitored by machinery, or the CPU. They can regulate microclimate, open and close the curtains, turn off the flow of the water or gas or vice versa and much more. As a result, we face a living space fully adjusted to our needs. Naturally, it is not a cheap pleasure. According to Sripan, Lin, Petchlorlean, and Ketcham (2012), â€Å"Although smart homes have many properties that make human’s lives convenient, these smart properties are in a higher price tag. The cost of an intelligent home is high because some of the technology is relatively new.† (International Conference on Systems and Electronic Engineering) However, as practice shows, automation always has a positive effect on savings. According to Harper (2003), â€Å"The word smart house was first used in an official way as long ago as 1984 by the American Association of House Builders, though the first wired homes were actually built by hobbyists in the early 1960s.† The first smart houses appeared naturally in the USA, back in the 50s of the last century. At that time, smart houses were really unique apartments equipped with special electronics that controlled many things in the house, for example, washing machines, TV sets, microwaves, etc. All these appliances have been combined into one, and managed from a single console, which gave a person a possibility to control them by â€Å"Disable† and â€Å"Enable† buttons. Over time, intelligent buildings began to appear; they have already been fully equipped with various automatics combined into a single network. At this time, development has been rapid; researchers and developers have been paying particular attention not only to comfort but al so safety, economy and resources. Modern Technologies of Smart Homes Funds, invested in the development of new technologies for intelligent buildings were huge, and people believed that it will bring substantial benefits in the future. Since 1978, the developers were able to achieve control of electrical appliances through conventional wires with the electricity voltage of 110V. It was a real breakthrough that enabled further development and implementation of this scheme. Special development began in the 90s, when there was a considerable amount of various detectors and sensors, without which it was impossible to even process automation. Modern smart home contains many innovations that have ensured total safety and comfort. Having all of these developments makes dreams come true: now people are not supposed to worry about their houses, because they are always controlled by the equipment that does not fail working for years without any problems, even when no one is in the house. Some decades ago, by saying smart house, people often meant a complex and expensive system of remote control of lights, heating and other systems, but now it has become much wider. There are smart building materials and applications for the iPhone, which allow a person to turn off electrical appliances at a distance (in case a person forgets to turn off the iron from the socket), and robots that can do the cleaning instead of a person. Here are the most famous technologies and materials that have changed our home and the way we live. Lighting Control The issue of a large number of light switches in smart houses is solved due to their high flexibility. Any switch can be reprogrammed, so that it may be used for turning on or off any light device or devices in the house depending on one’s choice. In addition, there are registers for individual light scenarios for each group of light devices. There may be light scenarios for reading, cleaning, working on a computer, etc. Sometimes people need to simultaneously turn on or off multiple light sources, for example, to create a comfortable atmosphere for watching television. In this case, the smart house turns off all lights in the room except for emergency lighting and simultaneously closes the curtains. If one wants to turn on or off the light in the room, then â€Å"use an iPad ® to simply touch an image of the actual light in the room you desire to control, and not only will the light in the room turn on/off or dim when pressed, but it will also illuminate on the iPad to confirm the command† (Savant Systems, n.d.). To implement lighting scenarios, the light control in a smart house is automated. For this purpose, there several types of sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, sensor indicating door position, etc. For example, when a man enters the room light illuminates. On the contrary, when the room is empty, the light is turned off. It does not require additional efforts in order to switch on the lights; therefore, it is a very convenient tool, especially if someone is busy with both hands. In response to movement in the room, smart house simultaneously estimates the amount of natural light. As soon as the brightness of daylight decreases, smart house will increase the intensity of light in proportion to the daylight. If the room has enough sunlight, lights will be automatically turned off. The same principle is working in response to the day of the week, time of the day or a specific event, such as opening/closing blinds, doors, etc. If one gets up at night to check how the baby sleeps, a smart home lamp will automatically regulate the required intensity of light, which will be enough to see the objects in the room, and the light will not cause a nuisance to the eyes. In todays smart home, all light sources, including street lights and RGB background light can be controlled remotely using the remote or a single control panel. Smart house is able to protect itself during the absence of the owner. It can simulate the presence of a person in the house, periodically turning lights on and off in different rooms, creating noise and other effects of the presence of people. To my mind, this technology is very comfortable. Sitting in a chair and watching TV, one may easily turn the lights on or off in the garage, hallway or in any other part of the house by pressing some buttons on the control panel. What is more, one can control the light in the smart home from anywhere in the globe. Control of Appliances Household appliances are designed to provide people with comfortable existence. However, over the last decade, almost every house has accumulated so many appliances that today, there is a new problem: how to control their work. Smart house itself manages the operation of all appliances. To make sure that such electrical appliances in the house as TV, iron, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, electric heater, etc. are subordinate to one or two push buttons on the control panel, all sockets are tied together into a single network and are controlled by a smart house. This will save an owner from the familiar concern: â€Å"Did I turn off an iron leaving the house?†, â€Å"Did I leave the oven turned on?† or â€Å"Does the washing machine work fine during my absence?† Now with the help of one touch of a button on the control panel, one can enable or disable the device he or she wants. It is important that it can be done even if a person is away from home by using a mobile phone. If he/she is in doubt whether you turned off an iron today before leaving, just disconnect the outlet into which the iron was included using a mobile phone. If necessary, smart home can stop energy supply to all devices, except for those groups of consumers of electricity, which are critical to the operation of the system. Remote control allows people to program work appliances so that they turn on or off in accordance with a particular scenario or predetermined schedule. So, if the house has exterior lamp that is plugged in, one can program its work depending on the time of the day. I am pretty sure that remote control is extremely useful. If parents, for example, do not want their child to watch TV after 21:00, they may configure the system in order to turn off the power of television in 21:00. While at work, one can check whether all the appliances are turned off after the child goes to school. As a result, people not only feel safe, but save energy as well. Climate Control Creating the desired indoor climate is achieved by coordinated operation of a range of appliances. It can be electric and gas boilers, radiators, warm floor, air conditioners, humidifiers, or ventilation system. In smart house, climate control is carried out by using a mobile phone, personal computer or single control panel. A few clicks are needed to create personal microclimate for each room. Automatic climate control and management. The micro climate in the room is fully dependent on the heat source. This can be radiators, fan coils, converters, warm floors, or air conditioners. Smart home can choose the most cost-effective heat source for any time of the day. Smart home is called smart because it, for example, will not allow the inclusion of radiators when the air conditioner is working. Availability of special temperature sensors allows it to respond to changing weather conditions outside. In warm weather, smart home disables the extra heating, thus saving electricity consumption. When it is raining or snowing outside, smart house will inform the owner about the open balcony door or window and, if necessary, independently include the snow melting system. Scenarios of climate control One can easily use the control panel or mobile phone to set a particular scenario of heating a house. The house temperature may be controlled depending on the day of the week or time of the day. â€Å"From your Apple iPad, Savant’s HVAC Scheduler allows users to quickly create their own climate schedules based on time of the day, month of the year and annual including season change, temperature and humidity† (Savant Systems, n.d.). For example, Monday through Friday, during the daytime, when the house is unoccupied, the rooms will be supplied with economical heating. And in those days when one is at home during the day, the temperature will correspond to the desired rate. Conditioning Smart house can achieve more efficient use of such common devices in the home such as air conditioner. Thus, if the room temperature is low, the air conditioners can be used as heaters. On the other hand, thanks to special sensors, smart house is itself smart enough to turn off the air conditioner when the windows are open. Using a mobile phone, one can control the air conditioning at home, while being in the office or in the car. For example, in the hot afternoon, one can turn on the conditioner, and it will cool the apartment before the person’s arrival. Ventilation Smart house has a special ventilation system that not only brings the fresh air, but also makes sure that it is clean. Ventilation is controlled either according to a schedule or on a specific event. In the first case, the ventilation is switched on / off at the required time of the day. For example, before going to sleep air is automatically ventilated in the bedroom. In the second case, the ventilation can work on a specific event: special sensors will monitor the quality of the air and the amount of CO2 in it. I think this is very helpful, especially if there are many people in the house, because the sensor responds to the increase in carbon dioxide concentration and the ventilation system will start working more actively. And vice versa if the house is not crowded, the system will operate in a power saving mode. Multiroom Multiroom is a system that takes video and audio from any source in the home TV, stereo, DVD, TV-tuner, Blu-ray or computer and distributes them around the house. From any room, one can watch videos, listen to favorite songs, no matter where the source is. And all this can be controlled with a convenient touch panel. There is no need to clutter up the house with all sorts of wires or speakers as all equipment is compactly collected in a single place. It may be, for example, home theater or other room convenient for a person. Here is how this is implemented in Savant multiroom system: â€Å"Any iPhone or iPod touch becomes an active media player within your smart home’s whole house audio system. Simply connect your iPhone or a guests iPod touch to a Savant Media Dock, and the media content loaded on each device can be distributed to any room† (Savant Systems, n.d.). Smart house is a real music box. People can create unique musical arrangement in each room, filling their home with originality and peaceful atmosphere. And it is all thanks to the multiroom. In the morning, people will wake up to their favorite tune that will accompany them to the bathroom and wardrobe, and the kitchen will become a place where they will watch news on TV. It is up to people to decide what to play, control the volume and at what time. Home theater can be found almost in all modern houses. And in the smart house theater system turns into a professional cinema. All a person needs is to comfortably settle in the favorite chair. A multiroom will make sure that the home cinema show is truly memorable. Multiroom outputs video to any screen in the house. For instance, a person decides to watch a movie in the sitting room, but eventually he/she got tired and decided to go to the bedroom. This person can send the video to the screen which is in the bedroom and lying in a comfortable bed can continue watching the film. Thanks to multi-room, smart home lets one easily establishes an intercom system between rooms so that one can call wherever he/she wants only by pressing one panel button. Besides, one can establish a special baby monitor regime that gives an opportunity to hear everything that happens in the house. Smart Controller Smart house constantly monitors the consumption of gas, electricity, water, heat etc. All these data is captured by special sensors and sent to the management system, where the entire picture of consumption of resources for the chosen period is created. Result can be seen on any screen existing in the house. It is also possible to see energy consumption by individual devices or a group of appliances individually. The system displays not just dry figures; it shows consumption statistics in graphs, tables, charts, etc. Thus, it is possible to use all the resources of smart home effectively and save money of its inhabitants. If an owner wants to know which of the subsystems of the house have been used and how many resources have been consumed on Friday or what the temperature in the house or the humidity level was, etc., then a person should select the date on the panel, choose the desired device or subsystem and see the statistics. A person can analyze the operation of any equipment at home and, if necessary, adjust the settings and the amount of resources consumed. The database stores information about the work of all, without exception, members of the smart house. Everything is very simple and convenient! Where does the money go? This question does not disturb the owners of smart houses, because thanks to such scrupulous monitoring consumption of all resources (water, gas, and electricity), they know the exact answer. They can easily give an assignment to the system to adjust consumption by various devices, if they eat too much energy. Pay the bills without leaving home Smart homes can generate bills for gas, electricity or water on their own, without any help of their owners, and promptly pay for services such as gas, electricity, water or Internet. As for me, this technology is like a third hand, because it can fully control the house bills and pay them. What is more it tries to do that with the lowest cost. However, it is important to periodically look over the consumption statistics on the control panel in order to ensure that everything works smoothly, without spending unnecessary resources. Safety Safety takes a special place in the structure of intelligent home security system. Its work is carried out in two main directions. The first ensures safe operation of all systems at home, while the second performs security functions. As a result, the security system will protect the house from the penetration of undesirable persons, supervise the correct operation of gas and water supply systems, and keep the doors and windows under control. In case of emergency, smart house informs the owner wherever he or she is. According to Robles and Kim (2010), â€Å"If an individual has difficulty moving around effectively, they are often forced to depend on others for care. A smart home security system allows the homeowner to remotely view visitors on a camera, and speak to them via microphone and speakers.† Protection against water leaks and domestic gas. Failure of the elements of water supply system is not as destructive as, for example, fire, but it can lead to a household disaster. To prevent the unfortunate consequences of water leakage, the smart house uses special sensors. Water sensors are installed in the areas where the probability of occurrence of leakage is the highest, most often under the bath or washing machine. If the floor is wet, the sensors will give the signal to the valves that would prevent water supply to the system, thereby preventing flooding in the room. At the same moment, smart house will send a message to the owner, warning about the accident. According to El-Basioni, El-Kader, and Fakhreldin (2013), â€Å"Smoke detectors and gas detectors will be used to measure the required type of gas concentration, and warn about that following the same behavior of the windows motion sensors, in addition they will aid to home ventilation as a quick countermeasure through running the electric air hood.† Thus, the intelligent home security system not only controls the operation of all systems, but also responds to emergencies, notifying the owners at the same time. House Security System It often happens that a person needs to leave the house unattended for a long time. For example, if he or she left for a business trip or on vacation, the smart house would be useful. Presence simulation. Smart house allows people to simulate their presence at home. There are many ways of imitation; they differ in intensity and frequency. According to the scenarios developed by the owner, the light may be switched off or on periodically, and smart house may turn on soft music or some voice. In some scenarios, even the sounds of running water, whistling kettle and other evidence of human presence in the house can be provided. Security features The house is equipped with a group of sensors. According to Laberg, Aspelund, and Thygesen (2005), â€Å"Sensors monitor and measure activities in the surroundings. Examples are movement and heat sensors, humidity sensors, bed mats, thermometers and smoke detectors.† Signal of penetration of unknown person into the building will allow the protected object to be instantly transferred to the security service and the owner of the house. Such devices are good, if the house is empty for a long time. Control over windows and doors One important element of intelligent home security systems are magnetic contact sensors closing / opening windows and doors. If a person is away from home or goes to bed, the system will inform him or her about an open door or windows being closed not tightly. If a habitant decides not to close the window, then the window sensor shuts down, and motion sensors installed in the room will be upgraded to a reduced sensitivity mode to avoid false alarms due to the fluctuation of curtains. Each sensor can be set on the required level of sensitivity so that it would not react, for example, on the slightest hesitation or pets. Well-organized system of intelligent home security is not a luxury. It is a way to prevent extremely unpleasant situations in life. This is the opportunity to live in peace, without flinching from a suspicious noise and not being afraid to leave the home, going on vacation or on long trip. live CHAT Smart Home Control Thanks to modern touchpad control, smart home is interesting and fascinating process that delivers a lot of fun. It is so convenient and comfortable when the house is full of systems and functions that can satisfy all wishes and requirements of the habitant. And a person can control this entire kingdom with easy-to-use touch panels. This is a sophisticated development with modern design and virtually limitless possibilities. Panel contains literally all the technical structure of the house, and only one touch is needed to make any system or equipment work. With the help of the panel, one can easily control the lighting in any room of the house and on the local area, as well as all appliances, ventilation, climate, in general, all home engineering systems. The panel has a nice, simple, and intuitive interface with a schematic picture of the home, which marks all devices and available features as well as their scenarios. All this makes managing the smart house simple and convenient. The touch panel is a reliable assistant in the management of smart house as well as a collection of entertainment. It replaces a music player, computer and video game console. To my mind, smart house would not be that â€Å"smart if it did not have a possibility to be controlled at the distance. Even if people are not at home, they may still see what is happening in his or her home. How? Very simple: via mobile phone (smartphone). It is important to install an application with exactly the same interface as the touch panel. This allows having an access to all control functions of smart house. Besides, one can manage his/her smart house through a conventional mobile phone via SMS as well. I am sure that there is no any other technology that is easier in control. Smart home is more than just another gadget of today’s progress. This is the first necessity for modern people. People spend a lot of time in apartments that is why they need to be as comfortable as possible. Besides, they should also include the preservation of mental health as in the current digital age everyone is feeling the pressure of the flow of information, which can lead to discomfort, stress and even illness. Processing this flow and selecting only the most necessary and fun information is the task of information systems of the smart home. Today, smart houses cannot do that, but I truly believe that scientists have a great potential to solve this weakness. On the other hand, smart home preserves physical health. This is facilitated by a variety of climate-control systems that seamlessly, but unconditionally create optimal indoor habitat. Those moments of human life, which are saved day after day, turn to the additional years of one’s life.

Management Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Assessment - Essay Example From my personal Jungian personality type, I am a loyal, amiable, and willing to make sacrifices for the greatest good. This means that I am a dedicated person to the god of my job, especially in the struggle to achieve results. Management style thus is a dedicated type of management that does not offer room for laxity. As a manager with these qualities, I expect my team to be team players in their work, show dedication and willingness to work. However, this type of management style is suitable for careers such as a masseur, vet, painter, mechanic or clerical supervisor. This means that I have few people to manage in my daily operations. This helps in avoiding overworking others, as I would expect them to show equal dedication to work just like their manager. In most cases, this type of management leads to coercion and pushing other people, some times to the extreme limits. Although this type of management achieves results and targets at an early stage, employees feel more used and e xploited, leaving them demotivated. It could lead to a high employee turnover in a large organization. Five traits, described as The Big Five Personality Model determine the personality traits of a manager. They determine the strengths and weaknesses of a of the leadership qualities as a manager. Extroversion means that an individual is gregarious, assertive and sociable. This contradicts with introversion, which holds that people are reserved, timid and quiet. Managers who portray extroversion qualities are good managers, as they do not limit themselves to their own individual perceptions. Introverts are weak managers who are unsocial, reserved and timid. Agreeableness refers to an individual’s propensity to differ with others. People who possess a high level of agreeableness tend to be cooperative, warm and trusting. This defines the characteristics of a strong manager as they can cooperate with others easily, show high levels of warmth and trusting enough. However, weak ma nagers’ forms the group of people who score low on the agreeableness scale tend to be cold, disagreeable and antagonistic. This type of managers thus cannot compare with high levels of agreeableness. Conscientiousness measures the level of reliably of a person by others. Characteristics of a manager with a high level of conscientiousness include responsibility, organization, dependability, and persistent. Such managers are strong and highly reliable. On the other hand, weak managers score lowly on the conscientiousness scale. This is because they are easily distracted, disorganized and unreliable, qualities defining poor managers. Emotional stability described with its converse neuroticism taps into a person’s stability, the tendency of calmness, self-confident and secure. Strong managers are those possessing high emotional stability, and are calm, self-confident and secure. Openness to experience addresses an array of interests and fascination with novelty. Thus, mana gers with extreme openness are highly creative, curious and artistically sensitive. On the other hand, weak managers have weak emotional stability. Personality determines the management style people prefer applied to them. People scoring high on emotional stability are happier than those scoring low. Compared to other big five, the association of this trait to the job satisfaction is high. Thus, people lows on emotional stability are hyper-vigilant and are more prone to physical and psychological effects of stress. Extroverts tend to be happier in their jobs as well as their lives than the introverts are. They tend to perform better than the introverts and require strong interpersonal interaction. Since they have a high level of social dominance, they show exhibit a high level of assertion than the introverts. Thus, they are more likely to engage in more risky behaviour and miss from work more than the introverts. Managers who score high on openness to experience are more creative i n science rather than in art. Since creativity

How online dating affects real life dating experience Research Paper

How online dating affects real life dating experience - Research Paper Example The purpose of this study is to weigh the pros and cons of online dating. While having its benefits, this form of socializing also has some side effects. It is a gift and curse at the same time. Chatting online gives everyone the chance to be social without any of the normal anxiety like possible rejection and thinking up unique ice-breakers. For people who are anti-social or shy, online dating is bliss. On the contrary, Internet allows people to create the most favorable versions of them and they can ‘be’ who they want to be. As such, it can become very easy to fall in love with the online self of a person and ignore the dissenting aspects of his/her personality in real life. In this study therefore, I want to mention the advantages and disadvantages of online dating and assess the favorability of this new chapter in dating. The overview of the study is basically how online dating has affected the real lives of the individuals. Obviously, as it is said, too much of ever ything is fatal – it applies here that the negative aspects of online dating outweigh the positive ones, resulting in heartbreaks, lack of trust, mental illnesses, suicides and time wastage. Literary Review: The famous culture media in modern years has become all the time more spellbound by online relationships, both those that are flourishing and particularly those that conclude in heartbreak. A movie released in 1998 entitled, â€Å"You've Got Mail† (Brown, Durk, & Ephron, 1998) portrays the tale of two people who fell in love while using the Internet. Social scientists have also recognized these modern-day relationships, and at present, a large accessible literature is based on computer mediated e-mail, Internet culture and Internet relationships. Nevertheless, there is in plain sight lack of pragmatic research in particular dealing with romantic Internet relationships. According to Ellison et al (2006), there are infinite people nowadays who will give an undertakin g for the fact that online dating is an enjoyable way of getting to know remarkable people. They think this way you get more choices and you too have the choice of breaking up with someone who you do not like without any worries unlike in a real relationship, which can get a teensy weensy bit knotty when it comes to wrapping up. Kira Leck (2006), in her article on ‘Dynamics of Online Dating’ stated that, love is trouble-free to find and practice on the internet or so it gives the impression. In addition, for individuals who have not been doing well in getting companions or friends in actual life in bona fide social circles, online dating is indeed a blessing for them. If truth be told, many people date several people at the same time not knowing which could be the right one. However, here comes the catch. According to Robert (2010) the more choices available, the more probability is there for lack of commitment. When one is busy trying to decide, first-rate, add up and even uphold the number of online dates, you sure are going to give attention to

Allegories of Life Essay Example for Free

Allegories of Life Essay In The Allegory of the Cave, Plato uses a vast spectrum of imagery to explain ones descent from the cave to the light. While Plato uses this Allegory to explain his point through Socrates to Glaucon. This allegory has many different meanings. The Allegory can be used in many different ways, from religion to politics to ones own intellectual enlightenment, or it can be interpreted as the blinded person in a colt like reality. Are we all prisoners in a world that is forced on us through the media? How do we really know that we are not just pawns in some one’s chess game. What meaning was Plato trying to introduce to Glaucon? This cave can represent many aspects in the world. And the prisoners can be any one. The puppeteers can be a symbol for people or for the things in life that hold us back from seeing and thinking clearly. As we look further into Plato’s work we will explore many different meanings for this allegory and attempt to give our life some meaning. I would like to start off with a summary of the allegory of the cave as I have understood it. In the the cave there are a group of prisoners bond form their neck to their feet facing a stone wall. They have been their since childhood. All they know of is what the puppeteers have shown them through the fire images. They hear sounds made by the puppeteers. And the shadow of images cast from the fire. They think that this is reality because it is all they have ever known. One prisoner is lead away from his shackles and is lead out of the cave. He his blinded by the sun at first. Once his eyes had adjusted to the light he see’s a tree a real green tree that is alive. Not the shadow of a tree shown by the puppeteers. The prisoner also see’s his reflection in the water. He see’s the world in its entirety. He has been enlighten. Just as the prisoner was getting a grasp of the real world he is lead back into the cave. The other prisoners are mocking him for what they thought of as a loss of sight. He try’s to explain to them what he has seen. But there pet ty little minds can’t grasp what he has seen nor do they believe what he says they have not seen it for them self. To understand what Plato’s passages meant is to try and understand yourself. Individual enlightenment is one way to analyze Plato’s Allegory of the cave. As children we are like those prisoners In the cave. Our parents shield us from the ugly cruel world. Until one day we are introduced to what the world is all about. As a child I feel I was shield from a lot of things death, divorce, heartache and pain. My grandfather died when I was seven, until then I didn’t think that life could be so unfair. But life is unfair at times and its is more than fair at others. We all have a cave in life and when we think outside the cave walls we will break free from the individual cave we make for our self. Life is all about pushing your self to the limits, finding out just what you can and what you can’t do. The stereo types or labeling we place on others can be a form of a cave. The cave is just a symbol for limitations we have. Until we have been enlighten we will never escape from the cave of life. At times we all need to be our own Plato and lead our self out of the cave. Like Plato Socrates and Aristotle the great philosophers of the past we all need to challenge society’s way of thinking. If you never learn to think for your self then what’s the point of going off to college and finding yourself. Live your life the way you see fit, love who you want to love. Stand out and dance in the rain if it means being who you are. Escape from your individual cave and see the light. Let the puppeteers know you know what reality is and you can think for yourself. Secondly there can be a religious allegory of the cave. The figures that were shown to the prisoner in the cave could be viewed as idols praised by the prisoners and puppeteers. Religion can be viewed by some as a cave. Being kept in the dark of there religion and forced never to see the light. Some religions brain wash there followers to see things only there way. If you don’t see, act or think how there religion views you should be. they may kill you. The Amish religion can be view like the prisoners in the cave. They are taught from a small age that God is all you need and the everyday life most Americans live is a blasphemy of God. They live a simple life most have no electrical devices and choose to dress modestly and in plain colored clothing. Some Amish travel to towns for supplies but most tend to grow everything there self. Children are shielded from the outside world until there teenage years when they participate in rumspringa. This event is where teenagers are given the choice to stay within the Amish culture or they ch oose to be an outsider. In summary the Amish are similar to the prisoners in the cave being told what to do and how to act there whole life until the day they can see the world and make their own choices. One important note most Amish teenagers choose to stay within the Amish community. Cults are similar to the Allegory of the cave. Members are kept in the dark, from what the real motivates behind the puppeteers actions are. Once one is lead away from the cult and one see’s for them self that there is more to life than what cult has shown them. They are enlightened and can see and choose for them self what they choose to be real or imaginary. There is also a political cave, and we Americans at times get blind by what we want to see. Then we never really see the truth behind the facade. As well know the truth is harder to see and recognize. We see what we want to see as the truth. The politicians are the puppeteers and we the citizens are the prisoners. We see and hear what they want us to know. And as we all know when we step outside from what they want us to know the consequences can be death. The government tells us what we can and can’t do by the way of the justice system, not saying that its wrong. But it seems the more money you have the more you can get away with . The political cave has many different levels and different puppeteers, we as common citizens will always be the prisoners to a higher power that can clinch its fist at any time and change how we live our life. One of the most common caves we put our self’s in is the intellectual cave. You can be placed in to the cave because of where you live or how you perceive yourself. The intellectual cave of life. So many face this cave and don’t have the courage or resources to step into the light. What some Americans take for granted is a quality education. There are so many prisoners of the intellectual cave, some are put there by their own doing. It seem better to work a minimum wage 9 to 5 everyday than to spend that time getting a higher education. The very extremes of this type of intellectual cave is being a drug dealer these persons feel they can make more money selling drugs and book smarts wont get them anywhere. But what these select individuals don’t understand that is that getting a better education is the key to getting what they want out of life and making a better future for their family then what was hand to them. The ones addicted to the drugs they sell are in a cave all of there own. Most say when they do reach that point of sobriety its like coming out of the darkness, like they have been lead out of the cave of addiction. After having read Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, I fell I have been enlighten even more. This isn’t the first passage of Plato I have read, it does have a lot of information in very few lines. The Allegory can be used in many different ways, from religion to politics to ones own intellectual enlightenment, or it can be interpreted as the blinded person in a colt like reality. I have discussed in the previous chapters the many different types of caves this allegory can portray. We may never know what plato’s literal intentions were. What the cave and prisoners were really an analogy for. But I believe that was plato’s point in writing this allegory in such a way that it could have all different types of meanings. This passage was written thousands of years ago but all of his words still fit this day and time, and will reach far into the future. We as young adults need to help those left behind in the cave and open there eyes to the light of enlightenment. Weather it be leading them out of a gang or off of drugs. A brighter more prosperous future shouldn’t only be for those more fortunate than the many. For those left in the religious cave of life one day the vale shall be lifted and there freedom will come to them as well. They will one day be able to make their own religious choices for their self. Plato’s allegory of the cave will be past down from generation to generation.

Essay --

Somewhere in August last year, around the date when anti-superstition crusader NarendraDhaborkar was killed, two women were killed in a remote village in Assam’s Kokrajhar district by villagers who suspected them of practising witchcraft. A 70-year-old woman and her 42-year-old daughter-in-law were killed by a large number of village women, who accused the duo of practising witchcraft in June 2013 in Ranchi. A 50-year-old womanFuloTopono and her 30-year-old daughter Suggidaughter were hacked to death in Khunti district in Ranchi in November 2013 for allegedly practising witchcraft. These are just few examples which found a mention in the English newspapers of our country. Of late the branding of women as witches and subjecting them to horrendous and irrational torture has been on a rise. The juxtaposition of this practise laced with superstition with the rapid modernisation in the rest of the country and the technological progress is hair-raising. A National Crime Records Bureau report quotes that a total of 1,157 women have been killed for witchcraft in Jharkhand between 1991 and ...

Reaction to Everyday Use Essay

Everyday Use is a short story written by Alice Walker about a family of three, Mama, the narrator, Maggie her youngest daughter, and Dee, her eldest daughter. Both daughters are completely different, Maggie is a simpler person and Dee is high maintenance. Dee has always the home she was brought up in and everything to do with her childhood. She always wanted more and Mama gave her the best she could. One day, years after Dee has gone off to college, she returns to visit Mama and Maggie’s new home (the other had been burnt down when Dee was still living with them), and she brings along a man, possibly her husband. When Dee returns she has changed her name and has come hoping to retrieve certain family heirlooms. Walker uses different literary tools to tell this story in a way that makes the audience think about what she is trying to tell the audience. Strategy The main literary strategy Walker uses in the writing of Everyday Use are irony and symbolism. Mama and Maggie value the quilts discussed in the story, not as folk art, instead for what they are intended to be used for, a source of warmth. Mama would rather give Maggie the quilts and let her put these quilts to use even though they may end up ruined because she knows that she is the one that will appreciate and love the quilts the most. Dee wants to in a sense save the quilts from the harm that she is sure that her sister, whom she seems to think is intelligently inferior will ruin but she does not understand the true value and worth of these quilts. Dee’s sudden interest in her heritage and want to embrace different objects from her family’s past is obviously seen by her mother as empty. In Mama’s eyes the best way to keep the quilts and the love and care that comes with them in the family is to hand them over to Maggie, even if it means them possibly being damaged or worse yet, destroyed. This is the irony in the story. Many would think that preserving the quilts is the only respectful way of keeping the spirit of their family alive, but instead Mama sees deeper than that, she sees in actuality the best way to keep the spirit of their family alive is to put them to use so that more memories can be connected to them. Using them in daily life is a way to keep the family history and spirit alive, and to even add onto it. Theme The consistent theme of Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† is appreciating the past, and one’s family. This theme was one that I found I could identify with greatly along with certain aspects of the story. The author skillfully tells us the story of two sisters, Dee, and Maggie, to prove her point. Dee comes home with a new contemporary identity tied to her African heritage, which she believes white men and women have tried to take away from her. She now embraces this African heritage and sees it as an important part of her. She scornfully asks Mama (the narrator) to not address her by the name her mother gave her, Dee, but to instead call her Wangero, assumed to be a name from her African herritage: â€Å"What happened to ‘Dee’?† I wanted to know. â€Å"She’s dead,† Wangero (Dee) said. â€Å"I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.† Wangero (Dee) assumes and argues with her mother that she has been named after a white man or woman. Mama attempts to convince her that her name was not given to her by a white man or woman but that she was named after her grandmother. Dee resists what her mother has told her and insists that if she were to follow the line that it would go back to a white man or woman. Maggie, is unashamed of her past, she actually embraces it. She has always loved the quilts that her mother and aunt made from clothing that her grandmother had pieced. This section of the story is the prime difference between the sisters is revealed: Dee would like to use the quilts as pieces of artwork for her own home because it is something that would be stylish and argues with her mother that Maggie â€Å"would be backward enough to put them to everyday use.† Dee says this as if it were a bad thing to use the quilts as they were intended to be used but Mama believes that the everyday use, is the best way to value the past, to keep the spirit of the family going and not putting the items up for display as if they were in a museum or separating oneself from his or her family. This is something that I can identify with. When I was younger my great-grandmother had always crocheted afghans for each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My cousins had when we were little looked down at these beautiful afghans and wanted instead store bought blankets. I treasured the afghan that my great grandmother had made me and used it often. When we were older, and she had passed away, my one cousin was going through a phase similar to Dee’s, she was suddenly very interested in our family history, and she now wanted the last afghan that my great grandmother made. She ended up being the one to receive the afghan because I did not feel like fighting over it. I did not want to receive it with a fight because I knew that it would tarnish the meaning for me but I always found it interesting how she changed her mind once became, for lack of a better word, â€Å"cool† to embrace family history and to like handmade items. Active and Responsive Reading While reading Everyday Use one inference that I made was that the story was set in the early 1970s. I made this inference from the way Mamma, the narrator, described Dee in the present day. I thought that the dress, accessories, and hair style Dee was described to have seemed to match up to fashion from the early 1970s. Dee is a vain, hypocritical, and condescending individual, this was my impression from my first reading of the story and after reading it twice more, I found that my impression of Dee did not change from my first reading. Mamma did the best she could for Dee as she grew up. Dee always despised the house they lived in and never saw the house that was built after the fire until she visited. Mamma and their church raised money so that Dee could get a higher education and go off to college. Dee uses her education as a way to look down on her mother and sister. She does not understand why they will not better themselves as she has. In this visit she begins asking her mother for things that she had never wanted before and looked down at. She now wants these items not as reminders of her family but more as pieces of art. Two of these items were quilts made by Grandma Dee. In the past when offered these, she had told her mother that the quilts were â€Å"too old-fashioned, out of style†. Now she thinks that they would make beautiful pieces Alice Walker writes this story I think for every family and every person in a family. In a world where people are consumed with art, fashion, and style, I think she is reminding us that there is more to some items than art, fashion, and style. Many times we think the only way to appreciate something is to frame it or put it up for display and not put it to everyday use in fear of ruining it but Walker uses this story to show us that there is more to appreciating something than just displaying it. Sometimes to best appreciate a piece of ones heritage through an heirloom you should use it for its intended purpose. In conclusion Walker teaches us a lesson about family and keeping the spirit and story of our family alive by not merely displaying our heirlooms but putting them to use. She uses irony to help tell her story and support her theme. Walker chooses a story that people can relate to and learn from.