Thursday, December 19, 2019

A Brief Note On Drug Abuse Treatment For Nonviolent Addicts

HLTH 4375 Final Project 1. Explain your health policy concerning this health priority. Replacing Prison Terms with Drug Abuse Treatment for nonviolent addicts Historically, those of a drug or substance abuse are thought of as criminals and given prison terms for their addiction. With the current Heroin epidemic, our prisons are filling-up, costing taxpayers approximately $30,000 a year, per prisoner (msnbc). In particular, Licking County has seen a 47% increase from 2014, in the number of drug overdoses (Bruner, 2016). With such statistics, I find that instead of incarceration, these individuals should be sentenced a court ordered rehabilitation. By doing so, we would be shifting from a criminal issue to a public health issue. Instead of the large amount of taxpayers’ money used for incarceration, we could use such funds to support drug treatment programs, which show stronger record of success. MSNBC states that every dollar invested in drug treatment saves taxpayers more than $18 in crime-related societal costs. My one concern regarding this policy is the safet y of the public. However, I find that such sentence should only be granted to those who are nonviolent, or have no previous criminal history. In addition, I find that drug trafficking or the selling of drugs should result in a more serious/harsh sentence. With the help of important stakeholders, I hope to implement this policy with positive outcomes including survivors living a healthy and fulfilling life, through a

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Labour Market Programme Participants †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Labour Market Programme Participants. Answer: Introduction The horse riding tradition has strong cultural connection and horseback riding is a common sport in the country (Horseridingnsw.com.au, 2017). There are plenty of free spaces in the country which makes it an enjoyable sport (Horseridingnsw.com.au, 2017). The country has some of the finest horses and hence an increasing number of people are eager to learn horse riding. The Australian Horse Riding Centers (AHRC) is a prestigious national organization which represents approximately 100 horse riding centers spread across Australia (Horseridingnsw.com.au, 2017). The aim of this institute is to manage the different horse riding centers and facilitate high standards relating to instruction, facilities, horse welfare and others. This report would analyze the successful management of horses and riders in a typical riding school in Australia. The planning, organizing, leading and controlling functions of the horse riding schools would be enumerated. The various models, theories and the principles of management would be discussed. The external factors affecting the riding school would also be discussed with the help of suitable tools. The different management challenges would also be enumerated. As opined by Lnnell (2012), the horse riding establishment is concerned with the business of maintaining the horses for giving hire for riding or for their own use in instruction, providing and maintaining the riding in lieu of payment. There are several common functions of the riding school such as provision of riding lessons, handling sessions, stable management and others. Principles of Management The principles of management seek to establish the cause as well as effect of several variables under any given situation. Rudani (2013) states that the management principles are considered as fundamental truth statements which act as guidelines for managerial decision making. The findings of Rudani (2013) reveal that the theory proposed by Henry Fayol concentrates on the 14 principles of management. In a typical horse riding institute, there should be proper division of labor. Fayol focused on the importance of the specialization of jobs and believed in the fact that every work type should be divided as well as subdivided so that proper allocation of work can be done (Rudani, 2013). The different works at the horse riding institute comprise of the maintenance of the horses, giving coaching to learners, maintenance of the mange and others (Rudani, 2013). These should be equally distribution of the work load between all members working in the mange. As opined by Rudani (2013), the authority as well as responsibility is critical to the success of the mange. The management of the horse riding academy should consider the fact that the authority should be given to a person and the same person should be made responsible too (Rudani, 2013). The managers should pr actice equity and should treat all the employees with, kindness, fairness and justice. The people holding similar position should get same kind of treatment. Flemisch et al. (2012) says that there should be discipline in the mange, which implies the obedience, sincerity and respect for the authority. The subordinates are expected to respect their seniors and obey their orders (Rudani, 2013). The employees at the mange should be encouraged to take initiative and suggest new ideas or new work methods to the management (Rudani, 2013). For example, they can give new ways of training the horses which would be cost-effective. The fair remuneration of the employees working at the mange would increase the work motivation of the employees (Rudani, 2013). The human resource department should determine the wages of the employees based on the work assigned cost of living, assigned work, package of the competitors and others. The findings of Dias et al. (2013) suggest that the managers should ta ke care of the espirit de corps which implies that there should be harmony between the employees and there should be mutual understanding between the workers (Dias et al., 2013). The manager should empower the employees to create good interpersonal relationship between the members. It is also important to reward the employees who give good performances in the workplace so that they are enthusiastic about their work. The work of Juncos and Pomorska (2015) suggests that strategic planning of the organization is used to determine the scope as well as direction of the organization over a subsequent period of time. It also helps in the matching of the different resources to the changing external environment (Juncos Pomorska, 2015). Planning is important regarding the horse accommodation, types of box in which horses are kept, method of operation and others (Cassidy, 2016).The planning also needs to be done for the amount of grazing space that the horses would be exposed to for different play activities and different kinds of social bonding. Swayne, Duncan and Ginter (2012) opine that the theory of strategic planning is concerned with the four basic foundations such as current position, future aspirations, way of achieving the aspirations and ways of evaluation. It is important to perform the situation analysis at first, which would be the foundation of the planning process. The history of the mange should be identified along with the organizational aims as well as objectives (Swayne, Duncan Ginter, 2012). The organizational profile should be identified along with the current structural dimensions. The stakeholder analysis should be done, which would help in the identification of key stakeholders of the project. As argued by Foss and Knudsen (2013), the scenario planning model would ensure that the strategic thinking process is implemented in practice. This model emphasizes on the fact that the organizations should equip themselves with proper resources so that they can handle the changes in the external forces (Swayne, Duncan Ginter, 2012). It is important to create as well as sustain cohesion as well as commitment in the team. As opined by Amer, Daim and Jetter (2013), the human relations model focuses on the interpersonal as well as intrapersonal competencies of the managerial aspects of leadership. This model focuses on the commitment, cohesion, collaboration, and others, which are effective for creating effective human relations (Swayne, Duncan Ginter, 2012). The managers should give competencies that focus on the development of ones self-awareness as well as providing transparent communication to the team. The managers of the mange should focus on the synchronization of the physical, human and the financial resources (Amer, Daim Jetter, 2013). This would ensure the achievement of the results in a proper manner. The mangers should have soft skills so that they can develop as well as support the employees in building team cohesion. They should value the differences the individuals and undermine the different areas of conflict. As argued by Yarnell and Neff (2013), it is important to identify the different activities of the horse riding school. These can range from planning as well as overseeing the riding activities, daily routine of the horse care, handling queries, recruitment and the management of the staffs. It is also important to carry out different stable management activities (Amer, Daim Jetter, 2013). There are also financial as well as administrative tasks which need to be done. This would be done by the financial team as well as operational teams respectively (Amer, Daim Jetter, 2013). In small mange, these activities are being performed by Riding Horse Center Manager. According to Gabriels et al. (2012), the leadership of the mange is critical for achieving the business success. The competing values framework underlines the fact that the effective managers as well as organizations are essential for embracing the competing values that are associated with the foundational models of management (Gabriels et al., 2012). There are several dimensions of the competing values framework such as flexibility, internal, external and control (Gabriels et al., 2012). The managers of the horse riding academy should have organizational focus which focuses on the internal emphasis on the development of the people as well as external focus so that there is overall organizational development (Gabriels et al., 2012). As argued by Cameron et al. (2014), the master managers have high levels of behavioral complexity as well as cognitive complexity. The cognitive complexity is concerned with the appreciation of the values as well as weaknesses of the fundamental business models (Gabriels et al., 2012). The managers of the horse riding academy should integrate competencies according to the situation in the riding academy. As commented by Quinn et al. (2014), the managerial competencies of the mange supervisor should comprise of the understanding of the self and the employees of the organization. He should communicate honestly among his team members. It is also important that the manager mentors as well as develop the skills of the employees (Gabriels et al., 2012). There should be adequate leadership of the teams and the leader should strive to minimize the conflicts in the team. Commitment and Cohesion As stated by Chong (2013), the cohesion is considered as the union of the employees in a particular organization. The commitment is concerned with the acceptance of the goals of a group and underlined by a variety of factors. The mangers of the horse riding academy may find conflicts within the team (Gabriels et al., 2012). One member may view that the horse riding coach should teach the basics of horsemanship and others may opine that they should prepare the riders for equestrian competitions. There may be other group members who believe that there should be specific riding skills that need to be incorporated in the training sessions (Gabriels et al., 2012). The riders should also be taught the essential safety skills for riding. The findings of Mowday, Porter and Steers (2013) reveal that management control function can be defined as the effort by the management to evaluate the performance of the employees in fulfilling the pre-determined goals of the organization. The rational goal model is concerned with the focus on control as well as external focus (Harstad Selten, 2013). This theory focuses on the fact that mangers should provide a vision for inspiring the followers and identification of the specific steps to achieve the vision (Mowday, Porter Steers, 2013). It is essential for the horse riding manager to evaluate the performance of the employees and the match with the pre-determined work standards. The horse riding manager should create practical goals for the employees which are possible to achieve (Mowday, Porter Steers, 2013). For example, the coach is supposed to teach some additional things apart from the basic riding skills. He should teach the riders regarding horse feeding, care and grooming techniques (Mowday, Porter Steers, 2013). The health issues of the horses should be communicated well to the riders so that there is increased rider awareness (Mowday, Porter Steers, 2013). The human as well as equine physiology and anatomy are important considerations and the managers should evaluate so that these information are conveyed to the riders. The managers should also evaluate the level of communication between the riders and the coaches. External environmental factors of horse riding school It is important to determine the external business environment factors of the horse riding school so that the necessary preventive actions can be taken. A PEST analysis is being done for understanding the trends of the industry. The different legislations and the government policy of Australia affect the horse riding school policies (Edwards, Othman Burn, 2015). The school should take into account the DEFRA, European Policy and the planning policy of the country. It should take into account the different hunting ban imposed by the country (Edwards, Othman Burn, 2015). The farm diversification technique should also be considered by the riding company. The world economy and the inflation/recession impact the functioning of the horse riding school (Edwards, Othman Burn, 2015). It should also take into account the stock markets, interest rates and the mortgage rates prevailing in the country. The social factors of the horse riding school includes the leisure times, issues with the manpower, unemployment, standard of living and the various labour market trends (Feeny et al., 2012). The average standard of living should be considered. An increase in the leisure time of the people implies that there would more time for relaxation as well as pleasure become an important activity for the population (Edwards, Othman Burn, 2015). The horse riding institute should take into account the different technological framework needed for their everyday business operations. Contemporary management challenges of riding school According to Munsters et al. (2012), there are several challenges in a typical horse riding school. There can be issues with the manure handling, where there can be issues with the stall cleaning. There are insufficient techniques for solid and liquid waste management of the manure (Nielsen et al., 2012). There are often misconceptions about the pollution and the nuisances created by the horse facilities. There can be issues with the pests such as flies and small rodents that may irritate the surrounding neighborhood (Nielsen et al., 2012). There can be issues with the site manure storage such as visually remote location, located on high grounds and others (Nielsen et al., 2012). There is the possibility of offensive odor arising from both the manure and horses. There are also possibilities of water pollution from the horse riding schools (Nielsen et al., 2012). There are chances of over use of water for maintaining the sanitation of the place. There can be several issues associated with the nutrition of the problems, which is an important part of the organizing function of management (Nielsen et al., 2012). A mature horse would require good nutritional foods as they need to maintain health as well as body conditions. The other problems involved with the old horses are the reduction of the dental efficiency, which make the chewing process of horse painful (Nielsen et al., 2012). There are also issues with the food composition of the horses. There can be management issues in the horse riding school. There can be insufficient planning that would help in the riding school to meet its objectives. The managers may be reluctant to perform their day to day duties (Nielsen et al., 2012). The managers may not be able to control the employees in a proper manner (Nielsen et al., 2012). They may also fail to provide adequate motivation to the employees. This may prevent the employees from realizing their true potential. Conclusion The horse riding school is one of the strong traditions of Australia as it provides solid cultural foundations. The related organization for the riding centers is Australian Horse Riding Centers (AHRC). The definition of horse riding establishment is explored and the various principles of management. The management capabilities of mange are defined along with the essential functions of management such as planning, organizing, leading and others. The commitment and the cohesion of the team are defined along with essentials of horse riding school management. The controlling mechanisms of the riding schools are defined. The various external factors relevant to the riding school are discussed along with help of PEST analysis. The contemporary management challenges of the horse riding schools are discussed along with practical point of view. References Amer, M., Daim, T. U., Jetter, A. (2013). A review of scenario planning.Futures,46, 23-40. Cameron, K. S., Quinn, R. E., DeGraff, J., Thakor, A. V. (2014).Competing values leadership. Edward Elgar Publishing. Cassidy, A. (2016).A practical guide to information systems strategic planning. CRC press. Chong, E. (2013). Managerial competencies and career advancement: A comparative study of managers in two countries.Journal of Business Research,66(3), 345-353. Dias, P., Freedman, A., Medway, P., Par, A. (2013).Worlds apart: Acting and writing in academic and workplace contexts. Routledge. Edwards, J., Othman, M., Burn, S. (2015). A review of policy drivers and barriers for the use of anaerobic digestion in Europe, the United States and Australia.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,52, 815-828. Feeny, S., Ong, R., Spong, H., Wood, G. (2012). The impact of housing assistance on the employment outcomes of labour market programme participants in Australia.Urban Studies,49(4), 821-844. Flemisch, F., Heesen, M., Hesse, T., Kelsch, J., Schieben, A., Beller, J. (2012). Towards a dynamic balance between humans and automation: authority, ability, responsibility and control in shared and cooperative control situations.Cognition, Technology Work,14(1), 3-18. Foss, N. J., Knudsen, C. (2013).Towards a competence theory of the firm(Vol. 2). Routledge. Gabriels, R. L., Agnew, J. A., Holt, K. D., Shoffner, A., Zhaoxing, P., Ruzzano, S., ... Mesibov, G. (2012). Pilot study measuring the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on school-age children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders,6(2), 578-588. Harstad, R. M., Selten, R. (2013). Bounded-rationality models: tasks to become intellectually competitive.Journal of Economic Literature,51(2), 496-511. Horseridingnsw.com.au. 2017. Australian Horse Riding Centres NSW. (2017).Horseridingnsw.com.au. Retrieved 17 May 2017, from https://www.horseridingnsw.com.au Juncos, A. E., Pomorska, K. (2015). Attitudes, identities and the emergence of an esprit de corps in the EEAS. InThe European External Action Service(pp. 373-391). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Lnnell, C. (2012).Yard differences in training, management and orthopedic injury in showjumping, riding school, and thoroughbred race horses(Vol. 2012, No. 27). Mowday, R. T., Porter, L. W., Steers, R. M. (2013).Employeeorganization linkages: The psychology of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover. Academic press. Munsters, C. C., Visser, K. E., van den Broek, J., van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan, M. M. S. (2012). The influence of challenging objects and horse-rider matching on heart rate, heart rate variability and behavioural score in riding horses.The Veterinary Journal,192(1), 75-80. Nielsen, M. K., Vidyashankar, A. N., Olsen, S. N., Monrad, J., Thamsborg, S. M. (2012). Strongylus vulgaris associated with usage of selective therapy on Danish horse farmsIs it reemerging?.Veterinary parasitology,189(2), 260-266. Quinn, R. E., Bright, D., Faerman, S. R., Thompson, M. P., McGrath, M. R. (2014).Becoming a master manager: A competing values approach. John Wiley Sons. Rudani, R.B., 2013.Principles of management. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Swayne, L. E., Duncan, W. J., Ginter, P. M. (2012).Strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley Sons. Yarnell, L. M., Neff, K. D. (2013). Self-compassion, interpersonal conflict resolutions, and well-being.Self and Identity,12(2), 146-159.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

West Nile Virus in the U.S. free essay sample

This paper offers a very brief look at the West Nile Virus in the United States. The following paper discusses how in recent months the West Nile Virus has quickly spread across the United States where authorities on the matter still feel that it does not pose a major threat to humans. This paper examines the obvious precautions that may be taken to protect oneself against this virus. The West Nile Virus, a deadly virus spread by those annoying little bugs that are always buzzing in your ear, has now made it completely across our country. This sudden rapid spread has stirred many concerns as to how to deal with and prevent the disease. For example, how has the disease spread coast to coast so quickly, how do we prevent people and animals from getting it, and once infected, how do we treat it. Some of the answers are not as simple as they may seem. We will write a custom essay sample on West Nile Virus in the U.S. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Ritalin Essays - Methylphenidate, , Term Papers

Ritalin Ritalin The Babysitter of the 90's 07/03/2000 Prepared for Nursing 2116 by Tracey Hardin Ritalin (Methylphenidate) is a mild CNS stimulant. In medicine, Ritalin's primary use is treatment of Attention Deficit /Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The mode of action in humans is not completely understood, but Ritalin presumably activates the arousal system of the brain stem and the cortex to produce its stimulant effect. Recently, the frequency of diagnosis for ADHD has increased dramatically. More children and an increasing number of adults are being diagnosed with ADHD. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) (Bailey 1995), prescriptions for Ritalin have increased more than 600% in the past five years. Ritalin has a long history of controversy regarding side effects and potential for abuse, however it greatly benefits those with ADHD. Ritalin (Methylphenidate) is manufactured by CIBA-Geigy Corporation. It is supplied in 5 mg., 10 mg., and 20 mg. tablets, and in a sustained release form, Ritalin SR, in 20 mg. tablets. It is readily water soluble and is intended for oral use. It is a Schedule II Controlled Substance under both the Federal and Vermont Controlled Substance Acts. Ritalin is primarily used in the treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) (Bailey 1995). ADHD is a condition most likely based in an inefficiency and inadequacy of Dopamine and Norepinephrine hormone availability, typically occurring when a person with ADHD tries to concentrate. Ritalin improves the efficiency of the hormones Dopamine and Norepinephrine, increasing the resources for memory, focus, concentration and attention (Clark 1996). Ritalin has been used for more than 30 years to treat ADHD. Nervousness and insomnia are the most common adverse reactions reported, but are usually controlled by reducing dosage or omitting the afternoon or evening dose. Decreased appetite is also common but usually transient (Long 1996). According to Clark (1996), children, adolescents and adults diagnosed with ADHD usually report the following effects when successfully treated with Ritalin: Improved concentration Better focus Improved ability to complete their work Improved intensity of attention and longer attention span Reduced distractibility Reduced impulsivity Reduced restlessness and overactivity Improved patience More elaborate expressive vocabulary Better written expression and handwriting (especially in children) An improved sense of alertness Improved memory for visual as well as auditory stimuli Ritalin exhibits pharmacological activity similar to that of amphetamines. Ritalin's exact mechanism of action in the CNS is not fully understood, but the primary sites of activity appear to be in the cerebral cortex and the subcortical structures including the thalamus. Ritalin blocks the reuptake mechanism present in dopaminergic neurons. As a result, sympathomimetic activity in the central nervous system and in the peripheral nervous system increases. Ritalin-induced CNS stimulation produces a decreased sense of fatigue, an increase in motor activity and mental alertness, mild euphoria, and brighter spirits. In the PNS, the actions of Ritalin are minimal at therapeutic doses (Clinical Pharmacology Online 1997). Ritalin is the quickest of all oral ADHD stimulant medications in onset of action: it starts to achieve benefit in 20 - 30 minutes after administration, and is most effective during the upward slope' and peak serum levels. Ritalin's effect is brief: Most people experience 2-3 hours of benefit, but after 3 hours, benefits drop off rapidly. Some individuals, especially children, may obtain 4 or even 5 hours of positive effect (Clark 1996). Recently, there has been a dramatic upsurge of interest in using stimulants (mainly Ritalin) for children and adults for the increasingly popular diagnosis of ADHD. According to Persky (1996), the high frequency of the diagnosis of ADHD is a uniquely American phenomenon. Children and adults are now under greater pressure to perform and to do well academically or in the workplace. The chilling message in school and at work is Perform or Else. Because of this high intensity atmosphere, the use of Ritalin has become attractive. This has resulted in an acute epidemic of ADHD and the treatment of choice is Ritalin (Persky 1996). For example, after education reforms spearheaded by Ross Perot in Texas in 1984, Ritalin use in the state doubled. One Texas mother says she is being hounded by teachers to put her two boys on Ritalin against their psychologist's advice. Another mother says she had to ask a school board member to intervene when teachers at her child's school also pressed for

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Happy Birthday in Latin and Roman Birthday Observances

Happy Birthday in Latin and Roman Birthday Observances Although we know Romans celebrated birthdays, we dont know if they wished one another the exact phrase Happy Birthday! But that doesnt mean we cant  use the Latin language  to wish someone a  happy birthday. The following seems to be the best way to express happy birthday in Latin. Felix sit natalis dies! Using the accusative case, specifically the accusative of exclamation,  felix  sit natalis  dies  is one way to say happy birthday. Similarly, you could also say  felicem diem natalem. Habeas felicitatem  in die natus es! Habeas felicitatem in die natus es  is another possibility. The phrase roughly translates to on happiness to love you.   Natalis laetus! A third way to wish happy birthday is  Natalis laetus mihi!  if you want to say happy birthday to me. Or,  Natalis laetus tibi!  if  you want to say happy birthday to you. Celebrating in Ancient Rome The ancient Romans observed different types of birthday celebrations or dies natales in Latin. Privately, Roman men and women marked their own birthdays and the births of family members and friends with gift-giving and banquets. Fathers gave presents to their children, brothers gave presents to sisters,  and slaves gave presents to their masters children. One custom was to celebrate not on the specific date an individual was born but rather on the first of the month (calends) in which the individual was born, or the first of the next month. Gifts given on birthdays include jewelry; the poet Juvenal mentions parasols and amber as gifts, and Martial suggests togas and military clothing would be appropriate. Birthday feasts might have entertainment  furnished by dancers and singers. Wine, flowers, incense, and cakes were part of such celebrations. The most important feature of Roman personal birthday celebrations was a sacrifice to the genius of the housefather and the juno of the housemother. The genius and juno were clan symbols, representing a persons patron saint or guardian angel, who guided the individual throughout life. Genii was a sort of middle power or intermediary between men and gods, and it was important that votive offerings be given to the genius each year in hopes that the protection would continue. Public Celebrations People also held similar celebrations for the birthdays of close friends and patrons. There is a wide variety of elegies, poems, and inscriptions commemorating such events. For example, in 238 CE, the grammarian Censorinus wrote De Die Natali as a birthday gift for his patron, Quintus Caerellius. In it he stated,   But while other men honor only their own birthdays, yet I am bound every year by a double duty as regards this religious observance; for since it is from you and your friendship that I receive esteem, position, honor, and assistance, and in fact all the rewards of life, I consider it a sin if I celebrate your day, which brought you forth into this world for me, any less carefully than my own. For my own birthday gave me life, but yours has brought me the enjoyment and the rewards of life. Emperors, Cults, Temples, and Cities The word natali also refers to anniversary celebrations of the founding of temples, cities, and cults. Beginning with the Principate, Romans also celebrated the birthdays of past and present emperors, and members of the imperial family, as well as their ascension days, marked as natales imperii. People would also combine celebrations: a banquet could mark the dedication of an associations banqueting hall, commemorating an important occasion in the life of the association.  The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum includes an inscription from a woman who donated 200 sesterces so that a local association would hold a banquet on her sons birthday. Sources Argetsinger, Kathryn. Birthday Rituals: Friends and Patrons in Roman Poetry and Cult. Classical Antiquity 11.2 (1992): 175–93. Print. Ascough, Richard S. Forms of Commensality in Greco-Roman Associations. The Classical World 102.1 (2008): 33–45. Print. Bowerman, Helen C. The Birthday as a Commonplace of Roman Elegy. The Classical Journal 12.5 (1917): 310–18. Print. Lucas, Hans. Martials Kalendae Nataliciae. The Classical Quarterly 32.1 (1938): 5–6. Print.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Joint Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Joint Venture - Essay Example e strategic coalition focused on the design, development as well as management of extravagance non-gaming hotels, residential offerings and resorts under the Hakkasan, Bellagio, MGM Grand, and Skylofts brands in main international gateway cities along with prime resort destinations all over the globe. The entire hotel together with resort projects contributed to the joint venture, counting MGM projects in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and Hakkasan projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hakkasan and MGM combined their efforts and resources; they have a challenge of bringing all of the essential elements of their organizations together. The amount of negotiating and planning needed to bring this about is reasonably significant. This integration planning is strongly related to cultural issues since it requires the two to determine what corporate culture is to look like. Another challenge is the differences between the two companies. Differences in view or management style cause partners to fail to agree. This can come about for other reasons too. Differences in personality may lead to partners to part ways even though it is mutually advantageous to unite their

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Leadership & Change Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Leadership & Change - Coursework Example Despite such, the effectiveness of a change process relies on the management techniques employed in an organization with the leadership skills of the managers remaining integral in the process as the discussion below shows. Transformational model of leadership and theory of change mandates the managers with overseeing the change process thus with the responsibility of ensuring the success of the change process (Mullins, 2010: 451). The theory requires managers to boost the morale of the employees thereby introducing the changes systematically in a manner that the employees embrace them. Employee motivation is a basic mandate of human resource management. It influences the employees’ response to change. Firstly, the leader must influence the employees. This requires the leader to inspire his employees in order to influence them easily. Additionally, the leader should use employ intellectual stimulation when carrying out the change process (Sperry, 2013: 98). The manager can create new positions thus promote productive employees. Remuneration is yet another basic factor of motivation, in case the change promises to increase profitability, and the manager can, therefore, increase the pay of the emp loyees in order to encourage them to adopt the change. Change management further requires the managers to understand their employees. As explained earlier, some employees would adopt change easily while others are inherently resistant to change. By understanding the employees, the management can select the best management technique to employ in order to encourage productivity and acceptance of the changes. Theory X, theory Y and theory Z explain the various traits of employees in an organization. Theory X asserts that employees are inherently lazy and dislike work. As such, the employees require intense supervision without which they remain unproductive. Theory X, on the other hand, argues that employees love their work and are naturally productive. The two

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Mlb monopoly market structure Essay Example for Free

Mlb monopoly market structure Essay Major League Baseball (â€Å"MLB†) is the only American Industry that is a self-regulating monopoly exempt from anti-trust law. In 1922, there was the U. S. Supreme Court Case of Federal Baseball Club v. National League and the judge unanimously decided that the Sherman Antitrust Act was not applicable to MLB and could therefore regulate as a monopoly. Furthermore, this decision was later reaffirmed in 1952 and 1972 in two different U. S. Supreme Court cases. This antitrust exemption has given increased monopolistic power to the MLB organization. MLB Monopolistic Characteristics Monopoly is defined as â€Å"A market structure in which there is only a single seller of a good, service, or resource. In antitrust law, a dominant firm that accounts for a very high percentage of total sales within a particular market. † The following characteristics that label the MLB as a Monopoly are the following: (a) one unique firm/product (i. e. , no other industry like the MLB and it’s impossible to duplicate); (b) absence of competition (i. e. , granted from anti-trust laws); (c) profit maximization (i. e. , attendance increasing even as prices increasing); (d). â€Å"Price Makers† (i. e. , control price and possible price discrimination); and (e) impenetrable barriers of entry into market (i. e. , highly unlikely to enter into industry). MLB Controlling Powers Major League Baseball and specifically their team owners can raise ticket and concession prices whenever they want to increase profits. For example, less desirable stadium seats are much lower in price than â€Å"good† seats. The MLB also sets prices based on team location. For example, I know first-hand that prices for the New York Yankees are much higher than those for the Chicago White Sox. In addition to controlling prices, MLB also controls output. They set the season schedule at 162 games with half of those being home games. Since there are limited amounts of homes games owners know that they can keep increasing prices for tickets and concession stands. Conclusion Major League Baseball’s ability to control prices, set extreme difficulty on barriers of entry and to eliminate competition definitely identifies them as a Monopoly market structure. Furthermore their use of pricing strategies, which include setting ticket prices according to the view of the field, discount group pricing for lower attended weekday games and games against lesser teams, discounts for seniors/students/military, increased prices for suites and luxury boxes, and parking priced depending on location to stadium (i. e. , closer parking to stadium is more expensive). However, even with all of these increasing prices and price controls the MLB continues to set attendance records each and every year. I personally love Major League Baseball and I’m willing to pay any prices when I want to go to the ballpark and watch a game. Bibliography/References Haupert, Michael, edit by Robert Whaples. (2007, December 3). The Economic History of Major League Baseball. Retrieved September 26,2011, from EH. Net Encyclopedia Web site: http://eh. net/encyclopedia/article/haupert. mlb McConnell, Campbell R. Economics, 19th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 2012. p. G-18.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Effect of Need Based Grand Eligibility on College Attainment

Effect of Need Based Grand Eligibility on College Attainment The education system in the United State is considered as the best in the world , but this status is started to fall. According to the OECD report(2012) it has been seen that the bachelors degree attainment rate rise substantially in other countries over the last couple of decades, but the trends in the US are move slightly. Educational researchers such as Turner(2004),Bound, Lovenheim Turner( 2007) showed that students who admitted in bachelor degree program take more time to complete it. The national educational statistics also indicate a considerable variation in graduation time at the state level. Statistics from the 2009 census indicate that roughly 17 percent of those born in the lowest-ranked state of Southeast of US (age 25 and older) had attained a bachelor’s degree which is below the national rate of 24 percent, and compared to the U.S. average from the late 1970s(Goal 2025,2014). According to Bailey and Dynarski ( 2011) only 18 percent of college entrant complete a bachelor degree within four years and 36 percent within six years. In the past, educators and researchers tried to find out the reasons why so many college entrants fail to complete a degree, or fail to complete on time. Previous researchers such as Clayton(2009) argued that students financial constraints and academic preparation and motivation are correlated with time to complete a degree. Baum, Ma, Payea (2010) showed that only 55 percent students of low income quintile background who graduated high school in 2008enrolled in college compared with 80 percent of students in the highest income quintile. Ellwood Kane(2000) proved that low-income students have a lower probability of enrollment than do more affluent students when controlling for academic achievement. The gaps in college degree attainment by socioeconomic status are even more concerned (Haveman Smeeding, 2006). These concerns may explain the increasing popularity of programs offering large financial incentives for co llege achievement. The United States government currently provides more than $132 billion per year need based financial assistantships to mitigate the effect of rising college costs on the postsecondary decisions of students from low-income families (Baum and Payea 2011).The largest of these grants is the federal Pell Grant, a need-based grant awarded to low- and moderate-income students pursuing a college education at an accredited institution. Researchers always wanted to know whether these grants lead to improvements in students’ college outcomes. A vast majority of research examined the causal effect of need-based grants on college access. However, a very little research has examined the effect of need-based grants on whether students persistent, accumulate more college credits, and ultimately complete a degree. The proposed study will investigate the effects of need-based grant eligibility on college attainment. Specifically, we will focus on the impact of eligibility fo r the need-based Mississippi Tuition Assistant Grant(MTAG) on whether students enter, remain enrolled in, and graduate from college. The Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board(MPEFAB) determined eligibility for the MTAG using the federal need based financial analysis calculation. According to that calculation freshman and sophomore students will get not more than $ 500 per academic year and in case of junior and senior students, the award shall not exceed $ 1000 per academic year. According to the MPEFAB, students who get less than the full Federal Pell Grant award shall receive an MTAG award in an amount equal to the difference between the maximum Federal Pell Grant award amount and the award amount of the Federal Pell Grant for which the student is eligible based upon the student’s EFC as determined by the FAFSA. A student may receive MTAG in addition to the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG), unless the institution determines that receipt of both awards will cause the student’s financial aid package to exceed the institution’s established cost of attendance for the student. Problem Statement Previous researches related to financial aid highlighted the effect of financial aid on college attendance and college persistence, even though this two likely represent very different sets of decisions for individuals. Researchers always wanted to know whether these grants lead to improvements in students’ college outcomes. A vast majority of research examined the causal effect of need-based grants on college access. For instance, Deming Dynarski (2009 ) showed that for each additional $1,000 need-based grant eligibility can have a strong and positive effect on students enrollment in college, with the estimated probability of enrollment increasing by between 3 to 4 percentage on average. Several researchers such as Bruce and Carruthers(2011),Dynarksi(2008), Scott-Clayton(2011) examined the long-term effect of merit-based scholarships on whether students earn a degree. Recently, Bettinger, et al. (2012) suggested that helping students to apply for federal aid like the Pell Gr ant increase college persistence. However, a very little research has examined the effect of need-based grants on whether students persistent, accumulate more college credits, and ultimately complete a degree. Research Question The proposed study will investigate the effects of need-based grant eligibility on college attainment. Specifically, we will focus on the impact of eligibility for the need-based Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program (TSAA)on whether students enter, remain enrolled in, and graduate from college. As such, we will contribute to the literature by focusing on the longer-term effects of need-based financial aid. The proposed study will also contributes to the scant literature on the effects of financial aid, particularly need-based aid, on college persistence and degree completion. Additionally, the proposed study will examine the effects of increasing the size other need-based financial aid for example, the Pell Grant on college outcome as well as interaction between need based financial aid and merit based financial aid. A regression -discontinuity design will be used based on the information that determined whether students were eligible for more, or less, need-based grant aid to analyze the causal effect of TSAA eligibility on whether students entered, persisted in, and completed college level degree program. Literature Review Previous research shows that financial aid may influence the college-going decisions of low income students. According to Becker(1964), if the perceived present discounted value (PDV) of the benefits of higher education exceeds the PDV of the costs of going to college the students pursue a college education. Thus, government and other aid granting agencies provide financial aid to reduce the PDV of the cost of going to college. Previous research related to financial aid support this theory. Dynarski (2003) and Deming and Dynarski( 2009) showed that reduction in financial aid by $ 1000 led to roughly 4 % reduction in college enrollment. The research literature suggests that financial aid can impact initial college enrollment positively, while economic theory is reluctant about the effect of financial aid on success of college student. Is is well proved that financial aid have an indirect positive effect on academic success for students who have already admitted in college. In recent y ears, authors such as Dynarski (2008) analyzed the effect of government sponsored merit based scholarship programs on students long term success. Dynarski(2008) showed that the introduction of state merit scholarships in Arkansas and Georgia increase degree completion rate in each state. While,Scott-Clayton (2011) found that students who got West Virginia PROMISE scholarship were 6.7 percentage more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within four years than other students. Similarly, Bruce and Carruthers (2011) exploited a cut-off in the ACT score that determines eligibility for Tennessee’s HOPE merit scholarship to examine the effect of the grant on students’ longer-term college attainment. In contrast to Dynarski (2008) and Scott-Clayton (2011), the authors found little evidence that Tennessee HOPE had a positive impact on whether students earned a degree.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Celebrity Endorser Influence Essay

Celebrity Endorser Influence on Attitude Toward Advertisements and Brands Bahram Ranjbarian Associate Professor of management, Department of Management The University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran E-mail: Bahram1 r@yahoo.com Zahra Shekarchizade Master Student of Business Management, Department of Management University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran E-mail: Shekarchi_2020@yahoo.com Zahra Momeni Master Student of Business Management, Department of Management University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran E-mail: za.momeni@yahoo.com Abstract Purpose- This study aims to analyze the celebrity endorser influence on attitude toward advertisements and brands. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model is developed and tested with a sample of 193 students in University of Isfahan in 2009. Structural equation modeling was used with LISREL 8.50 and the maximum likelihood (ML) method. Findings – The findings show that attitude toward celebrity endorser can influence on attitude toward brand directly or indirectly. In indirectly approach, attitude toward advertisement is as a mediator between attitude toward celebrity endorser and attitude toward brand. On the other hand, attitude toward celebrity endorser has not significant effect on purchase intention. Originality/value – This paper provides a model connecting attitude toward celebrity endorser, attitude toward advertisement and attitude toward brand that has been examined and validated using a sample of students in University of Isfahan. Paper type- Research paper Keywords: Endorsement, Celebrities, Brand, Attitude, Advertisement Introduction Today one of the most prevalent forms of retail advertising is through using of celebrity endorsement (White et al, 2007). In fact celebrity endorsers are being used in about 25 percent of all television advertisements in order to promote brands (Erdogan et al, 2001).These endorsers are being paid by about 10 percent of advertiser’s budgets (Agrawal and Kamakura, 1995). Marketers invest huge amounts of money in contracts with celebrity endorsers each year, since they believe that celebrities affect the process of selling of their brands or products (Katyal, 2007). A celebrity endorser is a wellknown person (e.g., actors, sports figures and artists) because of his successes in a special field other than the endorsed product class (James, 2004). Celebrity endorsers are used by firms who want to 399 European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 13, Number 3 (2010) support a product or service (Amos et al, 2008). Since presence of celebrity endorsers affects purchase decisions of consumers positively, producers and retailers have always preferred to use celebrity endorsements in order to sell their products (Stafford et al, 2003; Erdogan, 1999; Kamins, 1990). Kaikati (1987) believes that using of celebrities in advertisements could have many benefits and advantages including: 1) facilitating of brand identification 2) changing or impressing the negative attitude towards a brand 3) repositioning an existing brand 4) global marketing or positioning of a brand or product 5) affecting purchase intentions of consumers. Although using of celebrity endorsers as brand messengers is impressive, but it could have some risks. For instance, celebrities who are known to be guilty because of negative events (e.g., accident) may have harmful effects on the products that they endorse (Lou ie and Obermiller, 2002). Studies reveal that using of attractive celebrity causes to increase attitude towards advertisements. Such attitude towards advertisements is defined as â€Å"mental states which are used by individuals to organize the way they perceive their environment and control the way they respond to it† (Haghirian, 2004). There is a considerable correlation between desirable attitudes with regard to advertising and rating of certain advertisements by respondents as being likeable, irritating, delightful, etc (Bauer and Greyser, 1968). Celebrity endorsers enhance awareness of a company’s advertising, create positive feelings towards brands and are perceived by consumers as more amusing (Solomon, 2002). Thus using of a celebrity in advertising causes to influence brand attitude and purchase intentions of consumers in a positive way. Celebrity endorsement has a strong effect on consumers’ memory and learning approach too. Most consumers are not in a purchasing situation when they are encounter with message of the brand. Marketers use celebrity endorsement in order to help better storage of information in consumers’ minds which they can easily remember in purchasing situations (Schultz and Brens, 1995). However, there are many studies about celebrity endorser, but it seems that there are limited researches about the relationship between celebrity endorser and attitudes. The purpose of this study is to specify the impact of using celebrity endorsers in Iranian advertisements on attitudes of students in University of Isfahan toward those ads and brands. Literature Review Some properties such as likeability, expertise, trustworthiness and similarity cause a celebrity endorser to become a source of persuasive information and this creates a sense of certainty which has been revealed in many studies (Suranaa, 2008). Also physical attractiveness of the endorser is considerable in effectiveness of a message (Khatri, 2006). Acceptance of a message by a receiver could be influenced by celebrity endorsers as believable sources of information about a product or a firm (Amos et al, 2008). Using of celebrity endorsers to support products is explained by balance theory principles too. According to this theory, successful companies establish an emotional relation between the observer and endorser and a relation between endorser and brand too (Mowen, 2000). Before proceeding conceptual model, we describe the main constructs of this study. Celebrity Endorser McCracken (1998) has defined celebrity endorser as â€Å"any individual who enjoys public cognition and who uses this cognition on behalf of a consumer by appearing wit in an advertisement†. Moreover, celebrity is used as testimonial, endorsement, actor or spokesperson by the firm. Research has demonstrated that celebrity endorsement affects consumers’ feelings in general and it could affect the attitude of consumers towards the advertisement and brands too. This could result in enhancing of purchase intentions and as a result enhancing of sales. Some properties like credibility, physical attractiveness and likeability of celebrity endorser influence the ability of one person to impact other person (Amos et al, 2008). Source credibility is referred to identifying of communicator’s positive properties which influences acceptance of a message by the receiver (Ohanian, 1990). This consists of two main dimensions of expertise and 400 European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 13, Number 3 (2010) trustworthiness. Source expertise refers to the degree which a communicator is perceived to be a source of valid assertion (Roozen, 2008). Source trustworthiness refers to faithfulness and reliability of the spokesperson (Khatri, 2006). Source attractiveness is the personality, likeability and similarity of endorsers to the receiver, thus to the perceived social values of the source (Solomon, 2002). Physical attractiveness of the source include being attractive, beautiful, elegant and charming. According to the studies in this ground, expertise dimension is more significant than physical attractiveness for matching of a brand with a suitable endorser (Brian and Michael, 1998). Likeability is referred to the positive or negative feelings that consumers have towards a source of information. We can define likeability as affection for the source because of its physical appearance and behavior (Erdogan, 1999). Though some research results reveal effectiveness of celebrities as endorsers (Freiden, 1984), but other researches suggest that celebrity endorsement may have different degrees of effectiveness depending on other factors like the â€Å"fit† between the celebrity and the advertised product (Till and Shimp, 1998). Celebrity Endorsers’ Effect on Aad and Ao Marketers are especially interested in consumers’ attitudes towards advertisements and brands. Essentially, attitudes are our predispositions with regard to things. An attitude shows whether we like something or not. Attitudes have three basic components: affective, cognitive and behavioral. Affective is related to our liking or feelings about an object. Cognitive is referred to beliefs about an object and behavioral component regards actions we take about that object (Severin and Tankard, 2001). Attitude towards advertisement is defined as â€Å"a learned tendency to respond in a consistently desirable or undes irable approach toward advertising in general† (Haghirian, 2004). On the other side, attitude towards the advertisement (Aad) is whether the consumer likes an advertisement (Ad) or hates it. Determinants of Aad consist of attitude towards the advertiser, assessment of the Ad execution itself, the mood evoked by Ad, and the extent to which the Ad affect viewer’s encouragement. Assessment of brands could be influenced by attitudes towards Ads. Of course what causes an advertisement to be impressive will change noticeably cross-culturally (Arnold et al, 2004). In performed studies, Aad is focused on as a mediator of advertiser’s effects on brand attitudes and purchase intentions (Suhere and Ispir, 2009). In recent studies, this issue has been proved that using of celebrity endorsement has a positive impact on attitudes of the consumer towards products and brands with which they are associated brand (Seno and Lukas, 2005). Agarwal and Malhotra (2005) have defined brand attitude as consumers’ general evaluative judgment of a brand based on brand beliefs. Such beliefs concern product-related attributes, like practical and experimental benefits. A successful endorser is able to enhance intentions and preferences towards brands directly or indirectly. An endorser who has major source factors of credibility (like expertise, trustworthiness and effectiveness) is able to impress purchase intentions of the consumer considerably (Liu et al, 2007). Information from a credible source can impress ideas, attitudes and behavior through a process called internalization (Belch and Belch, 1993). Internalization occurs when the receiver is motivated to have an issue. The receiver learns and accepts the idea of the credible spokesperson, since he supposes that information of this person represents an accurate position on the issue. Therefore, if such spokesperson who is known to be an expert endorses a product, consumers will more probably have a desirable idea about that advertisement and brand and they will consider it in their shopping list the next time they go shopping. Researchers have used the identification process of social influence in order to explain the effectiveness of celebrity endorsers (Basil, 1996). This theory suggests that if an individual identifies with another individual, then he is more likely to accept an attitude or behavior of that individual or a group. The internalization process of social influence is occurred â€Å"when an individual accepts influence because the induced behavior is congruent with his value system†. An individual accepts the influence, since it provides a solution to a problem (Daneshvary and Schwer, 2000). In the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), individual’s level of motivation to process central message arguments is represented which is one of its key factors that affects the relative impact of 401 European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 13, Number 3 (2010) central and peripheral processing (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986). When applied to an adverting context, ELM suggests that consumers’ motivation to centrally process brand-relevant aspects of an advertisement is enhanced, the impact of central processing on brand attitudes should be enhanced, the effect of peripheral processing on brand attitudes should be reduced and the effect of brand attitudes on purchase intentions should be enhanced (Lafferty and Goldsmith, 1999). In this theoretical model, the endorser serves as cue just during peripheral processing. Therefore, the effect of the endorser should be reduced while central processing is enhanced. Mackenzie and Lutz (1989) have stated that advertiser credibility is a central processing cue more than any other thing. Credibility of the source is considered important in influence acceptance. A consumer will accept the accurate influence (information) and apply it if there the source is perceived to be credible. It is accepted because it is â€Å"demand† by ones own values. Therefore, a product’s endorsement by a credible source may impress purchase behavior (Danwshvary and Schwer, 2000). As a result, celebrity endorsement can increase the process of recalling and consume assessment of products (Khatri, 2006). On the other hand, celebrity endorsement has a severe effect on learning approach and memory. Researchers in the field of marketing and social psychology have studied the manner of impressing of purchase decision by celebrity endorsements. Various hypotheses have been proposed including having recall of the product by celebrity endorsement, celebrities have credibility on expertise that makes the product more desirable or increases perceptions of quality; the celebrity endorsers’ image is transferred to the product so that those who use the product are associated with the image. Experiments suggest that celebrity endorsement can increase recall and consume assessment of the products in certain situations (Clark and Horstman, 2003). Most of the times, making connection with the brand message is occurred when consumers are not in a purchasing situation. Marketers use celebrity endorsement so that information will be kept in consumers’ minds better and in the case of purchasing situation, they can easily retrieve it (Surana, 2008). A successful endorser strategy can enhance the level of consumers’ recalling towards product information, reinforces consumers’ recognition to endorsed brands, positively influences consumers’ attitude to low-involved products and even enhance consumers’ purchase intention and preference towards brands (Liu et al, 2007) Therefore, hypothesizes of the study are as follows. H1: Attitude toward ad is positively affected by attitude toward celebrity endorser. H2: Attitude toward brand is positively affected by attitude toward celebrity endorser H3: Attitude toward brand is positively affected by attitude toward advertisement. H4: Intention to buy is positively affected by attitude toward celebrity endorser Method Data Collection Information was obtained from randomly selected students from University of Isfahan through survey questionnaires during September- November 2009. University of Isfahan is one of the major universities in the fields of science, human science and engineering. A total sample of 193 participants was obtained. The sample was composed of 137 women (71 percent) and 56 men (21 percent). A cluster sampling procedure with age and degree as main control variables was applied. The age of the respondents ranged from 19 to 30 years, with a mean of 24. All questionnaires were self-administered by the participants without interference from researchers. Measures The study uses multi-item scales to measure the constructs in our model. All items in the questionnaire were measured on a five-point Likert-type scale anchored from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (5). Some of the measures were available in the literature, though most were adapted to suit this European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 13, Number 3 (2010) particular context. To measure attitude toward celebrity endorser we used ten items. Attitude toward advertisement and attitude toward brand were measured with six items and five items, respectively. In order to measure reliability of questions in the questionnaire, 30 questionnaires have been pre-tested through pilot studies. Then, amount of confidence coefficient has been calculated by method of Cronbach’s alpha for which 0.83 % is obtained. This number shows that the applied questionnaire enjoys confidentiality or in other words the necessary reliability. Results Measurement Model Measurement model Structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.54 and the maximum likelihood (ML) method was used to analyse the data.. LISREL is a structural equations modeling technique that traces structural relations in a set of data (Eriksson et al, 2004). Structural equation modelling was used because it allows to estimate multiple and interrelated dependence relationships and unobserved factors can be represented in these relationships. Additionally, measurement error in the estimation process is accounted for (Hair et al., 1998). The model is assessed with the comparative fit index (CFI), standardised root meanresidual (SRMR), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and Akaike’s (1987) information criterion (AIC). The measurement model provided a good fit to the data: (CFI = 0:98, SRMR=0.058, RMSEA = 0.015 and AIC =396.22). All values of CFI, SRMR, and RMSEA meet the standards suggested by Hu and Bentler (1999): 0.95 for CFI, 0.08 for SRMR, and 0.06 for RMSEA.There are no Guidelines for the AIC but lower values indicate better fit. The fit of the structural model is good and is reported in Table I. In the following we will test our hypotheses and consequently report the standardised path coefficients. As shown in Table I, three of hypotheses are empirically supported and one of them is not confirmed. The effect of attitude toward celebrity endorser on attitude toward advertisement is significant (standardised path coefficient = 0:49). This shows that the higher the attitude toward endorser, the more the attitude toward advertisement. Attitude toward celebrity endorser also have significant effect on attitude toward brand (standardised path coefficient= 0.24), but this effect is comparatively weaker than its effect on attitude toward advertisement. On the other hand, the effect of attitude toward advertisement on attitude toward brand is significant (standardised path coefficient = 0:56). This clearly shows that attitude toward advertisement has the highest standardized path coefficient and therefore has the strongest influence on attitude toward brand. The results show that the effects of attitude celebrity endorser on Purchase intention is not significant (standardised path coefficient = 0.11). This means that attitud toward celebrities, does not necessarily always translates into purchase intentions. Discussion The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among attitude toward celebrity endorser and attitude toward advertisement and brand. Effects of a celebrity endorser on respondents’ assessments about advertisements and products endorsed by celebrities have been studied previously. There are some interesting findings for using of celebrity endorsers in Iranian advertisements. Attitude towards a celebrity endorser has a direct positive effect on attitude towards advertisement. Attitude towards advertisement has important effects on attitude towards brands, too and its effect is comparatively stronger than the effect of celebrity endorser. But the effect of attitude toward celebrity endorser on purchase intention is not considerable. Results of this study demonstrate that attitude towards celebrity endorser has an indirect effect on attitude towards brand. This result confirms outcomes of the previous research by Agarwal and Kamakura (1995), Till and Busler (1998), and W hite et al (2008). When there is a â€Å"fit† between the    European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 13, Number 3 (2010) endorser and the endorsed product, endorser’s image helps construct the image of the brand in consumers’ minds. In fact, using of an attractive endorser has a positive impact on consumer attitudes towards a brand, because attractive endorsers have a tendency to get more attention than less attractive ones. On the other hand, experience of celebrity’s negative information can have an undesirable effect on the endorsed product. Transfer of negative information between the celebrity endorser and the endorsed product could be facilitated through cognitive relational pathway. We have considered social position of artists because people have more positive attitude towards artists. So, they distribute attitude towards artists to attitude towards endorsed brand. The association between attitude towards celebrity endorser and attitude towards advertisement has been shown in numerous studies, as the relationship between sports celebrity endorsements and retail products’ adverting are reported (White et al, 2008) and sports celebrity endorsements are being used in advertisements to impress brand selection. It is recognized in one study that attitude towards advertisement is considered as an interagent that influences attitude towards brand (Suhere and Ispir, 2009). Results of our study reveal that attitude towards advertisement is as an interagent between attitude towards celebrity and attitude towards brand. In our opinion, Iranians are interested in artists and know them as credible sources. So, ads makers use artists as celebrity to impress viewers’ attitudes towards advertisement and thereupon attitude towards brand. According to previous studies about the effect of the celebrity endorser on purchase intentions, such as Kamins (1990), Ohanian (1991), Liu et al (2007), we expected that positive attitude towards celebrities impressed purchase intentions. But results of this study confirm research outcomes of O’Mahony and Meenaghan (1997). According to this study, attitude towards celebrities does not necessarily always interpret in to purchase intentions. It seems that Iranian’s consumer tendency for buying is influenced by other various items such as age, gender, income and education too. Limitation This study has some limitations. The primary limitation of the present research relates to generalizability. The sample was restricted to students in University of Isfahan and this limits our results to be generalized, too. Another relevant consideration is that numerous girl students in university of Isfahan are more than its boy students. Also, this study relied exclusively on questionnaires to assess influence attitude toward celebrity endorser on attitude toward advertisements and brands, whereas this relationships need to be more investigated. On the other hand, this paper could not estimate effect of attitude toward celebrity endorser on purchase intention. In addition, our results are relational and not causal; therefore, it can not be concluded from this study whether attitude toward advertisement and brand is only cause or result of attitude toward celebrity endorser. Conclusion In this study the goal was to indicate the influence of using celebrity endorsers in Iranian advertisements on attitudes of students in University of Isfahan toward those advertisements and brands. The result of this study showed that the positive and significant relationship between attitude toward celebrity endorser and attitude toward advertisements and brands. By analyzing the output resulting from testing hypotheses, it can be concluded that attitude toward celebrity endorser has directly or indirectly influence on attitude toward brand. Consequences suggested that attitude toward advertisement was as a mediator between attitude toward celebrity endorser and attitude toward brand. On the other hand, attitude toward celebrity endorser hadn’t significant influence on purchase intention. So, future researches should put more effort into making strong believable explanations for how celebrity endorsers are able to have significant influence on consumer intention for purchase. References [1] [2] Agrawal, J. and Kamakura, W.A. (1995), â€Å"The economic worth of celebrity endorsers: an event study analysis†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 59 No. 3, pp. 56-62 Agarwal, J. and Malhotra, N.K. (2005), â€Å"An integrated model of attitude and affect: theoretical foundation and an empirical investigation†, Journal of usiness Research, Vol. 58 No. 4, pp. 483-93. Arnoulds, E., Price, L. and Zinkhan, G. (2004). â€Å"Consumers†. Boston: Mc Graw-Hill. Basil, M.D. (1996), â€Å"Identification as a mediator of celebrity effects†, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 40, fall, pp. 478-95. Bauer, R. A. and Greyser, S. A. (1968). â€Å"Advertising in America: The Consumer View†. Boston: Harvard University. Belch, G.E., and Belch, M.A. (1993), â€Å"Introduction to Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective†, Irwin, Homewood, IL. Clark, R.C. and Horstman, I.J. (2003), â€Å"Celebrity Endorsents† (www.bu.edu/ e.con/seminar/micro/pdffav) celebendorse.bu.pdf. Clinton, A., Gary, H. and David, S. (2008), â€Å"Exploring the relationship between celebrity endorser effects and advertising effectiveness, a quantitative synthesis of effect size†, International Journal of Advertising, Vol.27 No.2, pp. 209–234. Daneshvary, R. and Schwer R.K. (2000), â€Å"The association endorsement and consumers intention to purchase†, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 17 No. 3 2000, pp. 203-213. Erdogan, B.Z. (1999), â€Å"Celebrity endorsement: a literature review†, Journal of Marketing Management, 15(3), pp. 291–314. Erdogan, B.Z., Baker, M.J. and Tagg, S. (2001), â€Å"Selecting celebrity endorsers: the practitioner’s perspective†, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 39-48. Eriksson,K., Kerem,K. and Nilsson,D. (2005), â€Å"Customer acceptance of internet banking in Estonia†, International Journal of Bank Marketing,Vol.2 3 No. 2, pp. 200-216. Freiden, J.B. (1984), â€Å"Advertising spokesperson effects: an examination of endorser type and gender on two audiences†, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 33-41. Haghirian, P. and Madlberger, M. (2005), â€Å"Consumer attitude toward advertising via mobile devices – an empirical investigation among Austrian users†, in Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems, Regensburg, Germany, May 2005, (accessed on 4/26/2006). Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L. and Black, W.C. (1998), â€Å"Multivariate Data Analysis†, 5th Ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Hu, L.-T. and Bentler, P. (1999), â€Å"Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives†, Structural Equation Modeling, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 1-55. Kaikati.J.G. (1987),â€Å"Celebrity advertising, a review and synthesis†, International Journal of Advertising, 6.93-105. Kamins, M.A. (1990), â€Å"An investigation into the ‘match-up’ hypothesis in celebrity advertising: when beauty may be only skin deep†, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 413. Lear,K.E, Runyan,R.C. and Whitaker,W.H. (2009), â€Å"Sports celebrity endorsements in retail produc ts advertising†, International Journal of Retail &Distribution Management, Vol. 37 No. 4, pp. 308-321. Katyal, S. (2008), â€Å"Impact of Celebrity Endorsement on a Brand†, Chillibreeze writer, available at www.chillibreeze.com/articles/ accessed on 12th, July. Khatri, P. (2006), â€Å"Celebrity Endorsement: A Strategic Promotion Perspective†, Indian Media Studies Journal Vol.1 No.1. July-Dec. 405

Sunday, November 10, 2019

What are the most important considerations?

INTRODUCTIONMultimedia, which is in essence a presentation of information that includes multiples media, is becoming a very important medium in learning. Multimedia learning materials have soared since the growth of internet. Yet its effective must rely on the design was tailored to cater specific audiences.PURPOSEThe purpose of this document is to present the most important considerations when designing a multimedia material for adult learners. This document also further explains these considerations.IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONSOverview of ConsiderationsWhen designing multimedia materials for adult learners, the following important considerations should be taken into account (Lieb, 1991):1) Adults are autonomous and self-directed.2) Adults have accumulated a foundation of life experiences and knowledge that may include work-related activities, family responsibilities, and previous education. Generally these are established values, beliefs, and opinions.3) Â  Adults are goal oriented4) Â  Adults are relevance oriented and practical5) Â  Adults should be respectedOther minor factors which are not very common to all includes, low level literacy, lacking in confidence and displaying a higher level of anxiety towards academic tasks, limited problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and little or no computer-related skills.Autonomous and Self-directedAdult learners tend to be autonomous and self-directed. Thus a multimedia learning material should have the alternatives that may fit the interest of adult learners. It should not be limiting in options but rather acts as guide or facilitating control. Adults can direct themselves to specific areas of interest at a time to achieve the most efficient learning.Established Values, Beliefs, Knowledge and OpinionsAdult learners experience in life has formed established values, beliefs, and opinions. Thus a multimedia learning material should take into account that new ideas and principles should be explained carefully and explicitly. The explanation should connect these ideas and principles to the established values, beliefs and opinions in order for them to understand. Otherwise they might misunderstood it and think that these are not in accordance with their previous knowledge.Goal OrientedAdults are goal oriented so that they should have a purpose in every module or chapter. The multimedia learning material should clear the objective at the start. Without a goal, adult learners tend to loose their interest because to them life experience has taught them that life is all about goals. The multimedia learning material should provide them an organized layout of the content at the start.Relevance oriented and PracticalAdult learners seek relevance of studies in their daily lives. They need to understand the practical purpose of these lessons. Thus multimedia learning materials should relate the ideas to real world scenarios where they offer a certain level of use.RespectThe most important to all of th is is respect. Multimedia learning materials should not try to break the respect by overdoing with jokes to ignite interest.CONCLUSIONMultimedia products should take into consideration the that adult learners are autonomous, have establish values and opinions, goal oriented, relevance oriented, practical and needs respect in order for these products to be effective.ReferencesLieb, S (1991). Principles of Adult Learning. Retrieved from the BALS website: http://balsontheweb.wikispaces.com/Adult+Learning?responseToken=a02492aded209b11678103756fc3f32b ,January 17, 2007

Friday, November 8, 2019

Mgt 531 Essay Example

Mgt 531 Essay Example Mgt 531 Essay Mgt 531 Essay 1Which of the following is true of The Federal Arbitration Act o [pic]It applies only to breach of contract disputes. o [pic]It governs all types of alternative dispute resolution. o [pic]It permits an appeal for all arbitration awards. o [pic]It provides that arbitration agreements are valid, irrevocable, and enforceable.Correct 2Fred and Ginger are general partners in a business. They decide to purchase a building for the partnership. Ginger will put up the money for the building, and Fred will complete the remodeling. While inspecting the building, Fred is informed that the building is packed full of asbestos. He fails to tell Ginger of the presence of the substance. They buy the building and go into business. During the remodeling of the building, people from the neighborhood begin complaining about the dust from the building. Some of them even threaten to sue. Who is liable o [pic]Both Ginger and Fred are liable, regardless of the circumstances, by virtue of the fact that they are partners. o [pic]Neither Ginger nor Fred are liable personally, nor is the partnership, as they did not put the substance in the building. o [pic]Ginger is liable because she is the one who purchased the building. Fred is not liable, even though he had actual knowledge, because he did not purchase the building. o [pic]Fred is liable because he was put on notice of the presence of the substance. Ginger is not liable because she did not have actual knowledge. 3Which type of business formation is typically reserved for professionals such as accountants, lawyers, and doctors o [pic]Franchise o [pic]Limited Liability Company (LLC) o [pic]Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) o [pic]S-CorporationCorrect 4Which of the following is true of arbitration o [pic]A judicial referee makes

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Bamboo in the Wind by Azucena Uranza

Bamboo in the Wind by Azucena Uranza CN: 14 Teng, Marc Gabriel Kiac 16 December 2013H.S. IV-DBamboo in the WindFrom the title itself, 'Bamboo in the Wind' indicates the Filipinos' resilience, just as a bamboo tends to bend with the wind. Although the plot revolves around the Marcos' regime, the cast of characters is able to cope with the changes in the society. In the novel, the character of Larry depicts the idealism turned to realism due to his resilience in the awakening of the Filipinos from their idyllic dream of a better Philippines, especially in the means to do so.Returning from the United States, the land of dreams, Larry begins as an idealist because a man's ideal dream is to live a life that's happily ever after, evident from the text"He had been eager to leave at first. But when the time drew near, he wanted to give up, preferring to stay and work.Bacolod Public Plaza during bicycle races in 1901,...In the U.S., he worked for a while after getting his degree but found no point in prolonging his stay in a for eign land. His place was home. And here he was, he thought happily, home at last, starting a new life, like a rebirth."Furthermore, although he says the line to Connie "I can't be expected to fall in love with a political entity called a nation," his actions do not reflect his words; in fact, it is even Connie who informs Larry of the political situation, which is exemplified in the lines of Connie,"Why should the government be so lavish in its so-called cultural programs, why should we at Holy Trinity pour out a lot of money on so much nonsense, while Jenny languished in Sta. Monica to grow up illiterate because the government and citizens like us can't afford or...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Global Language Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Global Language Technologies - Essay Example This is a method that has been used by Dell Computer Corp. also. The third customer value offering is the product mix. GLT plans to offer all mobile communication devices, from cellular telephones to hand held devices and have accessories available. "Customer's who prefer one-stop shopping or variety would find such product mixes valuable" (Afuah and Tucci p 57 2000). 11 Global Language Technologies (GLT) is a fictitious company dealing with E retailing of multiple product lines emulating the mobile telecommunications industry through direct to consumer sales of mobile communication devices. Since the company deals with many and diverse products the inventory is huge both in terms of quantity as well as in terms of dollar value. The efforts are directed towards improving the supply chain process of the company by undertaking two major activities as follows: GLT needs a system that could integrate all these resources in order to utilise each one of them most optimally. GLT is medium sized organisation. In the telecommunications industry, information systems have a strong impact on management of the organization. The exchange of information through email, telephone, and Internet means that management has a secondary requirement other than people management, it must adapt to new technology as well as create base rules for the transfer of information. Furthermore, management has a responsibility to train employees on technology usage and security as information systems become more complex. Haag et al (p 9 2005) describes information as being: internal to the operation aspects of the facility; external, as the environmental impact of outside forces; objective as being known information; subjective as descriptions of the unknowns. The information systems, being where the telecommunications industry stores customer, business and technological knowledge, needs to be managed to the different types of information available. The influence of the

Friday, November 1, 2019

About Destination Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

About Destination Management - Assignment Example It is the home for most of the national as well as the international based organisations and is also considered to be a significant commercial centre. It has been ascertained that millions of tourist visit London every year. It is worth mentioning that number of famous attractions dwells in the city. Amongst these Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Tower of London and Buckingham Palace among others are the few world renowned places that are located in the city. Apart from these, numerous events are also conducted in the city annually. The city has a good transportation system. It is regarded as among the safest destinations for visitors (Visit England, 2013).Correspondingly, this paper primarily intends to describe the emergence of destination development along with relating various theories and concepts to the city of London. 2. The Emergence of Destination Development and Consideration of Sustainable/Responsible Tourism Development A destination is duly regard ed as an area of tourist appeal which comprises attractions and accommodations along with support services. In other words, it can be regarded as a physical boundary embrace with distinctive images as well as qualities that provides a brand identity to a particular location recognisable by potential visitors (Visit England, 2013). The aspect of destination development is often considered to be a central theme especially from tourism perspective. It is worth mentioning that emergence of destinations, government policies, impact of development and marketing issues among others are the vital components that play an imperative role in destination development. It is strongly stated that a destination possesses the capability to motivate visitors to travel by and entail activities of interest to accommodate wherein visitors feel safe and secure. At the same time, shortage of tourism resources, obstructionist role often play by governments, inadequate infrastructure and ineffective promoti on are the primary determinants for destination development (Henderson, 2006). It is firmly stressed that destination development has viable influence on the notion of sustainable development. Broadly speaking, tourism activity considerably contributes towards the development as well as the growth of a particular location. It can be affirmed that sustainable development has greater interrelation with destination development. Correspondingly, destination development is accompanied with various significant factors such as quality environment, social interaction, cultural distinctiveness, security and welfare of visitors and host communes (European Commission, 2007). Thus, destination development is viewed as an important tool driven with economic development along with enhancing the quality life of tourists as well as host communities. 3. Application of Theories to the City Of London a. Stage of Development The mounting demand of national along with international visitors for spending their holidays has resulted in rapid development of tourist destinations. In order to understand the destination development stage, it is crucial to adopt the model propagated by R. W. Butler. According to Butler (1980), the development of a particular destination typically passes through six major sequences or phases. These stages can be identified as exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation and decline or rejuvenation (Butler, 1980). Diagrammatic representation of the aforementioned stages of destination development has been illustrated below. Source: (Butler, 1980). With this concern, it can be apparently observed that the city of

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Project Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project Management - Case Study Example In addition, the acquisition of the best and most competent people to manage projects ensures that the stakeholders of the organization stay up to date with the current knowledge about it as well as ensuring that they take advantage of all offers that the organization has to give, hence giving the organization a competitive edge over other’s. The hiring of competent staff ensures that an organization is able to make adjustments quickly, according to the changes in the marketing scene in the world and it does this for the purpose of assisting its stakeholders keep up to speed of things so that they do not lose any opportunities if there are any unexpected changes. Having competent people managing an organization’s projects provides a swift means through which individuals can easily be able to make connections with people and resources which they have need of in order receive the services they want from the organization. It has been stated that the acquisition of competen t managers for projects is one of the reasons why many organizations in the world today have become successful and are able to retain this success. One only has to log onto the internet to see the scale of success that many companies have been able to acquire and all of this due to competent project management that has been prevalent within them (Mauro, Plinio, Gilmar and Mamerto, 2012). It has been found that competent management is a means through which an organization can be able to ensure that it does not face any damaging scandals because of mismanagement (Baird and Riggins, 2012). While previously it was a subject which was not taken based on merit, the selection of project managers has now developed into a massive undertaking which has created the need to have competence in working on projects, because to not do so would be to doom the project or the organization to failure, like the case of Gary Allison in the Orion Shield project. As the years have progressed, project manag ement is moving from being a profession where individuals can survive without a lack of skills to one where there is plenty of opportunity for those who take a direct hand and are dedicated to it (Cruceru, 2012). When managing a project, managers have to be able to ensure that they have complete control of the project, otherwise, there is likely to be failures due to incompetence. In addition, project managers should adopt a strategy that is so well done it touches the emotions of those who witness it and as long as more people continue to the activities being done within the project, then the influence of this project is likely to be immense. It has become common knowledge that effective project management is essential and this belief has developed to such an extent that many organizations have actually come to believe that it is the solution to the diverse problems that they have been experiencing with their own projects. More organizations than ever today are making a bid to ensu re that they not only have competent managers, but also that their projects are done in the most professional way possible. The lack of professionalism has created a situation where organizations

Monday, October 28, 2019

Kant Moral Law Theory Essay Example for Free

Kant Moral Law Theory Essay â€Å"Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe the oftener and more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me. † – Kant (1788), pp, 193, 259 Immanuel Kant introduced and initiated his ‘moral law theory’ in the late 18th century. The doctrine in question sought to establish and constitute a supreme or absolute principle of morality. Kant disputes the existence of an ‘ethical system’, whereby moral obligations are obligations of ‘purpose’ or ‘reason’. The accuracy of actions [i. e. the rightness or wrongness of an individual deed] is determined by its configuration and conformity with regard to ‘moral law’. Evidently, according to Kant, an immoral transaction is invariably contemplated as an illogical or unreasonable occurrence or action. The supreme moral principle is a consistent working criterion that proves to be practically helpful and theoretically enlightening when used by rational agents as a guide for making personal choices (Kant VI). A supreme guiding moral principle must carry with it an absolute necessity and be done out of duty to the moral law in order to be free from corruption. Kant believed in a fair and impartial law. He accredited and affirmed the presence of an objective moral law that we, as humans, were/are able to identify with through the process of reasoning. Kant argued that we are able to recognise and distinguish moral law, without making reference to the possible consequence or outcome. Immanuel Kant declared a differentiation between statements [i.e. posteriori and priori] that he believed to coincide with moral law. A posteriori statement is one that is based on experience of the material world. In opposition, a priori statement requires no such knowledge; it is known independent of the phenomenal world. Furthermore, Kant continued to make additional distinctions with regard to analytic and synthetic statements. An analytic statement, he claims, is one that by its very nature is necessarily true, as the predicate is included within the definition of the subject. Example: – [â€Å"all squares have four sides†]. The previous statement is of an analytic nature, as the predicate, i. e. the square having four sides, is implicit and is part of the definition of the subject – [â€Å"square†]. An analytic statement is necessarily true – true by its own authority, and is purely explicative, as it tells us nothing new about the subject. In contrast, a synthetic statement is one in which the predicate is not included in the definition of the subject, and thus is not necessarily true. A synthetic statement also tells us something new about the subject. Prior to Kant, it was widely accepted that there were only two types of statement: a priori analytic and a posteriori synthetic. Kant accepted these two statements although believed there to be a third: a priori synthetic statement. These are statements that are known independent of experience that may or may not be true. Kant claimed that these priori synthetic principles are inherent within us and therefore subsequently form the basis of all moral decision making. Kant’s theory is based on and is primarily concerned with the aspect of ‘duty’. Kant believed and promoted the notion that to act morally is one’s ‘duty’, and one’s ‘duty’ is to act and proceed in accordance to the principles of moral law. Due to this, Kant’s theory is categorised and distinguished as a ‘deontological argument’. A deontological theory is one that maintains the moral rightness or wrongness of an action and depends on its fundamental qualities, and is independent of the nature of its consequence – â€Å"Duty for duty’s sake†. This perspective can be viewed in contrast to the beliefs and ‘rules’ associated and belonging to teleological arguments, i. e. utilitarianism. Immanuel Kant argued that moral requirements are based on a standard of rationality he dubbed the â€Å"Categorical Imperative. The categorical imperative has derived from the initial belief and notion that humans base their moral judgment on pure reason alone. This view can be viewed in contrast to a ‘morality theory’, which assumed/s that human’s actions are guided by emotions or desires. Example: When deciding what I ought to say to a friend who is distraught. Rationale would dictate that I give sensible advice, whereas my emotions may impulsively tell me to give comfort and sympathy. The categorical imperative declares and differentiates between obligatory and forbidden actions, and places further emphasis on the notion of ‘duty’. This statement can be strengthened through the following quotation – [â€Å"All in imperatives command either hypothetically or categorically†¦ If the action would be good simply as a means to something else, then the imperative is hypothetical; but if the action is represented as a good in itself†¦ then the imperative is categorical. †]. Example: If someone tells me that they will buy me dinner if I give them a lift into town, then this is a conditional action and would fall into the hypothetical imperative category. Conversely, if I think that I should give my friend a lift into town with no other agenda (i. e. she will not buy me dinner because of it), then this is a categorical imperative because it is independent of my interest and could apply to other people as well as myself. There are three principles of the categorical imperative: * Universal law; * Treat humans as ends in themselves; * Act as if you live in a kingdom of ends. 1. The categorical imperative is [â€Å"Do not act on any principle that cannot be universalised†]. In other words, moral laws must be applied in all situations and all rational beings universally, without exception. 2. [â€Å"Act that you treat humanity, both in your own person and in the person of every other human being, never merely as a means, but always at the time as an end. †] – The previous statement declares that we must never treat people as means to an end. You can never use human beings for another purpose, to exploit or enslave them. Humans are rational and the highest point of creation, and so demand unique treatment. 3. The quotation [â€Å"So act as if you were through your maxim a law-making member of a Kingdom of ends†] states Kant’s belief in the fact that humans should behave as though every other individual was an ‘end’. In conclusion, it is arguable that the categorical imperative possesses a sense of authority with regard to what actions are permitted and forbidden under Kant’s moral law theory.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Free Yellow Wallpaper Essays: The Dead Paper -- Yellow Wallpaper essa

The Dead Paper of Gilman's Yellow Wallpaper  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This passage from The Yellow Wallpaper clarifies the position of the reader in the story. It brings into question, right on the first page, who the woman (and Gilman herself) is addressing and why. When she writes, "I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind," it is as if she is having an aside with the reader. If she were truly talking to dead paper, why would such a comment be required? The idea of "dead paper" makes one think of something that is written, never to be published or read. In this sense, the caption can make the reader feel as if he or she is looking in privately on this woman's diary. The fact that this is "a great relief" to her mind makes the reader feel slightly less furtive about this, while giving the diary-type style raison d'à ªtre. At the same time, (since this story was meant to be published and read) this comment in and of itself addresses the reader personally, as if to put special confidence in him or her. The issue here is the differenti...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

FBI Case Study

The â€Å"Who Killed the Virtual Case File? † case study is a clear example of project failure which resulted on not only balloon the cost of the project, but also loss that could be counted on millions of dollars. Because of the size of the project and the failure of the project, it is broadly used to prevent future IT Project Management disasters. Project Overview: When special agent Larry Depew collected evidence of illegal activity of the Russian and Italian mafia tax skim activity, FBI didn’t have database system, which could organize and support all the information gathering processes that were needed for the organization. A decade later, Depew was landed in his first project management job called FBI Virtual Case File project (VCF), even though he had no previous experience. In the PMBOK Guide book describes what abilities a project manager should possess to successfully manage projects is: knowledge, performance and personal . In the results of lack of experience and ineffective planning the project was unfortunate failure. Because of availability of funds, the FBI’s 23 divisions developed own database system for each of the different divisions. In the result FBI ended up with 45-50 different investigative databases and applications, which are not communicating with each other. Also, the Automated Case Support (ACS) system was cumbersome to use, inefficient and had limited functional capabilities. Additionally all 13000 were really old which resulted in not supporting new software’s. Intranet that connected FBI offices had 56-kilobit-per second modems. SAIC (Applications International Corp. ) for software developed delivered 700,000 lines of code bug-ridden, off target system which resulted in $105 million worth loss. However, researches and findings showed that the FBI—lacking IT management and technical expertise—shares the blame for the project's failure. The research and study later on painted a picture of an enterprise IT project that fell into the most basic traps of software development, from poor requirement gathering, planning and bad communication between software developer and FBI. The key issues related to the failure of the project: * Violation of the Project Scope Management. One of the main factors of VSF project was poorly defined business requirements and overly specific nature of the requirements defined in systems design and analysis phase which resulted in creating 400 functional deficiencies found after testing the system. * Violation of the Project Cost Management The lack of IT investment processes resulted in ballooning the cost of the project in spite of the millions of dollars spending which was the also one of the main reason of VSF project failure. Violation of the Project Time Management Overly ambitious schedules and poorly defined schedule is one of the among VSF project failures. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure The lack of a plan to guide hardware purchases and deployment was one also of the failures of VSF project. Resolution: * The FBI’s higher management will be participating in the new software development to overcome the discrepancies associated with the previous those were VCF project. FBI is planning to purchase software from the vendor to digitize all documents, crime related evidence paperwork processes in the single database and still continue use VCF project systems up until it will be replaced with the desired software. * The new project will deploy and create new monitoring, risk management system which involves planning, scheduling and target oriented testing. Relevance to IT Project Management: * Project Scope Management Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that project includes all the work required, to complete the project successfully. Scope Management includes following steps: clearly defining and documenting project business requirements by the company shareholders (collect requirements), develop a detailed description of the project (define scope), subdivide project deliverables and project work into smaller, manageable components (create WBS), formalize acceptance of the completed project deliverables, and monitoring the status and scope (verify scope), and managing changes to the scope baseline (control scope). FBI’s VSF project failed to define detailed project requirements, formalize acceptance of completed project deliverables by SAIC and monitoring and managing the scope by project manager. * Violation of the Project Cost Management Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget. The cost management process includes: developing an approximation of the monetary resources (estimate costs), estimating costs of the individual activities (determine budget) and monitoring the status of the project budget and managing changes to the cost baseline (control costs). VSF project failed to address cost control in project cost management, because it had possibility to receive funding from the government. * Violation of the Project Time Management. Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage timely completion of the project. It includes following processes: identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables (define activities), identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities (sequence activities), estimating quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity (estimate activity resources), coming up with the approximate number of works periods needed to omplete individual activities with estimated resource (estimate activity durations), analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constrains to create project schedule (develop schedule), and monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and managing changes to the schedule baseline (control schedule). In VSF project most of the required activities in time management FBI m anagement and SAIC failed to follow. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure. Project Risk Management includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning, and monitoring and control on the project. It includes following processes: defining how to conduct risk management activities (planning), determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics (identify risks), prioritizing risks for further analysis and combining their probability of occurrence and impact (perform qualitative risk analysis). Numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives (perform quantitative risk analysis), developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to project objectives (plan risk responses), and implementing risk response plan, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project (monitor and control risk). In the FBI case none of the project risk management was applied to minimize risk associated with the possibility of the failure of the VSF project. Key Takeaways: It is important follow IT project management rules in order to develop the system. Main lessons learnt from the case study: * Business requirement analysis and technical requirements are crucial in the success of the project in planning phase. * Managing communication between companies’ key shareholders and server providers is required for productive outcome of the development. * Project monitoring and testing is vital task and should be accepted throughout the development * Prototypes be shown to client on regular basis to avoid all changes required at the end of the project * Having a individuals without proper knowledge in the rojects leads to the project success * Planning and monitoring leads to delivering the right product and timely completion of the project * Unsystematic approach in project time management could lead to delay in completion of projects * Deficient and unsatisfactory requirements lead to incomplete projects failure Research Approach For my research approach, I used Project Management and body of knowledge to identify main processes of the project management, and applied some basics acquired from the Systems Analysis and Design class to identify where FBI’s VSF project failed to address and manage this huge multimillion dollar project.