Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Fashion as Base in Involvement in Understanding Consumers Essay

Style as Base in Involvement in Understanding Consumers - Essay Example The paper Design as Base in Involvement in Understanding Consumers is the report understanding purchaser conduct utilizing buy choice inclusion scale proposed by Mittal. What is contribution to the extent buy choice is thought of? A customer has some natural needs esteems and interests and the object of thought must have significance inside that system. Regularly the contribution is of two kinds, one is situational which happens when somebody needs to buy the thing right at that point and needs to settle on a buy choice. There is another all the more suffering structure where the purchaser keeps up the degree of enthusiasm for an item or an assistance , well after the circumstance has passed and bears regardless of whether the buy circumstance doesn't exist. The buy choice contribution includes four gatherings, the individual certainly, the item or the administration class , the circumstance and the correspondence. The scale which Mittal has proposed at an elevated level of suffering association the item or administration would have numerous properties assessed with compensatory choice models a restricted scope of acknowledgment and a genuine brand steadfastness. At the low finish of the scale properties are less significant, the choice model is non compensatory and a wide scope of acknowledgment and deceptive brand steadfastness. Again on the high finish of the scale you have meaningful messages on why the brand is the thing that it is on the low end , the advertisements have little substance. Promotions are less on the very good quality and regular advertisements on the low end. Cost is less significant.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Essay --

Title: Adequacy of absense of pain for torment the executives in patients with Sickle Cell Disease Presentation: Tolerant X was a 29-year-old male patient with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Beside the complexities related with SCD, for example, entrepreneurial diseases and vaso-occulsive scenes, which prompted extreme scenes of agony, he had no other co-morbidities. Understanding X maintained a family import business, which required successive nearby and abroad travel. During the meeting, Patient X more than once vocalized that the eccentric beginning and the indications of its side effects was meddling with his personal satisfaction as far as monetary cost (loss of business openings) and rest. During intense scenes of agony, contingent upon its seriousness, Patient X would either contact his nearby GP for a remedy of painkillers or present himself at the Emergency Department (ED) to look for alleviation from his torment. SCD influences people with sub-Saharan African, Caribbean and Mediterranean lineage. With a predominance pace of in excess of 100,000 individuals in the United States alone and an occurrence pace of 1 of every 500 births among African-Americans, SCD is a significant general wellbeing concern. (Givens et al. 2007, p. 239) Sickle Cell Pain (SCP) is a typical element in patients with SCD. It is portrayed by scenes of serious torment. As torment the board is basically pharmaceutical in nature, the utilization of absense of pain is of urgent significance in keeping up a patient’s personal satisfaction. In SCP, the two significant classes of absense of pain utilized are non-steroidal enemy of inflammatories (NSAIDS) and narcotics. (See Table 1) Direct records from Patient X during meeting notwithstanding a writing audit which will be talked about later in this article features major psychosocial and medi... ... ED clinician mentalities, practice designs just as low dependence rates in this populace ought to be featured to permit mediation. Following this, activities to improve ED the executives of intense sickle cell sickness torment could elevate progressively proficient approaches to oversee SCD torment, better scattering of national rules, and endeavors to improve negative doctor mentalities toward SCD patients. On account of the perplexing idea of SCP, preferably there ought to be expanded cooperation between forefront doctors, for example, the General professional and the Emergency Physician with topic masters, for example, an Anesthetist (to address intense and interminable agony the board issues) and Hematologist (to treat the fundamental pathophysiology of SCD). This multidisciplinary approach won't just to diminish unfriendly results, yet in addition increment the patient’s personal satisfaction.

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Mind Mapping for Children with ASD Uses and Benefits

Mind Mapping for Children with ASD Uses and Benefits Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face many challenges in life. Their symptoms include difficulties in communication, social impairment as well as repetitive and stereotyped behaviours. Even those with what is called high-functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome have many special needs that have to be met in order for them to integrate with society and be successful throughout the course of their education. “The soul never thinks without a mental image.”  â€" Aristotle What most children with ASD have in common are strong visual skills. They tend to be visual thinkers and learn better through visual means. For those children it is important that caregivers and teachers use visual supports when communicating with them. Images  not only improve memory and recall but also help the child to comprehend information and express their thoughts. One particularly versatile technique that combines texts with images and a graphical structure is  mind mapping, which  is already widely used in educational contexts.   “Often, children can’t learn because one component in their mental ‘circuit board’ is missing. Mind mapping helps them wire the circuit board completely.” Mind mapping offers a number of distinct benefits that are particularly valuable for children with impairments such as ASD. Mind maps enable them to… See the bigger  picture Make out  relationships between individual pieces of information Understand hierarchy and connections While most children are able to comprehend abstract information at a certain age, children with ASD can experience difficulties in this area and, like younger children, they can profit from a learning-by-doing approach, which can be realized by mapping out their thoughts or knowledge about a certain subject.  Because of their graphical structure  as well as their usage of images  and symbols, mind maps also  involve  more senses than plain text normally does. Furthermore, creating a mind map doesn’t feel as much like work as writing linear notes or texts does. Mind mapping feels more like doodling, and thus is actually a lot of fun. Once the child understands the basics of the technique, they can apply it independently and for any given subject. Mind Mapping for Reading Comprehension A Case Study Danny Cayelli is a bright 13-year-old student diagnosed with what is known as high-functioning autism, a type of ASD that compromises his social skills as well as executive functioning. He uses MindMeister for his reading comprehension assignments at school. Danny has problems doing more than one thing at a time. He gets overwhelmed easily and has troubles answering complex questions. “The factual knowledge is there,” his mom, Elsa Cayelli explains, “but it’s like he’s missing a filing structure in his head that would let him access the information efficiently.” When his reading comprehension assignments at school became more difficult, Danny had a hard time keeping up. “He got very frustrated and his grades dropped,” Danny’s mom says. “When we talked to his doctor about it, he suggested Danny do a summary of each chapter as soon as he had finished reading it. That did help, but since Danny was using text documents to do those summaries, he still wasn’t able to organize his thoughts and notes the way he needed to. The big turnaround came when Danny’s English teacher showed him how to use MindMeister.” With it, Danny is able to create mental maps that represent his thoughts in an organized fashion. The visual structure triggers his memory and lets him access information more efficiently than ever before. MindMeister enables Danny to work through his reading assignments and prepare his book reports all on his own. Since he started using the tool, his grades have gone up from an F to a B level and his reading comprehension has improved. But what’s more, he finally enjoys doing his homework again. You can read the complete case study here. An Entire School Based on Mind Mapping According to Tony Buzan, Australia was the first country to apply mind maps in the education of autistic children and has done so with astonishing results.  Seabrook Primary School in Victoria states that it “has had enormous success in student self-confidence and academic achievement following the introduction of mind mapping in 2002”. Their initial efforts were focused on the school’s more difficult students and those with discipline and behavioral problems. They note that mind mapping “enabled them to be far more engaged and less difficult.” For their autistic students, they report that mind maps finally gave them an opportunity to show their knowledge and communicate with their teachers. Studies and Recommendations Over the past few decades a number of studies have been conducted on the subject, one of them by Joy Beaney and Penny Kershaw in 2003*  (“Positive Thinking Skills”). The two women were investigating ways to improvethinking skills of children with ASD and other communication difficulties who were being educated as part of a mainstream class. One of their goals was to provide teachers of such children with practical strategies and tools to be used in the classroom. Among others, they found that one key element is the “specific teaching of ways to record and organize material, with mind maps particularly useful in enabling the children to see both the whole picture and component elements.” Many other experts recommend the use of mind maps and similar techniques in the education of children with ASD, among them Francine Brower (“100 Ideas for Supporting Pupils on the Autistic Spectrum”)**, M. Cathleen Gardill and Asha K. Jitendra (“Advanced Story Map Instruction: Effects on the Reading Comprehension of Students with Learning Disabilities”)***  as well as the National Autistic Society in the UK. Learn More The following map contains a number of articles, books and studies focusing on mind mapping for children with ASD and other learning disabilities. * Beaney, J. and Kershaw, P. (2003) Positive Thinking Skills. Special, Summer. ** Brower, F. (2007) 100 Ideas for Supporting Pupils on the Autistic Spectrum.  London, Continuum. *** Gardill, M. C. and Jitendra, A. K. (1999). Advanced Story Map Instruction: Effects on the Reading Comprehension of Students with Learning Disabilities.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Effects Of Antisocial Personality Disorder On Society

EFFECTS OF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER The Cause and Effect on Society from being diagnosed with the condition from Adolescence to Adulthood Antisocial Personality Disorder There have been several studies done to demonstrate the condition known as Antisocial Personality Disorder. Around the 19th century it was called, with what the doctors would in the beginning refer to as moral insanity (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 1970). When doctors first came across individuals with this condition, they realized that they were still technically sane even after the abhorrent things these individuals have done. Without care or consequences to anyone but themselves. But it was hard to diagnose since this disorder was so†¦show more content†¦When the word psychopath is mentioned, most people will relate that word to serial killers. But often you are more likely to see them as business men or women, they can have any average day job if their personality and lack of conscience doesn t get in the way. Even though those that are a diagnosed psychopath, sociopath, and ASPD they aren t always the serial killer you see on T.V. Most are smart enough to avoid the attention of the police. Several studies have shown that they more likely to be involved with White collar crimes like stealing an old lady s money from some scam their running, and leave countless victims in their wake. But yes, some do have the potential to become violent and there is evidence to portray that too. Part of being diagnosed as ASPD is the level of potential a person has to be a danger to themselves or others. EFFECTS OF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DTSORDER Discussion Several articles mentioned above have been written in the late 1900 s. Many advances to these personality disorders have improved since then, especially when it comes to diagnosing the person(s) affected. For the articles used in this discussion and other research done, has had several errors or data that could have changed by theShow MoreRelatedIntroduction . Cases Of Antisocial Personality Disorder1112 Words   |  5 Pages Cases of antisocial personality disorder among the people have become a common phenomenon in many parts of the world. In most cases, children who suffer from conduct disorder end up developing this health problem (Mayo Clinic staff, 2016). It is noted that the advent of antisocial personality starts with disruptive behavior which in most cases is coupled with rude behavior such as involvement in violent and criminal activities. It is evident that this antisocial personality not only affectsRead More Antisocial Personality Disorder Essays935 Words   |  4 PagesAntisocial Personality Disorder They are your neighbors. They are your friends. Maybe they are even your family. You talk with them often, and have even had them over for dinner on occasion. Perhaps your children play in the same playground or spend time in the same social group. Although you have noticed some quirks and idiosyncrasies, you would never know the difference, and you would never expect the worst. After something bad happens that draws your attention to them, you have been forcedRead MoreCase Analysis : Rick Sanchez1700 Words   |  7 Pagesbunkers underneath the home and creating an astronomical electric bill for which he does not take responsibility or compensate them for. This callous and potentially destructive behavior is synonymous with antisocial personality disorder, though Sanchez exhibits many signs of substance abuse disorder as well. By persistently using alcohol Sanchez often puts his grandson, Morty, at risk, and at times becomes threatening or violent towards him. Sanchez also often voices his cravings for alcoholic beveragesRead MoreAntisocial Personality Disorder959 Words   |  4 Pagestruth: someone you know has Antisocial Personality Disorder. Antisocial Personality Disorder is a personality disorder recognized within the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. This disorder is a lifelong infliction that affects more men than women. An approximate six percent of men and one percent of women in the United States population are considered sociopaths or psychopaths (Wood). In order to be diagnosed with this disorder, the individual must be atRead MoreAntisocial Personality Disorders among Criminals1000 Words   |  4 Pages Antisocial Personality Disorders among Criminals Antisocial personality disorder is very common among criminals. Criminals normally have had something in their lives happen to cause these acts of violence or rule-breaking to occur. Personality disorders and social problems are common not only in criminals, but in the general population. The extent to which innocent people are effected by disorders from criminals are diverse, with some actually losing their lives and loved ones. This report it willRead MoreAntisocial Personality Disorder ( Dsm V )1672 Words   |  7 Pagesof Mental Disorders-V (DSM-V), released in 2013, places psychopathy, along with sociopathy, in the category of ego-syntonic1 personality disorders (Jenkins, 2014). The official term, encompassing both psychopathy and sociopathy, is Antisocial Personality Disorder; this disorder is â€Å"characterized by a long-standing pattern of a disregard for other people’s rights, often crossing the line and violating those rights† (Psych Central, 2014). Those af flicted with Antisocial Personality Disorder act onlyRead MoreTaking a Look at Psychopaths and Sociopaths1325 Words   |  5 Pages Of all the psychiatric disorders, none are more chilling to the world then the psychopaths and sociopaths. These two disorders, categorized as antisocial personality disorders, bring about the absolute worse people and killers that the world has ever known. The infamous serial killers, the people who do the unimaginable, were all psychopaths. The ability of these people to do what they do and know that what they are doing is wrong, is perhaps one of the most chilling and shocking characteristicRead MoreHow Language Deficiency Relates to Antisocial Behavior Essay936 Words   |  4 Pagesspeak properly could have numerous effects on a person in society, which could lead to antisocial behavior. If a person becomes antisocial, they lack what it takes to coexist with society in an acceptable manner. The person with this behavior usually affects society in a negative way. Speech is the sound that comes out of our mouth and language is a measure of intelligence. When a person has a problem with either it is called a language disorder. These disorders can be caused by a range of thingsRead MoreDistinguishing Between Some Criminological Terms894 Words   |  4 Pages1990) Antisocial behavior is behavior that causes physical, psychological, or other kinds of damage to a society, whether on purpose or by accident or negligence. Antisocial behavior is not often isolated and recurs with ease for the offender the more often the behavior manifests. (Loeber Keenan, 1994) Extended demonstration of antisocial behavior can lead to classification of Antisocial Personality Disorder, which is a disorder with several very distinct characteristics and signs. Antisocial behaviorRead MoreAntisocial Personality Behavior Essay1311 Words   |  6 PagesAntisocial Personality Behavior When we define abnormal behavior we must keep in mind that â€Å"normal† differs from culture to culture. What it is normal for a person from India is completely strange for a person from Europe, Colombia or Japan. To determine whether a person’s behavior is abnormal psychologist use three basic criteria as follows: Deviation from statistical norms and social norms, maladaptive behavior, and personal distress. If the individual’s behavior is considered â€Å"abnormal†, mental

Saturday, May 9, 2020

The In What Ways Do Students Compromise Academic Integrity Essay Samples Chronicles

The In What Ways Do Students Compromise Academic Integrity Essay Samples Chronicles Such expenses and consequences, that a man or woman will probably experience include strain and depression related problems, very low self esteem and other types of diseases, which might arise from the situations involved with graphic design (Damian et al 2003). This is of benefit to an individual in order to create stable relationship with different persons in the society, which might allow somebody to develop in all the facets of their life. Admittedly, the underlying issues that cause dishonesty are often intricate and multidimensional. It is likewise very disappointing it isn't easy to locate those who have high integrity and are always honest, regardless of what the consequence. Integrity is tough to explain but a huge part of it is controlled by the values that you decide to have in your life. But as Buffett suggests, too little integrity includes a high price tag. Ok, I Think I Understand In What Ways Do Students Compromise Academic Integrity Essay Samples, Now Tell Me About in What Ways Do Students Compromise Academic Integrity Essay Samples! Violating with the academic integrity cannot assist the student to success later on. Because of that, integrity is important in all regions of life. As integrity is regarded as the basis of the formation of somebody's character, integrity has to begin from somebody by having the ability to stay consistent with their actions, and being truthful to his or her private self. Upholding academic integrity is composed of having a significant amount of honesty and ensuring that whatever perception an individual creates, it has to be truly so. Additionally, I'd like to use both of these articles as reference, because they explains a number of the causes of academic integrity, and a few of the cheating practices. In addition, we attempt to explore what other sources say regarding the maintenance of high academic integrity. The worth of having integrity is something that you will carry with you not just in school, but additionally in different phases of your life. in What Ways Do Students Compromise Academic Integrity Essay Samples Can Be Fun for Everyone Much like anything else online, it's critical to be certain the writing service you select is trustworthy, high-quality, and credible. Integrity looks like an unattainable trait by many and that's due to how it's so much simpler to get through life taking short cuts and lying. If you're already feeling overwhelmed, elect for assistance instead of piling more on your plate. These folks graduate from college thinking they are ready to go out in real life and begin their career with a diploma they don't really deserve to have. It's only natural for the bulk of us to want to get accepted by the people we're surrounded by therefore we conform to their social norms, whether it's morally right for all of us to do so or not. For instance, athletes who've been hurt in mishaps may continue their career in the exact area but just in a different post. Each student's situation differs. The list isn't exhaustive. Front-load the handout with the task accessible. Normally, it's a strong charge of the research problem under study and total word choice. He said some instances of suspected plagiarism the software flags aren't plagiarism but bad citation or students who don't understand academic conventions. If you're not sure about dissertation students the quality of our papers, have a look at sample papers to understand what you can count on from us. in What Ways Do Students Compromise Academic Integrity Essay Samples - the Conspiracy It's a composition of whatever falls in the class of falsehood, misrepresentation or theft. In relating the individual's acts and values particularly conditions, the value system of a man or woman can be changed in the event the individual can do away with the acts, which display any types of inconsistencies. In occasions where integrity is utilized to define the fantastic acts of someone, hypocrisy can be utilized to describe an individual's actions, which do not appear to conform to the determined value s ystem. Integrity of someone is assessed, whether the man or woman is being observed by other people or not. How to Get Started with in What Ways Do Students Compromise Academic Integrity Essay Samples? Folks often ask how to compose plagiarism-PROOF assignments. However, as it isn't always feasible for a student to produce innovations and authentic work, it's expected that whenever someone else's work was borrowed or referred to during the analysis, it has to be acknowledged through citations, referencing and usage of bibliographies whenever appropriate. Students who mean to cheat will discover a way, despite our very best efforts.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

A Microeconomic Analysis of Indian Retail Industry Free Essays

string(89) " COMPETITION AND RIVALRY Competition is one of the means to achieve economic efficiency\." MODERN RETAIL MICRO ECONOMICS PROJECT REPORT ABSTRACT The growing number of modern retail outlets in India on the one hand and frequent sale seasons and talks of underperformance on the other point to a mixed bag and make us wonder whether the sector is on the right growth trajectory. In this report, rather than providing with just the facts, we have tried to understand the modern retail sector from an economist’s point of view and visualize its future-whether it is in its expansion or contraction phase. Motivated by the rising per-capita incomes and increased spending on consumer goods, modern retail stores are coming up with new strategies and plans to unlock the Pandora box of the untapped and unorganized retail sector. We will write a custom essay sample on A Microeconomic Analysis of Indian Retail Industry or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the course of the report, we try to find out – how the retail sector works, major regulations that affect its functioning and the challenges that await the sector and summarize with our analysis and recommendations. Note: We have used where we’ve analyzed the situation from a micro-economic point of view. INTRODUCTION The retail sector in India can broadly be classified as organized and unorganized where the share of unorganized sector is more than 93% of the total and includes the kirana stores, mom and pop stores and the ilk. The organized or modern retail sector on the other hand captures a mere 7% of the total market share. Modern retail is defined as a form of retailing whereby consumers can buy goods from a similar purchase environment across more than one physical location and operates under three levels: Specialist stores catering to some particular category of product such as footwear, pharma beauty, food and grocery etc. classified under level I. Departmental stores that cater to a few categories of retail put under level II, and malls where we find an agglomeration of many departmental stores, hypermarkets etc – classified under level III retail. The figure 1 below shows the various players at different levels of retail. Retail stores can also be classified under ‘lifestyl e’, ‘value’ and ‘luxury’ formats based upon the consumer income segment they target. Figure : Players operating at different levels Figure: Organized Retail Although, the sector boasts of covering almost all the verticals, a look at the markets under different verticals shows that Organized Retail Penetration is extremely low – 2. 4 percent – for the food and grocery, which in contrast makes up for the biggest part of the total retail market. The apparels, foot wear and home decor are the major contributors under organized retail and have been prospering at a rapid pace. The figures below depict the market share and Organized Retail Penetration in different verticals. Figure: Market Share of Different Verticals in Organized Retail Source: CRISIL Figure: Organized retail penetration (%) in different verticals Source: CRISIL Retail almost accounts for around 15% of India’s GDP and thus plays an important role in determining the Indian economic indicators. Organized retail became the apple of everyone’s eye when Vishal Mega Mart profited from its operations in different parts of India. Soon, other players started with their own retail chains such as V-Mart, Big Bazaar, Subhiksha, Pantaloons et al and the market turned into a very competitive market, probably lowering the economic profits of the retailers, and consequently the situation now is that Vishal, Subhiksha and others stand nowhere compared to the biggies such as Reliance, Big Bazaar and others. The major reasons for this are the marketing mix of these brands and benefits from economies of scale. However, because a number of factors go into determining business profitability, it would not be correct to give all credit to the above mentioned factors. Let’s now look at the major player in organized retail in India. MAJOR PLAYERS The organized retail sector of India has many domestic corporate houses competing with their ventures such as Tata’s Chroma, Reliance Trends, Reliance Fresh, Futures Pantaloons, RPG so on. Other than these, fascinated by the Indian demographics and potential market, international players have entered through joint ventures with national players and are planning to compete for the share through such strategies. Major players along with their brands are shown below. * Landmark (books and music) * Croma(multi-brand electronics) * World of Titan (watches) * Tanishq (jewellery) * Titan Eye+ (eye wear) * Westside (lifestyle retail store) * Star Bazaar (hypermarket chain) * Fashion Yatra(family fashion store) * Central (shopping mall) * Big Bazaar (hypermarket) * Pantaloons (fashion outlet) * Blue Sky (sunglasses) * Brand Factory (multi-brand readymade garments) * KB’s Fair Price (essential products) * Navaras(jewellery) Planet Store (multi-brand sports and lifestyle speciality retail) * aLL(fashion garments) * Ethnicity (Indian ethnic wear) * Home Town (home needs), * eZone(electronics), * Furniture Bazaar (home furniture), * Electronics Bazaar(under Big Bazaar, electronics stores) * Home Bazaar (satellite version of Home Town) * Collection I (lifestyle furniture) * Gen M ; One Mobile (mobile phones) * M-Port (electronics) * Shoe Factory (footwear) * Depot (books and music) * Reliance Fre sh (neighbourhood store) * Reliance Mart (supermarket) * Reliance Super (mini-mart) Reliance Digital (consumer durables and information technology) * Reliance Trends (apparel and accessories) * Reliance Wellness (health, wellness and beauty) * iStore(Apple products) * Reliance Footprint (footwear) * Reliance Jewels (jewellery) * Reliance TimeOut(books, music and entertainment) * Reliance AutoZone (automotive products and services) * Reliance Living (home ware, furniture, modular kitchens and furnishings) * Music World (music and home video store) * Books ; Beyond (book store) * Spencers (multi-format retail store) K RAHEJA Shoppers Stop (clothing, accessories, fragrances, cosmetics, footwear and home furnishing store) * Crossword (book store) * Inorbit Mall (fashion, lifestyle, food and entertainment) and Hyper City (hypermarket) As we can see that all major groups in India have opened up their retail stores catering to different sections of the society providing for different needs of the customers. This has resulted in a sort of monopolistic competition in organized retail market in metro and Tier 1cities owing to the large number of variants being offered to the customers. However, in Tier 2 and 3 cities there are fewer of such modern retail stores and the market situation can be compared to oligopoly, but however because of local players and unorganized retail the effects of oligopoly generally don’t show up. The presence of competitors thus affects not only the player, but the industry and the nation as whole. Let’s discuss in brief the effects of competition. COMPETITION AND RIVALRY Competition is one of the means to achieve economic efficiency. You read "A Microeconomic Analysis of Indian Retail Industry" in category "Essay examples" It restrains prices and encourages companies to innovate ; provide better quality of products. In the retail sector competition is driven by many factors, including variety, products, price, quality, service, location, reputation, credit and availability of retail space etc. It can broadly be classified under: 1. Competition because of Internal Factors The large number of groups in multibrand retail such as TATA, Raheja et al and also single brand established foreign players such as Adidas, Nike etc pose a threat to speedy expansion of Indian Retail. . Competition because of External Factors The organized retail industry in India is facing immense competition from the unorganized sector. Traditionally, retailing has been established in India for centuries. It is a low cost structure, mostly owner operated, has negligible real estate and labor costs and little or no taxes to pay. The unorganized retail sector constitutes over 93% of India’s total retail sector and thus, poses a serious hurdle for organized retailers. Because of the largely unorganized nature of Indian retail, inefficiencies have crept in and large number of intermediaries exists, reducing the functional and productive efficiency of the retail industry. The government in power has thus been keen to promote FDI in retail in India. Hundred percent FDI in single brand retail invited global companies for competition in the Indian retail sector. With this the companies are working with a strategy so as to be able to cater to the needs of the consumers and grow volumes by ensuring footfalls, while being able to reduce costs, withstand downturns, and face competition. Here we also see a common practise to prevent other companies from affecting the economic status quo of a country, by imposing barriers and caps on FDI, for example what has been done in multibrand retail. As of now, FDI in multibrand retail cannot exceed the specified cap which has kept global retailers such as Walmart, Carrefour et al from entering the Indian market, although they still do exist in whole sale cash and carry segment. The market structure of the modern retail is that of monopolistic competition in metros ; tier I cities which usually have hundreds of shopping alternatives including multi-brand retail outlets, single brand outlets in the shopping malls and nation-wide chains. Whereas in the tier II ; tier III cities the market structure is oligopoly in nature as they have fewer stores and somewhere only a single super centre or shopping mall. Also if we look at prices of different products in various retail outlets, we find that there is not much difference between the prices, except during periods or seasons of sale. This shows that because of the very competitive nature of modern retail, which now also includes online retail, the players are almost operating at zero economic profit, and thus don’t have much scope to offer different prices for similar products. Moreover almost all use similar technologies and processing techniques to provide the final product and thus the prices cannot be increased significantly, for fear of loss of market share. For example, Pantaloons and Westside have almost the similar brands in offering for the customer, leaving little scope for differentiation or price discrimination. Price discrimination can however happen when we compare lifestyle or luxury and value format stores, value stores charging lesser price for the same product sold at a higher price in lifestyle stores. To gain advantage in such a competitive environment major retailers have started to distinguish themselves by providing products under ‘private labels’. In India, fresh produce purchases are made more often from cart vendors who buy their stock from wholesalers. Retailers have tried to bridge the gap with direct farm procurement  eliminating middlemen and introducing  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ private labels’. They are coming up with new ideas to grab a major share of the market which is prospering (see figure below) because of the following factors: The average income of the middle class population has been increasing at a rate of around 12%, which will result in increased expenditure Increasing proportion of working women in the country Increasing population of employed youth Increasing desire for better standards of living and trends in consumer expenditure Increase in the use of plastic money Emerging markets in Tier II and Tier III cities Figure: Sales (in million Rs. ) plotted against the financial year Source: Company official website These factors may cause a shift in the demand curve, but more number of retailers will be willing to enter and eventually the price would not be impacted much. There would, infact a gradual shift from unorganized to the organized retail. All these and a huge untapped market potential that’s locked in the unorganized retail has motivated modern retailers to invest heavily in marketing and advertising, to grab customer attention and retain them. ADVERTISING Promoting the modern retail brand is very important – especially in metro and Tier I cities. The retailer must strive hard to communicate the USP of the brand and help the end-users know to which brand a particular product belongs influencing the buying behavior of the customer. Not only in India, retail industry all over the world spends large amount of funds on advertising. The figure below shows comparison of expenditure by the retail sector with others on online advertising in the United States Figure 5: US Online Ad Spending The growth of online video ads among the brand marketers and Social networking are primary contributors to the growing market share of the retail sector. Advertising in modern retail is broadly done under the following three categories: Traditional Advertising Traditional advertising means advertising using traditional media such as TV, newspaper, radio, circulars, hoardings etc. For eg. we frequently see advertisements from major retail players such as Big Bazaar, Chroma etc in newspapers. Digital Advertising This form uses advertising using digital media. Video advertising, Mobile advertising etc are some of its examples. Alternative Offers Under this we may have guerilla marketing where the marketer may use graffiti, fliers, deal of the day type offers, groupon etc to promote or advertise the product. Website Communication or on-site communication evaluates how well retailers currently collect the kind of information that helps them localize their own communications with consumers. For this category, we evaluate two criteria: whether the retailer offers localized information about their own stores on their eCommerce site, and whether they solicit customer information – email address and mobile number, prominently on their site. The expansion of the retail sector and the creation of meta-mediaries has provided with increasing job opportunities. JOB CREATION With a CAGR of around 14. 5% in the last five years and the bright prospects of expansion , the the no of jobs in this sector are expected to grow at a fast pace. The existing players will have to face competition from the new players and this would also lead to opening up of new stores and thereby increasing the job opportunities in the country. Shift in consumers preference from traditional stores and shops to departmental stores and hypermarkets is definitely going to put pressure on retailers to provide for adequate staff and services, thereby increasing the number of people employed and thus creating job opportunities. The rural market is home to the 46% of the rich and prosperous people of the country. Besides, these people stay in 17% of the villages of the country. The infrastructure costs in setting up retail outlets in these places are going to be lower compared to the cities. This will encourage the emergence of regional players and would again lead to creation of jobs in many regions. However, some more prospering regions or cities which have shown good growth rates will have an edge over others, even in the same state. Whatever is the case, the supply has to be met with the demand, especially when there is no dearth of labor in India and job creation is highly likely, an event when it comes to the retail sector expansion and penetration. FDI in multi-brand retail is going to be a deciding factor in creation of jobs as well. Once permitted, this will lead to aggressive competition. The entry of new players would balance the supply chain and farmers will be benefitted. If this happens, more people will be attracted towards farming, also contract farming would lead to creation of rural jobs. Moreover, entry of foreign investors is likely to shift the production possibility frontier outwards(see figure below), because they are more likely to invest in storage, supply chain and other capital goods. Retail sector is expected to expand by leaps and bounds in the near future and this would create a lot of jobs. The advancement of technology though can also reduce the manpower required in the long run and the jobs created over a period of time may get killed. The entry of multi brand retailers may also adversely impact the local kirana walas, because they will be able to recover there fixed cost easily and gain from economies of scale. Further, because all food and grocery require very similar capital investment, they also stand to gain from economies of scope. Figure: Expansion of Production Possibility frontier (not by reducing consumption but with introduction of new technology) RECENT TRENDS Growth of Modern Retail India moved from being 10th largest economy in 1990 to 4th largest in 2010 according to Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). The growing economy has driven the growth in per capita income of Indian consumers. Indian retail sector (organized and unorganized) has grown by 14. 5% from 2006-07 to 2011-12 and is valued at $396 billion out of which 5-6% is the share of organized retail. Organized retail has had growth more than double of total retail. With the overall rise the penetration of organized retail sector has increased and is expected to grow its share to 10% by the year 2016. Changing shopping behavior Shopping behavior has changed over time, with growing urbanization there has been rise in affluence and growing attraction towards branded goods. The parameters over which modern retail has been faring better than traditional retail are product assortment and range, quality, everything under single roof model. FDI in retail FDI in Single Brand: In 2006, FDI in single brand retail was permitted to the extent of 51% which has recently been increased to 100% in Jan, 2012. There is also a mandate of sourcing of goods from local SMEs and local dealers. FDI in multi-brand sector: International retailers are allowed 100% ownership in cash ; carry wholesale trade stores. But similar initiative in multi-brand retail stores, i. e. allowing 51% FDI has been met by widespread rejection and has been put on hold. Online Retailing Online retailing is gaining popularity in India with growing penetration of internet. It is expected that online retail will triple in size by 2014-15. It will be dominated by branded, low ticket size, easily transportable, lifestyle products and books. Flipkart and Yebhi. com have already established themselves as major players in this segment in the Indian market. Challenges posed by recent developments Indian government intended to bring 51% FDI in multi-retail sector but due to its widespread opposition, it has not been approved yet. This has put entry of world’s leading retail chain in Indian market. A lot has been said about possible loss of potential job and infrastructure development due to this. Besides that the suggested provision of sourcing from local SMEs is also proving to be a deterrent. INDIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET The graph below shows India’s status wiz a wiz status of organized retail in other countries. It can be observed that India still has a long way to go if it wants to increase the share of organized retail in the retail market. Figure: Organized retail as a percentage of total retail in different countries Source: CRISIL In the second half of the 20th century, many countries opened up there markets for Organized Retail and some also opened for multi-brand retail. There were some countries who felt a positive impact of the same, China is one such example; while there were others such as Uk which were adversely affected. India should also proceed with implementing FDI in multi-brand retail in phases, looking for any drawbacks, before it opens up fully. REFERENCES CRISIL Research, http://crisil. com/research/list-of-industries. html# Dun and BradStreet, http://www. dnb. co. in/IndianRetailIndustry/overview. asp Indian retail News, http://www. indiaretailnews. com/ Tata group official website, http://www. tata. com/company/profile. aspx? ectid=oH90Rc8X7Dg= Croma retail, http://www. cromaretail. com/ FDI in Retail, http://cci. gov. in/images/media/ResearchReports/FDI%20in%20Indian%20Retail%20Sector%20Analysis%20of%20Competition%20in%20Agri-Food%20Sector. pdf Futures group Official website, http://futuresgroup. com/ BIBLIOGAPHY Economics by Samuelson and Nordhaus ——————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [ 1 ]. Lifestyle formats include departmental stores and specialty stores [ 2 ]. Value formats include supermarkets and hypermarkets [ 3 ]. Retailers can use price differentiation to gain from the consumer surplus [ 4 ]. Private  labels or private  brands  Ã‚  are the brands that are owned and sold by  Ã‚  retailers at their stores   and are typically  priced lower  (5-15 percent)   as compared to  the existing  brands. [ 5 ]. These factors will result in a shift of demand curve to the right [ 6 ]. Source: CRISIL [ 7 ]. Organised retail penetration expected to cross 10 per cent by 2016-17 [ 8 ]. In such cities, the number of market players is very large forming a monopolistic market, brand positioning thus becomes very important to create great brand recall value. [ 9 ]. Unique Selling Proposition [ 10 ]. Opened up multi brand retail in phases. How to cite A Microeconomic Analysis of Indian Retail Industry, Essay examples

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

What Are Your Ambition in Life and Explain How Will You Achieve Them free essay sample

China will expand 6. 5 percent this year, the World Bank said, down from an earlier forecast for 7. 5 percent growth and compared with 9 percent growth last year, as export demand weakens in the United States, Europe and Japan. However, Beijing’s $587 billion stimulus will help it shift growth to personal consumption and spending on services, the World Bank said in its twice-yearly report. Government investment and banks’ small exposure to losses on the U. S. mortgage derivatives that sparked the global slump will also help China grow, it said. Nehru said that a recovery in the world’s third-largest economy would be reflected in a continued rise in the price of commodities, which, while still declining, had experienced a stabilisation. He warned that the sharp economic deterioration had led to millions of job losses across Asia, not yet fully reflected in official unemployment data. Growth in Indonesia will slow to 3. 4 percent this year, down from a previous forecast for 3. We will write a custom essay sample on What Are Your Ambition in Life and Explain How Will You Achieve Them or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 8 percent, the report said. Indonesia may return to 5 percent growth as the government fiscal deficit last year was 0. percent of gross domestic product, meaning policy makers have room to launch fiscal stimulus.The global economic crisis and the security threat posed by North Korea’s rocket launch will grab much of the attention this weekend when Asian leaders gather in Thailand for their annual summit. It will be the first meeting of the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea since Sunday’s launch of what North Korea called a satellite, but which many countries saw as a thinly disguised test of a rocket capable of hitting the United States. The summit, which gets underway on Friday in the beach resort of Pattaya, also comes barely a week after G-20 members agreed a $1. 1 trillion blueprint to revive the global economy. Other issues, ranging from energy and food security to climate change and world trade, will also be discussed by leaders of a region encompassing three billion people and which accounts for nearly 30 percent of global GDP. The 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) span the political and economic spectrum: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Friday, March 20, 2020

The opening of a story with reference to essays

The opening of a story with reference to essays The opening of a story plays a significant role in introducing the ideas and issues that are addressed in a story. We all fall down by Robert Cormier is no exception to this. The opening of Cormiers book introduces the issues of deception, destruction and the idea that an event can affect every person differently. It is these ideas and issues that play an important role in the story. The issue of deception is present throughout we all fall down. The first time the reader acknowledges the idea of deception is when the avenger is describing his supposedly requited relationship with the Jeromes. The reader believes the avenger to be like a son and brother to the family. This incorrect idea only lasts a short while as the reader begins to question why, if he is such a significant part of the family, the avenger watched while the Jeromes house was being destroyed. The reader is introduced to the character Mickey Stallings, or Mickey Loony as he has been named by the children in the community, and they believe him to be just a neighborhood handy man even if he is a little loony. Not only are the other characters in the book lead to believe this but the reader is also. This idea is retained by both the reader and the character until his real identity is revealed towards the end of the book. At this time the deception surrounding Mickey Stallings and the avenger is revealed. The opening of we all fall down presents the reader with an image of the trashers. This image is that of disobedient teenage rebels seeking fun at the expense of other. This image is maintained until the avenger states that the trashers were regular kids, not sleazies rough guy or drop outs. Later in the book the avengers image of the trashers is enforced when we are introduced to the character Buddy walker, one of the ...

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Where Should You Take the ACT

Where Should You Take the ACT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You don't want to walk in the morning of the ACT only to find you have to take the test on a super-tiny desk. If you're preparing for the ACT, you've probably spent a lot of time studying and getting ready for the test. But you probably haven't given that much thought to the physical location of your test (especially if you're taking it as a part of your state’s mandatory testing). However, the place you take the ACT could definitely affect your performance. Read our guide to choosing the best possible ACT test location so you can knock it out of the park. How to Search for Test Locations Before we can even talk about what makes a good center, we need to go over how to find those test centers to begin with. Keep in mind this guide is intended for students taking the test outside of mandatory state testing sessions. If your high school requires you to take the ACT, you won't be able to choose the location for that session of the test. But if you sign up on your own, you will be able to chose. The ACT website has two test center search methods – one that’s easier to use but less detailed, and one that’s more cumbersome but gives you more info. We’ll tell you about both. Method One: ACT’s Test Center Search The easiest way to start looking for an ACT Test Center is to use the search feature on ACT’s website. This basic search method allows you to search by country, state, and city. Image via the ACT Student website. The upside is that this is a quick method, and you don’t have to begin registering for the test. The downside is that since you can only search by city and state, and not zip code/distance, you might overlook test centers close to you. However, for some states, this basic method might be all you need. For example, in Rhode Island, there are only two test centers that offer the test on all ACT dates, and eleven centers total. If you live in RI, that would probably make your choice of test center pretty straightforward, unless you want to consider options over the border. Eight of the eleven possible test centers in Rhode Island. The basic ACT Test Center search doesn't allow students in Rhode Island to easily see options over the state border. Image via the ACT Student website. But for big states like California and Texas, you might need a more fine-grained search to be able to sort through the options closest to you. If that's the case, you may want to consider the second search method. Method Two: Begin to Register for the ACT Unfortunately, the best method for an ACT test center search is within the test registration process. You don’t have to complete your registration, but use this method if you want to do a more efficient search by zip code. For some reason, both the SAT and the ACT only let you search test centers by zip code once you’ve begun to register. Once you begin to register for the ACT, you can search for test centers by zip code. Image via the ACT Student website. The registration search method will give you a list of the test centers nearest to you. This is especially helpful if you live close to a different city or even a state line, as it will show you options over the border. A list of possible test centers found with the zip code search. Note that using this method you can still view which test centers still have space available. Image via the ACT Student website. So if you use this search method and see that you have a lot of options, how do you choose the best test center? Your choice depends on a few important factors, which we will cover in order of importance. How Far Away is the Center? You don’t want to risk a travel crisis the morning of the ACT. For that reason alone, it’s wise to choose a test center as close to your home as possible. In most cases, the closer, the safer, especially if traffic or weather issues arise. Also think about the parking and/or drop-off situation at the location. A high school parking lot might be crazy the morning of the ACT. In any case, always give yourself more time than you think you’ll need to get to the ACT on time. This is not the morning to be late! Do You Know the Building? Once you’re inside the center, you’ll be less stressed out if you know how to get around. For example, if it’s your own high school, even if you’re headed to a room you’ve never had a class in, you’ll likely be able to find it easily. This means less unnecessary stress on test day. However, if you’re in a different high school or university building, and have to go looking for your test room, that could cause unnecessary stress, especially if you take a wrong turn or get lost. If you have to go to an unfamiliar location (say if your high school doesn’t offer the ACT) you might consider scoping out the center ahead of time. Will You Run Into Friends? Will seeing friends or classmates at the ACT relax you, or stress you out? For some students, seeing their friends and talking before the test could help them relax and focus. For others, seeing classmates could remind them of competition and college application stress, so being with strangers might be more relaxing. There is no problem with being either type of person. But be introspective and try to decide if being with familiar faces will be good or bad for you, and plan accordingly. If you'll be especially stressed out by familiar faces, you might consider traveling a bit farther to go to a different test location. Are There Issues With the Test Center? Aside from the big issues of location and people present, there could be other, unexpected issues that make a test center better or worse. What are the rooms like? For example, windowless rooms can be oppressive and stressful for some students. For others, sitting by a window could be distracting. Does the room have decent temperature control? You don’t want to be taking the ACT either uncomfortably hot or cold. If the high school across town has AC and yours doesn’t, you might prefer to go across town, especially if you're taking the ACT in June. Think about other possible problems with the test center. Is there construction happening nearby that could be distracting? Odd smells or lighting issues? There are things that could unexpectedly cause problems the morning of the test. If you're easily distracted, make sure to scope out potential test centers carefully. They came in like wrecking ball... and ruined your concentration during the ACT. Avoid test locations with nearby construction sites! Image via Wikipedia. Finally, think about desk size. The bigger the desk or table you get to use, the easier, since you’re going to be juggling your answer sheet and test booklet. Trying to cram everything onto a tiny desk is an annoyance you might not want to deal with on test day. Should I Just Test at my High School? After going through all these different potential testing locations and issues, you might think that just going to your high school is the best option. This is likely the case for many students, but consider the following potential problems before you register. First, as we discussed above, being around friends and classmates can be stressful for some students. Will familiar faces distract you or stress you out? You might want the â€Å"blank slate† experience of going to a different location. Second, is there a closer location? Don’t underestimate morning-of travel and weather issues. If you commute across town to go to school, going to a location closer to home could save you morning-of travel time and stress. Are there known issues with your high school, like small desks, lack of heating/cooling, or a nearby construction project? You might want to seek out a different test center at a local University or different high school for a better testing environment. Do you tend to lose focus in environments you’re used to? Some people prefer the environment of a new testing center. Of course, for others, being in familiar locations is less stressful. That said, if you don't have any of those issues, your high school can be the best bet since you’re familiar with it. Personally, I took the ACT at my high school and found it much less stressful than going to a different location for my SAT Subject Tests. I happened to live within walking distance of my high school, and I liked having a short walk the morning of the test to calm my nerves. Plus, since I wasn’t worried about finding the testing room, I was at ease that morning. In contrast, I found it stressful to drive to different location for the SAT subject tests and deal with finding my testing room in a big University building I’d never been to before. Remember, the best testing environment for you is all about your preferences and test-taking style. Take your own concerns and issues into account when choosing your test center. Other Tips Be aware of test center closings. Sometimes the ACT has to close test centers before a test due to weather or other unforeseen issues. Check your email carefully in the weeks and days leading up to the test in case this happens to your test center. Drive to the testing location before the morning of the test if you’ve never been there. Don’t rely on your GPS to get you there without problems the morning of. There could be problems with the route, or the address given might not take you to the right entrance. If you make the drive before the morning of the test, you can make sure to avoid any last-minute crises. If you have a long drive the morning of, pack your breakfast with you to save time. You could put together a playlist for the drive as well. Either choose relaxing music if you tend to stress out, or music that will get you amped if you need some extra motivation! You could also bring along some flashcards or practice problems to get your brain going in the car. If you’ve already registered but decide you want to switch locations, you can change your ACT location after registering, but there’s a $28 fee and locations fill up the closer you get to the test. So if you want to change, do it quickly. Better yet, research your test center options before you register. What’s Next? Do you feel like you’ve hit a wall with your ACT studying? Get advice from our 36 perfect-scorer. Even if you’re not going for a 36 yourself, these tips will give you the motivation you need to get through these last few weeks of studying. Try out some full-length ACT practice tests. Being used to the format, length, and pacing of the ACT will help you build stamina and feel confident and relaxed on test day. Want other test day tips? Find out what to do – and what not do to! – the night before and morning of. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Measures of Personality Research Assignment Essay

Measures of Personality Research Assignment - Essay Example e and practical rather than the abstract and theoretical, and finally Judgment-Perception (J-P) measuring someones preference for order and rules, rather than spontaneity and flexibility. All participants are tested through a series of questionnaires and their relative position on each of the four axes is mapped to get a complete 4-dimensional map of his or her personality. b. Circumstances under which the test is indicated : The test is used for predicting innate preferences for people for certain types of careers, and is used by recruitment agencies, the government and companies to assess the natural preferences for candidates or workers. In addition the test is widely used in education to assess the natural preferences and suitability of applicants for various courses, and in advising and counselling young people regarding a career choice. In addition, numerous people administer the test to themselves, to discover more about themselves, and it has been used in finding the right psychological type of partner by professional dating and matchmaking agencies. c. Reliability and validity : The MBTI has been studied by numerous researchers with regards to objectivity and validity, and most researchers have found that the eight preference poles correspond in practice to theory for most people. (Hammer, 1996). Tzengs (1984) factor analysis of 125 students confirmed the validity of the four axes based on the MBTI. d. Factors to be considered by user: Users often find that the test is more reliably scored when someone administers it rather than when they self-test it. In addition, the test indicators do not mean that users cannot progress in areas where the test has not shown them to have a natural preference – by training and trying hard, they can still progress. e. My own opinion of the usefulness. The test is essentially a psychological tool for assessing how people prefer things naturally. However its practical utility in the real world is severely limited as

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parenting by Leonard Pitts Essay

Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parenting by Leonard Pitts - Essay Example This research will begin with the biography of Leonard Pitts Jr. He was born in the United States and is a famous commentator, journalist, and an author. Leonard Pitts in his popular op-ed essay â€Å"spare the rod, spoil the parenting’’ makes use of a range of rhetorical or persuasive strategies to strengthen and support his opinions on the use of physical punishment to discipline children. The title of the story seems to be inspired from ‘He that spareth is a rod, hateth his son’ which is a biblical proverb. The proverb clearly portrays the importance of punishment. Leonard Pitt strives to persuade and educate parents regarding the importance that physical punishment has in the mental and intellectual development of children. Pitt tries to persuade his audiences to accept the fact that spanking and other forms of corporal punishments are necessary for forcing children to maintain discipline. Throughout the open format of the essay, Leonard Pitt uses a sa rcastic and blunt approach to not only spark reader’s interest but also to persuade them to accept his views. Therefore, the author tackles a sensitive topic in a casual yet authoritative manner which keeps his audiences intrigued till the very last line. The author’s strategy to use blunt diction and vocabulary to attract reader’s sympathy works phenomenally. In addition, Leonard Pitt argues and clearly points out the differences between corporal punishment ways and physical abuse, this argument forms the center of foci in his essay.... Pitt attempts to seek reader’s sympathy and understanding by stating that like most kids, his children are spoiled brats as well. Leonard makes use of his personal experience to convey to the readers that he is a parent who is capable of recognizing his children’s faults. In addition this strategy prevents the reader from thinking that the author is being judgmental towards others. The essay has an open format which makes the reader feel as if they are having a conversation with their best friend. Perhaps this is one of the most powerful rhetorical strategies used by the author throughout the essay. This allows the reader to take in and accept the information being conveyed by the author, without being intimated. Leonard maintains the strategy of having a conversation with his reader by asking questions such as ‘who is teaching whom?’ and ‘who is the in charge here?’This strategy not only ensures reader’s interest but also makes the read er realize that the author is not targeting a particular group of parents but in fact he is targeting the faults of all parents including him. He portrays the negative attributes of children by pointing out that they are ‘overindulged’ ‘spoiled’ and ‘materialistic brats’. Furthermore, the author blames his children to be bad and spoiled. This strategy forces the readers to sympathize with the author and realize that children need to be rewarded with a spank every time they misbehave. However, the author would never have been able to persuade the parents about the importance of corporal punishment if he had portrayed children as being good. Therefore, the author quotes ‘the screaming five year old’ and ‘misbehaving backside’ to reinforce his point that parents

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Characteristics and Advantages of Database Approach

Characteristics and Advantages of Database Approach Database Design Concepts Nitya Mandal Introduction The overall assignment deals with characteristics of database system, its approach and how it replaced the file based approach. In every organization there is need of database. Database is collection of data in a structured and more systematic way that helps in retrieving the data easily and efficiently. Before database system came in to picture there was file based approach in which there were application programs which were used to perform services for end user and produce reports. However every program used to manage its own data. Due to this and various other limitations file system was replaced by database system. The modern database approach has much advantage that helps not only the organization but also the common people in their day today life. In the below assignment all the characteristics of database has been described. Task 1: Describe the main characteristics of the database approach and contrast it with the file-based approach. Analyze the key issues and application of databases within organizational environments. Main Characteristics of the Database Approach Self-describing nature of a database system: A DBMS catalog stores the description of the database. The description is called meta-data which is data about data. This allows the DBMS software to work with different databases. Insulation between programs and data: Also known as program-data independence. Without making any change to DBMS access programs the data storage structures and operations can be changed. Data Abstraction: The availability of data model approach helps in hiding the physical view of data i.e. the storage details and other internal level information and provides the conceptual view of database. Support of multiple views of the data: The database approach allows each user to have their own view of the database which describes only the data of interest to that user. There are various benefits of having multiple views such as: Reduce complexity Provide a level of security Provide a mechanism to customize the appearance of the database Present a consistent, unchanging picture of the structure of the database, even if the underlying database is changed Sharing of data and multi-user transaction processing: The database approach allows a set of concurrent users to retrieve and to update the database. Spreadsheets cannot offer several users the ability to view and work on the different data in the same file, because once the first user opens the file it is locked to other users. Other users can read the file, but may not edit data. For example, when one user is changing data then the database should not allow other users who query the same data to view the changed, unsaved data. Instead the user should only view the original data. Controlled access to database may include: a security system an integrity system a concurrency control system a recovery control system a user-accessible catalog. File-based System File-based systems were the manual based approached used for managing the files. It’s mainly the collection of application programs that used to provide services for the end-users. Each program was defined for a specific task and can’t be used simultaneously with each other. However, there are many pitfalls of file based system. Separation and isolation of data When data is isolated in separate files, it is more difficult for us to access data that should be available. The application programmer is required to synchronize the processing of two or more files to ensure the correct data is extracted. Duplication of data With the use of the decentralized file-based approach, the uncontrolled duplication of data used to occur which can lead to loss of data integrity as well as is wasteful as it occupies unnecessary space in memory storage area. Data dependence Using file-based system, the physical structure and storage of the data files and records are defined in the application program code. This makes the file to be program-data dependent. If the user want to make any change in the existing structure it was a difficult a task and will lead to a modification of program. Such maintenance activities are time-consuming and subject to error. Incompatible file formats The structures of the file are dependent on the application programming language. However file structure provided in one programming language such as direct file, indexed-sequential file which is available in COBOL programming, may be different from the structure generated by other programming language such as C. The direct incompatibility makes them difficult to process jointly. Fixed queries / proliferation of application programs File-based systems are very dependent upon the application programmer. Any required queries or reports have to be written by the application programmer. Normally, a fixed format query or report can only be entertained and no facility for ad-hoc queries if offered. Database Approach: In order to overcome the limitations of the file-based approach, the concept of database and the Database Management System (DMS) was emerged in 60s. Advantages of DBMSs Control of data redundancy Data consistency More information from the same amount of data Sharing of data Improved data integrity Improved security Enforcement of standards Economy of scale Balance conflicting requirements Improved data accessibility and responsiveness Increased productivity Improved maintenance through data independence Increased concurrency Improved backup and recovery services Difference between file system and DBMS [2] Both systems contain a collection of data and a set of programs which access that data. A database management system coordinates both the physical and the logical access to the data, whereas a file-processing system coordinates only the physical access. A database management system reduces the amount of data duplication by ensuring that a physical piece of data is available to all programs authorized to have access to it, whereas data written by one program in a file-processing system may not be readable by another program. A database management system is designed to allow flexible access to data (i.e., queries), whereas a file-processing system is designed to allow predetermined access to data (i.e., compiled programs). A database management system is designed to coordinate multiple users accessing the same data at the same time. A file-processing system is usually designed to allow one or more programs to access different data files at the same time. In a file-processing system, a file can be accessed by two programs concurrently only if both programs have read-only access to the file. Redundancy is control in DBMS, but not in file system. Unauthorized access is restricted in DBMS but not in file system. DBMS provide backup and recovery. When data is lost in file system then it not recover. DBMS provide multiple user interfaces. Data is isolated in file system. In file system there is no concept of tables orrelationsbetween tables it just organize the records row by row. Database system contains table and relationbetween the tables. A File manager is used to store all relationships in directories in File Systems where as a data base manager (administrator) stores the relationshipin form ofstructural tables. Disadvantages of database approach The Database approach too has some disadvantages. They are: Complexity: Database management system is an extremely complex piece of software. The users must be familiar with its functionality in-order to make full use of it. Therefore, training for the administrators, designers and users is required. Size The database management system consumes a substantial amount of main memory as well as a large amount of disk space in order to make it run efficiently. Cost of DBMS A multi-user database management system may be very expensive. Even after the installation, there is a high recurrent annual maintenance cost on the software. Cost of conversion When moving from a file-base system to a database system, the company is required to have additional expenses on hardware acquisition and training cost. Performance As the database approach is to manage many applications rather than exclusively for a particular one, some applications may not run as fast as before. Higher impact of a failure The database approach increases the vulnerability of the system due to the centralization. As all users and applications reply on the database availability, the failure of any component can bring operations to a halt and affect the services to the customer seriously. Application of database in an organization A management information system(MIS) is an integrated, user machine system for providing information to support operations, management, analysis, and decision making functions in an organization. The system utilizes computer hardware and software, manual procedures, models for analysis, planning, control and decision making and a data base. Managers at all levels use similar data. Operating managers require data which is timely, precise, detailed, internal and historical. Upper level managers need data which is aggregated, external as well as internal, future oriented as well as historical and covering a longer span time. An effective MIS cannot be built without viable data management tools. Any organization has management planning and control activities in the middle and strategic planning and policy making in top management. The database related to an organization contains data relating to the organization, its operations, its plan and its environment that helps in decision making. Transactions record actual results of organizational activities and environmental changes and update the database to maintain a current image. People in the organization query the database for information to conduct the daily operations. Middle management receives reports comparing actual results to previously recorded plans and expectations. The corporate database provides data for modeling and forecasting which support top management needs. The corporate database supports all levels of an organization and is vital for operations, decision making and the management process. Network database: This model stores the records with links to other records. Most network database include hierarchical model. This type of database can spread over the geographical area when used in large organization. Another database application is OLTP (Online Transaction Processing). Database applicants are any type of company that has customers/clients, keeps stocks of products, provides a service etc. Finance institutions, accountants, estate agents, solicitors, training organizations, schools, colleges, motor dealers, opticians etc. Practically every category of business uses the database system. Database id used in Universities for student information, course details, and grades. It is used in Airlines for reservations and schedule information. Also in Credit card transactions database approach is used for purchase on credit cards and generations of monthly statements. Apart from this in Human resource database is used for information about employees, salaries, payroll taxes, benefits and for generations of paychecks. In Banking too database is used for customer information, accounts, and banking transactions. Task 2: The database management system (DBMS) has promising potential advantages. Critically evaluate the advantages and features of database management systems. Advantages [4] There are various advantages of introducing database system approach in an application system. Some of them are discussed below: Control of data redundancy In the database approach there is central repository of data that not only helps in avoiding the wastage of storage space but also helps in controlling the redundancy by data integration. It helps in avoiding the duplication of data by following techniques like normalization and key concepts. Thus the data is stored in database table at only one place from where it can be retrieved when needed, by avoiding redundancy. Data consistency This is maintained by following the concept â€Å"control of redundancy†. If the data is stored at one place in a database then while updating any information the changes will be done at only one place which is reflected at all place where ever it is present in whole database. There is no need to change at all places where that data is present. For example if an employee has a change in his address then only in employee table the address will be changed. From there it will be updated every where in database. Thus it ensures all copies of the data are kept consistent. This helps in maintaining consistency of information throughout the system without any loss or misleading of information. More information from the same amount of data With the integration of the operated data in the database approach, it may be possible to derive additional information for the same data. All data is stored in a single database, instead of being stored in various other separate files, making the process of obtaining information quicker and in an easy way. For example, in the file-based system of a property company, the Contracts Department does not know who owns a leased property. Similarly, the Sales Department has no knowledge of lease details. Now when we combine these files, the Contracts Department has access to owner details and the Sales Department has access to lease details. Thus more information can be derived now from same available data. Sharing of data There is central repository of data in a database system that makes it available to the entire organization and can be shared by all authorized users. Improved data integrity †¦.[5] Data integrity mainly refers to ensuring that data is recorded exactly as intended and when retrieved it’s in the same way as it was when it was recorded. There should not be any data loss when data is retrieved. It mainly provides the validity and consistency of stored data. The database application has various Integrity Constraints, which are consistency rules that the database is not permitted to violate. One of the constraints is specifying data type for every data item. Another is referential integrity constraint in which a record in one file must be related to records in other files. These constraints help in maintaining integrity of data. Improved security Database approach provides a protection of the data from the unauthorized users. It may take the term of user names and passwords to identify user type and their access right in the operation including retrieval, insertion, updating and deletion. Providing the facility of accessible rights in database system for various levels in an organization makes it secure for use. For example, the DBA has access to all the data in the database where as a branch manager may have access to all data that is related to only his branch office. In a similar way a sales assistant may have access to all data relating to properties but don’t have any access to sensitive data such as staff salary details. Enforcement of standards The integration of the database enforces the necessary standards including data formats, naming conventions, documentation standards, update procedures and access rules. It helps in maintaining standards among the user in an organization. The sharing of data within departments, exchange of information among the users on various projects become easy following the standard database on a centralized environment. Economy of scale Using centralized database helps in combining all organizations operational data into one database with applications to work on one source of data. This helps in cost saving as well as reducing redundancy among the applications. The organizations can invest their money on buying new tools like good processors, storage space and communications devices. Instead of each department buying individually, the organization as whole can do this by saving operational and management time and money. Balance of conflicting requirements By having a structural design in the database, the conflicts between users or departments can be resolved. Decisions will be based on the base use of resources for the organization as a whole rather that for an individual entity. Improved data accessibility and responsiveness By having integration in the database approach, data accessing can be crossed departmental boundaries. This feature provides more functionality and better services to the users. Increased productivity The database approach provides all the low-level file-handling routines. The provision of these functions allows the programmer to concentrate more on the specific functionality required by the users. The fourth-generation environment provided by the database can simplify the database application development. Improved maintenance Database approach provides a data independence. As a change of data structure in the database will be affect the application program, it simplifies database application maintenance. Increased concurrency Database can manage concurrent data access effectively. It ensures no interference between users that would not result any loss of information nor loss of integrity. Multiple User Interface DBMS provides a variety of user interface like query language for casual users, programming language interface for application programmers, command codes for parametric users, menu-driven interface for standalone users. It provides web based GUI interface to database. Improved backup and recovery services Modern database management system provides facilities to minimize the amount of processing that can be lost following a failure by using the transaction approach. References http://www.gitta.info/IntroToDBS/en/html/DBApproaChar_mehrfachn.html http://1upto.blogspot.sg/2012/09/list-four-significant-differences.html. http://databases.about.com/od/administration/a/choosing_a_db.htm DATABASE SYSTEMS- A Practical approach to design, implementation and management by Thomas Connolly and Carolyn Begg- 4rth Edition http://www.cvauni.edu.vn/imgupload_dinhkem/file/CSDL/Fundamentals_of_Database_Systems, _6th_Edition.pdf [http://databases.about.com/od/administration/a/choosing_a_db.htm]

Friday, January 17, 2020

Managing Information Essay

Introduction With nearly 40 years’ experience has seen the industry change many times, and has always kept itself at the forefront of that change. Its reputation is a source of pride for all who work here, and it’s something we’re keen to preserve and develop the only way possible: through satisfying our clients. We have developed into a leading multidisciplinary contractor offering a truly comprehensive, integrated service to clients in development, construction, energy and many other sectors. (See appendix 1 for Organisational chart’s of company) My job role within the organisation is quiet a varied one in that my day to day activities are never quite the same, but to summarise my main duties include submitting monthly applications in line with the various contracts worked on for example NEC and JCT to name but a few, attending site progress meetings with a range of clients from the commercial / technical and construction departments, submitting internal applications and working progress, attending internal financial meetings with the Financial Director / Demolition Director and Management Accountant and producing a report with the inclusion of monthly forecasts, attending meetings with Contracts Managers and Estimating director to discuss and produce budget and target sheets, completion of contract sum analysis and end life forecasts which are then discussed and agreed by the Demolition Director, overseeing a wide variety of sub contractors from different construction disciplines used which requires the need to send out tend er packages, raising and awarding sub contract orders, raising of sub contract payments after assessing applications received. All the above assists in the monitoring of various contracts and ensures projects are delivered on time within budget and the client receives maximum satisfaction to secure future work opportunities. 1.0 Understand the Management of Information within the organisation 1.1 Critically assess information flow through a number of different channels within the organisation Throughout the organisation there is various different types of information used which is transferred throughout the organisation in several capacities. Information generally described as below: Production and Operational – Information on assets / quality / standards Financial Information – Profit / Costs / Margins / Cash Flow / Targets Internal Documentation – Purchase Orders / Delivery Notes / Invoices & Applications / Credit Notes / Departmental reports / Department Meetings and minutes / Hire Sheets / Plant Sheets and Information / Allocation Sheets and Plant Returns / Employees Records / Cost Books & Tender Information / Applications and Invoices (Client) All the above is aided with an Integrated Management System ‘This Integrated Management System outlines how Cuddy plans to satisfy the: Quality requirement of ISO9001:2008 (Quality Management System Specification) Health & safety requirements of OHSAS18001:2007 (Occupational Health & Safety Assessment Series 18001) Environmental requirements of ISO14001:2004 (Environmental Management Systems Specification) by operating a framework based on these requirements This Integrated Management System is intended to directly meet the requirements of the following legislation and regulations: Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – Section 2(3) requires organisations to have a Health & Safety policy which should include: Statement of Intent (i.e. Health & Safety mission) Organisation (i.e. structure, roles & responsibilities) Arrangements (i.e. procedure and guidance) Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – Regulation 5 requires organisations to have arrangements for undertaking effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventive and protective health and safety measures. HSG65 Successful Health & Safety Management – This guidance outlines the management system requirements for implementing the arrangements required within regulation 5 of the Management of Health and Safety & Work Regulations 1999. This Integrated Management System will provide the mechanism for managing other legislative, regulatory and other policy requirements (e.g. risk assessment, training, etc).’ Above abstract taken from Cuddy To be read alongside the IMS as an aid is the following: Standard procedures Forms and Guidance Notes Standard Operating Procedures Certificates, Insurances, Licences Policy Statements Standard COSHH and Risk Assessments As touched on there are various different ways in which the information is transferred throughout the organisation with the use of electronic, hard copy and spoken for the various types, all this aids us to capture the different types of hard and soft information we need in order to ensure a project is a successful one. ‘Soft information includes feelings, perceptions, opinions; values on the other hand hard information includes verifiable data and knowledge.’ http://onemind.com/2010/03/07/hard-and-soft-information/ I have touched on how information is transferred internally and specifically in the office and from a manager’s point of view through various different capacities but haven’t gone into depth how information is transferred to the boys on the front line on site. As I currently see it within the company there is clear breakdown in communication from when we tender and win a job to what information is received on site and in particular how the site personnel are managed on that specific job In relation to what exactly we priced. This I believe is impacting on the duration we are taking to complete the job and impacting on the possibility of making the job as successful as possible, also this may have a negative effect on the company as whole whilst tendering for works in the future. As part of the IMS there are procedures in place (listed below), but neither allows for the manner and information to be transferred to site. To summarise from the information that is transferred needs to be clear, simple and set out in the way in which the site supervisor understands what is required in order to ensure the project is successful. Place for Enquiry, tender and contract review Project Delivery As a brief understanding in reference to specifically the Demolition Department we have an estimating director who will visit the sites which require pricing and produce a cost book document which is passed to the  demolition director and managing director for comment before submitting what they believe to be our most competitive tender and or bid. If we are lucky enough to be successful in winning that specific job the cost book along with the tender information will be passed to the relevant contracts manager and quantity surveyor in order to generate a budget / target sheet and an extent of works sheet. This is when the middle managers have the opportunity to raise any queries regarding the job with the estimating director or the demolition director on what exactly has been allowed and priced for. The next step in the current process is for the tender information to be copied and a site file produced and passed to the supervisor in order to carry out the works. The cost book, target / budget sheet is not passed onto site and this is just for reference between the middle managers and directors of the company for the protection of vital information. Therefore I propose we come up with a procedure that will allow the smooth transfer of information to site and give a clear indication of what exactly has been allowed in the tender. In setting this procedure I hope to bridge the gap between site and the information held at the office, and in doing so hold regular meetings with agendas, minutes disturbed. 1.2 Propose improvements to the flow of information within your area of responsibility, based on your organisational assessment Due to my job role being one in which I try to minimise cost and enhance value you for money, I believe in setting clear and simple targets to the Supervisors on site this will empower them and give them incentives and a clear understanding on what needs to be achieved in order to ensure the job awarded becomes a successful and profitable one. As mentioned previously in the current situation the Supervisors are given the tender information and briefly explained the job but in some senses are left to run the job with open ended targets and no clear sense of direction or management, this is turn is causing jobs to run over and us not maximising profitability. Currently the transfer of information from tender stage stops at the middle managers point. The reasons being for this is due to confidentiality of the information contained within the cost book and target / budget sheet and as managers there is information we do not want the site operatives to see. Therefore the first action in the procedure would be to hold a pre start meeting or  initial meeting or the like on site with the following being in attendance. The reason I have listed the below as typically they will be deciding factor on how well a job goes: Relevant Contracts Manager Relevant Quantity Surveyor Relevant Site Supervisor Within this meeting the job as a whole would be discussed briefly only. In demolition for example it is possible to break a general job up into the following categories: Site set up Asbestos Removal Soft Strip Demolition to top of slab Removal of slabs and foundations Crush material Clear Site As you can see from above generally there are a few different categories of work required to be carried out on a typical demolition job. Therefore I believe we should not choose to discuss the whole job in detail but targets given for each individual work activity only, as if we discuss the job in detail this may cause the supervisor to go into his / her shell and be intimidated before the job has even commenced. Therefore within this procedure it will be broken down into the specific work activities and depending on the size of the job these work activates could even be broken up into phases if need be. For example in the first pre start meeting or initial meeting the general site set up would be discussed and particular what is required in respect of cabins / welfare / heras fencing to name a few items and the location of where we intend to site up site. As it currently stands the contracts manager usually sets up the site but I believe if we have the supervisor on board early doors and allow him to have an input of the set up required / location this will give him a sense of pride and authority that he is in charge of the site. What site set up that’s required usually depends on the size of the site but typically this usually takes a week or longer and under current H&S and CDM Regulations 2007 no works are to commence unless the following are in place: Flushing toilets and running water and drainage systems. Washing Facilities with hot and cold water. Soap or other suitable means of cleaning. Towels or other suitable means of drying. Sufficient ventilation and lighting. Sinks large enough to wash face, hands and forearms. Drinking Water. Changing rooms and lockers. Rest Facilities and heating. After initial site set up has been completed another progress meeting will be held on site with a specific target laid out for the work activity in question. Generally on a demolition site Asbestos Removal usually has to take place before we can commence soft strip depending on what type of asbestos and in line with the specific site asbestos report in place. But for example if we take the job as a linear project and the soft strip cannot commence until after the asbestos, then within this meeting we discuss in length the asbestos removal and set a clear target with the input from the supervisor. Typical of example of this target could be again depending on size of the site but take for arguments sake we take it as the site is split up into 5 phases. Phase 1 -10 Men x 6 Weeks Phase 2-5 Men x 3 Weeks Phase 3 -8 Men x 5 Weeks Phase 4 -8 Men x 2 Weeks Phase 5 -6 Men x 6 Weeks The groundwork will put in by the middle managers to ensure the target above is in line with the cost book and or target / budget sheet, and in line with this procedure it will attempt to set it out as basic as possible in order to attempt to take as much pressure off as possible. Weekly progress meeting will be held after the initial meeting in order to reflect on the previous week’s activity. Within this meeting it will be an opportunity for the supervisor to assess his performance and the performance of his team on site, in doing so will be a self appraisal tool for the supervisor without knowing. It will also give the middle managers an update of current position in respect of the targets set out and give an opportunity to amend or change  anything that is not quiet working correctly and keep the things that are. The meetings will continue on a weekly basis with clear targets and open and frank discussions with input from all parties to create a sense of a team as I beli eve this will help with the running of the job. Constant communication will be held throughout on a daily basis to ensure all parties are aware of constant ongoing on site. When works have been completed the final action in the procedure would be to have a post contract meeting again with all parties where all the information is discussed /analysed / targets reviewed and the like. This will be handy in going forward and used as a tool to gather date / information. This information could be fed back to the estimating director and demolition director in order to have the full circle should a similar job arise in the future. The above will be written out in a clear procedure therefore should someone leave the company, or the job being transferred to someone else then everyone will be aware what is required of them. See Appendix 4 for proposed new Procedure By putting in place the above procedure it will aid with spoken, electronic and hard information and the transfer of. Spoken – Due to the nature of the procedure it encourages the daily dialogue between managers and the site supervisors. Hard Copies – Agendas and Minutes will be taken of all meetings taken placed, which will be updated electronically and distributed accordingly. Electronic – Targets will be collated and circulated, along with copy of the minutes. 2.0 Gather and Analyse information to make decisions to solve problems in your area of responsibility 2.1 Collect information from a wide range of sources to support management decision-making Site Managers / Supervisors Verbal examples from site managers / supervisors stating that the lack of information in respect of the scope / tender inclusions is having a negative impact on the overall performance of our jobs. As mentioned this is transferred verbally therefore we will have to take into account of its reliability and validity. As mentioned previously there is a clear breakdown in the flow of information  from when we price and win a job to the information passed onto site and the management of that information in order to make the job as successful as possible. This is readily backed up from verbal conversations with the site supervisors themselves who are unsure of what the extents of works are and the possible impact this is having on the duration of the projects? Specifically within the Construction Industry as a manager the below is at the forefront of every decision we make. The triangle illustrates the relationship between three primary forces in a project. Time is the available time to deliver the project, cost represents the amount of money or resources available and quality represents the fit-to-purpose that the project must achieve to be a success. http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-management-scope-triangle.html But ultimately the decisions we make from site level up the chain to the managing directors determine the outcome. Below is evidence that everyone makes decisions. Above it shows the impact and importance of decisions with regards to the Cuddy Group it is possible to split the three groups up into the following: High Value -Managing Directors and Directors Medium Value-Middle Managers e.g. Contracts Managers and Quantity Surveyors Low Value-Site Managers and Site Personnel Quiet often when making a decision we use past knowledge in order to aid and assist us. Past knowledge or the information that is generally contained within the brains of individuals is generally known as tacit knowledge. This knowledge is continually getting updated and revised depending on learning, experiences and insight. There are various different types of knowledge and this is summarised in various models. One of the widely accepted approaches to summarising knowledge management is the Nonaka & Takeushi, (see appendix 9 for web location) Below are a couple of diagrams showing the matrix. Nonaka & Takeuchi model the process of organisational knowledge creation as a spiral in which knowledge is amplified through these four modes of knowledge  conversion. Quote taken from class notes. Along with the specific project management matrix / flow and knowledge diagrams there is general management information available that will aid in decision making see below. Reliability and Validity Model (see appendix 9 for web location) Knowledge Classifications Model (see appendix 9 for web location) Good decisions make good projects, so what makes a good decision (and, hence, a good project)? The answer is, one that’s well planned. But then you run into the question of how long the decision-making process should take. Well, the last thing we need is a new formal methodology for decision-making—nothing would ever get done. That’s why I’d like to propose several useful rules you can apply to decision-making: Consider the importance of the decision. To determine the importance of a decision, ask yourself: What are the consequences for both the project and for you? In reality, how urgent is the decision? (Note that there’s a difference between important and urgent.) Ask yourself if there are more options. In other words, if you’re choosing between three options, ask yourself if there’s also a fourth option. Think about stakeholders’ opinions. Have you listened to the opinions of stakeholders in the decision? You should. Even though they may not like your ultimate decision, they’ll have to live with it. Concede the fact that you’re going to make some irrational decisions. We often make decisions almost by reflex, using a combination of experience, data analysis, gut feelings, fear, personal preference, and peer pressure. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take into account your sense of self-preservation, the views of your team, or your recollections about why a previous project caused you grief. You just need to be aware that each new situation demands a clear point of view and a fresh decision; otherwise, the same mistakes will recur. Remember that even some small choices can have big consequences. Don’t underestimate the possibility that major consequences could result from seemingly insignificant choices you make along the way.  http://www.techrepublic.com/article/decisions-decisions-make-them-timely-wisely-and-responsibly/1049740 Along with the information above collated from the web I have also read the following text books / Management books. NLP Pocketbook (see appendix 10) Engaging Employees, A practical guide for busy leaders & managers (see appendix 10) Both books aid management and in particular with decision making. In respect of the NLP Pocketbook it produmitaly focus on yourself and your actions, It works on a SMART goal setting strategy. SMART goal setting is Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and within a defined Time Frame. SSpecific and positive M Measurable and meaningful to you AAchievable and covering all areas of your life, stated in the present tense as if you have achieved it now RRealistic and right for you  TTimes and targeted, towards what you want. In addition to SMART goal setting, NLP incorporates a process called ‘creating a well-formed outcome. Creating a well-formed outcome involves asking a series of questions that will help you clarify your goal. They will help you to ascertain how important the goal is to you, how (if necessary) to revise it and make it more achievable. Well –formed outcome questions: Is the goal stated positively? What do you want? (Eg, wanting to increase company profits rather than a statement about reducing the loss) Can you start and maintain the process of achieving the goal by yourself, and keep it in your control? Does the goal include all the senses? How will you know you have achieved it? What will you feel, see and hear when you have achieved it? What will other people fee, see and say when you have achieved it? Is the context clearly defined? How long will it take? Who will be involved? Where will it take place? How will it be achieved? When do you want it? Have you checked that it is ecological or meaningful for you, ie is it worth the investment in time and money? Does the outcome fit in with your life and who you are? Does the goal keep those aspects of the present situation you want to preserve, ie are there positive elements you wish to maintain? Does it identify the resources you need – those you already have  or those you need to acquir e? What first step must you take? What are the next steps? Abstract directly taken from the NLP Pockebook. But in contrast to the above the Engaging Employees, A practical guide for busy leaders & managers text book focuses predominately on how to get the best out of your team. See contents page taken from the text book to back this up. Is starts with you Planning to communicate Understanding your audience Engaging people in change Face to face matters Team meetings; getting it together High Impact presentations Checking you’re getting through Effective email – at last The write stuff. 2.2 Analyse the information collected from a wide variety of sources, to inform decision-making Project Management Models When project managing a job in construction there are various different types of models that we are able to follow some of which I have given examples of but ultimately the primary focus specifically within the construction industry is the triangle between the three primary forces. Delivering the job on time, within budget to a high standard. Decision making model With the triangle in mind we all have to make decisions of variable impact and volume as is set out in the decision making model. With this in mind managing information and the decisions we make are key. ‘By not making a decision you’re making a decision to not make a decision’ taken from the ILM class notes. The decisions we make as a business ultimately determines how successful the outcome is, and in particular the flow of information within the company to aid our decision making is critical. Therefore before we make  any decisions we have to take into account the impact of the decisions we are making. Nonaka & takeuchi model When making a decision we usually take into account past experiences / doing otherwise defined as Tacit Knowledge. Under the Nonaka & Takeuchi model it explains the relationship and how we can turn Tacit Knowledge into Explicit knowledge which can be readily transmitted to others. Most common forms of explicit knowledge are manual, documents and procedures in our organisation we can relate to the ILM system and the various procedures in place. Please see below which makes good reading. The patent had attempted to be bought by a buyer in other words the tacit knowledge had attempted to be turned into explicit knowledge but due to it possibly not being documented correctly or the manner in which it was presented not being explained correctly it failed. Therefore the tacit knowledge that had been turned into explicit knowledge was little or no use to the buyer. We must bare this in mind if we are relying too heavily on explicit knowledge and in particular how reliable the knowledge is? In the same sense it’s possible to categorise Wikipedia as explicit knowledge but we have to take into account the source and what past experience or where the information originated from before using it to make a decision. ‘Bessemer steel process — Bessemer sold a patent for his advanced steel making process and was sued by the purchasers who couldn’t get it to work. In the end Bessemer set up his own steel company because he knew how to do it, even though he could not convey it to his patent users. Bessemer’s company became one of the largest in the world and changed the face of steel making.[15]’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_knowledge Measuring Validity and Reliability model When gathering information to make a decision we must take in the validity and reliability of what we looking to achieve. Especially within the construction industry there is specific ways in which to measure or calculate something and this can be best described as the below. Reliability Reliability refers to how consistent a measuring device is. A measurement is said to be reliable or consistent if the measurement can produce similar  results if used again in similar circumstances. For example, if a speedometer gave the same readings at the same speed it would be reliable. If it didn’t it would be pretty useless and unreliable. Importantly reliability of self-report measures, such as psychometric tests and questionnaires can be assessed using the split half method. This involves splitting a test into two and having the same participant doing both halves of the test. If the two halves of the test provide similar results this would suggest that the test has internal reliability. http://www.holah.karoo.net/reliabilityandvalidity.htm In respect of validity this refers to the extent of what we are measuring and what we hope to measure. Validity This refers to whether a study measures or examines what it claims to measure or examine. Questionnaires are said to often lack validity for a number of reasons. Participants may lie; give answers that are desired and so on. It is argued that qualitative data is more valid than quantitative data. http://www.holah.karoo.net/reliabilityandvalidity.htm Both the reliability and validity have categories in themselves in which we can use to measure if they are achieving what we set out to achieve. To summarise we need to be mindful if we are using specific data or gathered information if it’s reliable and valid in terms of what we are hoping to achieve and fit for purpose. Information to Knowledge Management With respect of the next model it gives us an insight of how the ever evolving computer industry and in particular the capacity to store and distribute data / information is enabling personnel learning and also the capacity to make correct decision in going forward. Given an example that is relevant to the Cuddy group is the below. We are able to save / store and distribute raw facts and figures on a particular job and in doing so we are able to see if a job was successful in respect of profit? We then can move  on to give meaning to the obtained data in respect of information and give reasons why that job was successful? We then can analyse the derived information and understand what we did well on that job. This will then give us the wisdom going forward to know what to do for the best on other jobs. As mentioned evolving technology is aiding us with the transfer and storing of this information and aiding us with the capability of personnel learning. There are various examples and models that differ slightly some of which I have given examples but all cover the above. General Management Tools As the assignment is targeted at middle managers I have looked into the impact that decisions have and what to consider before making decisions? As a rule the following applies: Consider the importance of the decision Ask yourself if there are more options Think about stakeholders opinions Concede you’re going to make some irrational decisions Remember that even small choice have big consequences I also looked into how SMART goal setting and how to engage with employees. 2.3 Use this analysis of information to make and justify a management decision Using the analysis and the information collated along with the procedure I believe this will better the flow of information throughout the company. The triangle The procedure will aid with delivering the job on time within budget and to a high standard. Delivering the job on time – By having weekly meetings on site and the constant daily dialogue this should enable any problems to be caught at an early stage and thus giving time to nip in the bud the potential to impact on progress and in particular the end date which quiet often is key to a job being a successful one from a clients point of view. Within Budget – Due to the procedure allowing for a review of the target v actual on a weekly basis this will enable weekly monitoring of the budget to ensure everything is on track, atm there if only an allowance of monthly reporting and it’s possible for any job to change dramatically from month to month. High Standard – Again as the procedure allows for the contracts  manager / quantity surveyor to visit site at least once a week with the supervisor having chance to put his / hers views across together this should r aise standards. Decision making model In reference to the procedure this will reiterate the fact that everyone makes decisions especially as minutes will be keep, actions assigned and closed out as and when this occurs. Nonaka & Takeuchi Model With the procedure in place it will allow for smoother transfer of tacit knowledge into Explicit Knowledge. This will be done by taking minutes; monitoring progress against targets and reporting this information back to directors / managing directors in order to have the full cycle. Validity and Reliability Under the procedure progress meetings will be held on site this will allow us to audit and monitor the reliability and the validity of the information we are being told by the site manager / supervisor. This will be used as a checking tool before information is transferred around the company to directors and managing directors alike. Knowledge Management With the procedure set in place where minutes are taken / targets are monitored it will allow for us to save / store and distribute raw facts. Also with the weekly minutes we will be to give meaning to the obtained data for example why we missed out specific targets? Why we bettered targets? From this then we can analyse the information and understand how and why? This will then enable us to make the correct decisions in going forward. Along with the analysing the above models and information, I have taking account of why from a managers point of view why the procedure in place will aid with the running of jobs on site and the transfer of information. With regards to the current situation of producing the cost book that is translated to a target / budget sheet, this information will be little or no use to the supervisor for a number of reasons listed below: Information Overload – Due to the nature of the document this may cause confusion in the way the document is set out, therefore as set out in the procedure by breaking things the whole job down into specific tasks this will more than  likely take the pressure off and give a clear understanding of what is required and expected off of them. This is likely to make them less intimated and more confident as if they are clear More hands on and practical – The academic level of a supervisor generally is not the same as what we would normally expect from a middle manager in that the cost book / target and budget sheet will not be fit for purpose if passed onto the supervisor, therefore the information should be broken down so it is easily understood. Team ethos – As it currently stands the information is passed to the supervisor with no clear direction and management give, therefore by employing the proposed procedure this will then bridge the gap and increase the we are in it together approach. Why will meetings be held face to face? Sense of Importance – By making the effort to travel to site, as typically our sites are all of the United Kingdom then this will instil into the supervisor the confidence he needs in that he got your support should he need it. Ability – may not be able to use the computer therefore face to face will enable supervisors to have an opportunity to contribute their input without feeling intimidated Sense of importance – By holding the meetings face to face this will enable them to feel like they got you in their corner and in doing so should create a clear divide from site operatives to supervisors. Meetings more personnel – Generally meetings face to face are more personnel and can be structured better with agendas / minutes and the like assisting Why will the supervisor in respect of the site operatives be the only site member to be part of the meeting? Clear level of management between site operatives / supervisors and middle managers – This will empower the site supervisors and in doing have a clear barrier between the site operatives and himself. Self Worth – It will also give the site supervisor the self worth and mutual respect between himself and the middle manager, hopefully this should increase productivity as he is likely to want to do more for the middle manager if he believes he has the respect. Respect earns respect! Company generally uses agency Labour – As touched on previously due to the company operating throughout the company there is the need to employ agency labour, by having weekly meetings with the supervisor in attendance again this is creating a clear structure. How the meetings should be conducted? Ability – plenty of discussions questions to ensure supervisor gets points you’re making. Allow supervisor to have their say and input – By asking questions this will allow supervisor to have their say and input. Informally rather than formally, don’t want supervisor to feel under spotlight – Due to the nature of the construction industry and especially on site it is rather informal, therefore if the meetings are held in the same manner this should enable the middle line managers to get the most out of the supervisors. From analysing the various different models and combining with general middle management responsibilities I believe the procedure I have put in place will significantly help with the transfer of information from site to board level alike. 3.0 Disseminate information on a management decision, through the right organisational channels 3.1 Communicate information to team member or other colleagues to meet business objectives, using appropriate organisational channels In reference to the procedure set up this should allow for the constant communication of how a specific job is performing from site level to the board of directors and in particular through the correct organisational channel. To elaborate on the above; Site Supervisors will have constant dialogue with middle managers on a daily basis, with a weekly progress held on site to discuss performance. Munities of the meeting with be typed up and performance analysed with knowledge added to explain how performance is operating? Are we going to hit our target? Be on time? Within budget? To name a few of the questions answered? This will then in turn be disrupted to the relevant director, finance director and the management accountant. This will then be discussed on weekly basis in the departmental weekly progress meeting, and the fortnightly Trading Review meeting with finance with the relevant directors. This in turn then can be reported back to the MD by the relevant directors when board level meeting happens. As you can see from the procedure put in place we will allow for the reporting from site to board of directors level to be on a weekly basis rather than a monthly as is currently in place, this in turn will give us every opportunity possible to achieve the best possible  outcome in respect of the construction triangle. Delivering the job on time, within budget to a high standard. 3.2 Communicate information to stakeholders or customers to meet business objectives In reference to the procedure as mentioned previously this will allow for the constant flow of information from site to managing directors (stakeholders) to be done on a weekly basis. In respect of customers or clients quiet the construction triangle is key, therefore by having weekly progress meetings this information will be able to be fed back to the client, giving them the confidence that we are putting their needs first ‘the customer is always right ethos’