Acquisition Strategies in DoD Procurements :: essays research papers

General Considerations Every PM must create and archive an obtaining technique to control program execution from inception through reprocurement of frameworks, subsystems, segments, extras, and administrations past the underlying creation contract grant and during after creation support. The securing procedure advances through an iterative procedure and turns out to be progressively increasingly conclusive in portraying the relationship of the fundamental components of a program. An essential objective of the technique is to limit the time and cost it takes, reliable with presence of mind and sound strategic approaches, to fulfill distinguished, approved requirements, and to expand moderateness all through a projects valuable life cycle. In building up the procurement methodology, the PM considers all arrangement direction contained in the securing procedure divide on DoD 5000.2R. In recording the securing methodology, the PM gives a total image of the procedure for the chiefs who will be approached to organize on or support the system report. The PM guarantees the archive fulfills the prerequisites of DoD 5000.2R for the procurement system to distinguish, address, depict, sum up, or in any case report explicit, significant viewpoints or isues of the program or procedure. The PM builds up the securing procedure in readiness inception, before the program commencement choice, and updates it preceding all significant program choice focuses or at whatever point the affirmed procurement technique changes or as the framework approach and program components become better characterized. The PM connects with the Working â€Level Integrated Product Team (WIPT) and Operational Test Agency (OTA) in the advancement of the securing methodology, and acquires simultaneousness of the Program Executive Officer and Component Acquisition Executive , as suitable. The Milestone Decision Authority favors the procurement technique before the arrival of the proper requesting. Endorsement as a rule goes before every choice point, with the exception of at program commencement, when the securing system for the most part is affirmed as a component of the achievement choice survey. Prerequisites The securing system gives a synopsis depiction of the necessity the procurement is expected to fulfill. The rundown features parts of the necessity (1) driven by group of-frameworks or strategic prerequisites for interoperability, and (2) that ponder reliance arranged capacity being accomplished by different projects. The rundown additionally states whether the prerequisite is organized to accomplish full capacity in time-staged augmentations or in a solitary advance. For time-staged prerequisites, characterize the square going to be embraced, just as ensuing squares. The obtaining system recognizes endorsed source reports comprising the legitimate meaning of the necessity, for example, the Operational Requirements Document (ORD), Capstone Requirements Document (CRD), and Acquisition Program Baseline (APB).

Radio One, Incorporated

Radio One, Incorporated when all is said in done ? Expect a corporate expense pace of 34%, and a market hazard premium of 7. 2%. ? Information in display 9 are in $1,000. ? Show and clarify every one of your figurings, I. e. the peruser/grader must have the option to follow your thinking and have the option to see every one of your computations without utilizing time to remake your numbers. ? Make extra presumptions if important, however make them expressly. ? Good karma. ? Questions 1. For what reason does Radio One need to procure the 12 urban stations from Clear Channel Communications in the main 50 markets alongside the 9 stations in Charlotte, North Carolina, Augusta, Georgia, and Indianapolis, Indiana? What are the advantages and dangers? 2. What cost should Radio One proposal on a limited income examination accepting all value financing? ? Demonstrate and clarify incomes things should have been evaluated to get applicable incomes in 2001 †2004. Gauge pertinent expense of cash-flow to figure PV of applicable incomes expecting obtaining is all value financed. ? Gauge terminal estimation of potential acquisitions after figure period finishes in 2004. ? What cost should Radio One proposal on a limited income investigation utilizing important income in 2001 †2004 and a terminal incentive in 2004? ? Are the income projections (in conjecture period and terminal worth) sensible? If not: Revise your counts. 3. What cost should Radio One proposal on an exchange numerous for practically identical exchanges examination? What cost should Radio One proposal on an exchanging numerous of practically identical firm examination? 4. Expecting that Radio One’s stock cost is 30? BCF, would it be able to offer as much as 30? BCF for the new stations without decreasing the stock cost? 5. What cost should Radio One proposal for the new stations?

One new blog, three post-college thoughts

One new blog, three post-college thoughts Hello from Barcelona! Im here for an astronomy conference. (You may be wondering: who is this girl and why is she talking about astronomy? Does she even go here? The answer is no, I dont go here, BUT I used to. I graduated in June 2014. Now I do astronomy research at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany.) Some news from me: I have a new blog now. Here it is. and now, here are three thoughts from The Other Side of college: one on where I live, one on what I do on public transportation and in bed, and one on what I do at work. on where I live Its nice to feel like I live in a city, instead of feeling like I live on a campus. While I was at MIT, I found myself wondering how long it would take me and my fellow undergrads to notice if all of Boston and Cambridge vanished into thin air. So much of our lives revolved around activities, people, and buildings in those 170-ish acres: we not only studied there, we lived there, and I think that an accurate answer to where do you live? for many of us during those four years would have been MIT, rather than Cambridge or the Boston area. My German friends in Heidelberg find this idea of campus life weird. University is where they go for lectures and exams. Its like going to work. How could this work place also be home? Now, I take the bus from home to work in the morning, up a hill, past a castle, into a forest. Then I take the bus home, back to town, back to my apartment. That bus doesnt even run on the weekends, so I couldnt get to work if I tried. Work and life are geographically distinct. This feels healthy. (Im not saying that I think MIT undergraduates should live off-campus. Obviously, our residential life culture is a rich component of being a student at MIT, and Im glad that I lived on campus. But I think its healthy that this only lasted for four years.) on what I do on public transportation and in bed Newsflash: I have time to read! I rarely read for fun while I was at MIT. I wish I had been brave enough to make a point to carve out time for that activity. I finally read a gift from sophomore year (The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments thanks, Sumin 14!), finally followed up on a friends suggestion to read American Gods, finally confronted my aversion to Hemingway (I remember disliking his short stories when I read them in High School) by reading and loving For Whom the Bell Tolls, finally read Anna Karenina all the way through. Ive read the first half at least three or four times, and always put it down for some reason or another. I was surprised; I remember, as a 14-17 year old, impatiently skimming the Levin sections hoping for more Anna-Count Vronsky romance. This time I found myself very interested in Levin and very impatient with all of the drama. Two fellow MIT alums (Davie 12, Daniel 12) and I have always wanted to read the Inferno, so we put together a little book club. We have a Skype discussion once per week, covering six cantos at a time. Inspired by a close friend of mine (who has an ENTIRE SHELF of Isaac Asimov books at home) I went on a science fiction binge. I started with Contact, then read Isaac Asimovs Foundation triology, then the prequels and sequels. I also read The Robots of Dawn and The Naked Sun. After I arrived in Germany, I felt very self-conscious about my role as a representative of the United States, so I read an American history book. Then, feeling self-conscious about my total ignorance of German literature, I e-mailed my cousin (who majored in Literature, studied German, and wrote her thesis on a German novel) asking for recommendations, and at a Cocktailabend (Cocktail evening) I passed around a notebook and asked my new German acquaintances to write down book suggestions for me. I read Marion Haushofers Die Wand and am now on my third Christa Wolf book; I started with Medea, then read The Quest for Christa T. (original German title: Nachdenken Ãœber Christa T.) and am now almost finished with the heartbreaking  Patterns of Childhood. I also read a collection of Woody Allens Complete Prose, which was a birthday gift from a new German friend. Reading it on public transportation was very embarrassing because I kept having to set it down on my knee in order to put a hand over my mouth and stifle my laughter. and finally, on what I do at work Ive been thinking a lot about the skills that I use as a scientist, and how lucky I was to wind up doing research despite having a total misunderstanding of what it involved. On a day-to-day basis, I spend most of my time programming, some of my time reading papers. On a week-to-week basis, I go to talks and participate in discussions at research meetings. And in the past couple of months, Ive given two talks and worked on writing and editing papers. I enjoy the communication and social aspects of science as much as I love the data manipulation. I expect communication skills to become increasingly important through my career, because I see that my advisors spend an enormous fraction of their time communicating: supervising students, giving talks, writing papers and grant proposals and telescope proposals, running and participating in meetings. And yet, before I did science research for the first time, I had no idea that this was what research involved. I associated these skills writing, critical reading and information synthesis, discussion, presentation with the humanities. This is because of the enormous difference in skill sets involved in my so-called humanities classes and my so-called science classes. For example, my only discussion-based classes have been in English and Literature, and in High School the only presentations I gave were in History class. By contrast, my science classes involved memorizing information and following instructions. Things were different at MIT. My science classes enabled me to learn what research involves, in large part because they were taught by scientists who incorporated some aspect of Real Research into their teaching. I ran around interviewing professors, and tried out research through UROPs and summer internships. And, once I knew I liked research, I was able to practice research-related communication skills in Junior Lab, which involved going through several iterations of conducting an experiment, writing a paper, and giving a talk. But I was already at MIT, already had access to an overwhelming abundance of resources for becoming a scientist. This is what disturbs me: I know so many people who decided against scientific careers BEFORE anybody told them what a scientific career actually involved, or before they had the resources to find out for themselves! When I think back to pre-college science class, and then I think of what my job as a scientist actually involves, I realize that they barely resemble each other. Frankly, my science classes were not my favorites. I loved my humanities classes and I loved my computer science class. I loved reading about science, outside the classroom. And then I went to college and learned that research is where the skills I love and the topics Im interested in come together. But I saw friends turned away from science without ever finding out what it would have involved. This is deeply troubling to me.

Book Review on Persistent Poverty Underdevelopment in Plantation Economies of the Third Worl

The idea of persistent poverty is a pervasive one, and its context in the plantation economy is important to understand if these aspects are to be applied to one’s own concept of the economy. In George Beckford’s 1972 book Persistent Poverty: Underdevelopment in Plantation Economies of the Third World, he presents a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the plantation states in the West Indies, while expanding the scope of these appraisals to other third world countries. Beckford’s basic argument is that â€Å"the net development impact [of the plantation system] was large enough to bring about a transformation from a condition of undevelopment to one of underdevelopment†; that being said, â€Å"plantation economy never gets beyond the stage of underdevelopment† (Beckford, p. 210). In short, while there were some improvements made in the short-term by the development of the plantation economy, it does not have the change to expand further than that, effectively stunting the future economic development of these third world countries. The plantation economy did these countries more harm than good. According to Beckford, plantations were set up in these countries to solve the problem of labor scarcity; however, since these jobs are so labor intensive, they had to be compulsively created (p. 64). The market did not demand an increase in labor, and so only so many jobs were created. Since unemployment remained high, markets could keep wages low, as people were willing to work for less just to have a job. Also, since plantations were such a strong economic force in these countries, they often stole land that was fruitful and ready for cultivation, leaving little reason to set up any alternative methods of agricultural production. This effectively set up a monopoly of these plantations, cutting out any possibility for a more well-rounded economy to increase skill sets and provide more diverse employment. There are many ways in which Beckford claims the plantation economy leaves countries in a perpetual state of underdevelopment; first off, plantations have the ability to take away land and resources from the peasant sector, which is thought to be more dynamic than the limited scope of plantations (Beckford, p. 23). While they manage to mitigate the detriments of a plantation economy to the other country in the transaction, there is little benefit that the host country receives either (p. 168). Resources that are already rare are not being used to their greatest effect (p. 177) Racial conflicts within the country are used rampantly to further the plantation economy, exploiting hatred and violence for profit (p. 205). More so than all of this, the national elite is effectively given lordship over the rest of the country, creating a substantial class war that prohibits any sort of economic cooperation. For these reasons and more, it is thought that plantation economies hurt underdevelop ed nations in the long-term. One of the most important concerns of the plantation economy is the misallocation of resources – â€Å"How resources are used in any society will influence the welfare of people who live in it in important ways† (Beckford, pp. 147). While resource shortages have not been a huge problem in the Third World, what has been a large problem is the way in which those resources are allocated and utilized. Plantation owners and managers are very lax at actually meeting their goals, and manage to hoard resources to the level where the economy as a whole suffers; â€Å"efficient resource allocation on individual plantations unites coexists with inefficient resource allocation within plantation economies (Beckford, pp. 155-156). One interesting aspect of the plantation economy that Beckford approaches is its status as a community. This inserts aspects of sociology in this economic context, explaining further the total effects that this type of system can have on a country. For one thing, plantations are geographically isolated, reducing â€Å"the extent to which those who live and work in it can have intercourse with other people outside its boundaries† (Beckford, p, 53). As a result, members of a plantation community have no choice but to interrelate and interbreed, in many cases. This is a shining example of the long-reaching effects of plantations in Beckford’s eyes; since these people are so isolated, they form small city-states around the plantation, contextualizing their entire social structure among who lives and works in that area. These kinds of observations enrich Beckford’s analysis of this economic system, looking beyond mere numbers to show how the individual is affected by this particular type of system. With all of these factors in mind, Beckford proposes a few items for change. His overall scheme is rather extreme; â€Å"To put the matter rather bluntly, the plantation system must be destroyed if the people of plantation society are to secure economic, social, political, and psychological advancement† (Beckford, p. 215). This is no small feat; it would involve overcoming all of the problems that stem from the plantation system, including having unskilled and underpaid workers, distortions of usage of resources, income distribution inequalities and so forth. The community structure would also have to be strengthened, finding a way to overcome racial and class tensions and facilitate factor mobility in these societies. He cites specific obstacles in overcoming these goals, like the lack of acknowledgement by policy makers that many of these problems exist (Beckford, p. 216). Beckford works hard to provide workable theories, at least, for the possible change of these economic systems from a plantation system to something more equitable. He cites World War II as â€Å"the most significant historical experience of change in all the plantation economies of the world,† as the lack of imported goods meant that these economies were forced to undergo diversification in order to survive (Beckford, p. 220). Beckford acknowledges that another war would be counterproductive to the world at large, but he cites this example as an interesting method of forcing potential change in policy for these economies. One of Beckford’s primary concerns in the book is plantation America, the stretch between the Southern United States all the way down to Brazil. Basically, he fears that this same type of underdevelopment will continue and spread all the way to America, and seeks to find out the disadvantages and warning signs now, rather than let this type of economy stunt the development of the United States. Already, plantation sub-economies in America lag behind the metropolitan centers that exist within the same country in poverty and economic development levels. They have â€Å"limited connection with the larger national community apart from revenue payments to the national government,† effectively cutting them off from the rest of the country (Beckford, p. 87). The fact that many different disciplines and factors (not just economic) are appraised in the creation of the plantation system is a testament to just how complete and detailed Beckford’s work is. He seeks to create a better picture of just what leads a country to have this economy, not just what the economy does for the country. At the same time, it is interesting that his overall message seems to be that Third World economies should be studied more in depth, while this same absence leads Beckford to rely a lot on North American economic theories and aspects of developed countries’ society and anthropology. While it may seem that this is hypocritical of him, it only serves to underline the importance of a broader scope of knowledge, and it helps to contribute to his interdisciplinary and widely-drawn appraisal of the economic system itself. In conclusion, despite some minor gaps in his critique of plantation systems that stop it from being truly comprehensive, and his lack of many concrete solutions for the problems he delineates, Beckford’s appraisal of persistent poverty in Third World countries is detailed, interesting, and interdisciplinary. Of particular note is his insertion of social and political attributes of these countries into the analysis, showing how they affect the establishment and maintenance of a plantation economy and vice versa. While he has no specific solutions that must be implemented in order to improve development in these economies, he does have a detailed list of factors that contribute to it. According to Beckford, further study is needed in these factors before any steps or plans can be proposed to make these changes; however, his summarization of the problem leaves a good start for the solution. References Beckford, George L. (1972). Persistent poverty; underdevelopment in plantation economies of the Third World. London: Oxford University Press.

Code of Ethics Paper Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Legally or morally, the doctor don’ have the right to keep the health conditions of the patient as a secret. Keeping the patient optimistic about the recovery when there is no chance is one way of cheating the patient. The patient has trusted the doctor and hence it is morally wrong to give him wrong information about his/her health condition. In short, according to utilitarian ethics, the autonomy of the patient should be given prominence over the professional ethics of the doctor. According to the principles of utilitarianism, cultural, intellectual and spiritual pleasures are of greater value than mere physical pleasure. When we give autonomy to the patients in determining their future, the patients can prepare themselves for accepting the death just like Britain’s famous reality show celebrity Joe Goody did. Joe Goody has celebrated even her death and she has earned lot of money for her kids by selling the outright claim for telecasting her last moments. In short, respecting the autonomy of the patients in taking decisions about their future will bring material benefits also to the patients and the relatives. We will write a custom essay sample on Code of Ethics Paper or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Kantian ethics also argues in favour of the autonomy of patients. Kant argued that we usually label a parson’s activity as good or evil based on our traditional beliefs and customs rather than bothering too much about how that activity is significant to that person. For example, it is quite possible that the relatives of a patient in critical condition may oppose the demand of the patient for mercy killing citing reasons related to religious beliefs. For example, religions believe that the life is the creation of God and only the God has the right to take it back. Since no science or technology has succeeded in developing artificial life yet, it is illogical to destroy a life. Moreover, religions taught the people that a person will never get salvation or eternal life once he/she commits suicide or deliberately finish his/her life with the help of others. All these traditions and beliefs will force the relatives of the patient to argue against mercy killing. However, Kant arg ued that such perceptions and beliefs are immoral and the only a person has the right to take decisions about his future based on his consciousness. Kant argued that family, society and the religion influence us very much in the formulation of our attitudes, thoughts, views etc and our moral education is mostly influenced by the norms prescribed by the family, society and the religion.

Electronic Bill Payment in Canada Free Essays

string(38) " of the web page are well maintained\." 1-Introduction: In today’s evolutionary world, where technology keeps on revolutionizing our everyday tasks, electronic bill presentment and payment offer a whole new billing process by offering online and real time presentment of bills and payment choices. It offers great advantages and significantly improves customer care and customer relationship management. We will cover the information found in an electronic bill, followed by the process of a bill presentment. We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic Bill Payment in Canada or any similar topic only for you Order Now We will briefly compare traditional paper-based bills and electronic bills. And then, we will expose the different parties involved in an electronic bill presentment and payment, followed by the different evolution phases. The advantages and the risks associated with the adopting the EBPP or not. Finally we will see the different users of EBPP in Canada. Electronic transactions will gradually become the principal method for both consumers and companies to pay their bills. The main business driver is the important cost reduction for billers from reducing manual work and paper, but it must also present an advantage to customers in order to be successful. For now, customers who have become accustomed to internet banking are the prime candidates for EBPP. On July 8, 2004, EPO Inc (Canada Post’s epost) acquired Webdox, the only other bill delivery service in Canada. Together they will provide Canadians with a single EBPP service that will be one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. Figure: Billing Process Stages 2-Definitions: Instead of the hassle of having to make physical payments, electronic payments are payments made online. They are made through the financial institution’s website. Electronic Billing is the electronic delivery and presentation of bills, invoices, and related information sent by a company to its customers. Instead of receiving paper bills through the mail, and then writing out and sending a check, bills can be received by e-mail, or accessed through the biller’s website. It is also known as Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment, or EBPP, which is a model based on business-to-consumer. Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment, or EIPP, is the equivalent for a business-to-business payment, however, we won’t be overing it in this paper. The Electronic Bill Presentment Payment (EBPP) model enables customers of banks and billing companies to use the internet or the phone to conveniently remit payments as well as access their billing information. It was created in the United-States by the Council for Electronic Billing and Payment (CEBP) of the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) The biggest and most obvious differ ence between EBPP systems and the traditional method of bill payment, is that of technology. Rather than receiving a bill through the mail, writing out and sending a check, consumers receive their bills in an email, or are prompted to visit a website to view and pay their bills 3-Content Creation and Bill Design: There are several types of information in an electronic bill, most of which are the same you would find in a traditional paper bill. First, it identifies the customer, or their authorized agent, in order to link this particular bill to the biller’s account receivable processes. It includes the name and address, the account number with the Biller (or any other information that the biller has determined to identify its customers like an ID number, username, or phone number), and the time period for the bill ( a week, or a month, or a year). Second, it states the amount due from the customer, as well as any details explaining new charges over the billing period if there are any; for example, long distance phone bills contain details of each call and other specific charges included in the amount due. Third, it specifies the date when the total amount is due. Fourth, it includes a period-to-period reconciliation of activity since the last bill or statement was produced, so that the customer is able to compare the differences. Fifth, it specifies the disclosure information from Biller to Customer, so that the Customer is advised of the disclosure policy of the biller. Sixth, the customer can view his previous bills and account activity history from prior billing cycles. The electronic bill is also an opportunity for advertising (which the biller controls) that help in cross selling and marketing the biller’s product and services. Finally, customer care contact information is available in case a customer needs help or guidance. The term Bill Summary is generally used to encompass the essential items : Name, Amount due and due date. The term Bill Detail is used to include any of the remaining items, which a Biller may elect to send to its customers 4-Presentment of the Bill – Process: Transitioning from Paper-Based to Electronic Formats There are five different methods of porting the printed documents and their information content to an online form that can be utilized by EBPP: 1. Conversion to PDF format . Rasterization to GIF, JPG or PNG formats 3. Recomposition into HTML or XML 4. Conversion to normal HTML or XML 5. Translation to highly formatted HTML or XML Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the application, the organization will decide which method to use. i)Content Creation and Deployment: In the bill-presentment stage, the primary steps of content authoring and d eployment are essential. The steps include creation of the content, content reviews, approving the content, modification of the content and lastly, the deployment of the content. Exhibit 1, illustrates the process involved in the content creation and deployment phase. The policies and procedures involved in the content creation and deployment require responsibilities to be designated to certain individuals to further ensure that all aspects of the web page are well maintained. You read "Electronic Bill Payment in Canada" in category "Essay examples" Developing an internal style guide would serve to provide the page layout, design elements and maintain consistency in terms of the look and feel of the web pages. The style guide would also facilitate the system by providing information on how to link one page to other pages. The creation of the web page (presentment) is rather straightforward. The true challenges arise when facing a number of issues, namely the maintenance of the web page in terms of the content of information and errors/breakdowns and up to date modifications (could be daily), as well as the configuration of the access network on which the web page is based. ii)Notification Notification about the invoice can be delivered to the customer (bill payer) in a variety of ways. The most common method used is notification through e-mails. The customer receives an e-mail notifying them of the account balance or amount due. However, this method is limited in terms of its graphical presentation and potential. A more effective method of notifying the consumer of their invoice is to send the URL (link of the website) that contains the invoice in order to overcome the limitations of e-mailing the invoice. The latest trend however in the notification aspect of a bill is via mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Instead of e-mailing the customer, the biller may establish a database for the client’s phone numbers and send them text messages stating the amount due, the due date of the bill as well as any additional information the biller finds necessary to provide. In the traditional case of paper-based bills, notification is done through mailing the actual invoice to the customer/client. iii)Bill Presentment: Under EBPP, bill presentment is the stage where the biller/consolidator delivers a copy of the actual bill to the customer/client in an electronically generated format. The bill may be presented with complete details of the invoice or as a summary of the details, depending on the extent and intensity of the details involved. Through bill presentment, the biller is able to communicate more effectively with the clients being billed. The reason why interaction between the biller and the clients is enhanced is due to the ability of the biller to guide the customers to the areas of interest as well as study or better understand the client’s preferences and trends. Electronic bill presentment may also assist the biller by improving brand loyalty by providing the clients with a well developed a compelling experience. Aspects concerning marketing and advertising can also be addressed by monitoring and controlling the space of the web page surrounding the area of the invoice. Additional aspects may be provided by making information about pending orders, past payments as well as pending payments available. iv)Electronic Payment and Posting: This presents the last stage involved in EBPP. The Billers as well as the consolidators are required to provide the customers with various forms of payments in order to provide the customer with flexibility. Payments may be set to be made automatically or at the discretion of the customer. The types of payments may include: †¢Direct debit from accounts †¢One-time payments †¢Check payments Online payments/ Electronic funds transfers †¢Bank cards/ Credit card payments. Customers are also provided with the choice of making multiple payments to a single provider or one combined payment for multiple services to the consolidator (such as epost). The concept of â€Å"Posting† highlights the documentation of the information on when the bill was paid, how the payment was made and the amount of the paym ent made for the services. Such information is then updated to the biller’s accounts-receivables systems. 5-Comparison of Paper-Based and Electronic Solutions Exhibits 2 and 3 show the comparison between the paper based billing cycle and the electronic billing cycle. In both billing cycles (electronic and paper based), the creation of the bill goes through the same stages: Data collection, Mediation, Rating and Content creation and bill design. In the stage of bill design and creation however, the bill is only formatted when it’s a paper based one, and printed when it’s an electronic bill. The main difference between the two cycles is at the stage of the Presentment of the bill. In the case of a paper based payment, after the bill is formatted, there is notification by regular mail and then the bill is presented. In the case of the electronic billing cycle, there is notification by internet and then there’s an extra stage where the bill is converted onto a Web-friendly format, this is referred to as the Transition to Electronic stage. Finally, the bill is presented either by Web or printed and the check is sent to the biller if it’s a paper based bill, or the payment could be executed immediately and electronically in the case of an electronic bill. – Parties Involved: Billers, bankers, aggregators and consolidators implementing EBPP can play various roles in the overall EBPP process. Once roles are defined, it is easier to identify which model (aggregator, biller-direct or e-mail based) is most appropriate for the client’s EBPP strategy. Billers may also implement more than one model in order to best serve their clients. Because the industry is continuously changing and redefining, the options and opportunities for EBPP will continue to expand. There are several parties involved in the EBPP process: The biller payment provider, or BPP, is the biller’s bank that receive payment and provides account receivable information. It is an agent of the biller that accepts remittance informatio on behalf of the biller. The bill service provider, or BSP, provides EBPP services to the biller like posting bill details, consolidating bills and delivering them to the customer service provider, or providing bill summary ditribution. The customer service provider, or CSP, as it names implies, provides the customer with an interface for bill presentment. It enrolls them, enables presentment and provides customer care and support. They are contacted directly by the customer to help with a payment or receive general assistance and answer questions. The Consolidator is a biller service provider that aggregates all the customer’s bills from multiple billers in one central website. An example of a consolidator is Canada’s epost where the customer securely accesses the website to both view and pay his/her bills. It is advantageous in that the customers can view and pay all their bills at once. 7- Evolution Phases: The fast paced development of the Internet (World Wide Web) has enabled the establishment of an environment where companies and customers have direct and immediate forms of communication. This made way to more effective and efficient methods to undertake transactions between two or more parties. Services such as Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) were bound to take place. The end result was replacing paper mail bills with electronic documents that served the same purpose, only in a more efficient light. In 1999, Canada post implemented the world’s first electronic post office, epost. This put Canada in the forefront of the Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment market. By providing a free and universally available service, epost dominated the e-billing market and provided solutions to many Canadians. By 2002, the e-billing market was split between epost and Webdoxs, epost’s main competitor at the time. In July 2004, epost increased its market share through its acquisition of webdoxs. This made epost Canada’s main EBPP service provider and by the end of 2004, epost secured 1. 6 million registered users. However, despite the growth of the e-billing sector, the profits generated were not significant. The combined revenue of e-billing service providers, namely, epost, Innovapost and Canada post International Ltd. was $192 million in 2004, $18 million less than the previous year. Despite the substantial drop in the revenues generated by e-billing service providers the prospects for the e-billing sector remained optimistic due to the high growth potential of the e-billing sector. Canada post was aware of the fact that the average bill paying customer needed time to adapt to the new techniques provided by e-billings sector. Visa Canada’s national purchasing study, â€Å"How Business Buys,† released May 2001, shows that e-commerce based billing and ordering processes will more than quadruple by 2005. Currently, e-billing accounts for only two percent of corporate billing. Benefits include reduced internal costs and reduced time consumption. † Visa Study published by Allbusiness in 2001 (http://www. allbusiness. com/public-administration/1169884-1. html) In 2005, ep ost approached Canada’s major financial institutions in order to implement the e-billing component through the financial institutions’ online banking element. Such a step would allow the banks’ clients to gain access to the same epost features (receiving, viewing, paying and storing bills online) directly from the financial institutions’ website. This in turn would enable epost to reach a larger market base of customers through the financial institutions. â€Å"Research that focused on people who bank online shows they are increasingly valuable, long-term bank customers who are more likely to invest more money and purchase additional services. These are the same customers that would be attracted to and benefit from EBPP. It’s our goal to have every Canadian banking online, receive all their critical mail online through epost. † As stated by Roger Couldrey, president and CEO of epost. By the end of 2005, epost had been integrated into many of Canada’s major financial institutions, namely Bank of Montreal (BMO – Canada’s first bank), CIBC, Laurentian Bank, Desjardins, Royal Bank of Canada Financial Group, National Bank of Canada, Scotia Bank and Toronto Dominion Trust. By targeting Canada’s online banking customers, epost was able to effectively increase interest and use of the e-billing sector. According to statistics gathered by ComScore Media Metrics in 2004, 11 million Canadians browsed their financial institution’s website in order to access their financial information. Additionally, in 2003 Forrester Research found Canadians to be early adopters of Web-based financial services when compared to Americans. A large number of Canadians, 55 percent, used the web for banking/financial services while only 37 percent of Americans used the internet for banking services. Such statistics set the market base for epost and established the key basis for its inevitable expansion as Canada’s leading EBPP service provider. Today EBPP is one of the most utilized concepts in North America, with a market of approximately 330 million regular users. Interest among Canadian businesses is growing at an overwhelming pace; many are discovering that it is the most cost effective method to undertake the billing aspect of conducting business. Moreover, due to the ever increasing importance of preserving the environment, the implementation of the e-billing component would contribute to the cause of saving the environment by using less paper and producing less waste. 8- Advantages of EBPP )Benefits to the corporations/implementers: The implementation of EBPP has brought about many advantages for both the companies billing and the customers getting billed. The 100+ Canadian companies, now using epost’s e-billing services, have experienced a number of advantages starting with delivering bills to their customers instantly. This saves a substantial amount of time for the billers, since the mailing and processing floats will be significantly reduced, leading to quicker payments of bills, as well as reduced Days Sales Outstanding (DSO). This means that bills will be collected faster by firms, enabling them to pay their suppliers earlier, hence enhancing the way in which business is conducted between a corporation and it’s paying clients by reducing the cash conversion period. Payments made by customers will be automatically linked to the corporation’s Accounts Receivables, providing the company with better control over its pending payments and overall cash position. Beyond the aspect of speed, the corporation’s costs of presentment will be significantly reduced, up to 80%. It would also abolish the costs of paper, printing and postage fees. With the lowest possible costs of payment processing, distribution and collection of bills, firms will be reducing their costs effectively while increasing their profits. Additionally, the costs of implementing the e-billing component are relatively little, taking into account the vast cost reductions of implementing the system. Furthermore, EBPP will enable a corporation to observe its customer’s behavior, since customer needs will be apparent through the usage of the features provided. The corporation will be able to achieve customer satisfaction by placing emphasis on and enhancing the features its customers appear to be utilizing the most. The corporation will also be able to reach its customers through the â€Å"interactive† statement messages system, which can be used as a tool for marketing and advertising new features, products and/or services. Furthermore, such a system can be used to get clients registered for recurring automated payments each month/period as well as providing the option of non-recurring payments, such as a one-time bill. Taking into consideration the overall advantages provided by the implementers of EBPP, it would be safe to say that the growth potential for the e-billing sector is enormous. Up until now, there are approximately 100 Canadian companies implementing the system. This number is expected to grow in time due to the vast number of advantages provided by EBPP. ii)Benefits to the customer: Although most systems are designed to further benefit the company implementing them, EBPP is a tool for both the company and its clients. EBPP enables the customer to immediately self-activate (open) their account in order for them to make recurring periodic (monthly) payments. It ultimately saves the customer the time taken to physically mail or make the payment at their financial institution, and practically eliminates the mail float by allowing the customer to make payments immediately after viewing the bill online. EBPP is also flexible in the sense that it can be implemented in many different forms providing the customer with a vast number of ways to utilize its many features. EBPP gives the customer an array of drafting options, from customer-initiated payments to automatic drafts or even safety drafts if necessary. Customers can make the payments either through a consolidator such as epost, the corporation itself such as Rogers Telecom or through their bank such as Bank of Montreal. By giving the customer a wide range of choices, he/she can choose what they are most comfortable with in terms of security and quality of service. The number of errors made by the bill payers and the billers are also substantially reduced due to the ability of the platform to allow pre-filled customer interactive information to ensure all content collected/distributed is correct. Additionally, epost provides its registered users with the option to store their bills for up to 7 years. This allows for maximum efficiency, the customer will no longer have to pile up his/her paper bills for future reference rather, they will have their bills stored online and accessible at all times. Security wise, EBPP is rather comprehensive. In order to gain access to an account, the account number and its matching password are required. Furthermore, it encrypts the information transmitted from a computer to the designated server through Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. This reduces the chances of confidential information falling into the wrong hands. Overall, EBPP systems are usually designed to maximize security and confidentiality in order to encourage users to share their personal financial information to streamline the activities involved in making payments for desired products/services. ii)Benefits to the Environment: Although the benefits to the environment are clearly visible, translating the benefits in terms of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reductions would illustrate the concept in a more effective light. If Canadians were to replace 40% of their paper bills with electronic bills and only print 20% of the electronic bills, GHG emissions would be substantially reduced by 10,500 tonnes per year. Replacing 8 0% of the paper bills and printing only 5% of the electronic ones would lead to 22,000 tons of reduced GHG emissions. Such goals would serve to better preserve the environment and would reduce the amount of waste produced by a significant portion. Canadian businesses would end up saving approximately $1. 1 billion dollars in total. Doubling the implementations would lead to a $2. 2 billion reduction in expenditure by businesses increasing their overall profits while ensuring that their operations are in line with the environmental constraints of reducing waste/GHG emissions. 9-Risk Affiliated with the Adoption and Non-Adoption of EBPP Billers must take into consideration every type of billing presentment and payment the market offers today since it is their main ingredient to be successful. Therefore, billers have to offer the optimal billing presentment and payment that will bring customer satisfaction and be convenient for the biller at the same time. After the introduction of Electronic Bill Presentment and Payments (EBBP) many billers are facing a dilemma of risk due to the adoption or non-adoption of EBPP. For instance, if the biller decides to adopt EBPP, there will be potential of non-acceptance from the biller’s customers after the implementation of EBPP and that will lead to a decrease in the profit margins because of lost customers. The biller might also encounter fraud attempts especially because the bill will be electronically paid. Moreover, there might be a defect in the operational process of electronic presentment and payments such as a system freeze which will incur more costs on the behalf of the biller. Then again, if the biller decides not to implement the EBPP, the biller might be going against the market’s new trend hence this will put the company in a competitive disadvantage. Therefore, the biller will start losing market share and this will reflect negatively as a decrease in the biller’s profit margins due to lost customers. 10- Users of EBPP in Canada (Business Sectors): Most businesses that implement EBPP provide their customers with services that require recurring payments, rather than a one-time payment (non-recurring). This implies that EBPP would be more convenient for service geared businesses that provide the customer with an ongoing service, which would require the customer to make repeated payments. Businesses operating in the following service providing sectors would greatly benefit from the implementation of EBPP, since all forms of viewing/paying the bill would be streamlined and undertaken from one location. i)Telecommunications Service Providers ii)Utilities Service Providers iii)Visa/Master Procurement cards iv)Banks and financial institutions v)Insurance providers vi)Postal Industries 11-Conclusion: Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment offers a streamlined method of payment, which is very advantageous for both the billers and their clients and notably the environment. Moreover, it considerably reduces costs and the amount of time to make a payment. Despite the drawbacks or risks of implementing EBPP, the benefits clearly outweigh the disadvantages. We believe that by 2015 paper bills will probably be inexistent in Canada, due to the expectations of recessions, companies will realize that they will save a lot of money by implementing the e-billing component, despite its high implementation costs. EBPP is the next trend for all businesses, and is expected to become the standard form of bill presentment and payment. 12-References: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_July_8? pnum=3opg=n6098705tag=artBody;col1 http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_July_8/ai_n6098705 http://cebp. nacha. org/documents/ebpp-buspractices-2-1. pdf www. cdnpay. ca www. wikipedia. ca http://www. bce. ca/data/documents/responsibility/innovating_toward_a_low_carbon_canada. pdf Margaret Tan (2005). E-payment: The digital Exchange. NUS Press Kornel Teplan (2003). Electronic Bill Presentment an How to cite Electronic Bill Payment in Canada, Essay examples

American Politics In Transition Essay Example For Students

American Politics In Transition Essay For the United States, as for most states in the world, the 1980’s and 1990’s were a time of change and challenge. During this period the effects of change both within the US and internationally acted as push factors in many areas of life, including economics and politics. This sudden change was primarily due to global shocks and recessions, increased foreign economic competition, the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union, the development of revolutionary new technologies, the achievement of post-industrial society within the US, slower rates of domestic economic growth, and the demographic changes within American society. By the Mid 1980’s important developments had occurred within interest groups, political parties. By 1990’s national debates were being held in regard to America’s future in the post-Cold War world, America’s economic competitiveness, culture, morality and the states relationship with society. Five major things must be taken under account when discussing American politics in transition. 1) the basic nature of the American political system, 2) the sources of political change since the late 1960’s, 3) the conservative renewal and the new conservative agenda, 4) the Reagan-Bush legacy in politics and public policy 5) the new political and economic constraints in the era of divided government, and 6) the public policy environment of the 1990s. At the core of American political culture I support for the values of liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism and laissez-faire. The nature of this society with also has glorification of the individual, and the rejection of conservative theories of organic society, hierarchy, and natural aristocracy. Being an American means accepting this liberal Democratic creed (laissez faire), while those who reject it are considered to be un-American. America’s political evolution has also been shaped by the continental scale of the American State. The influx of immigration has caused there to be an extraordinary mixture of ethnic, racial, and religious groups spread across a continent-wide expanse that contributed historically to strong religious, racial and regional cleavages. Even its econony was spread throughout the American state. The largest sector of the economy were commercial agriculture, mercantile capitalism, mining, and heavy (capital goods) industry, but these, however, were also diversified into product specific areas. Collectively, the cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic factors had a profound effect on America’s political development because they reinforced the trend towards decentralization and localism that had already been established in the political and legal domains by the American constitution. The US constitutional/legal order created the most decentralized political system of an major state in the world. At the national level, under the separation of powers principle, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches operate as co-equal parts of the national government in the absence of any constitutionally prescribed hierarchy or scheme of coordination. The division of the states and the national government under the principles of federalism further contributes to the complexity and decentralization of the American government. The relationship between the sub units, the states, and the national government in the American federal system is the reverse of the found in other federations; the US constitution assigned only enumerated powers to the national government while reserving all residual powers for the states. Although a two part system developed early in American history, it was organized at the state and local levels and retained a local focus. This local focus was continually reinforced by the fact that every political office in the country was elected as the state or local level except that of the president and vice president. In general the US public policy has been characterized by cycles of growth and retrenchment in the scope of national government policy, reflecting the relative strength of the forces of nationalism and localism during different periods. The periods affecting the last two decades came from the cold ware, the fall of the soviet, economic, socioeconomic, the Vietnamese war and the change of the US as a multicultural and multiracial nation.

Saint Francis Of Assisi Essays - Franciscan Spirituality, Ascetics

Saint Francis Of Assisi This biography had a lot of information on St. Francis of Assisi. He was a very generous man who founded the Friars. Along the way he accomplished many good deeds. He gave all that he had to the poor so that they could live a better life. The only things he needed were food, shelter, and companionship. St. Francis of Assisi was born in September of the year 1182. He was born to a rich merchant named Pietro di Bernardone. In 1202 he was held prisoner for several months over a dispute between Assisi and Perugia. This was followed by a period of illness. He didn't like the way his life was going so he turned to prayer and service for the poor. In 1206 he officially turned down his fathers fortune. To help bring his life to good he decided to become a hermit. This attracted many followers. He preached about the idea of having a simple life of following the Gospels. When Pope Innocent III found out about his good works Francis was ordained a deacon. His followers increased in population and were called friars, which is a lower form of Francis' name. In 1212 he got help from Saint Clare and established a branch for women called the Poor Clares. In 1221 Francis made a new edition for the lay people called the Third order. After a long life of hard work he finally retired from leading the friars. At this time he was given the stigmata or imprint of the wounds of Christ on his own body. He also wrote the Canticle of Brother Sun. He died October 3,1226. He was canonized a Saint in 1228 and his Feast day is October 4. This book taught me that Francis was a rich man before he converted his life. I thought that he was always poor and he was showing appreciation for the things around him. This act of kindness makes me think of him as even a better person. This book also taught me that he didn't have that many followers at first. When he started it was just him. In 1221 he had eleven. Over more than ten years he hadn't made many followers. This book taught me that Francis not only gave up his fortune but he firmly believed in being poor. Not for one second would he have thought that being rich would have helped him more. From his point of view he had all he needed with him. This book taught me that people made fun of him for what he did. How could you make fun of someone that is doing such a great deed? He wasn't hurting anyone. He was just helping people. This book taught me that he made more than a Franciscan order. He also made an order for women and for lay people. His teachings were for all people, and not only religious people. I liked this book because it got deep down into St. Francis' life and showed all of the good points. It sends out a good message to all people that read the book. I didn't like the book because it had a lot of stories that made the book kind of boring. They talked too much about rules instead of talking about what he did. The book was also to my liking because they used more action than normal biographies do. Normal biographies are usually all facts. This one had some stories and some neat quotes. St. Francis was a great man that teaches us a great lesson in courage. He gave up all that he had to just to help other people. These days that is very rare. People just don't want to follow in his example anymore. All Catholics should imitate his teachings.

The Pain of Transformation essay

The Pain of Transformation essay The Pain of Transformation essay The Pain of Transformation essayBlack Swan is a psychological thriller with the twisted plot and the bright performance.   Directed by Darren Aronofsky   Ã‚  in 2010, this movie has provoked a lot of discussions among critics. Natalie Portman, who plays a young and talented ballerina dancing in a prestigious New York City company, creates an illusory and frightening reality and invites the audience to share this reality with her. The plot is complex and  twisted. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) gets the lead role in Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet Swan Lake. This role becomes a hard ordeal for her. Her perfect dancing technique turns to be not sufficient for ideal performance and Nina has to pass the long way discovering her dark side. The plot of the movie is an interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s ballet and the main character of the movie has to pass her way from White Swan which symbolizes innocence and purity to Black Swan which reveals her black side and hidden passion s.  The name of the movie is very symbolic, because â€Å"the black swan† becomes the symbol for everything hidden and suppressed, which Nina has to explore while preparing for the performance.   Step by step Nina’s old personality has been ruined and changed by her new self. The process is painful and we can see the collapse of Nina’s personality accompanied by phobias, hysteria   and hallucinations. Nina has to leave her innocent world of purity guarded by her suppressive mother and enter the world of passion,   love   and betray. On her way she meets all possible fears and doubts. She has to leave her old personality in order to gain her new self. This nearly costs her a life, but she succeeds and her last words I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect   prove this.The movie is shot with hand-held camera which adds it realism.   Aronofsky uses this method on purpose in order to create extra tension and make the audience enter his characters’ re ality.   This reality is twisted and sometimes horrifying but if we make all the way together with the characters we may feel that liberation and perfection felt by Nina in her final dance.

Supply and demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supply and demand - Essay Example Logically, this will ensure maintenance in the revenues. It is evident that elastic demand is dependent on sensitive buyers compared to inelastic demand all influencing shifts in the quantity of units consumed. Cross price elasticity of demand ensues when the unit prices of a certain good escalate thus forcing an increment on the demand for a different product (Anderson, 2006).CPEoD= (%Δ. Therefore, CPEoD affects demand of substitutes since an increment in the price of a product (x), leads to increment for the product Y’s price, its substitute. CPEoD influences complementary goods on the basis that an increment or decrement in the demand of one product equally affects the other since they are consumed together (Benassy, 2008). Substitute goods refer to products whose utility supplements the function of another product. For instance, one can substitute tea with coffee. Therefore, increase in tea price while the price of coffee is constant results to high demand of coffee (Anderson, 2006). On the other hand, complements are goods that are not necessary and therefore, increase in their price leads to low demand. For instance, dà ©cor and design, which enhances serene of a place, amount to complementary goods (Benassy, 2008). Income elasticity of products’ demand measures the relationship that exists between change in quantity of demand and income change. A rise of income leads to increase in demand of certain products or vice versa. Normal goods always bring a positive elasticity of demand therefore, as income rises, demand also increases (Anderson, 2006). On the other hand, inferior goods results in a negative income of elasticity of product demand. Demand decreases as income increases. The availability of substitute product is the most determinant of cost elasticity of demand. The more goods and services have better substitutes, the more the demand is elastic for those goods and services. For instance, an increment in coffee prices

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Essay

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - Essay Example At present, ASCPA is considered as one of the largest animal welfare organization in the world. The organization's top advocacy is the prevention of animal cruelty. It is a non-profit organization privately funded by its members and supporters worldwide. ASPCA spreads the advocacy for animal welfare through efforts of practicing animal care, and assisting the victims of animal cruelty. In line with its mission, ASPCA conducts activities, classes, and seminars that aim to build the relationship between animals and their handlers (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ASPCA, 2011). The ASPCA was able to influence the government to formulate anti-cruelty laws for animals and was given the authority to impose the said law (Schroeder, 2003). One upcoming activity offered by the organization is the "Team up for AAT," class. It will run from September 17th up to November 12th. The registration fee is $320 per person (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Anim als, 2011). This break even analysis is presented to have an idea on the profitability of this of activity. All the amounts reflected in the analysis are only estimation except for the actual price of registration fee which is $320. The period covered for the amount of salaries and benefits is one month. If the enrollees of the class will reach to a hundred, the expected revenue will amount to $32,000. .

Examine functionalism explanations of socialisation

Examine functionalism explanations of socialisation Examine functionalism explanations of socialisation within the family Functionalists believe in the concept that of consensus and that that the family is at the heart of society, and is the key attribute in keeping society in an orderly and efficient manner. They also believe that hold the view that the nuclear family best suits the for anan advanced industrial society because it is more mobile to move from different areas thsan the traditional extended family because there a ferwer people making it economically viable,(Parsons nuclear isolated family theory.There view of the nuclear family comprises of the economi provider breadwinner husband (instrumental superior) and dependant wife (expressive superior) and children. Sociologists such as Durkheim have developed the functionalistic approach towards the family. Most of the sociloisdts coming from the United States. Functionalism is a theory that explains the role of the family within society- functionalists acknowledge the positive aspects of society and look at society on a macro scale. The family is a unit which workers for the efficiency and stabilisation of society. Functionalism is based on the belief of consensus, for example we are socialised on the norms of society- from what is right and from what is wrong. Early sociologists such as Durkheim (1858-1917) recognized how organic solidarity could be used to explain some social institutions and behaviours Durkheim stated that there were two types of solidarity, (mechanical and organic) mechanical solidarity being characterised by the division of labour yet this was deemed problematic by Durkheim. Organic solidarity on the other hand is when individuals see society as interdependent which according to Durkheim is essential for modern society to avoid anomie. Functionalist therefore are of the belief that every institution contributes to the smooth running of society- in particular the family being the most prominent function that keeps society from anarchy by producing social actors that are socialised stable individuals. The American social scientist Murdock thoroughly analysed two hundred and fifty societies and claimed that some sort of family existed in every form of society and therefore concluded that from his evidence that the family is universal. He refers to the family as a social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of sexually cohabiting adults. He argues that the sexual and reproductive functions are essential. If reproduction did not take place there would be no members of society; it prevents disruptive effects on social order that would normally result if the sexual urges were allowed free-play. The family provides control and expression. Murdock also states that without the economic function no preparation and provision of food would take place his believes that the economic aspect of the family is enhan ced when the persons live together. Despite Murdocks thorough research of societies and observations of the family, his theory of the universal functions of the family have undergone numerous criticisms; many having the similar tone that there are many different types of families for example single parented families which are just as functional as the ideal nuclear family and in some circumstances have a better relationship with the child as there is more trust and responsibility delegated to the child. One critic stated the contents of values is culturally and historically specific and variable, and is no way universal. However Murdocks era also has to be taken into account when considering his theory, as the nuclear family was deemed the norm and he would have been socialised to be compatible with that concept. Parson is of the belief that the basic function of the family is the primary socialization of children so that they can become civilised members of the society he also believes that the family is essential for the stabilization of adult personalities- as it gives the adult opportunity to express signs of stress for example the family could relieve the adult of a stressful day at work. Parsons view was that these two functions were positively correlated because a child can be socialized into a society only if the society was institutionalized and organized into expected role structures which gives the adult stability. Parson despite criticism, believed that the patriarchal family was a strong and stable and consisted of a hierarchy which consisted of the instrumental superior father (husband), the instrumental inferior son (brother), the expressive superior mother (wife) and the inferior expressive superior daughter (sister).This role structure is the normal nuclear family. Parsons makes some assumptions regarding the family, especially regarding specific genders for example the woman is better fitted for the home and the man for more manual labour. Radical feminists argue that Parsons view of the female role in the family is an inaccurate perspective regarding the lives of females and believe that they are oppressed within the home and have to be the stereotypical emotive nurturer due to such theorists as Parson which make them confined to those roles- without there being an actual choice. Parson views the nuclear family as being best fitted for industrialisation for example jobs of today demand a desire for increased education, which means too many children on the become economic liabilities because the time taken to nurture children and the costs of schooling is very expensive. Too many children would not be economically viable which is why the industrialised family has been reduced. The reduction in size means the nuclear family is more geographically and socially mobile. Extended kinship is not needed resulting that extended kin are visited out of choice and not obligation. However this has been debated, it has been argued that specialised jobs such as politicians have to move relocate on demand, the rest of the population which is the majority, can easily remain situated in the same location for a number of years, and that the extended kin remain a fundamental part of the family as they often are in the third generation and pass down their knowledge and culture which in turn is internalised by the children and adults. Parsons work has been criticised by some theorists such as Robert Merton ( who worked in close proximity with Parsons) he argued that the social sciences were not yet ready for such sweeping theory but still had a tremendous amount of work to do gathering data and summarizing research findings with more modest theory. Interactionist theorists criticized functionalism for failing to conceptualize adequately the nature of actors and the process of interaction. Parsons work has been criticized, but has influenced generations of family scholars. Due to Durkheim, the grounds of functionalism were founded, and such social scientists as Murdock and Parsons expanded further of his ideas of the family- that the family socialises an individual through both primary and secondary socialisation, aiding the development of a stable adult character- however the individual is never fully socialised as society is continually evolving society.

MagRec Inc. Essay

1. If I were the manager I would have pushed for a more moral, honest solution to the problem with Partco. The company should have owned up to the poor quality parts and offer to fix any damaged parts for customers. Even though it would have cost the company time and money, it was the right thing to do. I think that if the company were to explain the situation to Partco- with the one bad batch of parts, and assured them that it wouldn’t happen again and they appreciate their long time business and loyalty- that Partco and MagRec could have agreed on some type of solution. Dinah was looking out for the customers and MagRec’s reputation, which the manager should have been concerned about as well. If I were the manager I would have stuck up for Dinah’s viewpoint. 2. I think Dinah had the right intentions in looking out for the company. I don’t think that she personally should have gone to Partco. I think someone in upper level management should have gone to Partco. Dinah going to Partco put the blame on herself, which in turn caused tension between her co-workers and herself. She should have gone to Pat an addition time and rationally and calmly explained her viewpoint and opinion on how to solve the problem. And if Pat wasn’t going to follow through with a solution that she agreed with, then she should start looking for employment else where, because a company with corrupt ethics is not a good company to affiliate yourself with. 3. The cognitive dissonance theory describes a state of inconsistency between an individual’s attitude and behavior. It is when a person alters their behavior based on conflicting situations. I don’t think this theory applies to Dinah because she didn’t let the conflicting situation alter her behavior, she felt MegRec was acting dishonest and knew it wasn’t right so she informed Partco of the situation, despite the consequences she knew she faced.

Red Bull Energy Drink Essay

* Red Bull can be called as a pioneer in the energy drink category worldwide. In India too, Red Bull was the brand that created the energy drink category. * The brand came into existence in 1984. * The brand came to India in 2003. Although the brand has been keeping a low profile compared to the Cola majors , Red Bull has created a category of energy drinks in the Indian market. 4. Contd. * According to Economic Times ( 30. 05. 08) the energy drink market in India is estimated to be around 100 crores. * The market now has two main players Red Bull and Power Horse. * RB has an assessed market share of 29% of the global market of energy Drinks. * In the U. S. , Red Bull enjoys a 47% share of the energy drink market, and now has a 50% share of the German energy drink market. 5. SWOT Analysis * Market leadership- Within the energy drinks market Red Bull is the industry leader throughout the world. Marketing Efforts- a lot of promotions and well targeted campaigns and sponsorship e. g. formula 1 helps to expand Red bull brand and increase consumer brand awareness. * Strong , fresh & fashionable brand identity. * Strengths 6. Weaknesses * Above-average prices. * Lack of innovation- there are a lot of competitors in the market and they have their own USP which leaves Red Bull behind. * Reliant on small product base- The company only markets one branded product, Red Bull Energy Drink (along with a sugar free variety). * Inexperience: is only 6 years old in India. * Lack of patent on RB ‘s recipe means anyone can copy it. 7. Opportunities * Extension of product line- this will help to retain market share. * Hardcore Advertising and Promotions. * Consumer recognition through sponsorship of sports events. * New ventures like partnership with Facebook. 8. Threats * Health concerns- tougher rules from government on high caffeine content. * Consumer awareness of health and well being- people may start to drink other alternatives as it is associated with healthier life style. * Drinks might not be accepted in the new markets. * Organic energy drinks might steal RB’s market share. 9. Promotion Opportunity Analysis * Competitive Analysis * Opportunity Analysis * Target Market Analysis * Customer Analysis * Market Segmentation Strategy 10. Competitive Analysis 11. Share of Energy Drink Market Red Bull 42. 6 Monster 14. 4 Rockstar 11. 4 Full Throttle 6. 9 Sobe No Fear 5. 4 Amp 3. 6 Sobe Adrenaline Rush 2. 9 Tab Energy 2. 3 Monster XXL 0. 9 Private Label 0. 9 Rip It 0. 8 Sobe Lean 0. 7 BooKoo 0. 5 Sobe Superman 0. 4 Von Dutch 0. 4 12. Real Competition * Redbull’s real competitors are the market leaders of cola companies such as : Pepsi & Coca Cola, who have created their brand leadership since several years in the Indian market. 13. Opportunity Analysis * RB has a niche market & is yet to percolate in the mass market. 14. Target Market Analysis * Core target market segments for RB consists of the core age group of 15 to 60. * Energy drinks with high sugar levels are more popular among children and women, while energy drinks with strong taste and flavor are more preferred by male consumers. * Recent studies also indicated that 65% of the energy drinks market consists of male consumers. 15. Customer Analysis * Young people are especially open to determined exhaustion and insufficient energy. * More specifically male teenagers & people in their 20s, are also most likely to believe in the authenticity of the energy drinks’. * As a result, the majority of energy drinks are developed for and advertised to this younger generation. * Appeal to very specialized groups, such as gamers, extreme sports enthusiasts, and the hip-hop crowd. 16. Target Consumer Demographics Psychographics Usage Behavior Consumption collection Age: 15- 60 Content Image Conscious Influenced Spending Power Youth trends Physically Active Eat Out 25% of Indians 17. Market Segmentation Strategy * RedBull avoided usual methods of marketing, relying more on what is called ‘buzz marketing’ or word-of-mouth. * Red Bull advertised directly to Generation Y , the so-called ‘millennial’: people born after 1981. * ‘ Student brand managers’ who would be used to promote Red Bull on university campuses. These students would be encouraged to throw parties at which cases of Red Bull would be distributed. 18. Corporate Strategies * Mission Statement * Our mission is to be the premier marketer and supplier of * RedBull in Asia, Europe and other parts of the globe. We will * achieve this mission by building long-term relationships with the * people who can make it become a reality. * Vision Statement: * People: Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be. * Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage that anticipate and satisfy people’s desires and needs. * Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual, enduring value. * Profit: Maximize long-term return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities. * Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization. 19. Brand Development Strategy * Great Strategy Begins with Great Research. * Once the brand’s core values have been identified, the road towards effective brand proposition development begins. * Development of the brand statement- commencing a Brand development strategy. 20. 21. Brand Positioning Strategy * Clear, Engaging, Unique, & Relevant to the target audience. * Able to incorporate an element of positive emotional attachment that is better than just "good†. * Echoed within business, internally and externally. * Consistent across multiple marketing & advertising mediums (print, online presence, etc). * Continually toughened within the organization so that employees consistently deliver what is promised. * Able to adapt to a changing marketplace. 22. Distribution Strategy. * Intensive distribution aims to provide saturation coverage of the market by using all available outlets such as: * Super markets, * Gyms, * Coffee Houses: Subway, Barista, Costa Coffee, Cafe Coffee Day * In n Out Convenience Stores. * Pizza Outlets. * Media Relations * Use Technology * Monitor the Web * Create Public Awareness 23. Integrated Marketing Communications Management * Sales Promotion: * Must encourage the 1 st purchase of the product in a store. * Make them aware of the product & its advantages. 24. IMC Objectives * RedBull’s IMC objective is: Sales Promotions. * Create new target markets. * Large display in the Departmental stores. * Bull Hoof stickers on the floors of departmental stores promoting RB. 25. IMC Budget 26. Internet Web site * Promotions through social networking sites such as: facebook, twitter, Hi5. * Also, Ad promos on websites such as NDTV, zoom India. 27. Media * Ad Campaigns on Prime TV channels such as NDTV good times, MTV, Channel V, Zoom, VH1, Star World & a few more. 28. Budget * Magazine: * Femina, People, Rolling Stones. * 15k per page * 12 mnths- 180,000 * Newspapers: * HT City & Delhi Times. * 1lac per page * 4 weeks * 12 mnths- 4800000 * Radio: * 10k per mnth * 12 – 120000 * TV: * 5 lacs * 4 weeks * 12 – 2400000 * Total Expense: 31,80,000 29. 30. Integrated Marketing Communication Methodologies * How do we communicate? How do customers process information? * There are many models & theories. * Thorough understanding of the audience’s needs, emotions & * activities is essential to ensure accuracy & relevance of the * message. 31. Advertising * What target market do you want to reach? * What image do you want to portray? * What product or service do you want to emphasize? * How much money can you spend? * When is the right time to advertise? * Red Bull has an aggressive marketing campaign. * Red Bull uses all the available media channels, meaning cinema, TV, radio, press and the internet. * In other words the company focuses on the media through which it reaches its primary target market-young people. * RB allows the consumers to interpret the product & the moments of use themselves. * Red Bull achieves this by a humorous and witty cartoon campaign, transferring the message that this energy drink helps you to escape by `giving you wings ?. 32. Consumer Promotions * Red Bull sponsors the motorsports or fun sports, but always where Red Bull is needed. * Red Bull does event sponsoring. * Event sponsoring attracts people’s attention towards the product and connects them. 33. Personal Selling * Sampling is another very important part of the three pillar marketing system. * As the major purpose of Red Bull is to energize the company samples at the right place at the right time, where it finds its exact target market. * Examples of usage are driving, studying, working night shifts and sports. 34. 35. Media Plan * TV: * Still a staple medium of advertising. * Allows to demonstrate the advantages of RB. * Good Reach. * Magazines: * Economical. * Provides higher brand awareness. 36. Evaluation & Control Metrics Campaign Element Metrics News Media No. of viewers of the articles Social Media No. of people using the Blogs such as Twitter, Facebook Internet & TV No. of people viewing particularly when the Ad is being aired. Print Advertisement No. Of Subscribers of those magazines, Newspapers Product Placement No.of comments (+ or – ) mentioned on social networking sites. 37. Timelines IMC/ Month Oct 09 Nov 09 Dec 09 Jan 10 Feb 10 Mar 10 Apr 10 May 10 RedBull on the Web Print Media Blogs Radio & TV Other Misc. * DARE TO BE DISCOVERED!!! 38. 39. Sources * http://www. rediff. com/money/2006/may/24drink. htm * http://www. thestudentroom. co. uk/showthread. php? t=986602 * http://www. trcb. com/business/marketing/redbull-marketing-strategy-7375. htm * http://www. drawert. com/red_bull_2. php http://energydrinks. factexpert. com/882-energy-drink-industry. php.

Reflection On My First Year Of College - 801 Words

Reflecting is an uncomfortable yet nurturing journey one must go through in order to recognize the inner workings of one’s being. It is through reflection that one will become more self-aware of what potential problems could develop. I find myself disquieted with the complexity of honest reflection and revealing truths about myself that are uncomfortable in accepting. Question 2 invites reflection upon how I frequently regret transferring after my first year of college. I perpetually find myself questioning why I was unsuccessful. In self- examination I believe I failed in many aspects as a first year because I lacked self- confidence. Possessing confidence within myself and in my abilities is one aspect of my identity that I struggle with daily. During my first year I struggled with confidence academically, athletically, and socially. I was not thriving academically because I did not believe I deserved to be there. 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