Compare or Contrast Public and Private Companies

In today’s highly commercial world, one of the key objectives of starting a business is to make profit. While this might be true and important to every business, â€Å"most people believe that a business should not focus solely on profitability, but on the quality of products and services it offers to its customers†.This essay will discuss the various perspectives on the topic and will to a large extent agree with the view that businesses should not just focus on profit, by looking at customer desire for high quality product and their willingness to pay, then highlighting how focus on quality can lead to lower cost of product and profitability; as well as how quality influence organisation to be socially responsible, sustainable and profitable.First, a strong reason to concentrate on improving quality of product or services of an organisation is the fact that customers desires high quality good, and are willing to pay for value added. This was corroborated by (Nagar and Rajan 2001), who found out that â€Å"poor product quality reduces customer goodwill and loyalty which in turn affects future revenues as dissatisfied customers take their business elsewhere or pay less for the firm’s product. Such a product and the firm producing it acquire a bad reputation since poor product quality leaves a lasting impression on the consumer who perceives it as a low quality brand. In order for a product to be a perceived as a premium brand, a firm must continually improve on the quality of its products or services. A satisfied customer base lead to good brand perception and will open the door to numerous repeated purchases and referrals which will in turn help the firm to grow its market share, become more competitiveness and increase its profitability.Focusing on quality significantly lowers cost of production at long run. Operations Management (Russell and Taylor, 2000) explains that, manufacturing of products to a high quality standard through implem entation of quality management system have a large impact on overall quality cost reduction, it also argues that it saves time and money by reducing the amount of defective products that could result in wastes, thereby lowering significantly the costs of production, as well as cost to re-work defective products.Without a quality management system, poor-quality and defective products may finds their way into the market, through to the customer leading to warranty claims, product returns and in extreme litigation from product liability or injury to the customer. This may have a serious financial implication to the company as the costs associated with product recall and warranties would be enormous and in extreme case the damages imposed due to litigation could make the company insolvent, leading to a total collapse.However, an opposing view on this is that profit maximization is should be the main focus of the business as long as it pays its taxes and operates within the ambit of the law (Friedman, 1962). Certainly, this view may have worked for organisations in the 1800’s; it definitely does not apply in today’s modern and globalised world. The perspective is not only very narrow in view; it also fails to take into consideration other stakeholders who are affected by its activities of, but can also affect its existence.To these types of organisations, making ethical decisions is seen only from the viewpoint costly and profit. Organisations operating for profit alone are yet to appreciate the advantages of good corporate social responsibility and capitalize on it to grow their businesses in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. This drive for profit has led many to slash of employee’s benefits and salaries benefits; pollute the environment and cause permanent damage to the ecosystem all in bid to improve their bottom-line and many have earned a very bad reputation, suffer product boycott and tarnish their corporate image.In concludi ng this essay, as much as profit is very essential to the survival of a business, I want to agree that businesses should focus more on the improving quality of its products or services. This can be clearly seen to from the fact customer expects high quality at good value always, and because improving the quality will eventually bring down cost of production for a company. As well, quality focus drives a company to take ethical decisions and operate in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.It may be tempting for a business to sacrifice quality in order maximize its profit. However, it benefits will only be in the short term. A simple focus on profit maximization could destroy the continued existence of the business, not to mention the society in which it operates. A firm aiming extreme profit might purposefully cut corners during a project, knowing it gets the perks of a better quarter for now; knowing a future management team will have to deal with the damage of spill-induce d lawsuit, fines, and a haul-up to it at the Criminal Court.

Biomed Case Essay

(Biomed), the family business in Thailand. On the other hand, as the new general manager of Biomed, he had some concerns about the first major decisions he was about to make and implement upon his return. Biomeds parent company, Thai Drugs Co., Ltd. (Thai Drugs), had just revised Biomeds market strategy, and the follow-on to this was the need to realign the sales compensation system to fit with the new strategy. Chiemchanya was charged with this task, and he saw high company risk and high personal risk in this situation. Teaching objectives The overarching objective behind this case is to get students to recognize the path to designing an appropriate sales compensation plan (market strategy ( sales roles and goals ( compensation plan both level and mix). The second objective is to have students work through what is required to successfully implement such a change since, whenever management tinkers with someones wallet, there is the potential for trouble.  The third objective is to h ave students realize that compensation cannot do everything in terms of aligning a new sales program with a new strategy. Sales managers have to realize that the compensation plan is not the quick fix. Other changes may be required to training, hiring, etc. to have complete alignment between the sales program and the go-to-market strategy. The case can be successfully used in undergraduate and MBA sales management courses and can also be used on executive development programs.  One idea would be to team teach this case with an organizational behavior faculty member who could focus on the change issues. This could unfold over two classes. Suggested Assignment Questions Its not necessary to revisit Biomeds go-to-market strategy, but it is necessary to become completely familiar with its premise and goals. Given this market strategy, what would you propose for a sales compensation plan What steps did you go through to get to this recommendation How will you successfully implement this change Remember you are tinkering with someones wallet. As a sales executive, is changing the compensation plan all that Chiemchanya has to do in order to tie the sales program to the new strategy TEAC HING STRATEGY This case almost teaches itself, as students should be able to develop a logical path from the new market strategy to the new compensation plan. They should also recognize the implementation challenges. It may be slightly more difficult for students to understand that compensation may not be the only component that needs to be revisited within the sales management program. Getting Started The key to getting started is to have students realize that the new go-to-market strategy is a given. The senior executive team has made the decisions and has passed these on to Chiemchanya. No time should be spent revisiting the strategy, but a bit of time needs to be spent making sure that the key components of the strategy are understood. An optional way to get started is to ask students who have worked in sales exactly how they were paid and why they think the compensation plans that emerge in the discussion are different. Then the instructor can move into the issue above. The Sales Compensation Plan At least 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the class time should be spent here. This is a case where you can have students lay out their proposed compensation plan and then have them justify the plan by helping them create the logic path of market strategy and goals ( role of the sales force ( tasks and goals for the sales person ( a compensation plan that supports the achievement of these goals. The way that the case is written should encourage this thinking, but if such a process does not emerge from the discussion, then it becomes the instructors task to introduce it. The concepts are all explored in the case (the old plan to give a basic structure and to allow students to calculate the level of compensation for a typical sales rep the market strategy the sales role the sales tasks and goals). It might have been more challenging for  students to devise some of these, however, this cannot be done in one class and the key learning is around the process/steps to a successful plan. Implementation We cannot let students stop with the design of the plan. The next section of the class has to focus on how to successfully implement the plan. This involves figuring out what the reaction of various salespeople might be as there will be a variety of reactions. For example, reps who are already focusing on drugstores, and selling the identified subset of products at good prices will see this as a no-brainer. The opposite is also true. This is also an opportunity to reinforce the difficulty of implementing changes that can potentially alter someones take-home pay. It also raises the issue of the role of the first-level sales manager as part of the change process. Chiemchanya has to get this person on board or he is going nowhere. Other Sales Management Program Changes Even if there are only a few minutes left in class, the question needs to be raised as to whether anything else needs to be addressed within the sales management program. The more obvious ones include some training to get salespeople comfortable with the new role perhaps an assessment of sales people, in terms of their suitability for the new role the increased need for coaching, at least in the short run, to get reps focused and behaving differently and the potential role that recognition could play in bringing about behavioral change. An option here is to have the case extend over two classes, with the sales compensation plan addressed in the first class and the implementation and other changes addressed in the second class. This could then be topped off by a brief lecture on sales compensation. CASE ANALYSIS The Sales Compensation Plan Whats a bit different with this teachin g note is that we have the actual process that the company followed to redesign the compensation plan. In general, this provides the analysis for core of the case. The authors of the teaching note have added some comments in italics, which reflect on some of the process. Of course the instructor can challenge any of the ideas presented and put things forward differently in class. 1. Target Total Cash Compensation (TTCC) The first step was to define the TTCC. This is the amount that a sales representative would earn if he (all sales reps were male) achieved expected performance. TTCC should be comparable to industry norms, attractive enough to recruit new candidates, and it should meet management goals. TTCC included both cash  and non-cash components. Base salary Sales commission and bonuses Benefits Contests/special rewards Recognition events Expense reimbursement The instructor can start a discussion as to which of these components should fall under the rubric of compensation. The focus of most of the discussion should be on a) and b). In this case, it was assumed that the current TTCC was appropriate. The current compensation plan generates a TTCC as shown below. ComponentBase Salary with Commission and BonusBase SalaryBase Salary/YearTHB60,000Commission RatePerformance To GoalCommission rate1st Commission RateUp to 1001.52nd Commission RateSales beyond 1003Quarterly BonusPerformanceBonusQ1Achieve 100 of Q1 YTD GoalTHB3,000Q2Achieve 100 of Q1-2 YTD GoalTHB4,000Q3Achieve 100 of Q1-3 YTD GoalTHB5,000Q4Achieve 100 of Q1-4 YTD GoalTHB6,000Bonus for previous quarters are retro-backed when YTD goal is achieved  Sales Volume YTD (THB)Expense THB /day0 500,000380500,000 1,000,0004201,000,000 2,000,0004602,000,000 and above500 This is an unusual plan since expenses are not flat, based on territory variables such as size, nor simply reimbursed. They increase with performance. This could be viewed in two ways. First, the argument could be that reps who are selling more are spending more to get these sales. Second, it could be argued that the increased expenses were some form of bonus that could end up in the sales reps pocket if it wasnt spent. Current TTCC Expected performance is annual sales of THB2,000,000 per sales representative, therefore a) Base salary THB60,000/year b) Sales commission and bonus A sales representative who achieves 100 per cent target (assume THB2 million) will receive 1.5 per cent of sales. 1.5 2,000,000 THB30,000 A sales representative who achieves 100 per cent target will receive all quarterly bonuses. 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 THB18,000 Total Sales Compensation THB48,000 c) Benefits The sales force receives the same benefits as other Thai Drugs employees. d) Contests/special rewards Currently there are no contests or special rewards. e) Recognition events Currently there are no recognition events. Change in TTCC components a)Base salary and b) Sales commission and bonus The company believed that a base salary component was necessary for Biomeds sales representatives, especially if the reps were to buy into the new plan. Also, since Biomeds strategy was to focus on building good customer relationshi ps, a salary component would encourage sales reps to think about the long term. The sales commission and bonus component was also viewed as necessary. The base salary and commission/bonus component, when combined, was to increase when compared to the current plan. Since the TTCC was to remain the same, this increase would come from expense reimbursement discussed later. Regarding the weight of salary/commission/bonus, this issue will be discussed in the next step (Compensation Mix). c)Benefits The benefits would remain the same.  d)Contests/special rewards In the past, Biomed never rewarded sales representatives by offering, e.g., a holiday trip. However, holiday trips can be a very effective motivating tool both before the trip and after. Moreover, it was felt that the motivational effect of holiday trips could last longer than cash of the same value. Biomed proposed that a holiday trip should be included into the new plan. It would be rewarded only for exceptional performance of the whole team. Thus it should not be included to the TTCC figure since TTCC is the target for sales representatives reaching expected performance. e)Recognition events Since Biomed is a small company with 11 sales representatives, it was suggested that large recognition events might not be appropriate. Small team meetings could be used to recognize excellent performers. f)Expense reimbursement The company decided to change the expense allowance to be a true expense. The change was to adjust the allowance to a flat THB400 per day. This results in an annual expense allowance of THB96,000. Since the original expense figure is THB98,400, the 2,400 was to be added into the base salary/commission/bonus component of TTCC. Biomed thought that this change had two benefits. First, since the expense and sales compensation would be separated, the compensation plan would be easier for the sales reps to understand. Secondly, it was viewed as promoting equity since all reps would receive equal expenses.

The Effects of School Bullying on Middle School Students Attendance Dissertation

The Effects of School Bullying on Middle School Students Attendance - Dissertation Example Smith and Sharp assert that studies concerning teacher opinion show that school bullying involves â€Å"5-10 per cent of children as being bullied and about 5 per cent of children as bullying others† (1994, p. 5). They state that bullying is generally hidden from the school authorities because the bullied students and their peers hesitate in informing their teachers about the bully and start disappearing from school which lowers their attendance (Jimerson & Furlong, 2006, p.310). Bullying students are normally very sociable and bold without any idea of shame or guilt; whereas, the bullied ones are already very shy and unsure which makes the overall idea of going to school and attending classes disagreeable. A bullied student may suffer from hypertension, freight, loneliness, anxiety, depression, low self-worth, low grades and suicidal attempts. The National Association of School Psychologists (as cited in Shore, p. 5) estimates that â€Å"160,000 children miss school every da y for fear of being bullied†. Besides bullied students, bullying creates bad effects on the observers of bullying as well. Since, bullying creates a fearful environment in schools, students who watch someone being bullied may tend to turn away from their classes, feel guilty for not stopping it or may even be tempted to participate and support the bullying students. In short, bullying inflicts long lasting adverse effects on the victim and should be considered seriously by school authorities so that necessary interventions are made (Dixon & Smith, 2011, p.34), because according to Smith and Sharp (1994, p.64), when successful interventions and policies are designed to counter school bullying, it improves â€Å"pupil achievement and attendance over time.† Samdal et al. (1997) studied how the middle school students’ judgment and perception of school affected their academic performance, attendance and school satisfaction.

Organizational Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Organizational Development - Essay Example Two definitions that more aptly represent the thrust of organization development today are: "Organization development is a system-wide application of behavioral science knowledge to the planned development and reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures, and processes for improving an organization's effectiveness." (Cummings et al, p.2) An astute organization development practitioner would carefully evaluate the working systems with set targets to identify pitfalls and suggest holistic changes for improved effectiveness. One of the key components of organization development is change management. Change management is a complex system which involves judicious and intelligent application of a range of ideas from the fields of business, engineering, sociology, and psychology. As organizations face stiff competition, changes in the organizations become imperative for survival. It becomes more and more necessary for the organization to implement a robust change management system to help the organization grow and sustain and meet the challenges that it faces from within and without. A change management system in its broad outline may be regarded as a "structured process that will cause proposed changes to be reviewed for technical and business readiness in a consistent manner that can be relaxed or tightened to adjust to business needs and experiences." (Indiana University, 2009) A robust change management practice would involve the convergence of two predominant fields of thought: the mechanical focus to change and the human focus on change. Till recently, a lot of companies had likened the different functions of their business to a mechanical clock made up of individual mechanical pieces which they could alter or change to suit a specific situation and produce the desired results. This change could be radical or gradual as was deemed necessary. The need for change management concepts was not realized till their projects faced serious hurdles to implementation or encountered stiff resistance. Change management has now come to mean "the process, tools and techniques to manage the people-side of business change to achieve the required business outcome, and to realize that business change effectively within the social infrastructure of the workplace." (Change Management Learning Center, 1996-2008) The foundation stone to the human side of change management was laid by William Bridges in his book named Transitions. (Ed Batista, 2008) Though he relates human behavior to change in a workplace only a few times in his book, this work brought a new perspective to change management and resulted in two schools of approach to business practice, measurement of success and perspectives of change: the engineer's approach or the mechanical approach and the psychologist's approach. The table below summarizes the major differences in the two approaches: Engineer Psychologist Focus Processes, systems, structure People Business practices BPR, TQM, ISO 9000, Quality Human resources, OD Starting point Business issues or opportunities Personal change, employee resistance (or potential for resistance) Measure of success Business performance, financial and statistical metrics Job satisfaction, turnover, productivity loss Perspective on change "Shoot the stragglers, carry

IT Infrastructure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IT Infrastructure - Research Paper Example reason behind this is because as a business, there are various problems that come with embracing the cloud, hence the needs to be aware of such problems. The requirements of an organization have to be identified when incorporating cloud technology. As Hosseini and Sriram indicate, cloud technologies have to be paired in line with certain needs of the business for there to be a successful path for cloud acceptance. To create an IT infrastructure which is successful in a start-up company, Banerjee indicates that it is crucial to understand the main aspects that make the firm’s IT successful and intelligent. An organization should have an IT infrastructure which is dependable, as this will assist it in yielding more applications that are dependable. The IT infrastructure should also be manageable, which means that it should respond automatically to failures of hardware without the presence of the CIO. It should also be adaptable, in that when there are new applications that are developed, it has to adapt to the environment which allows it to be deployed easily. Lastly, the infrastructure has to be affordable for an organization which is new in the market. Hence, the most crucial characteristic to consider in the case of a start up organization would be

Electronica Music and Its Impact on the Music Industry Essay - 1

Electronica Music and Its Impact on the Music Industry - Essay Example Electronica Music and Its Impact on the Music Industry Ultimately, within a span of a decade the elements comprising the original electronica genre were reborn within the recent music scene itself, as it became infused with other popular genres such as hip-hop, rap, rock, and dance music (Bogdanov 634). This helped the next generation of audiences in appreciating electronica’s legacy as one of the earliest predecessors of contemporary music today. The Historical Background of Electronica as a Musical Genre Electronica was originally used around the 1950’s in Hollywood movies for background music, in order to emphasize on the emotions of the characters being portrayed (Collins 78). Influenced by classical music, electronica became a mood-maker in cinema, implying the character’s detachment from reality. It was also borne out of a cultural purpose of widening and increasing what is considered to be musical sounds (Dunn 2). In later years there was an increase in the frequency of electronica played outside the movie ind ustry, and in the late 1960’s Europe electronica can be heard in the radiowaves, most notably in Germany (Keith). The avant-garde music scene along with the movies gave way to electronica becoming a futuristic and space-themed music (Dunn 14; Reynolds). Some of the known composers of early electronica include William S. Burroughs, Klaus Schulze, and Walter Carlos (Keith; Reynolds). They usually worked together with performers to create a distinct sound for each one. Some of the performers of early electronica that collaborated with these early composers and became well-known were Tangerine Dream, Tomita, Can, Faust and Neu!, King Crimson, and ELP (Keith; Reynolds). These early performers became known due to their strong resolve in making distinct, wild, and original sounds that use nearly everything from home-made gadgets to large, modular synthesizers. As the genre grew, there were also important changes in electronica such as its beginnings of being trickled slowly with traditional instruments (Collins 137). Gradually there became an acceptance of a wide variety of electronic instruments included with other non-electronic ones, and has now became staples in commonly-heard music (Dunn 6). This also allowed the increased use of elec tronic music instruments in the growing disco scene of the 1970’s (Mickley). Electronica rapidly evolved due to the vast leaps in technological advancement (Dunn 8). As a result, there came a wide availability of electronically-based instruments such as synthesizers and analogs that can alter the sounds produced, and the arrival of other electronic-based instruments such as keyboards and guitars. There was also an increased acceptability of electronica amongst listeners, leading to the development of important genres from electronica (Bogdanov 14). These include music that have a greater focus on accompaniment instead of vocals such as electronic dance music (EDM), funky beats, dance-pop, techno, and experimental rock. The Cultural Background of Electronica Most of the original listeners and audiences of electronica were late teens to people in their early 30’s, people from middle or working class and with near-equal mix of genders appreciating it(Campbell 323).Countri es that allowed the proliferation of

Negotiation Principles - Lesson 22 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Negotiation Principles - Lesson 22 - Essay Example Lastly, advocate approach takes many factors into consideration and occurs when an individual tries to accumulate as much benefits for their party as possible. It is a dangerous tactic as it can result in more lose than win situations. Negotiating government contracts consist of many forms. Nibbling is one of the most prominent forms for negotiation. The actually strategy is to pursue strong efforts of negotiation until the deal is done. It’s effective when the other party has invested much time and energy into a particular contract. The second type of government contracting is refusal. Refusal is a method that indicates that a party is not interested in the offer and thinks there is room for improvement. This tactic does produce many positive results. Another method is called conditioning in which parties start with initial talks prior to engagement. It sets out a scope for engagement and discussion and very fast way to get the deal done. Another methodology is known as distributive negotiation. This type of negotiation deals with the proper allocation of proportions that are being distributed. It’s a government contract quality assurance program that ensures that frauds are being eliminated and that the parties possess FAA certificates. CAO has stands for Contract Administrative Officer. The main role of CAO is to collaborate with the PCO and the ACO in order to ensure that bodies are certified for contracting through these agencies. The PCO ensures that private contracts are established while the CAO is in charge of diminishing fraud. The CAS works closely with DoD that requires performance of contract administration. Lastly, the PCO is the organization that the contractor needs to be filed with for procuring purposes. The Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) initiates into the contract and possesses the original signed contract for the official contract file. The CAO has most responsibilities at it over heads the contractor

Summarise 2 Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summarise 2 Theories - Essay Example Social Control Theory circulates around certain principles (Siegel, 2008). These principles are peoples relationships, values, commitments, norms, and values. These principles encourage people not to break the laws of the land. Major contributors and their contributions to the Social Control theory follow assertions by a couple of ideologists. Albert J. Reiss defined personal control as the ability of a person to cease from meeting needs in ways which clash with the rules and norms of the society. Social control, he stated, refers to the skill of social groups to create rules or norms that bring full success. The second main contributor was Jackson Toby. He quarreled that the casual adolescent is an entrant for group socialization. He recognized group socialization as a piece of social control that connects, motivates, and that leads to wrongdoing. He put out the idea of stakes in conformity to make clear the candidacy for studying such experiences (Siegel, 2008). This theory does not reflect on motivational issues. It argues that individuals may decide to engage in a variety of activities, unless the varieties are restricted to the processes of social learning and socialization. This is taken from the Hobbesian analysis of human nature that is stated in the Leviathan; that all options are controlled by implicit agreements, social contracts and understanding among citizens. Thus, ethics will be set in the building of social orders, consequences and assigning costs to assured choices and terming some of the choices as immoral, evil or unlawful (Siegel, 2008). Labeling theory closely relates to symbolic interaction and social construction analysis theory. Labeling theory maintains that disobedience is not inherent in wrong doers, but instead looks at the possibilities of majorities to negatively tag minorities or those seen as weak from normal cultural norms. The theory circulates around certain principles.

The Importance of Branding in the Constantly Changing Market Essay

The Importance of Branding in the Constantly Changing Market Environment - Essay Example The study encompasses the role of branding, a brief overview of the products and services offered by the company, the target audience of the company and the importance of branding for the organization. Branding has been playing an important role in organization’s success for over decades. Branding is the process through which an organization differentiates its products and services from the competitors while changing the perception of customers towards the brand. The ability to create awareness regarding the brand has eventually resulted in significant increase in sales. In earlier years, the offerings of organizations to the customers were merely taken as a product. With the help of branding, organizations have provided meaning and reason for existence to their products through the use of branding. With the passage of time, branding has become more of a promise of quality and reputation. The concept of branding encompasses everything about an organization to help customers in the market to create a positive perception regarding the company as well as the products offered by it. In the today’s constantly changing competitive environment, organizations are at war with one another in terms of attracting customers to purchase their products over others. Organizations have acknowledged the importance of branding to promote recognition of the products and services offered. If an organization focuses entirely on being a quality provider, this reflects that the organization encourages repeat business. Quite frankly, customers are quite busy to earn their living due to which they tend to adhere to brands that are known to them i.e. familiarity. This means that if a customer recognizes and remembers a brand used in earlier days or months, he/she will most likely choose the product or service again. The most important thing about branding is that it helps an organization to stand out from the crowd. This clearly means that branding helps an organization to differentiate the products and services offered by the organization. By thinking outside the box, organizations have witnessed significant opportunity to attract the customers in the market, while ensuring that the customers will never forget the products and services primarily because of the utmost accomplishment of desires and needs. On the other hand, branding has helped organizations to market their businesses more efficiently. Through effective marketing, the opportunity to attract potential customers will significantly increase as they will already know about the brand along with the benefits that products and services can offer to the customers. This clearly reflects that branding can help an organization to motivate the customers and potential customers to purchase the products and services offered without taking into account other products and services in the market.

Business Plan for a Startup Business Term Paper

Business Plan for a Startup Business - Term Paper Example gers, grilled chicken burger; side dishes such as French fries, green salads; and beverage items include shakes, coffee, tea along with orange and lemon juices. The primary targeted group of consumers of the proposed food truck business will be young adult professionals, tourists and college/university students. In the context of ownership, the proposed venture will be operated by a group of three individuals passed out from their entrepreneurship degree in Al Ain City. With regard to the present market statistics in the food industry, it can be estimated that the mobile food service or the process of offering food items through food truck will generate a sustainable position with strong financial performance and brand image. It is projected that the start-up food truck business may attain satisfactory results in the initial years of its operations through considering the above-discussed important factors effectively. The sales plan for the proposed food truck business will focus on performing direct sales. The strategy of conducting direct sales in terms of transporting food items will enable the proposed business of food-truck to provide quality based foods and services to each individual or group of consumers. Moreover, the sales strategy of the proposed business will also emphasize on generating greater customer awareness within the marketplaces of Al Ain City of UAE. The proposed business plan of Food truck for burgers in Al Ain City UAE will be highly focused on selling quality burgers along with fast-food items towards gaining attention of the increasing food-lovers across the city. According to the proposed plan, the organization will be highly responsible to meet the customers with emerging trend of the changing food habits along with their growing interests on consuming wide range of fast-food items irrespective of different locations in the city. The organization will centrally focus on designing a unique concept of selling food items through

Assessing the Essence of Teh Eclectic Paradigm Essay Example for Free

Assessing the Essence of Teh Eclectic Paradigm Essay Aspects frequently highlighted include global media and telecommunications, global brands, worldwide production and integrated financial markets. At the forefront of these phenomena are Multi National Enterprises (MNEs), benefiting from the opening of markets across the globe, and from advances in computing and internet technology, which make it possible to link far-flung activities in global networks. Considering these elements, globalization can further be defined as the process of increasing and deepening interactions between individuals and organizations across the globe, facilitated by advancing communications technology and the opening of markets to trade and investment. Theories of International production have attempted to explain the convergence towards a globalised world, while addressing the different types of international expansions. These theories have focused on MNEs and Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs). FDI can be defined as investment by an organization in a business in another country, with a view to establishing production in the host country. While Raymon Vernon is known for his theory of Product life cycle, Stephen Hymer laid emphasis on the location and ownership advantages of countries, which helped in attracting FDI from MNEs. John Dunning incorporated Internalisation to the analysis of Hymer, which became known as the Eclectic Paradigm (or OLI Paradigm), one of the most comprehensive theoretical explanations with specific focus on FDI. Still the Eclectic Paradigm is being challenged in the modern globalised world, as it fails to take into account the implications of existing modes of entry of MNEs, as well as the advantages of Alliance Capitalism. It is being discussed further in this report. Theories of International production have greatly facilitated the understanding of the globalization phenomenon. Different theorists at different time intervals attempted to justify the expansion of MNEs across the globe. Hymer (1970) was the first one to propose that MNEs are institutions of international production rather than international capital movement. Still he ignored the natural imperfections attributed to transaction costs in an imperfect market. In today’s world, with the proliferation on Internet use, imperfections like bureaucratic hurdles and control of distribution systems (Bain, 1956) are absent. Even the imperfections like price determinism and information transfer are shrinking. Thus it can be argued that Hymer’s major contribution relating to the importance of structural market imperfection in determining FDI activity does not hold good for corporations, which are expanding globally through e-channels (for instance). Vernon (1966) came up with the International Product Life Cycle (IPLC) theory, which explained the locational dimension of FDI. According to him, production first starts in the home country fro local markets, and exporting is used to attain foreign markets. As the product matures and production is standardized, production moves to less developed countries to reduce labour costs. The basic assumption of the IPLC is that knowledge is not equally and universally distributed (Vernon, 1966). This assumption, however, is not applicable in today’s world, as Vernon (1979) himself admits that there is a more perfect distribution of knowledge across the globe. He argues that firms who are global scanners follow a different trend than that of the IPL approach, because such firms have the ability to effectively scan global markets for the best factor endowments. Though, a lot has been discussed and said on the theories of International production, yet none of the approaches (Hymer, Vernon, Barney) simultaneously explains the importance of resources heterogeneity, entrepreneurial competence, network governance and the rise of alliance capitalism. Thus, an overarching analytical framework is needed, that can synthesize these disparate views and account for the importance of location- based advantages and ownership advantages. Such a framework was developed by Dunning (1973; 1988; 1993) known as The Eclectic Paradigm. It is a framework that explains the growth of MNEs by bringing together disparate theories. According to Dunning, the Eclectic Paradigm is less of an alternative theory of International production and more of a framework that synthesizes the essential and common characteristics of each main theoretical explanation on the growth of MNEs. For more than two decades the Eclectic Paradigm (EP) remains a widely used general framework for studying the growth of MNCs and Dunning has also continuously revised and extended the EP to explain changing facets of MNCs. Dunning (1988) has re-stated that the EP is robust and general enough to incorporate future developments like renewed the focus on entrepreneurship and the emergence of global networks (Dunning, 1995). The Eclectic Paradigm explains that the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and growth of multinational corporations (MNCs) is linked to the extent and nature of ownership-specific advantages of the firm, the extent and nature of location bound endowments, and the extent to which markets for these advantages are best internalized by the from itself. In short, it is the configuration of these Ownership (O), Location (L) and Internalization (I) advantages that determines a firm’s international production and growth. In a somewhat updated version, Dunning (1988) describes the three essential factors for international expansion: * Ownership Advantages are unique competitive or monopolistic advantages, typically developed in the home market, that permit the firm to compete successfully in overseas markets. These factors are of two types: Asset Advantages arise from proprietary ownership of unique assets protected by structural market distortions, and Transactional advantages provide a unique capacity to capture value from the transaction benefits of owning a network of assets located in different countries. * Location factors, tied to the local foreign market, which make production in the host country preferable. These are immobile factors, such as cheaper labour, high shipping costs, local image or trade barriers, that can be combined with transferable intermediate ownership assets to generate superior products. Internalisation factors, typically related to the industry, produce transactional market failure in transferring ownership advantages to foreign markets. This also explains the naming of the EP as the OLI configuration as well. The eclectic model, then, pulled together the key elements of neo-classical theory – location, industrial organisation theory – monopolis tic advantage and internalization theory – transactional efficiency. It used this eclectic mix to produce an internally consistent, compelling and testable model of the multinational firm and its strategic processes.

Erikosonian Psychosocial Tradition And Social Identity Theory

Erikosonian Psychosocial Tradition And Social Identity Theory Several psychological theories have attempted to provide a definition of identity and an explanation of the processes that develop it. Many theorists see identity development as a means for an individual to explain the present as a bridge from the past to the future, agreeing that identity consists of both individual and social elements. This essay aims to consider the contributions and implications posed by two different associated fields of study; the Erikosonian Psychosocial tradition and Social Identity Theory. Eriksons Psycho-social method was the first identity theory to provide an explanation between our self image (psycho) and the others in the community (social). He proposed individuals must have a stable sense of core identity, as failure to do so would mean the individual may be subject to an identity crisis. This is not to say that people must never experience a conflict of interest between individual needs and social demands. In fact Erikson argued that only by the successful resolution of these normative crises is the achievement of identity possible. He went on to identify eight stages in this life-long development of identity, marked by a distinct conflict, for which successful, normative crisis resolution would result in a favourable outcome. According to Erikson, the most important conflict takes place during adolescence, the fifth psychosocial age. Here the individual re-evaluates everything that was established in childhood by enduring psychosocial moratorium. During this so cially approved period of uncertainity, the indiviual can experieent with dfferent scial roles and consquently personality, self concept and self worth, may all be altered. Psychosocial Theory is a persuasive model. It is both accessible and relevant, resulting in Erikson being highly regarded amongst psychologists. He has been described as a visionary, providing a basis for the work of James Marcia on different forms of identity. The theory is still relevant in todays modern life, due to its utility in many professional arenas [such as] clinical, theoretical and empirical (McKinney, 2001). Erikson has had a huge impact in child development, resulting in teachers, parents and counselors drawing on ideals of his to support their work. Theorists such as Mary Ainsworth, who studied attachment in infancy explained concepts similar to those of Erikson, offering credibility to his work. The approach has been useful for understanding and explaining how personality and behaviour manifest, and therefore has become a much-used tool in dealing with conflict managent and in general self-awareness. It also provides a convincing explaination for many current issues, such as bullying in school. During stage 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. and current racial issues and why it can cause so much aggression and understanding of motives behind terrorism. However the theory does not go without criticism. Santrock (2004) highlights research which suggests that identity formation does not begin or end in adolescence, that the conflict is notably less dramatic than proposed, and that in fact some individuals go through their teenage years without any real problems at all. It therefore seems that erikson may have placed too much emphasis on adolescence. This maybe due to eriksons own personal experiences having an effect on his interpretation of results. His young life was fraught with problems, not least being tall and blond and living in a jewish neighbourhood, with a jewish step-family. This need for acceptance and the conflict associated with being different became important themes in his theory. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Based on field work, so reliable as in own environment; He studied combat crises in U.S. soldiers during World War II, child-rearing practices in Native American communities and soci al behavior in India. There are two basic problems with the pychosocial approach to identity. Firstly that large social group were ignored beause although Erikson believed person and social were interlinked, he treated them separately. And secondily Erikson focused on individual identities to explain how people identitfy with indivudal groups. Sit:- 700 words get down to 200! social identity theory (SIT) aims to resolve some of these problems highlighted with the pychosocial tradition, by producing a social rather than individual focus on identity, empahsising on the way we compare ourselves to others. concerned with when and why individuals identify with, and behave as part of, social groups, adopting shared attitudes. Tajfel, the founder of the theory, directly challenged the eriksons concept that group behaviour could be explained by looking at the psychology of individuals. He studied the relationships between people and proposed two separate sub-systems; Personal Identity (describing oneself as a friend or parent for example) and Social Identity (in instances such as referring to gender, race or religion). Their alternative theory suggested a distinctive level of collective psychological processes. This meant that people acted as group members as well as individuals. Their central idea was that behaviour and identity operated on a continuum based on situation, ranging from the highly individual and unique at one end (purely interpersonal), to the collective and common at the other (purely intergroup).The theorys fundamental idea is that identity is drawn from selfcatagorisation, when describing characteristics from our social group. This provides labels for ourselves, in turn provding rules for our behaviour. The category in which we place ourselves is called the ingroup. There is a sence of elitism and a tendency to exclude others; the outgroup. Tajfel research aimed to consider this discrimination between the groups, by proposing superficial differences, he split participants into inial groups and subjected the to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.he concluded that this was sufficient enough to generate predujices. This has been demonstrated, for instance in one example where school boys were placed in groups based on preference for abstract painters such as Klee or Kandinsky. Even using this trivial basis for grouping, and despite the fact th at the school boys didnt know who was in the groups, the boys allocated more resources towards ingroup members than outgroup members. In addition, the resources were given to other individuals in a group instead of the group as a whole, so the boys were not just giving resources to themselves out of self-interest.[13] This experiment was especially interesting because it challenged other models of intergroup interaction which are based on the idea that discrimination between groups happens because there is a clear reason for it, such as a competition for resources or a conflict of interests between the groups. Sit proposes that the reason for this discrimination is because of the need to belong to a group, taht are distinctive and have a high status, it boosts self esteem by making the other group inferior however sit argues that the resistance to this prejudice can result in some individuals seeking to iprove their status by using social obility or leaving behind their soial group. Others may attept social change, by social creativietly, a redefition of the group or through social competition, actively dmenading alternative social ideas in regard to a particular group. People dont like being in the out goup; so one answer is Moving to another group, but requires social mobility to be practicable. For instance, this may be viable in the case of social class or a job, but not so much in groups based on race or gender for example. Social mobility is at the individualistic end of the social behaviour continuum suggested by social identity theory.At the other end of the continuum, group level strategies focus on direct competition. But for this to be possible, there needs to be a belief that change is genuinely possible as well as desirable. In addition, group members need to perceive the current relationships with other groups to be unjustified.Finally, if neither of the above two options are viable, members of groups wishing to change their status may decide to compare themselves using different criteria where they compare more favourably, or focus on comparisons with a different group compared to whom they fare better. People can also choose to redef ine the negative elements of their group identity, or even redefine the group identity itself. These actions are not as effective as the others described above, but do allow group members to contend in a small way with the undesirable current perception of their group. Good bits Attepts to explain prejudies and self esteem, where erikson did not. Self-categorization theory grew from Tajfel and Turners early work on social identity. It is a development of social identity theory, specifically in the part of the relationship between group behaviour and self-concept that describes the social cognitive processes that create social identity effects. The theory describes how people define themselves at a group level but also at an individual level.[4][15] It considers group and individual identities to be at different levels of self-categorization, and more distinct from each other than social identity theory does. For instance, individuals can have several different group identities (e.g. gender, occupation, or nationality) and also several different individual identities depending on context (e.g. how someone considers themself as a male or how they consider themselves compared to their colleagues at work).[16][17] This concept of a hierarchy of different identities replaced the continuum in social identity theory, and allowed an individual an unlimited range of identities based on context.[18] The salience of a particular group identity is based on how accessible a categorization is to an individual, and how well it fits the social context (e.g. bearing in mind what the individual wants to achieve with their behaviour, or what they did last time they were in the situation). For instance, when discussing political issues in a conversation, nationality may become more salient.[19] Bad triviualise issues such as diability Ethical ? Labtest unreliable? Can results be applied to real life stuations. Some criritces cos it trear groups as indivudals (see bx on pg 66) Conclusion:- Although Eriksons theory of identity development is widely cited, other theories provide important knowledge about identity and its development. However Eriksons work is as relevant today as when he first outlined his original theory, in fact given the modern pressures on society, family and relationships and the quest for personal development and fulfilment his ideas are probably more relevant now than ever. Erikson was keen to improve the way children and young people are taught and nurtured, and it would be appropriate for his ideas to be more widely known and used in day-to-day life, beyond the clinical and counselling professions. Eriksons psychosocial theory is. As with any concept there are critics, but generally Eriksons theory is considered fundamentally significant. Erikson was a psychoanalyst and also a humanitarian. So his theory is useful far beyond psychoanalysis its useful for any application involving personal awareness and development of oneself or others. Social learning theories expand the constructs of self concept and self worth as the basis of self description in late childhood. Cognitive development theory describes the age-related processes leading to a childs limitation before adolescence and competence during adolescence for establishing identity. Researchers investigating Eriksons theory of identity development have provided important modifications to the theory.

Eveline Father Denied Giving Her Money English Literature Essay

Eveline Father Denied Giving Her Money English Literature Essay Eveline story is about a teenager with Italian roots called Eveline that has 2 brothers called Harry and Ernest and parents which have no name and most importantly a lover called Frank. Eveline had a very drastic life also had bad and violent relationship with her father, and the fact that her mother died when she was younger. She always felt herself as the forgotten, the one that nobody cared about, because her father preferred her brothers and he always demanded her to bring money to their house. Eveline father denied giving her money because he thought she was going to use it in stupid things. But later on, Eveline started to move over with her life when she met Frank, a traveler who fell in love with Eveline and promised her to buy her a house in Buenos Aires. Frank convinced Eveline to move to Buenos Aires for them to live a new life and when they were finally boarding up the ship Eveline remembered the promise her mother had told her about take care of the house no matter what happened and that made her decide not to go. 2.0 Type Of Story Textually Implicit In this story, Eveline had a dark life because of her mother passed away for a few years ago. She was afraid and felt herself in danger of her father behavior and violence. However, her father actually not so bad. Evelines really missed her fathers nature when her mother was alive. He is a caring and had sense of humor with his childhood. Evelines missed that moment so much. Evelines also did not know the grief suffered by his father due to his mothers death. Her father feels so empty without his wife and he wants to maintain all the things in his house like his wife alive. In this story, both of them really missed a happy life together. They always flash back the sweet moment before her mother death. This text is textually implicit because we have to use the information in the story to make inferences about the characters and the real feeling Textually Explicit In this story, Eveline is a lonely person. She likes to dreamy and talk with herself her conditions. She did not share her problems especially with her father;s,friends and her siblings. She try to find out the ways to get a better life without thinking her fathers conditions. All the Evelines characters are explicit and it is stated in the story. 3.0 Story Structure (1): Theme This story begins in a town in Ireland which is Belfast with the introduction of family characters. Family seems to be a strong theme in Eveline story. This theme is evident when Eveline stays home and takes over her mother duty in the household as a teen after a promise was made to her dying mother. Deaths play the major role in this story as the author points out that many Eveline friends and family are said to have died at some point. Another theme in Eveline story is paralysis, escape and freedom. Eveline longs for escape. The story also draws on the theme of class.  It is a tale of a woman who is bound to the past and has the opportunity, through marriage to Frank, for freedom and a life in a different country (Buenos Aires, Argentina). She is torn between the call of the past and home and the call of a new future. Eveline stays in the same place, goes nowhere. It is difficult to go full circle without much movement, and in the story there is exactly that, very little movement. Eveline we are told only stands up of the chair she is sitting on for most of the story and goes to the ships side. We are never told how she gets there, Joyce taking her there directly. Escape: She has every reason to leave She has to work hard and is accused of waste money Her father abuse to her Nobody protects her Perspective of living the same life as her mothers, she has been given a chance Paralysis: Cause the feature of her escape continuous shift from living and not living. Eveline is a passive character. 4.0 Story Structure(2): Plot The story starts with Eveline sitting at home looking out the window and reminiscing about when she was a child and the freedom she had playing in the field that was once across the road from her house. It has long since gone, replaced by new houses. She is looking around the house and its repetitiveness, this brings on an anxious feeling and she starts to weigh up her decision. She thinks about what her work colleagues would say but soon disregards their importance, it was only a job where she was not respected by her supervisor Miss Gavan. Eveline thinks she will be treated with respect in Buenos Aries because she would be a married woman (social status and class), but she is drawn back when she starts to think about her family. She would miss her father and brother Harry, even though her father was tight with money, abusive, and liked to drink. It was Evelines job to make him his dinner, she needs him. Even though she handed up most of her wages, she still found it hard to get mon ey back from him for necessities. Though it was a hard life she starts to have second thoughts, but now as she is about to leave it she did not find it a whole undesirable life. She starts to remember her promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could and laments at how much her father would miss her. She starts to think her father isnt all bad and remembers on the night her mother died how her father stopped the organ-player from playing on the street. She then recalls her mothers saying Derevaun Seraun. It is now that we have the first movements from Eveline, when she jumps up from her chair, thinking that it is Frank who will love her and give her happiness. Frank will be her rescuer. Eveline moves directly to ship side where she is standing motionless with Frank, still not knowing if she should go with him to Buenos Aries. Still unsure she starts praying repetitively, in doubt she has reliance on God. When it comes time to board the ship, Frank signal her to follow him but she is stuck to the railings still praying. With no more time left Frank boards the ship and Eveline cannot follow him. She is staying at home. Eveli ne is not leaving, she is to repeat the same mistakes her mother made and return to her father. The climax of Eveline only comes only after the long flashbacks into Evelines life end, where the time finally comes for her to shed her past life behind and join Frank in Buenos Ayres. Eveline is torn between her desire to leave, and the safety and comforts of her life. The conflict between Evelines decision to leave and her desires to stay never does come to a true resolution, the story only ending in the lines, She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition. In leaving the ending of the story as such, There is two options of what reader believe the ending would be Eveline leaving with Frank, or Eveline staying behind as Frank is forced to leave. 5.0 Story Structure (3): Character Analysis Eveline Eveline is a main character for this story. She likes staring and remembering her childhood story. In the opening scene, she sat at the window and reviewing all its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years. She likes to dream and wants to get happy life. It is shown in paragraph 5, but in her new home, she would be married and people treat her with respect not as her mother had been. Then, Eveline was affraid of his father, he always voiced fierce and make her fears. In paragraph 5(line 5) she sometimes felt herself in danger of her fathers violence and agiven her the palpitations. Other than that, Evelines brave to get affair with deck boy, Frank. She also wants to be free and leave the house with Frank without permission of her father. In paragraph 7, Frank falling in love with Eveline, of course her father had found out the affair and forbidden her to have anything to say to him. More than that, Eveline said she must escape! Frank would save her and giv e her life. Evelins father He is a good father and also a great husband. He like to create jokes to make their childrens laughing. It is shown in paragraph 8 (line 5), they had all gone for a picnic to the Hill of Howth. Her father putt her mother bonnet to make the children laugh. However, Eveline fathers change when her mother passed away. He turn to moody and sensitive person, it shown in his character in paragraph 5(line 15), he said she (Eveline) used to squander the money that she had no head, that he wasnt going to give his hard-earned money to throw about the street and much more. Frank He is Evelines lover. He is a deck boy on ship the Allan Line. He is a kind and open-hearted guy. It is shown in paragraph 6, Frank was a very kind, manly and open hearted. He also have talent in singing. He was awfully fond music and sang a little in line 11. Frank wants to make Evelines happy and run from her dark life.  ¬- he would give her life, perhaps love too. She had a right to happiness. Frank would take her in his arms, fold her in his arms. Miss Gavin She is Evelines Store supervisor. Miss Gavan gives an advice for Eveline to more concentrate when she working. It shown at paragraph 4(line 7), she had always had an edge on her, especially whenever there were people listening. 6.0 Story Structure (4): Consequences Of The Story In the story, Eveline did not have friends and also her brother had his own career. She is always alone and think about her fate. Although, she was approach 20 years old, she really felt danger with her father violence. So, the consequence from the part Eveline try to go out from the problems with easy way. She wants to follow her boyfriend to run away from her house. She always dream to be happy with Frank and make her colorful life together. But, before she steep up to the ship, she felt her cheek pale and cold then, her distress a nausea in her body. Eveline gave no sign when Frank was shouted and called her. Evelines father also make a bad consequence for the story. He cannot accept his wife was dead and change hiself to be fierce. He did not try to close and understand his daughter desire and needs. He was selfish and did not shows the good atittude or role model for his chilhood. So, thats his daughters Eveline will to leave him alone witout get permission 7.0 Literary Criticism (1) :The Interpretative Response In this story, we found that there are 4 aspects related to Eveline life which is childhood, adolescence, maturity and public life. Eveline short story was happened between adolescent and maturity. The character of Eveline is largely affected by feminist issues of the time period. We found that this issue is quiet sensitive and people in this year, do not appreciate women power at all. The writer ideas are all about Evelines relationships with her family and boyfriends, and her duties and also obligation. With her mother having passed, she expected to take care of childhood home. Eveline has to struggle to make a reality promises that can be shows on pharase her promise to keep the home together as long as she could, a promise she made to her mother while on her deathbed. Taking care of her home is one example of Evelines oppression by lack of women liberation. She had hard work to keep the house together to see that the two young children who had been left to her charge went to school regularly and got their meals regularly, Joyce write. It was hard work-a hard life. It is never clear mention whom Eveline is responsible to taking care their family home but it is clearly illustrated that she is unhappy in her life and the position of a housewife without a legal husband is really made her sick. Evelines relationship with her father is not really good and the most reason is she always never get attention from her father at all. Because of that,her father always treats her uneven and differently because shes female. Even now, though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her father violence. This is one of the evidence that she actually afraid with her own father.In this time period, females were still viewed as less than the worth of men, unable to hold position of power thus in this story, clearly shows that Evelines father was no t proud of her at all but he more proud with his son 8.0 Literary Criticism(2): The Critical Response Jamess hints that Evelines harbors doubts about her relationship with Frank, the sailor man.She puts so much of her proposed future happiness on Frank, and assumes that leaving her life as a homemaker is only possible by becoming his legal wife. Frank also give offered to Eveline the chance to travel with him. He always telling her about his past adventures sailing and she excited about the ideas.She considers his good qualities, his kindness, his mankind, his passion of music but never once does he shows that he in love with her Evelines wanted to use Frank as reason for escape to other place, and she was conquer by the idea of marriage and probably others would thinks higher of her status now that she was with a man that can protect her. When the night boat is start to go, she start to prays to the God, hopefully show her what was her duty. Here, duty suggested that she believe her life with Frank would be like her mothers life with her violent father or no better than Evelines life with her father. It may be the factor that her doubts about her love relationship with Frank, combined with her responsible to her surrounding and her feelings of guilty towards her family especially, lead to overcome her desire to escape. 9.0 Conclusion As the conclusion this story is quiet interesting and totally preceded the womens suffrage in Ireland city, the story protagonist and the title character, Eveline, is largely affected by the classical feminine issues. This story can give us the image how Eveline tries to discover herself and her own wishes. But her way of initiation is meant to lead to an surprising conclusion by Eveline in the end of the story. What is so fascinating about Eveline is not only the plot itself, but the way Joyce illustrates the situation of Eveline linguistically through his way of writing.

Essay examples --

The purpose of this essay is to discuss how Coca-Cola generates sustainable competitive advantage by drawing on their Resources and Capabilities within the company. I will discuss on the theoretical area, draw on secondary research and apply a ‘real world’ example. Definitions of each perspective are explained as to make a better understanding of the different types of organizations clearer. The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola), founded in 1886 and based in Atlanta Georgia, is the world’s leading soft drink manufacturer who operates in more than 200 countries and produces 400 brands of non-alcoholic beverages. Coca-Cola is very successful and recognized around the world, making the company the most valuable brand internationally. Coca-Cola has been operating through eight segments, which are Africa, East, South Asia and Pacific Rim, European Union, Latin America, North America, North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East (The Coca-Cola Company, 2006). The activities of Coca-Cola spreads through all sectors of the soft drink industry. The company offers ready to drink and yet non-alcoholic beverages with carbonation as the carbonated water, flavored water, and the energy drinks. There are still beverages that includes the non-alcoholic beverages and without carbonation which includes the non-carbonated water, flavored water, teas, juice drinks, and the enhanced water. The c ompany is also offering the fountain syrup, concentrates, and syrups, which include the sweeteners and the ingredients. The company sells its finished beverage products to the distributors and the canning and bottling operators, fountain wholesaler, and the distributors. (182) Strategy is concerned with matching a firm’s resources and capabilities to the opportuniti... ...w materials into finished products. The company manufactures the syrups and sells them to partnered bottling companies that package and distributes the final product. Bottlers help sell and promote Coca-Cola brands to businesses and institutions. Also, the Outbound Logistic department excel in the duty of effective shipping processes in providing a quick delivery, reduces damages, efficient finished goods warehousing processes, shipping of goods in large lot sizes to minimize transportation costs and quality material handling equipment to increase order picking. Lastly, the marketing and sales department of Coca-Cola are greatly motivated and capable sales force, innovative tactics to promotion and advertising, selection of the utmost fitting distribution channels, accurate identification of customer segments and needs and effective pricing strategies. (171)

Personal Narrative - First Football Coach :: Personal Narrative Writing

Personal Narrative - First Football Coach One December morning, right before Christmas break, I was talking with a friend when our football coach came over to talk to us. I really respected and admired my coach and we always got along very well. My coach told us he was leaving Melbourne Central High School to go work in California. I had no idea what to say. I was in utter disbelief I was barely able to mutter a simple "Good Luck". One of my goals for the upcoming year was to have a good football season, just for my coach, because I really felt he deserved it. Most days I would have lunch with the coach where we would talk not only about football but also life and current events. When he left, I lost not only a coach but a friend and mentor. I knew I would always miss him. I did not believe that his departure, however, would threaten my football career or my love of playing. I was wrong. New coaches bring the winds of change. With the new coach came a new philosophy about the team. Everything was different from the color of our uniforms to our positions on the field. I think the best symbol of this is the change from green color helmets to gold. During pre-season conditioning, we got to know the new coaching staff. At the beginning of the season, the team was excited and ready to follow the new coach. But as the season progressed we all realized changes taking place with the new coach were heartbreaking. The new coach affected me as a football player and as a person. The football coach often lied and was very manipulative in his attempts to manage the team, its players and me. The entire season was a difficult one with this new coach and I would often come home upset. I turned to my father for advice and he would remind me to never forget the lessons my previous coach taught me about football and about life. My first coach was a great role-model. He taught me to have the courage to stand by my beliefs and to resist intimidation and manipulation.

Bad Coffee :: essays research papers

It was a cold and damp morning, the moisture stuck to skin like flies to fly paper. The loud â€Å"thud thud thud† of the helicopters had awaken me from my trance, after two and half hours of sleep. I had risen just in time for a fresh cup of coffee when all of the sudden a chopper touched down just outside the barracks kicking up all the debris and dirt it could find. The night before had been a hellish one, the mortar blasts and screams of my fellow soldiers had kept me awake nearly all night. And how, my coffee had been ruined by the damn helicopter. I was in the worst place on Earth, Saigon, in 1968. Definitely the wrong place at the wrong time. My orders were simple, so I thought. Meet up with a group of Green Berets just outside of enemy lines, and go north to a small village controlled by American troops, we would get more information soon after we had arrived. That was it, just like king of the hill when I was kid. I met up with my partners in a joint called the Lucky Money, a real run down place, the air filled with stale smoke and the scent of plastic palm trees. Let’s just say the Lucky Money had seen better days. Hell just four months ago Bob Hope had occupied that vacant stage. The atmosphere was filled with tension. At the drop of a pin the whole environment could erupt into total chaos, half the time shoot outs would start in the street just from punks tossing rocks around. The guys I met up with were worn down, not one of them had a good night’s rest in at least a month, you could see it in their eyes. All they wanted was a ride home, and they were going to do anything and everything in their power to get home. The leader of the group, Colonel Jake Denton, had been here two damn years. He didn’t have much to say except he missed his kids. The other three were all from Texas, but none of them knew each other until the army put them together. The mousy looking kid was from Dallas, and he always had a cigarette hanging from his lip, a sure sign of the stress that was building inside him, his name was Jon Weinhard.

Food Adultration

Food adulteration Adulteration is the act of making any commodity impure by mixture of other ingredients. This mixture may corrupt the nature of the original to the extent of destroying its identity, or it may merely lower the value or effectiveness of the finished product. Adulteration of foods and beverages has been performed with the same aim—increasing profits for the manufacturer or merchant—since early times, when laws in ancient Greece and Rome addressed the coloring and flavoring of wine. England has had laws against adulteration of beer, bread, and other commodities since the 13th century, culminating in the Adulteration of Food or Drink Act of 1872 with its stiff penalties. The law was modernized with the 1955 Food and Drug Act. Adulteration not only functions to defraud consumers but it can also pose a health threat. In the case of illegal drugs sold on the street, adulteration is generally in the form of inert or harmless compounds, but deadly poisons, such as sodium cyanide, have sometimes been sold as heroin. Adulteration is not the only source of poor-quality or dangerous foods and drugs: The ingredients of junk foods need not be adulterated to ensure a virtual absence of nutritional value; potentially hazardous medicines will have more adverse effects if unadulterated. The consumer movement of recent times has focused not only on adulteration, but also on the nature of various unadulterated ingredients. For hundreds of years, governments have had an interest in regulating food processing to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the foods consumed by their citizens. The earliest known food law was written in Japan in AD 702. In Britain, the first Pure Food Laws were enacted during the 1860s to combat adulteration, the secret use of additives to stretch wholesome foods with cheaper, no nutritious (and sometimes dangerous) ingredients. This practice became common during the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century), when cities began to grow and urban populations no longer got their food directly from the farm, creating an opportunity for deception by middlemen. Today, several United States government agencies carry out inspections and enforce a comprehensive system of regulations governing food processing, packaging, and distribution. The FDA is responsible for monitoring and inspecting most all other food products. The FDA enforces the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which prohibits the shipping of adulterated or mislabeled products in interstate commerce. FDA inspectors visit food processing plants and warehouses to monitor all phases of processing, packaging, and distribution. Samples of food products are analyzed by FDA chemists to ensure the foods are wholesome and unadulterated and do not contain harmful substances, such as levels of pesticides above the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 1958, amendments to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act gave the FDA authority to regulate the use of additives in foods. The Delaney Clause, which was part of those amendments, prohibits approval of additives that cause cancer in human or animal tests. Some people have criticized this clause for being too inflexible, because some studies show very small increases in cancer risk and some studies that show a risk of cancer in animals may not be relevant to humans. Since 1969, the FDA has set standards for inspection of retail food stores, restaurants, and cafeterias, although local health departments are responsible for carrying out those inspections.

Media Bias

On September 11, 2001, the citizens of the United States witnessed a horrific attack on two symbolic buildings in New York City. These tragic events have galvanized the creation and implementation of a myriad of prejudicial and unconstitutional policies designed to provide the illusion of national security while simultaneous creating more instability and animosity between the West and the Middle East. In the wake of 9/11, a multitude of Americans have been overtaken by hysteria and fear. These emotional responses have been generated and intensified by the virtually unanimous Islamophobic propaganda that has been perpetuated by the main stream media. As a result of the media’s anti-Islam campaign, Americans have been persuaded to distrust Muslims, instinctively categorize Muslims as terrorist or potential terrorist, as well as sacrifice essential civil liberties. Scapegoating theorist may argue that this portrayal of Arabs and Muslims is one of the ways the U. S. overnment is attempting to blame this group of individuals for the economic and societal woes that plague 21st-century-America. In addition, many would argue that decades of excessive Western consumption, along with globalization have contributed to a complicated, unjust, and turbulent geopolitical and economic climate, which has created a Western need for Middle Eastern dominance. Regardless of their true motives, we can clearly witness the media’s hostile categorization of Arabs and Muslims as predominately terroristic or potentially terroristic. The New York Post published a cartoon depicting two Muslims, who are complaining to the Associated Press about the NYPD conducting surveillance of their apartment while they are simultaneously constructing IED’s. The suspects are also surrounded by other weapons, as well as ammunition, and contraband. This cartoon exemplifies prejudice, discrimination, and racial profiling, which contribute to a national hostility toward Arabs and animosity between ethnicities and social classes. The ensuing tensions that foment as a result of the media’s propaganda campaign provoke more instability and violence into American society. Further complicating American culture is the increasing number of Arabs and Muslims who are immigrating to the New World. For years, the United States has accepted refugees from various tumultuous Middle Eastern territories, which are suffering from perpetual cultural and political chaos. Unfortunately, while many are granted refugee status, they are also facing political and religious persecution in America. The influx of Arabs into the United States and the terror hysteria created by the main stream media has spawned a new era of nativist xenophobia. Richard T. Schaefer reports the frequent stereotypical portrayal of Arabs and Muslims in the media in Racial and Ethnic Groups Census Update. The author states that, â€Å"rarely are Arab and Muslim Americans shown doing â€Å"normal† behavior such as shopping, attending a sporting event, or just eating without a subtext of terrorism lurking literally in the shadows† (Schaefer, 296). This pervasive and persistent misrepresentation of Arabs and Muslims has intensified and propagated the animosity most Americans have toward this group. In addition to presenting Muslims in a derogatory manner, the cartoon also attempts to justify the necessity of sacrificing civil liberties for supposed security. This cartoon asserts that the NYPD is conducting surveillance because it is instrumental for securing the U. S. and preserving Western civilization as we know it. In this cartoon, the NYPD may be viewed as an exemplary entity employed in the â€Å"War on Terror† and New York City may represent all major cities in the United States, or the United States as a whole. This cartoon demonstrates the media’s attempt to guide public opinion toward accepting the increasingly aggressive behavior of the police and the state department by exaggerating instances of terror plots on American soil, as well as fabricating instances of governmental counter-terror success. A large faction of the media attempts to portray the majority of Arabs as terrorist, and would argue that cities are vulnerable targets of these diabolical individuals. As a result of this propaganda, Americans are lulled into slowly forfeiting their inalienable rights while obtaining a deceiving feeling of safety. The media is a powerful force contributing to the ebbs and flows of social norms and cultural opinion. The aforementioned cartoon provides an example of the media’s efforts to persuade the public and control the masses.

Heart Failure Alert System Using Rfid and Gps

HEART FAILURE ALERT SYSTEM USING RFID AND GPS -AN EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR CONTINOUS MONITORING OF PATIENTS [pic] PRESENTED BY: ODUGU SIVA SUBRAMANYAM D. SANDEEP REDDY III/IV B. Tech, ECE III/IV B. Tech, ECE [email  protected] com [email  protected] com Mobile no: 8977631621 Mobile no:9494050980 GUDLAVALLERU ENGINEERING COLLEGEGUDLAVALLERU CONTENTS †¢ ABSTRACT †¢ INTRODUCTION †¢ OVERVIEW OF RFID SYSTEM †¢ GENERAL MODEL FOR HEART FAILURE ALERT SYSTEM †¢ WORKING ALGORITHMS †¢ CONCLUSION ABSTRACT: Now-a-days the deaths caused due to the heart failure have been of major concern . The majority of the deaths caused by heart failures are due to the lack of medical assistance in time. This paper gives an insight of a new technology that relates directly to the exploding wireless marketplace.This technology is a whole new wireless and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) enabled frontier in which a victim’s actual location is integral for providing valuable medical services. The paper will be demonstrating for the first time ever the usage of wireless telecommunications systems and miniature sensor devices like RFID passive Tags , that are smaller than a grain of rice and equipped with a tiny antenna which will capture and wirelessly transmit a person's vital body-function data, such as pulse or body temperature , to an integrated ground station.In addition, the antenna will also receive information regarding the location of the individual from the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) System. Both sets of data medical information and location will then be wirelessly transmitted to the ground station and made available to save lives by remotely monitoring the medical conditions of at-risk patients and providing emergency rescue units with the person's exact location. This paper gives a predicted general model for Heart Failure Alert System.It also discusses the Algorithm for converting the Analog pulse to Binary data in the tag a nd the Algorithm for alerting the Location & Tracking Station. It discusses in detail the various stages involved in tracking the exact location of the Victim using this technology INTRODUCTION: It is tough to declare convincingly what is the most important organ of our body. In fact every organ has its own importance contributing and coordinating superbly to keep the wonderful machine the human body functioning smoothly.And one of the primary organs which thebody cannot do without is the heart, 72 beats a minute or over a trillion in a lifetime. The pump house of our body pumping the blood to every corner of our body every moment, thus sending oxygen and nutrients to each and every cell. Over a period of time, the heart muscles go weak, the arteries get blocked and sometimes because of a shock a part of the heart stops functioning resulting in what is called a HEART ATTACK.Heart attack is a major cause of death and in today’s tension full world it has become very common. Pre sently there is no mechanism by which a device monitors a person’s heart 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and gives him instant protection in case of problem. Our primary focus is on people with a history of heart problem as they are more prone to death due to heart failure. In the 1970s, a group of scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) realized that a handheld receiver stimulated by RF power could send back a coded radio signal.Such a system could be connected to a simple computer and used to control access to a secure facility This system ultimately became one of the first building entry systems based on the first commercial use of RFID. RFID or Radio Frequency identification is a technology that enables the tracking or identification of objects using IC based tags with an RF circuit and antenna, and RF readers that â€Å"read† and in some case modify the information stored in the IC memory. RFID:RFID is an automated data-capture technology that can be u sed to electronically identify , track, and store information about groups of products, individual items, or product components. The technology consists of three key pieces:1. RFID TAGS 2. RFID READERS 3. HOST COMPUTER RFID TAGS: RFID tags are small or miniaturized computer chips programmed with information about a product or with a number that corresponds to information that is stored in a database. The tags can be located inside or on the surface of the product, item, or packing material. pic] The RF tags could be divided in two major groups PASSIVE: where the power to energize the tag’s circuitry is draw from the reader generated field. and ACTIVE: in this case the tag has an internal power source, in general a battery that could be replaceable or not, in some case this feature limited the tag lifetime, but for some applications this is not important, or the tag is designed to live more than the typical time needed. |type |Frequency |Read | Tag source |Applications | | |ra nge |range |power | | |LF |

Technology and education

Introduction: Disability and TechnologyAccording to the U. S. Department of Commerce, more than half of all Americans use the Internet in some way, but â€Å"persons with a disability are only half as likely to have access to the Internet as those without a disability†¦ [a]nd while just under 25% of those without a disability have never used a personal computer, close to 60% of those with a disability fall into that category.† In addition â€Å"[a]mong those with a disability, people who have impaired vision†¦ have even lower rates of Internet access and are less likely to use a computer regularly than people with hearing and mobility problems† (National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 2000, p. xv).Cyndi Rowland, director of the Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) project at Utah State University's Center for Persons with Disabilities, calls for a â€Å"national solution† to the problem of inaccessibility, especially â€Å"if we are t o abide by civil rights legislation, federal rulings, and common ethics† (Rowland, 2000, p. 10). Understanding the specific needs and concerns of students with disabilities may aid educators, information technology designers, and educational institutions to ensure that students with disabilities, particularly those who are blind or visually impaired, are not left behind in this technological â€Å"revolution.†The Internet and the web have become an integral part of higher education, transforming the educational experiences of all   students. In 1997, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international body that oversees the protocols and operations of the Internet, created the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WAI is responsible for promoting web functionality for people with disabilities and establishing accessibility guidelines. In this age of computer technology, many of the tools needed to enable students with disabilities to obtain equity in education and be yond already exist. For those involved in educational institutions, these tools can provide opportunities and independence, eliminating the obstacles and barriers that many of the current systems still enable.A review of the literature related to attitudes and other barriers that people with disabilities must contend with every day at school and at work, the integration of computer technology in postsecondary education, and the needs and concerns of students with disabilities, in particular those who are blind or visually impaired, may provide some insights for future policies and guidelines regarding access and use of computer technologies for students who are blind or visually impaired.Technology: Enhancing Modern EducationExperiences of people with visual impairments in the workplace and their use of computer technology and the Internet was the focus of a qualitative study conducted in Australia by Williamson, Albrecht, Schauder, and Bow (2001). Primarily through focus group rese arch, the researchers presented the perceived benefits and concerns of the study's participants. Most agreed that the Internet enabled them to participate in an information and communication format that is becoming a primary source for many people. Many also saw the Internet as enabling them to be less reliant on others and, therefore, facilitating an increase in their own privacy.However, some were concerned about a reduction in social contact and an increase in isolationism. An additional concern was that there would be a decline in the quality of services from such entities as the government and banks because more is being done online. Training was viewed as critical to successfully using the Internet and computer technology. This, it was believed by many, was the key to achieving equality in the workplace, yet many felt it was a low priority by agencies and workplaces. Cost was also viewed as a barrier to accessing computers and the Internet.With various Internet advances, more individuals in all sectors of the community are working from home.   For visually impaired members of community the Internet has the potential to free them from the restrictions they have experienced in the past while seeking to obtain employment. â€Å"Once the challenges of access have been surmounted, [visually impaired] users can take their places in the digitalized workforce† (Williamson et al., 2001, pp. 693-4).With computer technology becoming a part of all college students' educational experiences, how are postsecondary schools preparing students for a computer-integrated future? To determine how the use of various technologies affect student learning, Shuell and Farber (2001) conducted a study of 728 sighted undergraduate and graduate students at a large northeastern university, where they found that, in general, students perceived the use of computer technology in their courses to be very beneficial. Students also believed that the use of communication technology brought an increase in their sense of involvement in a course.Eighty-eight percent of the sample indicated that their use of computer technology helped them learn materials and skills, and 75 percent indicated that using computer technology improved the quality of interaction with their instructor. Students also viewed the use of dynamic computer presentations and the Internet in lectures very favorably; it kept their interest, and the students believed that it improved their learning.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students also favored electronic forums as a way to interact with their peers (e.g., email, listservs, and newsgroups) and believed that the use of these forms of computer technology increased the quality of these interactions.Another interesting finding in this study was that students who considered themselves to be more independent tended to respond more favorably to these technologies and the learning benefits associated with them. One theme of this study was the appreciation that stude nts had of the ability for computer technologies to enable independent learning. When serving the needs of students with disabilities, independence is a key factor to consider.Lewis, Coursol, and Khan (2001) examined the use and effect of computer technology on student development and education. They surveyed 124 sighted undergraduate students who attended a regional public institution in the Midwest. Technology choices, which included use of email, the Internet, and multimedia, were based on technology trends in higher education.Results indicated that the majority of students were comfortable with computer technology, using such tools as email and the Internet for both academic and social purposes. Both men and women spent about the same amount of time on email, class assignments on the computer, playing computer games, and shopping on the Internet. However, women spent significantly fewer hours surfing the Internet than men did.Consistent with Shuell and Farber (2001), Lewis et al . (2001) also confirmed that students believe the use of email increases their frequency of communication with faculty, which, in turn, enhances the faculty-student relationship and enables faculty to be more accessible. The issue of accessibility was discussed in this report and how there is a need for higher educational institutions to address this issue, which the authors indicate to be a social problem that has significant economic and social implications. They point to the need to recognize that there are some students, including those with disabilities, who may be at a disadvantage when a course requires the retrieval of materials from the web.The use of computer technology has become an accepted and expected component of every student's postsecondary educational experience. To better understand the use and effectiveness of these technologies, all of the studies used in this paper that focused on computer technology in higher education examined one or more aspects of the integ ration of these technologies into the educational system. The Arant (1996) study focused on the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web in higher education.Employing both qualitative and quantitative methods (phone interviews and a survey), it concluded that, while using online components to traditional courses did not support the apparent belief that online education saved time and money, it did change the way in which courses were taught, with additional online portions being incorporated into courses. For students who are visually impaired or blind, this could result in additional barriers.Computer Technology and Visually Impaired StudentsIn an extensive two-year study in Canada, Fichten, Barile, and Asuncion (1999) investigated the computer, information, learning, and adaptive technology needs and concerns of Canadian postsecondary students with disabilities. Of the findings from this study, computers were found to be critical to the success of students with disabilities, and the vast majority of students, regardless of gender, age, program of study, or type of disability, could and did use computer technologies to help them succeed. An important development that emerged from this study was that students often â€Å"cross-used† technologies. For example, while students with visual impairments are expected to use screen reader software, students with learning disabilities also used this software.The students in this study considered computers as â€Å"electronic curb cuts,† enabling technologies that allow students with disabilities to better prepare for and participate in the information-based economy of tomorrow. Fichten, et al. (1999) urged postsecondary education institutions to design for accessibility and to consider the needs of students with disabilities before making purchases.   What the authors describe as â€Å"troubling† is â€Å"the absence, in many cases, of planning for access† for students with disabilities by postsecondary institutions (Fichten et al., p. 179).  As some technological barriers fall, others are slowly erected as new technologies continue to become part of a student's educational experiences. One suggestion the authors had for government funding bodies to help raise awareness of these issues was to take accessibility issues into consideration when reviewing grant applications and to create incentives for businesses to develop and market technologies that are accessible to all students. The authors wrote: The enormous potential of computers to remove barriers to students with disabilities and concerns over barriers posed by limitations in access were central issues noted by respondents in all categories in all phases of the research (p. 180).Shaw and Giacquinta (2000) used a questionnaire that was very carefully developed, field tested, and revised several times before being used for this study. The sample consisted of 412 sighted graduate students. This study was very well thought out and documented.  Ã‚   The authors suggested that faculty integrate more computer technology into their curricula (e.g., with the use of such tools as Blackboard, WebCT, and course web pages). They did not, however, take into consideration the ramifications of that suggestion as it applies to students who are blind or visually impaired.  Ã‚   Unfortunately, unless having been asked to consider it, most faculty do not think about students who are blind or visually impaired (or who have any other disability) when they begin to integrate technology into their curriculum.Shuell and Farber (2001) piloted a questionnaire and discussed it within two focus groups before using it for the study. Their sample was composed of 728 sighted undergraduate and graduate students.  Ã‚   Both qualitative and quantitative data showed a link between active, participatory learning and the positive perception of students regarding technology as a learning tool; they also confirmed tha t the use of technology made the classes seem more personal to the students.However, the authors caution that the apparent relationship found in their study between a positive perception of computer technology by students and students' actual learning is still unclear. Lewis et al. (2001) used an author-constructed survey, which they described as â€Å"a self-report, forced-choice survey.† One of the problems with this study is that a self-report is subject to response bias, although the results of this study were consistent with the others regarding a positive perception and use of computer technology by students in postsecondary institutions. Both Shuell et al. and Lewis et al. recommended that future research focus on the impact of technology on student learning. Lewis et al. also recommended the need to examine the use of technology among specific groups, such as students who are Hispanic, African American, and commuters.ConclusionGiven the state of existing literature in the area of postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired, combined with the overwhelming integration of computer technology into the academic environment, there is still a need for a more substantive exploration into how postsecondary institutions are supporting and serving the best interests of these students. Disability scholars Susan R. Jones and Julie Smart point out the relationship between individuals who have a disability and how society views people with disabilities. They assert that disability is a universal issue, and yet there is no single disability experience.With a focus on the prejudices, discrimination and stigma experienced by people with disabilities and their responses to their disabilities, Jones (1996) and Smart (2001) define disability as a socially constructed phenomenon that combines the experiences of those living with a disability together with their environments. Goggin and Newell (2003) further state that â€Å"in the name of inclusionâ₠¬  society builds disability into digital technologies, arguing that disability has been constructed in the technological world of computing and computer networks and that there is a need to critically analyze the ways in which it is constructed within contemporary society.ReferencesArant, Jr., M. D. (1996, August). Going online to teach journalism and mass communication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED399596)Fichten, C, Barile, M., & Asuncion, J. V. (1999). Learning technologies:Students with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   disabilities inpostsecondary education [Montreal: Final Report to the Office of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Learning Technologies]. Adaptech Project,Dawson College. (ERIC Document   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reproduction Service No. ED433625)Goggin, G. & Newell, C. (2003). Digital disability: The social construction of disability in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   new media. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Jones, S. R. (1996). Toward inclusive theory: Disability as social construction. NASPA   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal, 33(4), 347-354.Lewis, J., Coursol, D., & Khan, L. (2001). College students @ tech.edu: A study of comfort and the use of technology. Journal of College Student Development, 42(6), 625-631.National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2000). Falling through the   Ã‚   net: Toward digital inclusion. A report of American's access to technology tools. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ntia.doc.gOv/ntiahome/fttn00/Falling.htm#6Rowland, C. (2000, October). Accessibility of the internet in postsecondary education:   Ã‚   Meeting the challenge. Paper presented at the Universal Web Accessibility   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Symposium 2000, San Antonio, Texas. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.webaim.org/articles/meetchallenge/Shuell, T. J., & Farber, S. L. (2001). Students' perceptions of technology use in college      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   courses. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 24(2), 119-138.Shaw, F. S., & Giacquinta, J. B. (2000). A survey of graduate students as end users of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   computer technology: New roles for faculty. Information Technology, Learning, and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance Journal, 18(1), 21-40.Smart, Julie (2001). Disability, Society, and the Individual. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Aspen Publishers.Williamson, K., Albrecht, A., Schauder, D., & Bow, A. (2001). Australian perspectives on the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   use of the internet by people who are visually impaired and professionals who work   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   with them. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 95(11), 690 – 701.