Buyer Behavior: Starbucks Essay

1. Interview Conversation directed to a definite purpose other than satisfaction in the conversation itself. (Market Intelligence) The main advantage is that they normally achieve a high response rate and that the likely level of error being introduced into the research result is low. 2. Focus group discussion A small group of people, considered to be representative of the target segment, invited to openly discuss products or issues at their leisure time in a relaxed environment. (Market Intelligence) This method is useful in providing a qualitative data. It is inexpensive to conduct, it can be done quickly, and it can provide useful, timely, qualitative data. It usually consists with 8 to 10 respondents and the interviewer taking the role of group moderator. 3. Projective techniques The objective of projective test is to delve below the surface responses in order to obtain true feelings, meaning, or motivations. (Market Intelligence) 4. Observation It involves the personal and mechanical monitoring activities. It records actions as they occur and thus there is no lack of accuracy caused by a respondent’s faulty recollection of their past actions or inadequate estimate of future ones. (Market Intelligence) 5. Telephone research Telephone research is relatively fast and low cost of gathering data. It is most useful when only a small amount of information is required. The advantages of this method are a wide geographical range, efficient, high response rate, modification question is possible. The disadvantages are a biased result, higher refusal rate, short interview, and no visual aids. (Market Intelligence) 6. Interview survey The survey approach involves asking question of the target market or population. To obtain data, it is usually necessary to obtain a sample to provide an estimate of the characteristic of the entire population. This is qualitative or motivational research and provides information on behavior and attitude. (Market Intelligence) 7. Postal research questionnaires Questionnaire is the primary tool of marketing research, a devise for delivering question to respondents and recording their answers. (Market Intelligence) The advantages are low cost, no interviewer bias, questionnaire length. The disadvantages are lack control of respondents and if the company find wrong customer than it will get wrong information. (Market Intelligence) †¢ Secondary data Starbucks purchases high-quality bean coffees and sells them along with fresh, rich-brewed, Italian style espresso beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, and coffee-related accessories and equipment. In addition to sales through our company-operated retail stores, Starbucks sells bean coffees through a specialty sales group and supermarkets. The Company’s objective is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. In the 2002, Starbucks has branched to Indonesia and MAP is the one who won the master of licensing agreement in Indonesia. There are already more than 50 stores in Indonesia and the company is growing fast. The coffees that the company sells in Indonesia are from Colombia, Mexico, Kenya, New Guinea, Sumatra and Sulawesi. The menus are not much different than any other Starbucks store all over the world. The mission statement: 1. Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity 2. Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business 3. Apply the highest standard of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee 4. Develop enthusiastically satisfaction customers all the time 5. Contribute positively to our communities and our environment 6. recognize that profitability is essential to our future success †¢ Market research findings In Indonesia, most of people are already used to drink coffee and become a habit for some people, especially for older men. This is one of the benefits that make Starbucks as a successful coffee store in Indonesia. Starbucks also create a strong image for a modern and trendy coffee drinker for their customers. This is the reason not only mature men will purchase the product, but also women and even younger generation. The price for Starbucks are quite expensive than the competitor. The environment of the store is cozy, relaxing working environment with calm colors decoration, and using wood material with simple style as their furniture decoration to create a minimalist natural. The workers in the store are friendly with a little dynamic attitude. The manager is a full time workers and the age is between 25 up to 40 years old. The counter staff are usually a part timer and the age is between 17 up to 30 years old. There are some segmentation for their target market, such as young customer, young executive, executive and expatriate. Young customers are between 16 up to 23 years old. They usually prefer cold coffee drinks or blend coffee drinks, such as iced coffee latte, caramel frappuccino, blended milk green tea, etc. Young executive customers are between 24 up to 30 years old. They usually prefer cold coffee drinks, blended coffee drinks and brew coffee Executive customers are between 31-55 years old. They prefer brewed coffee and iced coffee rather than blend coffee Expatriate customers are between 40 to 55 years old. Most of them only like brewed coffee. †¢ Marketing research plan The research plan that I would recommend for Starbucks is using questionnaires, focus group discussion, and observation. 1. Questionnaires A questionnaire is the easiest method to gather data. It is low cost, no interviewer bias, questionnaire length is variable. The questionnaires that conduct in the Starbucks store are already implemented. This will be affective if we also do questionnaires for the competitors’ customers. The questionnaires objectives are to know what the most popular product competitor is, why the customer prefer the competitor store than Starbucks, and what competitor thinks about Starbucks. 2. Observation The observation will be conducted in the competitors’ stores. It is the simple way to know the strengths and weaknesses of the competitor. Through this method, the company also can know the opportunities and the threats that caused by the competitor. The purpose of observation is to recognize which the most popular product in the target market is. Also what kind of varieties the competitors offer and the buying habit of target consumers. 3. Focus Group discussion After conducting questionnaires, researcher would have a quantitative result. To go deeper into the core issue, a focus group discussion should be conducted. This method is useful in providing a qualitative data. It is inexpensive to conduct, it can be done quickly, and it can provide useful, timely, qualitative data. I would recommend 5-10 respondents which consist of Starbucks and competitors customers.

Slovin Formula

SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE Sample ? Is a finite number of an item (or individual) taken from a population having identical characteristics with those of the population from which it was taken. ? A sample is considered biased if one or several of the items (or individuals) in the population are given a consistently better opportunity to be chosen than the others. ? A collection with specified dimension Sample size ? Random sampling, the larger the sample, the more accurately it represents the population from which it was taken. As the sample size decreases, the degree of representativeness becomes less. Size of sample depends on some factors: ? Degree of accuracy required ? Amount of variability inherent in the population from which the sample was taken ? Nature and complexity of the characteristics of the population under consideration Sample Strategy ? Common Misguided Approach ? decide what data to collect ? then undertake survey ? decide what analysis should be done wrong data collected ? data collected on wrong subjects ? insufficient data collected ? Desired analysis may not be possible or effective Key to Good Sampling ? formulate the aims of the study ? decide what analysis is required to satisfy this aims ? decide what data are required to facilitate the analysis ? collect the data required by the study Determine sample size ? Slovin Formula: ? n = N__ ? 1+NE? ? Where: n = sample size ? N = population size E = margin of error * desired Example:What should be the representative sample size if the population from which the sample will be taken is 10,000 and the desired margin of error is 2%? Solution:To determine the sample size, use the formula; n = ___N__ 1+NE? n = 10,000 = 2,000 1+ (10,000) (0. 02)? The sample size is 2,000 This formula in finding the sample size cannot be used when the normal approximation of the population is poor or small. Margins of Error | |Population |Â ± 1% |Â ± 2% |Â ± 3% |Â ± 4% |Â ± 5% |Â ± 10% | |500 |* |* |* |* |222 |83 | |1500 |* |* |638 |441 |316 |94 | |2500 |* |1250 |767 |500 |345 |96 | |3000 |* |1364 |811 |517 |353 |97 | |4000 |* |1538 |870 |541 |364 |98 | |5000 |* |1667 |909 |556 |370 |98 | |6000 * |1765 |938 |566 |375 |98 | |7000 |* |1842 |959 |574 |378 |99 | |8000 |* |1905 |976 |580 |381 |99 | |9000 |* |1957 |989 |584 |383 |99 | |10000 |5000 |2000 |1000 |588 |385 |99 | |50000 |8333 |2381 |1087 |617 |387 |100 | Margin of Error Is the allowable error in percent due to the use of the sample, instead of the population ? * indicate that the assumption of normal approximation is poor and that the sample size formula does not apply. Guidelines with regards to the minimum number of items needed for a representative sample: ? Descriptive studies – a minimum number of 100 ? Co-relational studies – a sample of at least 50 is deemed necessary to establish the existence of a relationship ? Experimental and causal comparative studies – minimum of 30 per group ? Sometimes experimental studies with only 15 items in each group can be defended if they are very tightly controlled ? If the sample is randomly selected and is sufficiently large, an accurate view of the population can be had, provided that no bias enters the selection process Sampling Error ? Is the error attributed to chance that is being made when selecting random samples to represent a given population under consideration. ? It is the expected chance difference, variation or deviation between a random sample and the population. ? Does not result from measurement or computation errors, although these errors also contribute to inaccuracy.

Life Without Gravity Essay

In a world without gravity, one would be weightless, but always nauseous. Because of this, it would be very difficult to complete a lot of your daily activities without throwing up. If you tried to eat something while you and your food are floating around, you will probably have a lot of trouble trying to hold your food down. In 0-g, life would be very hard. Roller coasters are a perfect example of this. I do not do well on roller coasters. I get sick when I encounter zero gravity for that split second on rides with loop-dee-loops and the like. This is how I know I would really suck at surviving if there was no gravity. Not only would I be constantly puking, but I wouldn’t be able read or really even enjoy doing anything except floating around trying not to dry heave. So, I wonder how someone, mainly me because I do not have a strong stomach, would merely perform the act of drinking a glass of water and thinking at the same time in a world where everything floats. Without the force of gravity acting on all objects, there is nothing keeping us attached to the earth. We would simply float away from the earth unless we nail out toes to our floorboards, and our entire house to the earth’s crust. So, drinking water†¦this would not go very well for me. Not only would the water not be forced to stay in its proper area of residency, the cup, but it would be poured on my face if ever I tried to drink it, and that is most certainly NOT WHERE IT BELONGS. However, since the only force acting on the cup is the earth’s, pushing everything away from its core, the water probably was already floating around in space somewhere. This would make for a very, VERY thirsty Alex, not to mention the rest of the world. Unless you had stocked up on bottled water prior to the sudden change in the laws of the world, you would be dead. Thinking during splashing water all over yourself, or trying to catch it as it pins itself to your ceiling, just as you are doing because of the lack of gravity, would probably present a slight problem. As if you weren’t already nauseous as could be, suffering from extreme thirst and boredom while you lie in wait on your ceiling for something interesting to happen like being crushed by that bookcase over there that has been slowly creeping closer with each passing second, you would also need to be able to think. While floating around on earth shouldn’t give you any more of a headache than when you lie down, I have a feeling that I would get them anyway. However, in space, 0-g, your blood would be floating free throughout your body, just as you do so, ubject only to those forces placed on it by your own circulatory system. Your blood would have no tendency to pool in any particular part of your body, meaning no headaches. But with everything floating around, I can’t help but think that all that free blood must make you kind of floppy. Without gravity, multitasking would probably be even more difficult than it is in a world with gravitational forces. If I tried drinking my water, while translating our national anthem into Arabic, WHILE I try to bike on one of those stationary exercise bikes, I would be very sad. Not only would I be nauseous and EXTREMELY THIRSTY, causing me to get a headache, but I would be floating away from my excise bike, while trying to stay on it, that giving me exercise within itself. I can’t even imagine how long our species would survive before we either all starved to death or tried to open a window for fresh air and then floated into our atmosphere and died from lack of oxygen. I don’t think that we would live very long at all, and drinking a glass of water would be so terribly difficult that it would make living very complicated.

Strategic Management with The Key Focus on The Topic of Profit Essay

Strategic Management with The Key Focus on The Topic of Profit Maximisation - Essay Example Keeping in view the two above mentioned definition of business and profits, a simplistic conclusion is; the more profit, the better it is. But it is not practical option when evaluated with the perspective of other stakeholders of the business. The business does not have the investor as the only stake holder. The customers, suppliers, regulatory body, competitors, unions and society at large are the stake holders of the business and the organisations must consider all of them when conducting businesses and devising the profit plans. For instance, an airline while operating its flights, should consider the pollution effects it puts on the environment, the noise its take off and landings produce, which can disturb the citizens. It is, therefore, operating flights at night in US is legally prohibited. There are two approaches of profit maximisation i.e. increasing revenues and decreasing costs. The next sections discuss these two options in detail. Profit Maximisation though Revenue Inc rease It is important to note here that business sector earns revenues by customers, who consider the price of the product or service as the cost. Customers invest their hard earned income in buying goods and services. The price for businessman is cost for customers who incur this cost to fulfil the need for which product or service is designed. The interest of customer is to pay as low price for the product as possible. On the other hand, the interest of the businessman is to charge as high a price as possible. This trade off between the interest of purchaser and seller is set at an equilibrium price at which the seller receives considerable amount of profit and the buyer fulfils his needs at an... The author of the essay concludes that the answer to the question whether the organisations should adopt simple profit maximisation approach cannot be explicitly given in affirmation or negation. A balance is required between the profit orientation and societal orientation. It is because organisations operate in the society and they are ethically bound to share their gains with the entities that support generation of the profits. The clear cut statement is; in no circumstances the organisation should operate in losses. Attaining profits is the core objective; however, maximisation of profits can be compromised based on the environmental conditions and requirements. The case of monopolistic competition is discussed in the above paper. It is an unlikely situation for all the stakeholders except the business owners. This approach is minimized in the theories and practices of all times of business sector. In short, the business sector, that drives investment and economy, should focus on win-win conditions for all stake holders. It is pretty fair to state that the major chunk of profit remains in the hands of investor while rest of the stake holders get the returns of cost in terms of satisfied need or other intangible benefits. The focus of business sector should be achieving the realistic equilibrium whereby they can balance out the demand and supply of its products and services. Both the deviation and shift from equilibrium will lead to undesirable outcomes for the business sector and all other stake holders as well.

Care of primigravida in labour reqiring an Epidural at 4cm Essay

Care of primigravida in labour reqiring an Epidural at 4cm - Essay Example The third stage involves an evaluation of the positive and negative points of the experience. The fourth stage is an analysis of the components of the experience. The fifth stage includes making a conclusion based on the facts gathered about the experience. Lastly, an action plan is devised based on the results of the experience. Baird and Winter (2005) identified reasons as to why reflection is important in professional practice such as enhancement of capacity to critique habitual practices, generate practice knowledge, develop ability to adapt to new situations, and to resolve conflicts and contradictions in theory and in professional practice. Reflection, according to Baird and Winter (2005), also aims to improve one’s self-esteem and satisfaction, and that the overall goal of reflection is to value, develop and professionalise the practice. Siviter (2008) supports the use of reflective practice in that it provides an avenue for a person to contemplate the reasons behind decision making and one’s own actions. As a person gains experience, his or her own skills and intuition will be developed subconsciously. A person usually relies on this skills and intuition but there are situations wherein one has to be certain in doing the right things for the right reasons. In addition, reflection helps a person avoid professional entropy, which pertains to a condition wherein a person loses his or her proficiency on a certain skill due to lack of practice. This applies even to the most basic and fundamental skills. This part of the reflection provides an account of the event that took place. I am a band 5 midwife working on supervised practice at a UK hospital. A patient was admitted showing signs of second stage of labour. The patient’s name is Ellen, who is 30 years old and has a body mass index (BMI) of 29. Immediate care was given Ellen, with epidural analgesia administered

Hot pursuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hot pursuit - Essay Example The main principle or premise that underlies this rule is that â€Å"an act is deemed to be committed not only where the physical movements occur but also where the consequences take effect.† (Williams, 1939). The main justification of the hot pursuit exception is reposed in the landmark case of Warden v. Hayden (387 U.S. 294 [1967]) where the warrantless entry of the police into the house of the suspect was deemed justified by the majority because the "exigencies of the situation made that course imperative" (p. 298). But a rule to follow, according to Worrall (2011), is that â€Å"the nature of the exigency defines the scope of the search.† This means that the exigency must be of so grave a nature and so compelling a reason before a search may be commenced without a warrant. This case of Warden also propounded other justifications. According to Justice Brennan, the imperatives of the Fourth Amendment â€Å"does not require police officers to delay in the course of an investigation if to do so would gravely danger their lives or the lives of others" (pp. 298-299). It was also reasonable for the police officers, according to the decision, to ensure that had control of all weapons which could be used against them or to effect an escape" (p. 299). Another important rule to consider is that there must be no time at all to get a warrant. If there is a reasonable period of time that the police officers can use to procure a warrant, then the most prudent course of action would simply to get the warrant and then apprehend the suspect or search his premises on the strength of the warrant of arrest or search warrant. In the case of Welsh v. Wisconsin (466 U.S. 740 [1984]) the Court held that the hot pursuit exception cannot be made to apply â€Å"because there was no immediate or continuous pursuit of the petitioner from the scene of [the] crime". The doctrine of hot pursuit is relevant in issues of maritime

Curriculum Relevancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Curriculum Relevancy - Essay Example The frameworks are so highly regarded, that The Department of Education will base the new student assessment program on the frameworks (DOE, 2006, par. 3). What are the relevant topics that teachers, students, and parents feel should find a place in the Massachusetts' curriculum How have these topics changed or evolved over recent years These and other questions will be examined and answered in this paper. In addition, the results will be presented of a recent poll of teachers, students, and parents on curriculum relevancy. A theme that has arisen out of the inclusion movement is that parents are concerned with a curriculum that allows all students to excel to their greatest ability. There is a fear that exists with some regular education and gifted students that inclusion causes above average students to be held back by a slower curriculum that accommodates special education students. The Special Education Parent Advisory Counsel (SEPAC) works to raise awareness and educate the community about the uniqueness of every child. The groups also works to dispel some of the myths about inclusion and to increase tolerance toward students with special needs (SEPAC, 2002, par. 2). A serious concern for teachers and parents alike is that students learn and demonstrate knowledge in a real-world context (Adventures in Assessment, 2000, par. 7). As competition for jobs and financial security becomes increasingly global, parents were concerned that students receive an education that will enable their children to compete in that global economy. Parents indicated that needless learning tasks, such as worksheets and rote memorization, has little place in today's Massachusetts schools. Rather, learning should be driven by current and future business and industry needs. Teachers often indicated that learning should not only prepare students for the global marketplace, but also for local industry needs. In short, every student should receive employable skills during their K-12 education. These skills should be diverse enough to prepare students to compete globally, but also to secure gainful employment in the local marketplace. Industry relies heavily on K-12 education to prepare future employees with state-of-the art skill sets. Employers have weighed to greater degrees in recent years on curriculum content, standards, and benchmarks. Technology ranked high on the list of curriculum concerns of parents, teachers, and students alike. Each of these stakeholders expressed the need for a curriculum that integrates technology across content areas. Parents desire for students to come away from their public education with a firm grasp of how to use technology, to effectively communicate in multiple and diverse settings, and for multiple purposes (ASCD, 2006, pgs. 1-3). Parents expressed concerns that, at times, it is not readily apparent how the integration of technology is supporting the goals of basic, employable skills. They want their students to be hands-on with technology, and to be technologically advanced. However, when they hear what their students are learning in schools, and how these lessons are being implemented, they wonder if the goal of basic, employa

An analysis of the Ebola Virus (Ebola Hemorragic Fever) its ongoing Essay

An analysis of the Ebola Virus (Ebola Hemorragic Fever) its ongoing epidemiology, and ongoing prevention and control of this BSL - Essay Example The continued outbreak of Ebola in Africa has drawn worldwide attention because of its explosive emergence, high mortality, nosocomial secondary transmission, and ecological mystery. The worst outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and killed 250 out of 315 who contracted it, while one of the latest outbreaks, lasting through February of 2009, had a 47% mortality rate, killing 15 of the 32 infected (CDC). Safety measures recommended to avoid the contraction of the Ebola virus include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE, including masks, gloves, gowns, and goggles) and, infection control measures including isolation, and complete sterilization of equipment. There is little research at this time regarding control of the infection since there is absence of significant knowledge about Ebola’s ecology. Thus, Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is perhaps the most virulent virus known to mankind. Background In central Africa, the Ebola virus w as found to be the cause of a hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate in the mid-1970s and reemerged there in the mid-1990s (Waigmann, 2003, p. 6). In 1976, epidemics of hemorrhagic disease with very high mortality, up to 90%, broke out simultaneously in a remote area of Northern Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (DRC) and Southern Sudan (Zuckerman, 2009, p. 755). The outbreaks in these areas were found to be due to two separate but antigenically related filovirus strains, distinct from Marburg virus. After some tests, these viruses were grouped under the name Ebola virus, after a river in Zaire (Zuckerman, 2009, p. 755). Among 318 probable cases, 280 died, a mortality rate of 80% (Zuckerman, 2009, p. 759). A smaller Ebola outbreak occurred in Sudan in 1979 with 34 patients and 22 deaths. There were outbreaks in 1989, when a shipment of monkeys with Ebola virus was imported from the Philippines by a commercial biological supply company in the United States. The 1 989 outbreak was focused in Reston, Virginia, and was thus called Ebola Reston strain. Hundreds of monkeys were killed in 1989 Ebola Reston outbreak to avoid spread of infection to humans. Animal handlers showed signs of infections, but not clinical manifestation. Because of this, it was believed that Philippine monkey strain of Ebola was less virulent for man. In 1992, there was a small monkey outbreak in Italy, and a single case of a Swiss technologist who did an autopsy on a chimpanzee in the Tai forest area of the Ivory Coast. In the early part of May 1995, health authorities noticed a cluster of Ebola cases in Kikwit Hospital, in Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of the cases resulted from close contact with patients and aerosol transmission, the mechanism by which Ebola virus is spread from a reservoir to a human being by means of aerosols (Ebola virus suspensions in air) and usually enters through the respiratory tract. The outbreak was controlled by limiting contact transmi ssions. In June 1995, 315 cases were detected and 77%, or 244, of these died (Evans, 1997, p. 140). In early 1996, an isolated outbreak occurred in Gabon with 37 cases and 21 deaths (Evans, 1997, p. 140). At the same time, a limited monkey outbreak occurred

Effective hand hygiene in jails Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Effective hand hygiene in jails - Research Paper Example Prison facilities applying the above intervention are expected to decrease the incidents of skin diseases, and to contain existing skin diseases to current infected patients.   Evidence highlights the fact that hand washing to prevent infection is one of the easiest and cheapest means of preventing and managing infection (Rohde, 2006).   Some of the studies highlight the reduced incidents of infection with the application of hand washing techniques in the prison and the community setting.     The outcome which calls for specific measurement when applying the personal soaps during hand washing is: the rate of skin and other types of infection among prisoners with or without existing skin or other infections.   The measurement can be established by carrying out regular assessment of prisoners and their incidents of skin and other types of infection while incarcerated (Rohde, 2006).   Numbers acquired from the assessment will provide the intervention the much-needed informat ion to establish efficacy in terms of reduced incidents of skin and other infections, as well as contained infection in existing skin disease patients.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The prevention of skin infections in the prison systems is a major issue which boils down to the general infection control and hygiene practices within the system.   Limited water and hygiene supplies for inmates is a crucial determinant in the infection control practices in jails. In many jails.... In many jails, the availability of water supplies is low and often prevents the application of adequate hand hygiene practices (Rohde, 2006). Limited soap supplies, as well as sanitizers also prevent the application of appropriate hand hygiene techniques. As a result, inmates are often unable to wash their hands before and after eating, after doing hard labor, and after performing other activities which may dirty their hands. The probability of ingesting or inhaling bacteria is therefore very high among inmates. Most surfaces would be high sources of bacteria for these inmates, and their hands would easily spread the bacteria to other inmates (Rohde, 2006). Lack of hand hygiene can easily lead to bacterial infections, including skin infections. For which reason, skin infections have a high incidence rate among inmates. These health issues are however, very much preventable. With the application of proper hand hygiene techniques, as well as infection control measures, skin infections, as well as other diseases can be prevented and easily managed. Specific interventions which include the use of proper hand washing techniques, as well as the use of soaps and hand sanitizers are some of these measures which can be implemented in the prison systems (Rohde, 2006). The efficacy of these measures shall be evaluated based on research and studies which have already been carried out in relation to these infection-control measures. This paper shall now consider effective hand hygiene techniques which help prevent the spread of skin infection in jails. It shall critically analyze research and evidence on hand hygiene and the application of such interventions in the prison system. A protocol shall also be formulated based on the results of research

Hinduism Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hinduism - Research Paper Example Hinduism basically is a term which had been given to represent the majority of people who lived in subcontinent in 16th century. Apparently, Hinduism might be appearing as a unifying system of all the people and caste following Hindi deities but in reality it is a term that had been assigned to the list of beliefs which Hindus had. Different traditional aspects could be studied and observed while researching regarding Hinduism. As more and more research one would conduct regarding Hinduism, the more patterns and traditional statement would come to elaboration. Considering that Hinduism lacks a unifying system, a number of differing ideologies and casts together combine to form Hindu religion. The religion itself reaches to severity of positivity and negativity. Like every other religion, Hinduism or in other words, Dharma is also responsible to shape the lives of its followers. People in the fold of Hindu religion confer their sincerity and faith to about 330 million deities. According to differing beliefs, each deity has numerous disguise which are attained for the purpose of betterment or punishment of hinds. The fruit or punishment is given on the basis of deeds of Hindus (Flood, 1996). The vibrant amount of deities, differing ideologies and countless disguise together make up Hindu religion which is then represented with the term Hinduism. A very interesting fact to note in terms of Hinduism is that this religion had been greatly shaped by the traditions of the area or region where it bestowed its ancient marks of divinity. The mark of Hinduism is considered to be India because most of their noble places of divinity for pilgrimage lie in the area. Many societal and cultural aspects have made Hinduism vital to India. The cultural influences that made Hinduism a vital religion to India are the traditions, norms and customs that are being followed even now in the present

Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Book review - Essay Example The book gives a detailed of various stages of achieving this innovative mind. Furthermore, the book explains how various strategies can be geared towards adopting these characters and can beat nay-sayers who asphyxiate innovation. Through critical assessment, the book provides an insight into creating a culture of innovation that through analysis a process that needs fewer organizational heroes and more systematic technique or approaches. This can be attributed to the fact that many businesses today operate in a competitive and dynamic world, and proper and calculated strategies are a surest way to effective innovation. One can agree with Tom Kelley that assigning roles, as opposed to systems, is a breakthrough that no a system engineer or accountant would consider. One can also agree that the book Ten Faces of Innovation is a perfect guide for innovation like no other. What is most noteworthy and unique is the book addressing of design sector as an inherently collaborative network. The book has uniquely identified the sector as an area where multidisciplinary professionals labor together to provide a solution to a problem. Moreover, the book unique portrayal of design thinking as a key component used by other businesses is noteworthy. The book states that it is common practice for many designers who take a user-centered techniques to their work, to co-design together with their user group or combine forces with complementary fields (engineers, anthropologists, psychologists) to attain a more thorough and considered solution. The book surprisingly aims to share with the writers the key to successful, innovative strategies in various organizations. After reading the work, there are a lot that one can learn from the opinions provided by Tom Kelley. There is a lot that one may learn from the book as it offers full of encouraging practical tools and anecdotes; Tom Kelley

Utopia And Leviathan Essay Example for Free

Utopia And Leviathan Essay Thomas Mores Utopia and Thomas Hobbes Leviathan each offer alternatives to the worlds in which they lived.. Mores society, viewed through the character Hythloday, is seemingly based on mans nature in society being generally good, and the faults of man emanate from how society itself is set up. Hobbes takes the opposite view of human nature, where mans will to survive makes him unable to act out of goodness and it is man who is responsible for societys ills. Both Leviathan and Utopia contain faults in logic that work to undermine the very possibility for these new social structures. In the following I will show how each of their views for a new society give insight into what their beliefs of human nature are, while showing some similarities between them. I will point to some of the faults found with both of their arguments that suggest an implicit and at times contradictory view of mankind. Mores Utopia is a response to the world in which he lived. The main character, Hythloday, condemns the class system and the use of money in England. Hythloday sees that the ills of modern society; those of greed, power and pride, must be overcome if man is to live peacefully with one another. In the following excerpt we see evidence of how Hythloday describes human nature in these terms and how Utopia has been able to do away with these three vices. Now isnt this an unjust and ungrateful commonwealth? It lavishes the rich rewards on so-called gentry, loan sharks, and the rest of the crew, who dont work at all or are mean parasites, purveyors of empty pleasures.  ¦ I see in (this) nothing but a conspiracy of the rich, who are fattening up their own interests under the name and title of the commonwealth.  ¦ How far they remain from the happiness of the Utopian Republic, which has abolished not only money but with it greed!  ¦ Everyone knows that if money were abolished  ¦ a whole set of crimes which are avenged but not prevented by the hangman would at once die out. If money disappeared so would fear, anxiety, worry, toil and sleepless nights. Even poverty  ¦ would vanish if money were entirely done away with. (p.521-523) Hythloday goes on to say that pride causes man to be greedy and seek power. For Hythloday Pride  measures her advantages not by what she has but by what other people lack. (p.522) In a world with social classes where one man is said to be of higher status than another man is by nature going to exploit one another and always be striving for more power. More imagines a society in which greed, power and pride no longer exists. By taking away the class system and the use of money he felt that all the ills of mankind would disappear. This view of human nature is that some men, those in power, are essentially evil and selfish. If a society could be built where no man was greater than another then all could live together in harmony and truly be a part of a commonwealth where no men are poor, no men are beggars, and though no man owns anything, everyone is rich. (p. 520) Mores Utopia offers an alternative to the aristocratic society in which he lived. More would have us do away with social classes and have man work together towards the common goal of peace and survival. An excerpt from Book II where Utopus the founder of Utopia is building a channel gives credence to this idea. He (Utopus) put not only the natives to work at this task, but his own soldiers too, so that the vanquished would not think the labor a disgrace. With the work divided among so many hands, the project was finished quickly, and the neighboring peoples, who at first had laughed at his folly, were struck with wonder and terror at his success. This passage is proof that man can work together and achieve greatness by doing so. It appears here that More has a high estimation of mans abilities. Utopia is based on the idea that all men are equal. No man owns anything and there is no private business. All men work for the good of the state. This communist society looks very egalitarian at first, but the strict rules in which the Utopians must abide by give way to another type of power structure where men are not necessarily equal to each other. Close inspection of these rules give insight into how More may have really viewed human nature. In the following excerpts we find evidence that More may have found man untrustworthy and in need of social control, or at the very least spiritual control. The vast majority of Utopians  ¦ believe in a single power, unknown, eternal, infinite, inexplicable, far beyond the grasp of the human mind, and diffused throughout the universe, not physically but in influence. Him they call father, and to him alone they attribute the origin, increase, progress, change, and end of all visible things; they do not offer divine honors to any other.  ¦ (Utopus) left the whole matter (choosing a religion) open, allowing each person to choose what he would believe. The only exception was a positive and strict law against anyone who would sink so far below the dignity of human nature as to think that the soul perishes with the body, or that the universe is ruled by blind chance, not divine providence.  ¦ Therefore a man who holds such views is offered no honors, entrusted with no offices, and given no public responsibility, he is universally regarded as a low and sordid fellow (pp.516-518 This excerpt shows the ambivalence that More has about human nature. He sees man as essentially good but whenever an individual has ideas of their own they are regarded as inferior. This creates another type of class system where man can judge himself against others and creates the pride that More is seemingly trying to get away from. This is but one example of many where the strict rules of Utopia work against Mores main argument that man can work together in harmony. Mans goodness is accepted as fact only insofar as it works to serve the whole of the community. For those who do not abide by the strict laws, they are punished through slavery or banishment. More walks a thin line between viewing mans nature as essentially good and seeing man as selfish and in need of control. Utopias foundations of equality are contradicted by the strict laws they have as well as by the political system where heads of tribes are elected for life. This ambiguity of Mores view is furthered when More appears as a character in Utopia and alludes to his own opinion of Utopia.  ¦ my chief objection was to the basis of their whole system, that is , their communal living and their moneyless economy. This one thing alone utterly subverts all the nobility, magnificence, splendor, and majesty which  (in the popular view) are the true ornaments and glory if any commonwealth.  ¦ yet I freely confess that in the Utopian commonwealth there are many features that in our own societies I would wish rather than expect to see. (p.523) This excerpt shows that More is obviously protecting himself from any reproach by the Aristocracy. Also found in this however, is Mores inability to believe such a society could ever exists. He wishes but does not expect to see these features of Utopia coming to his society. I believe underlying this hesitation is Mores doubt that human nature is capable of working together in harmony. The fact that Utopia is presented in a fantasy-like land where men are the mothers to chicks and gold is used to make bedpans gives further evidence that More himself does not believe such a society could ever exist Hobbes offers a scientific argument for the nature of man. He believes his inquiry into what motivates man is proof for his vision of society. Hobbes concludes that man is at war with one another because everyone is fighting for survival. He tells us the only way for man to work together is out of fear. To supply this fear mankind needs an almighty ruler who can control mans impulses to hurt one another. In the following we see how Hobbes comes to his conclusions about mans seemingly inherent evil. Nature hath made men so equal in faculties of body and mind as that, though there be found one man sometimes manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind than another, yet when all is reckoned together, the difference between man and man is not so considerable as that one man can thereupon claim to himself any benefit, to which another may not pretend as well as he ¦. For such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned. Yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves; for they see their own wit at hand, and other mens at a distance. From this equality of ability ariseth equality of hope in attaining of our ends. And therefore if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cant both enjoy, they become enemies, and in the way to their end (which is principally their own conservation, and sometimes, their delectation only) endeavor to destroy or subdue one another. (p. 1590) This passage takes us through Hobbes thinking about mankind. He tells us that all men are essentially equal but  each individual believes himself to be of greater importance than one another. An individuals need for self preservation makes him fight with others for survival and in some cases personal pleasure. Mankinds nature and need to survive cause him to thirst for power. Hobbes hope was for mankind to live together in peace at any cost. Hobbes furthers his argument for a new society in the following excerpt. In such condition (constant war) there is no place for industry, for the fruit thereof is uncertain, and cosequently no culture of the earth; no navigation. Not ise of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things that require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and, which is worst of all, continual fear. And danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.(Pp. 1589-1590) This viewpoint for man offers little hope the communal living we have seen in Mores Utopia. Hobbes use of political science allows little room for the imagination and conjecture used by More. Hobbes argument is founded on generalizations of mankinds behavior, no doubt arrived at due to the time (civil war) in which he lived. Hobbes view of mankind is greater in pessimism than More in that he offers one definition for human nature, and for his argument to hold true this definition (that man is essentially selfish and willing to do anything to survive) is absolute, there is no room for the ambivalence and ambiguity found in Mores view. The solution for Hobbes is that mankind need to live in awe or fear of someone greater than himself. Without something to restrain man he would go on murdering and be forever in search of more power. In order to protect and defend life, man must come together under an almighty ruler who mankind gives sovereignty to. The similarity between Utopia and Leviathan are found in this giving up of individual power for the good of the many. For More, man would give up pride, greed and power by living for the good of the whole. Hobbes takes a more animalistic view of man where the only way to work together requires living in fear of punishment by a greater power. Both seek a commonwealth and both have a higher power to which man must answer. Mores higher power is the strict system of rules the Utopians live by, and a given that most men believe in a divinity who lends further control to their actions. Hobbes does not believe that man is capable of abiding by a spiritual power and needs an actual person to control the power of mankind. Each of their accounts are limited by their approach to their arguments. Mores need to please the aristocracy weakens his idea that man can work together. Hobbes use of a scientific argument uses generalizations of mans nature as proofs for his foundation, these generalizations being too pessimistic to be taken at his word. In the end both Hobbes and More offer little in the way of hope for mankind as individuals. Human nature seems to be inherently evil and in need of something or someone to control it. Both agree that man must give up what makes each of us different in order to live in harmony. Reference Abrams, M.H. (Ed.). (2000). The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century. (7th ed.). New York: W.W.Norton Company Hobbes, Thomas (1651). Leviathan. London: Penguin Books

Four Forms of Participant Observation: Ethical Issues

Four Forms of Participant Observation: Ethical Issues Introduction I have no great quickness of apprehension or witmy power to follow a long and purely abstract of thought is very limited (but) I am superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully Charles Darwin, Preface to The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Participant observation (PO) is one of the more fruitful methodological approaches to studying crowd behavior in the normal society. Obviously, PO includes two main parts, there are participating and observing. Form the first moment people was born, it already been used. People use observation to watch the world around them and try to participant in it, in other words, people grow up in company with participating and observing. There are two main aspects in this assignment as well. The first aspect is to explain the context and identification of Participant Observation; in second aspect, I will focus on the ethics and reactivity of the four forms which is outlined in Norris work. In this part, I will combine the fourfold categorisation which developed by Gill and Johnson (2002) with the four roles mentioned in Norris work, and then conclude my own ideas about the ethics and reactivity in PO research. What is Participant Observation? Participant Observation is a qualitative method with the roots in traditional ethnographic research. PO is the researcher attempts to participate fully in the lives and activities of subjects and thus become a member of their group, organization or community. This enables researchers to share their experiences by not merely observing what is happening but also feeing it (Gill and Johnson 2002:144). Form this identification, it is not difficult to find out that PO is not only a sample data collection as questionnaire; it is also an insider. When researchers doing their task, as Delbridge and Kirkpatrick (1994:37) notes that PO means immersion in the research setting, with the objective of sharing in peoples lives while attempting to learn their symbolic world. The mean process of Participant Observation is to understand and feel peoples subtle behavior in normal lives and attempt to learn their symbolic world. So just making sense about some basic role of human behavior or observing those behaviors is not the key point of PO, PO process include more than just observe, it also has data collection and note-taking and so on. To be honest, according to Bryman (1989): many definitions of ethnography and participant observation are difficult to distinguish form each other. Speaking in theory, Ethnography is a holistic research. MaCall and Simmons define ethnography as:some amount of genuine social interaction in the field with the subjects of study, some direct observation of relevant event, some formal and a great deal of informal interviewing, some systematic counting, some collection of documents and artefacts; and open-endedness in the direction the study takes. So that is why I said that PO is a qualitative method with the roots in traditional ethnographic research in the beginning. In other words, PO is included in ethnography research. Ethnography literally means a portrait a people. An ethnography is a written descriptions of particular culture - the customs, beliefs, and behavior based on information gathered through fieldwork (Marvin Harris and Orna Johnson, 2000). So the ethnography is a multidi sciplinary research including intensive language and culture learning, intensive study of a single field or domain, and a blend of historical, observational, and interview methods. The four forms of PO outlined in Norris work Norris work considered to some ethical considerations on Field-Work in the context of his own research on police culture. Covert research vs. Overt research Cover research takes place in the situation that public are not aware of the people as a researcher and the researcher process, the researchers conceal themselves to the public. On the contrary, overt research take place in the situation that researchers reveal the true identity of themselves to the public and let the experimenters know the process and purpose of research even let them know the potential risk of research. However, the distinction between overt and covert research is not evident. There is a case provided by Glucksman (1994), who in the 1970s left her academic post to work on a factory assembly line to explore the reasons why feminism appeared not to be relevant to working-class women. In a sense, she was a covert observer, but her motives for the research were primarily political and she says that, at the time she was undertaking the research, she had no intention of writing the book that subsequently appeared and that was published under a pseudonym (Cavendish 1982). After the books publication, it was treated as an example of ethnographic research. Every research method has the merit and demerit, so the cover and overt research are not exception. The merits and demerits of both forms conclude three main points: reactivity, ethics and access. For covert research, one of the merit aspects is the reactivity is not a problem, using the covert research could reduce the reactivity of experiments, because they are not aware of being researched. The less reactivity research got, the more validity core data gathered. The other merit aspect of covert research is easy to access. Because of the stealth of PO practice, people do not know the person conducting the study is a researcher. Therefore, they are less likely to adjust their behavior because of the researchers presence. (Alan Bryman and Emma Bell, 2003:320). The demerit of covert research is the ethical problems. The process of research is undercover; some researches focus on some privacy of peoples behavior, so research gathered data without the experiment granted during the research. The experimenters do not get the right of informed consent as well, the ethical problems such as violation of the principle of privacy happened inevitably. For the overt research, ethics is a prominent merit compared with covert research. Using overt research could give the experiment sufficient right to understanding the purpose and process of the study and the potential risk they possibly faced with. But the demerit of overt research also very obvious. The access can be arduous and timely even may not be granted; the high degree of reactivity to the research is not good to the validity of data collection. Characteristics of Four Forms of PO According to Norris work, Van Mannen divided the PO process into four parts, there are SPY, VOYEUR, FAN, MEMBER. The divide of those four forms depend on two dimensions, there are active and passive. Actually, those four roles in Norris work developed by Van Mannen on PO research is the some thing as Gill and Johnsons fourfold categorization of PO, there are complete participant, complete observer, observer as participant and participant as observer. SPY is identified by Van Mannen as active and covert type. It is the same meaning as complete participant in Gill and Johnsons fourfold categorization. The complete participant role sees you as the researcher attempting to become a member of the group in which you are performing research (Saunders, M. et al., 2008). The research concealed their true identity and purpose of research to public. During the research process, researcher will participant in the group and gain trust from he or her colleagues and make friend with experimenters. Doing like that could reduce the researchers access without too many problems of gather core data and take notes more easily. As Norris said: when observer excused himself to the toilet, hurriedly to scribble down notes, he felt like the Spy. VOYEUR is a covert and passive type which is mentioned in Norris work, it is a complete observer role as well. Norris said in his work: When observer deliberately placed in a position to overhear private conversations between officers, observer would feel like a Voyeur. The complete observer is the role that researcher have any communication with people. For example, one observer wants to research the proportion of green bag using when people shooing in the supermarket. What he or she would do is just one thing: having a seat near the exit of the supermarket or check-out counter, gather the number of people who was carrying a green bag in hand when they finished shopping , and then written a recorddown on the notebook. In this observing process, no participant taken by the researchers and no reactivity reflected by the customers. FAN is an overt and passive type defined by Van Mannen, Gill and Johnson called this type as observer as participant role. In this role, the researchers seems like an interviewer. As Norris said: When observer was attending incidents on the street, passively listening and watching, he was the Fan. this role has less participant and more observation. The researchers reveal themselves to public; people are not remained under cover. MEMBER is identified by Van Mannen as active and overt type. It was called participant as observer in Gill and Johnsons findings. The participant as observer is similar as complete participant, just the complete participant is the cover role, and MEMBER is the overt role. In this role the person reveals his or her purpose as a researcher. So in this process, the researchers should make more efforts on gaining trust form their colleagues and take part in the group actively. In Norris work, when I was left guarding a prisoner, introduced as a fellow police officer, or helped in the arrest of a violent and disturbed drug-user, I was, to all intents and purpose, cast in the role of a police officer. This role may be leads to another advantage which concluded in Robsons study: this is that key informants are likely to adopts a perspective of analytic reflection on the processes in which they are involved. (Robson, 2002) According to the analysis of those four roles outlined in Norris work, I concluded that it has no clear boundary among those four roles. The distinction of those four roles depends on the degree of participating and observing. So it is more likely to a subjective method that could be inflected by some factors such as the individuals willing or extent of reactivity and so on. Reactivity Principles in four forms It has different degree of reactivity in different roles. SPY type and VOYEUR type both are the cover research, so it has low extent of reactivity in those two types. In another side as well as the overt research role- MEMBER and FAN, the high degree of reactivity took place. As it is mentioned before, the low degree of reactivity took place, the high validity of core data gathered. Reactivity presents a threat to the internal and external validity of PO research. In the covert research, the experimenters are unaware of the research process, so their behavior which researchers want to observe is the unvarnished behavior; this is a key point of gather validity data by the researchers. In the overt research, this advantage which in the cover research is disappeared. When the experimenters know the researchers true identity and process of research, they will raise the level of alertness on the researcher and then make decision. Even if the experiment grants to participant, their behavior will not be the same as the unvarnished behavior. Ethical principles in four forms There are a number of ethical problems should to be considered during the process of one research. Every research methods will meet the ethical problems including the PO. In Norris work, three main principle of ethics of the research role outlined: informed consent, the invasion of privacy and the trust and deceit. Informed Consent The doctrine of informed consent is the general principle has been used to justify taking an ethical view of the behavior of social research. Informed consent is a legal right which given to the person who was invited to participate in social research activities. The right include the experimenters should be told by the researcher about a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications and future consequences of the research, including the potential risks within this research. After they know the whole thing, they also have the right to decide whether they will cooperate or participant. The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means that the person concerned should have legal captivity to give consent, should be so situated as to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any elements of force, fraud, deceit, duress, overteaching or any other ulterior form of constraint or conversion; and should have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements of the subject matter involved as to enable him to make an understanding and enlightened decision. (Homan, 1991:69; see also Katz et al., 1972:292-306). For instance, the informed consent always be used in the medical experiments. Before a surgery or other kinds of medical treatments to be taken, the signed consent form is required. the patients must understand the potential risks of the treatment an decide whether they will grant or not. The invasion of privacy Bulmer has written: To insinuate oneself into a particular setting on false pretences in order to gather material for research violates the rights of the individual to be let alone, to control his personal space, and information about himself (1982:219). People have the right of protecting their own privacies; infringing peoples privacy is an unethical act. But using covert research in the process of PO, the invasion of privacy is not so easy to be avoided. For example, if a researcher want to investigate peoples anomaly behaviors in normal lives, using covert research is necessary. Because peoples abnormal behaviors usually is private, covert thing. No one would like to share and discuss their anomaly behaviors in public. And we couldnt design an experiment to let people show their anomaly behaviors, so the researcher must use the covert research to observe this object. In this process, the people who was observed by researcher is in the situation that his or her privacy were being infringed. But we also have the measures to reduce this ethical problem. Because of the definition of privacy is depended on individuals, someones mind is not open enough to share their privacy to others, but someone not. In other words, in modern society, the privacy becomes a commodity which could be sold and bought. This ethical also could be reduced by changing the covert situation to the overt situation as well. Researcher should make friends with the experiment and gain their trust, and then tell them about the researchers true identity and purpose of the research and get their permit. Although it is likely to be a little time consuming, but it is a good way to access in the settings and practice PO research without guilty. The trust and deceit In theory, trust and deceit is the opposite side in social activities, but they are not the absolutive opposite side in social research, especially in PO research. Although the researchers have the obligation to tell the unvarnished truth to the experiment, but think about this question: Do doctors tell the truth to dying patients? Sometimes the truth-telling has not benefits to the healthy and safety in terms of experimenters rather than access and data collection in terms of researchers. Conclusion Participant Observation as a qualitative method plays an important role in society. Since crowd behavior takes place in a context of social activities, PO may involve having to take sides to gather data. In this assignment, the distinction of ethnography and PO research is not distinctness. They have a closed relationship between each other. After introduction of ethnography and PO, the next session in this assignment as well as the main part focuses on the four roles outlined in Norris work. Norris analyses some ethical considerations on field- work with police by using the four forms of PO research. The roles divided according to the covert and overt research, covert research and overt research are the basic approaches in PO. So as to explaining the four roles more comprehensive, the Gill and Johnsons findings are used as well. In the second session, the reactivity and ethics as the main two aspects are anglicized in detail by several points from different angles. Participant Observation perhaps is the earliest method in the world. However, the participant observation was not lost its own glory because of its ancient. Although the modern technology and research methodology develop in a high speed, Participant Observation is still the most basic commonly method which could continue being used in the future. References: Bryman, A. (1989) Research Methods and Organisation Studies. London: Unwin Hyman. Bryman, A. and E. Bell (2003) Business Research Methods, Oxford : Oxford University Press. Darwin, Charles (1872) The expression of the emotions in man and animals, London: John Murray, pp.374 Delbrige, R. and Kirkpatrick, I. (1994) Theory and practice of participant observation, in V.Wass and P.Wells (eds) Principles and Practice in Business and Management Research, Aldershot: Dartmouth, pp.35-62 Ditton, J. (1977), Part-Time Crime: An Ethnography of Fiddling and Pilferage (London: Macmillan). Gill, J. and Johnson, P. (2002) Research Methods for Managers (3rd edn). London: Sage Gilbert, N. (1993) Researching Social Life (3rd edn). London: Sage. Harris, M. Johnson, O. (2000). Cultural Anthropology, (5th ed.), Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Homan, R. (1991) The Ethical of Social Research. London: Pearson Education. Saunders, M. et al. (2008) Research Methods for Business Students (5th ed.) Harlow : Financial Times Prentice Hall Robson, C. (2002) Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner-Researchers (2nd edn). Oxford: Blackwell. Norris, C. (1993) Some ethical considerations on field-work with the police, in Hobbs, D. and May, T. (1993) Interpreting the field : accounts of ethnography.

Training And Development At Pizza Hut Management Essay

Training And Development At Pizza Hut Management Essay This report is based on Pizza Hut restaurant located in West London, and will focus on the front line employees, front of house staff i.e. waiters and waitresses. This choice was particularly based on our employment experience since July 2007, and substantial internal information based on training, policies and so on. In order to determine, which extent the organisation follows good practice, learning and development i.e. strategic or business led. Company background Pizza Hut is owned by the American Group Yums Inc, which is one of the largest pizza restaurant companies in the world in terms of both the number of outlets and the percentage of market share that it holds. The company oversees more than 11,000 pizza restaurants and delivery outlets in 90 countries worldwide. (Digica 08) Britains first Pizza Hut started taking orders 30 years ago in Islington, north London, and is now the leading pizza restaurant and delivery chain in the UK. The company has over 600 outlets, including over 370 dine-in restaurants and over 170 home delivery units, and it employs almost 20,000 people in the UK. (Digica 08) Company Vision and Business strategy According to the Pizza hut student information pack (06), the vision of the company is the following; To be the most loved and trusted restaurant brand in the UK Whereas the passion is, Great People, Great Pizza, Great Times Pizza Huts vision is the desired future state and aspiration, in which the head office of the firm is seeking to focus the attention and awareness on the whole aspect of the organisation (Johnson: 09:09). So that Pizza hut to have a respected and trusted restaurant brand, such as efficient operations, good quality food and provide great value for their external customers i.e. hospitality service. The company recognises that in order to achieve their long term vision, their employees should be well managed and developed, seeing that the service levels i.e. hospitality is delivered from front line staff, in which will have overall impact on the goals of the organisation and its ability to retain customers for continuous repeat business. Pizza Hut have developed an operational strategy, which is directly linked to how component parts of the firm help deliver effectively the corporate level strategies in terms of resources, processes and people (Johnson: 09:09). For example, Pizza hut have implemented the following strategy step to achieve their overall goals: Build people capability in order to Provide come back again service with A passion for product that will Drive sales and Maximise profit Moreover, Pizza Hut recognizes that in order to reach their business aims, the following principles are important to the organization: Customer Mania Belief in People Recognition Coaching and Support Accountability Executional Excellence Positive Energy Teamwork This increased emphasis on the restaurant employees is due to the fact the company had issues with a high number of staff turnover according to Management today (1998). In which the percentage was high as 160% and resulted in extremely low employee moral. So as a result, Pizza Hut became determined to transform their staffing policy in order to, Reach sales of  £600 million Satisfy 2.6 million customers a week Reduce staff turnover to 50% (Pizza hut student information 06) Compared to other recognised competitive fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, who are using a similar strategy to Pizza Hut. For example providing career opportunities that allow their employees to develop their full potential i.e. comprehensive training programmes enables a first job employee to progress through to a senior management position through merit-based promotions. Since traditionally, it has been difficult for fast food restaurants to retain staff for long term commitment (management article 1998). Hence Pizza Hut has followed McDonalds strategy, in order to motivate staff and increase productivity so that profits are maximised. (Times 100 case study) Strategic and Business led Barham (et al: 1988) states they are two terms; Strategic Human resource Development (HRD), in which arises from the organisations vision about what its business should be; the abilities and potential of its people; and the options available within a given time period to help it grow and prosper Business-Led HRD is a response to the changing business needs of the organisation, thereby improving its capability to achieve its business goals Therefore, it can be established that the vision and strategy of Pizza Hut, according to Barham et al is (1988), is strategic and business led. For example the organisations vision statement indicates how they wish to be perceived by the members of the public, plus the potential and abilities of its employees and giving them opportunities to develop. Moreover the business is responding to the changing needs i.e. reducing staff turnover. Staff turnover is a business risk, Pizza Hut have identified the problem and minimized the ways in which it affects their restaurants through a structured staff management programme, in which this report will further investigate. Taking into account, that staff turnover has a negative impact on businesses in competitive market which Pizza Hut operates in. Especially when team members are key to its success and continuity because the level of hospitality service will determine the rate of repeat business, employee may leave if they are demotivated, by not being treated right by line managers for not being trained to cope with rush hour periods and may lose self confidence and ability. Consequently, retaining staff and treating them fairly has benefits for the business. Continuity and stability become part of Pizza Huts culture, and staff feel they belong to the organisation and take pride in their work. Skills and competencies are maintained in key business areas and productivity is often increased. On the whole Pizza Hut approach to learning and development is in line with CIPD (09) survey which, states 50% of organisations are integrating a leaning and development culture across organisation, i.e. Beliefs in people, coaching and support have become important principles to Pizza Hut. Training and development approaches Barham (et al 1988) identified three different training and development approaches which are the following: Fragmented approach where training is not linked to organisation goals, and also be perceived as a luxury or a waste of time Formalised approach -training is gradually being linked human resource needs Focused approach training is regarded as competitive weapon and is linked to organisation strategy and goals. In Pizza Hut, all new recruits joining the restaurant are sent on a initial induction programme, in which the company introduce new recruits to their job position, their team and the workplace and the organisational background i.e. business values. Secondly, it helps them establish positive relationships between the employees by building their commitment to its visions and goals i.e., Being the most loved restaurant brand and providing great service for customers. (Harrison 09:163). Furthermore, Pizza Hut emphasises the importance restaurant quality assurance system known as CHAMPS which is based on customer expectations of cleanliness, hospitality, accuracy, maintenance, product quality and speed of service. For instance McDonalds (times100 09) success is also built on the highest standards of quality, service and cleanliness delivered to customers in each of its restaurants. Therefore well trained employees at Pizza Hut are the first steps to achieving these standards in every single restaurant. In addition to, CHAMPS philosophy, the company will issue Full service restaurant team member workbook to record on going progress and achievement during on going training at Pizza Hut by using specifically designed questions aimed at testing the following areas. Menu knowledge -i.e. listing the toppings on BBQ deluxe pizza Salad station setting temperature, shelf life of certain goods when opened, how often certain items needs replenishing etc System cash handling how to cater for customer needs i.e. changing toppings on the server till. Procedures for processing credit card and cash transactions especially since each members are responsible for cash shortages. Health and Safety handling hazardous substances, sharp objects, eliminating obstruction in the restaurant floor. Operating machinery i.e. oven in a safe manner and so on. Other fast food restaurants, McDonalds are also using similar approach to Pizza Hut, all their new employees have an initial training period in which they are shown the basics and allowed to develop their skills to a level where they are competent in each area within the restaurant. Also similar to Pizza Hut strategy they will also attend classroom-based training sessions where they will complete workbooks for quality, service and cleanliness. (Times100) Following the induction, mentoring is carried out. In Pizza Hut employees go through a three hour on the job training and are partnered with a recognised expert trainer. Mentoring has been defined by Garvey (2008:8) as a process in which a person carries out a councillor and a friend to help support them in the workplace by familiarising with its customs and processes. The focus is centred on the individuals and raises business awareness like hospitality service, reducing speed etc. Harrison: 09:170 In addition to being assigned to a mentor, on the job training helps new employees gain experience and retain more knowledge and experience regarding the companies key competence areas i.e. storing order details on the server till. Also the initial on the job training partner is flexible and more informal based to reduce pressure and help encourage confidence in the new employees ability to perform. For the reason being 56% of learning training development professionals consider on the job training of front line employees as an effective way to become accustomed to the workplace. (People management 06:10 article) Lastly when the restaurant manager is satisfied with the progress, the employee will be assigned to an ongoing personal Host Training Workbook which is an educational material aimed to enhanced level of professional knowledge and broadening the restaurants awareness i.e. hospitality service in a fast moving environment. The training workbook introduces the following vital aspects of key competences: Communication skills importance of excellent communications skills for customer interaction as well with management and team members Interacting with all types of customers, generating a personal conversation with customers at the door Communications with other team members and management to ensure accurate wait times are quoted and ensure effective table turnover Keeping up to date with team room communications, awareness of CHAMPS and Customer Mania Knowledge informing customers of deals that are appropriate i.e. family deals and also being able to describe whole menu be able to manage queues using the restaurant utilisation tools using service recovery to customer issues at the door are effectively resolved or communicated to the deputy manage Attitudes/Behaviour Building rapport with customers Communicating effectively to establish customer needs Demonstration passion when explaining meal deals Prioritising effectively, getting most important task done first Being proactive when problems on shifts are identified (Harrison 09:163). (Internal Host training workbook 09) These are the key attributes restaurant managers look for in their employees, according to CIPD(09) survey indicate 79% employers value interpersonal and 74% regard communications skills as most important for recruitment. For that reason on going host training programme allows employees to acquire and develop these skills further i.e. product knowledge, experience in dealing with difficult customer etc. Especially since this is vital for the hospitality environment. In addition, all front line employees are not limited in scope since everyone gets the opportunity to progress further to management level, since 75% trainee managers start out as team members indicating a successful transition. Employees are selected by demonstrating great potential such as outstanding selling skills, commitment to CHAMPS plus recognition from other support managers, in order to be recommended for them to be selected management trainee programme. The management trainee program involves dedicated management training centers; this involves taking part in various workshops on subjects ranging from business management to leadership. (Pizza Hut 09 website) From the information given we can see that Pizza Hut have adopted a focused approach to training and development, as training is an ongoing process in the organisation and is a requirement for the organisations survival in a competitive and ever changing environment. The focused approach is also linked to individual needs as well as the organisations. Pizza Huts approach to training and development is also competitive as it operates in a demanding market and needs to provide a service to its customers which equals or surpasses its competitors level of service. This could help the organisation to gain the upper-hand in its market, by providing outstanding customer service and high quality products. Pizza Huts: organisation structure and culture Structure and culture of Pizza Hut restaurant will have implications for Human resource development, since they are closely linked. HRD determines the effective fits in provision in the organisation. According to Handy (1985) recognised four following, organisational structure culture models: The Pyramid often viewed as a stereotypical large bureaucracy organisation, in which the overall decisions are managed from the top layer. Secondly, the layers consist of a defined hierarchy of functions where the communication is based upon rules and procedures i.e. banking and insurance, hospitals etc. The net matrix involves individuals and resources bought together simultaneously due to a project to certain standards and time constraints. Individuals are flexible skilled and expert in their field. However teams are disbanded when the project is completed. I.e. construction firms, large consultancies etc. The galaxy consists of independent, highly qualified who pursue their own professional and career interest within a supporting infrastructure of resources and administration. Plus there is limited control of mechanism and management hierarchy i.e. lawyers, GP practices etc. The web and power these are known to exist in small entrepreneurial organisations and family businesses. Activities are relied on trust, empathy and personal communication. A group of people or senior individuals exercise power and influence. These organisations are highly competitive and survival is difficult due to economic influence in which employee who handle pressure thrive. Pizza Hut structure and culture fits in with Handy C (1985) The web structure and power culture. As pizza huts decisions are mainly undertaken at the top of the organization i.e. the head office instructs and gives feedback on the CHAMPS standard in the restaurant which directly reflects the front line employees service level, indicating the head office balance of power according to restaurant general manager (RGM) . In addition development is also related to training objectives, which benefit the business and the individual employees, for instance areas for improvement where staff can reduce the time for delivering meals to tables, interact with customers more often so that business CHAMP standards are satisfied and increase the customer repeat business in the process. Moreover the organisation moves very rapidly and change are dealt quickly i.e. new products in menu require employees to quickly adapt different techniques and learn promotions i.e. Christmas menus, learning to make s moothie drinks, using new coffee machine, preparing new desserts etc as soon as they are introduced. Secondly, the environment Pizza Hut operates is highly competitive i.e. Nandos, McDonalds etc as well being very sales based, because the head office sets weekly sales target, and if sales target are not met, this results reduction in working hours for front line employees (RGM 09). Therefore to ensure survival in the demanding market, employees rely on each other by working together to balance the workload i.e. communicating personally, building trust and delivering a service which will help increases customer satisfaction and reduce complaints, especially since the nature of the environment is fast driven. So that Pizza Hut Hayes can retain customers to increase their revenue in long term and ensure survival in difficult economic times. Handy, C (1985) Added Value and Horizontal integration Added value is to add to the organisations capability to achieve its goals for example producing results that enable Pizza Hut Hayes to react well to challenges and threats i.e. competitors , it is also over and above the cost of the initial investment of Leaning and development (LD) (Harrison, 2009:359) In Pizza Hut Hayes, the CHAMPS quality assurance systems is the driving tools towards the operations standards into the restaurant and help deliver the business added value. This is because the head office implemented policies are centered to meet customers requirements hence the long term vision to be the most loved and trusted restaurant brand in the UK, This is achieved by employees being trained to maintain salad bar products to quality standards, contributing to restaurant maintenance, consistently delivering and correct orders. Whereas, Customer Mania and How we win together (HWWT) philosophy coexist with the CHAMPS system. These are the attitude and behaviors used for delivering basic standards by employees, in order to deliver, a positive attitude in a fast moving fast food environment. For example by demonstrating commitment and taking accountability for understanding customer needs, collaborating with other colleagues to deliver the smooth running of the restaurant. Otherwi se service will lack consistency and business will not reach their strategic goals (Appendices 1 -USE PPD PRINTS) To measure the consistency and effectiveness Pizza Hayes employees competences and overall restaurant service, head office will use a mystery shopping programme that collects information against customer expectations using the CHAMPS criteria. In which the results of the survey are fed back to restaurant. So that RGM can use the feedback and compare Hayes against other West London Pizza Hut branches and take necessary actions to meet CHAMPS targets and add value by achieving its goals set by theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. (Management today article) Horizontally integrated Performance Management In addition, value added is also linked to HR practices of Performance management of Pizza Hut Hayes, the business is horizontally integrated .For example CHAMPS, Customer Mania and HWWT criterions are integrated in all aspect of employee management and also identify what members of the restaurants are doing well and how they can improve to make sure the business succeeds. (Appendices) (Harrison 09:323) Ways in which this is done by: Induction all employees are made aware of performance requirements established in the framework i.e. Speed, Hospitality, Product quality etc Job related training the RGM will agree on the support required for the individual to achieve performance levels i.e. improve interaction with customers so they feel welcomed, taking additional responsibilities i.e. handling telephone orders for multi tasking, improving selling skills by up selling desserts and so on. Appraisal- feedback is given by the RGM on how employees perform to Pizza Hut CHAMPS and Customer Mania standards. Secondly both the RGM and employee agree on key targets to help improve development areas i.e. further opportunities for improvement. Personal development employees are consistently working towards the core competence framework, this helps employees expand performance i.e. speed of service, product quality, good hospitality service and creating good relations with customers and employee members. This helps the business and keeps employees committed and motivated. Recognition and rewards- all employees are recognised for their efforts for achieving CHAMPS standards, this because with mystery shopping programme individual employees are scored against the CHAMPS criterion and moreover RGM will use feedback from other senior members, and reward employees by giving them certificates, vouchers etc. Whereas customers have also traditionally rewarded employees by giving them tips for delivering excellent service in which the restaurant does not profit from. This is used as a personal motivation and incentive to follow the CHAMPS standards. This satisfies restaurant because customers will repeat business and employees will remain committed to the core competence framework. (Harrison 09:162) (Appendices) Overall, the policies adapted for performance management in the restaurant are identical to Rebecca Johnson (99) report where front line employees based in a hospitality industry i.e. hotels were given performance initiatives, such as being equipped take greater responsibilities similar to Customer Mania and CHAMPS competence and that feedback was measured through a tracking system, in order to determine whether employees performance is adding value to company and customers. This is because adding value helps Pizza Hut Hayes to be competitive and create loyal customer base and therefore performance management is carried out for individuals every six months. (RGM) Vertical integration Vertical integration involves integration LD strategy with business strategy at corporate and business unit levels and aiding performance managements, LD at operational and individual levels (Harrison 09:323). Since the focus of report is based on the operational level i.e. front line employees who are all provided with an expert workbook to record their progress and have individual targets. In which the head office, corporate level have adapted the policy of developing people capability. Moreover career planning for individual has been quite significant since 1998, 75% employees are internally promoted to management level. For example employees are supported and developed to their full potential by using programmes such as the Expert training programme, as well as the Developing Champions training programme for all levels of restaurant. This also highlights the successful nature training and development being continuous in the operation site Pizza Hut PDF (07) Recommendations: There are a number of recommendations which we have thought of that may benefit Pizza Hut. Firstly we considered most important was to offer internal promotions to staff, as this may help to reduce staff turnover on a whole. They should also have a more formal training program for their waiters to deal with the fast moving environment and they should also have team training exercises as it will help them perform better with a heavy workload. In addition they can improve further by asking customers what they want and what is important to them. We also recommend that there should be continuous development for the organisations strategic capabilities and the specific, personal capabilities of individuals and teams in order to add value.

Poulenc :: essays research papers

Francis Poulenc was born in Paris, France on January 7, 1899 into a well–to–do family. His father, Emile Poulenc, was one of the directors of the pharmaceutical firm Rhone-Poulenc. Never one to be without money, Poulenc’s composing was often viewed as more of a hobby than a necessity. Poulenc never studied at the famed Paris Conservatory or any other musical institution, which later made it difficult for him to be accepted by his peers. Poulenc studied piano with Ricardo Vines and composition with Charles Koechlin, although this study was limited and Poulenc was considered to be primarily a self-taught composer. During the 1920s, Poulenc became associated with a group known as Les Six that included Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Germaine Tailleferre, and Georges Auric (the Les Six received their name after being compared to Russia’s Big Five). Although these composers did not represent a particular school of music, they favored jazz and music hall styles and opposed the romantic and formal style of previous French composers including Claude Debussy. Poulenc, himself, was inspired by Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud and Erik Satie as well as Maurice Chevalier and French vaudeville. While in his early 20’s, Poulenc began to have great success as a composer in several genres: orchestral, chamber music, ballets, concertos, film scores, and opera, as well as powerful choral and sacred music. During the 1930’s, he rediscovered his Catholic faith and began writing religious music, establishing himself as one of the great religious and choral music writers of the century. He endured the German occupation of Paris during WWII, which gave rise to his most impassioned and difficult work Figure Humaine, or The Face of Man, which was a covert work of protest. Some of his other major religious works include his Mass in G (1937), Stabat Mater (1950), and Gloria (1959). He also wrote the religious opera The Dialogues of the Carmelites (1957) and a one-act tragedy for soprano, The Human Voice (1959). The concert I attended, entitled Poulenc:Piano and Wind, contained three pieces of music composed by Francis Poulenc: Sonata for the Clarinet and Bassoon (1922), Trio for the Piano, Oboe, and Bassoon (1926), and Sextet for the Piano, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn (1932-39). All three pieces, although different in their content and composition, contained a similar element common to most of Poulenc’s secular music. The main focus of each composition was its melody.

The Debate Regarding the Use of Native American Mascots Essay -- Nativ

Teams in every sport, at every level of competition, have a mascot. It is the mascot that represents the competitive spirit and team identity, motivating players and fans alike. Does the symbol chosen as a mascot have any impact on whether a team wins or loses? Unlikely. But the choice of a Native American mascot continues to ignite debate and controversy among athletes, fans and alumni, as well as those people who might otherwise be disinterested in sports. Why all the controversy? The dispute over whether Native American mascots should be used as a team symbol dates back to the 1970’s (Price 2). There are those who are passionately against Native American mascots. These advocators insist that Native American mascots are degrading to the native population and the mascots do not represent the true identity of Native Americans. What they fail to realize is that this argument focuses entirely on the perception and predetermined judgment that any Native American mascot is discriminatory and dehumanizing. This is simply not the case. The proponents of Native American mascot use believe tribal mascots display honor and respect towards the Native American people. They cheer that the inclusion of Native American iconography in the athletic arena serves to pay admiration and ongoing tribute to the identity of the Native American culture. In a majority of cases, this view is even sanctioned by the tribes themselves (Morrison). Rather than extinguish Native American mascots as a symbolic reference for schools and sports teams, the choice to sensitively use such imagery should be without sanction. Doesn’t the restriction and ultimate elimination of the Native American mascot also abolish the nation’s historic view of Native ... ... Library, Wausau, WI. 16 Nov. 2014. . Morrison, Rich. â€Å"Special Interview: Rich Morrison Speaks Out in Favor of Native American Sports Mascots.† Issues and Controversies on File. 29 Mar. 2002. Issues and Controversies. Facts on File. Wausau East Library. Wausau, WI. 10 Nov. 2014. . â€Å"Native American Sports Mascots.† Issues and Controversies On File. 12 April. 2002. Issues and Controversies. Facts On File. Wausau East Library. Wausau, WI. 10 Nov. 2014. . Price, S.L. â€Å"The Indian Wars.† Sports Illustrated 4 Mar. 2002: 1-5. SI.com. 16 Nov. 2014. . Wieberg, Steve. â€Å"NCAA Ponders Future of Indian Nicknames.† USA Today 15 May. 2005. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Wausau East Library, Wausau, WI. 16 Nov. 2014. .

Discipline and Management Essay

Included in this essay is a comparison between discipline and management also behavior and misbehavior. Beginning the essay is a short definition and a short word picture of discipline, management, behavior and misbehavior. Next is a comparison of how each are different, similar, related. Discipline is described in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary as first being â€Å"punishment† or then further down states it is â€Å"training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. † In our text book, Building Classroom Discipline, C. M. Charles states that discipline in the classroom is â€Å"Teachers’ efforts to maintain classroom decorum and secure student’ cooperation and exercising self-control. † Discipline should not be thought of as punishment but instead a learning road of self-control. Discipline is a person’s ability to conduct appropriately or a short word picture could be[pic]. With in the classroom, management is a written plan of action so that class runs smooth. Webster dictionary describes management as â€Å"conducting or supervising of something†. Management is the process of controlling and discipline is the act once management has failed. Management and discipline are interrelated and work together to for a common plan and a smooth ran class. If there was no [pic] (management) designed the discipline would not work. Webster’s dictionary states that behavior is â€Å"the manner of conducting oneself†. Behavior described in our text book Building Classroom Discipline â€Å"is the totality of one’s physical and mental activities. † Behavior is everything that we do whether good or bad. One word that best describes this is[pic]. Misbehavior is considered as a person’s actions â€Å"that disrupt teaching, interfere with learning, demean others, or otherwise violate the moral codes of society. † (C. M. Charles 2008 p13) In Webster’s dictionary they describe misbehavior as â€Å"a bad manner of conducting one self. † Both of the terms are related however [pic] (misbehavior) is the disruption of behavior as a whole. Behavior is the bigger picture and misbehavior is a smaller unit within behavior. The two are interrelated and you can not have one with out the other. With the appropriate action taken in advance misbehavior could be minimized. There are different types of misbehavior and some are more serious than others but none of the less takes away from instruction. This is why it is very important to have a discipline plan devised. In the above essay is a comparison between discipline and management also behavior and misbehavior. Beginning the essay is a short definition and a short word picture of discipline, management, behavior and misbehavior. Next is a comparison of how each are different, similar, related. To complete this essay is a short description of why it is important to have a discipline plan.

Borland Software Corporation Case Study Essay

A)Intangible pluss argon operable assets that lack physical substance. However, the future stinting returnss that ar derived from impalpable assets atomic number 18 ordinarily less certain than tangible in operation(p) assets. Due to this uncertainty, the valuation of these assets rely upon manifold estimations, therefore the reliability of the information whitethorn non be as accurate. Addition altogethery, the relevance of the info in the decision do process comes into question since the future benefits are unknow. Copyrights, franchises, seemliness, patents, and trademarks are just a hardly a(prenominal) examples of nonphysical assets.Under Generally evaluate Accounting Principles (GAAP), intangible assets including patents, trademarks, copyrights, franchise agreements, node lists, license agreements, order backlogs, employment contracts, and noncompetition agreements should step up on a comp some(prenominal)s sleep tack. GAAP requires intangible asset recogni tion (apart from goodwill) on the ratio canvas if the said asset arises from contractual or other legal rights or is open(a) of being separated from the acquired entity.B)The survey of goodwill in a bon tons balance sheet captures the unique cherish of a come with as a whole all over and above its recognizable tangible and intangible assets. Goodwill stack plainly be recognized as an asset on the balance sheet when a company engages in the skill of a whole of chance of some other company. The note economic harbor of goodwill is a relief order that is calculated by subtracting the becoming harbor of the acquired companys gain assets from the unobjectionable regard as of the consideration change (or purchase price). Additionally, if the goodwill is unquestionable internally (as opposed to purchasing another company), the cost incurred is put downd not capitalized.ProcessC)i)celestial latitude 31, 2006253356= 57.1%443899December 31, 2007226688= 41.7%544017 ii)26.5 one thousand million of irregularity was eternaliseed against our CodeGear reporting incisioniii)CodeGear,26509= 39.4%67340iv)In the text is says that they consider various data points when determining these surveys such as discounted funds devolves and marketplace comparable transactions. This should be done at least yearlyv)Loss on Impairment of Goodwill26,509Goodwill26,509vi)On the bid of hard currency f depleteds it utters that the impairment of goodwill was under the run activities. Its shows that it is giving the company a expiry of 26,506 in 2007vii)If there is a departure on impairment by goodwill and this has an effect on the change flow statement I think that it should known to everyone in a footnote. It would be comprehendible if this centre is minute and not shown exactly if it large and ongoing it is something that needs to be known and dealt with.D)i)December 31, 2007(31658/544017) = 5.82%December 31, 2006(40521/443899) = 9.13%ii)The gross meat if recorded intangible assets at December 31, 2007 was $68,205iii)Primary cause of the ebb in the value of intangible assets, net onBorlands balance sheet from 2006 to 2007 was amortization. All intangible assets are amortizable and thats why occur accumulated amortization for 2007 was high than 2006.iv) amortization Expense$ 8,863,000Accumulated Amortization$8,863,000E)Software information cost was not capitalized in 2007 balance sheet. It was feasible because they were not selling any third party software and as soon as software was considered for proficient feasible they put it up for sale. abbreviationF)Borland accounts for these expenditures by expensing the production be of the denote the first time the advert takes place. The costs from funding certain activities of the reseller channel are treated as denote expenses.i) 200720062005 occur advertising expense including funded advertising$2.3 million$2.8 million$4.4 millionTotal advertising expense / Total revenu esTotal advertising expense / Selling, general, and administrative expenseii)This board shows that advertising spending has accrued apiece year. When taken in proportion to correspond revenues and general expenses, the percentage that composes advertising expense decreases each year. Since advertising costs are expensed the first time the advertising takes place, this may not re drink an actual decrease in advertising, just a decrease in newadvertising campaigns.iii)Looking at the assets of the company may attention to show fluctuations in the actual value at least in terms of obligate value. Even more so, the companys stock price will help to see where investors see the current value of the company and its brands.G)i)For the purchase of carry on Software, Inc, the purchase price was allocated to the acquired assets and liabilities based on their estimated fair values on the date of learning with the remaining classified as goodwill. The developed technology, customer rela tionships, agreements, and trademarks are all amortized over their respective periods. These amortizable intangible assets were calculated utilize the income approach by estimated the expected cash in flows from once the projects become viable and discounting them to the present value.ii)131,663/141,456 = 86.93%iii)In process explore and development is enquiry and development acquired from Segue Software, Inc that had not reached technological feasibility and had no alternative use. This center was charged to operating expense upon expiration of acquisition. The value was computed using the income approach by estimated the expected cash flows from the projects once commercially viable and discounting the cash flows to their present value.v)On the cash flows statement, an outflow of $115,939 million is describe for the acquisition. This amount is different because the statement of cash flows only reports the amount of cash that actually changes hands.H)i)Based rigorously upon the figures on Borlands fiscal statements, it seems as though the company has had a record of poor financial performance from the days 2005 to 2007. The companys net income reported an increasing loss in all three years ($29,832 in 2005, $51,953 in 2006 and $61,673 in 2007). Also, according to the Borlands balance sheet more than half of the companys assets are either goodwill or intangibles. Since these intangible assets have a more uncertain economic benefit than other tangible assets, the financial ascertain is not as strong as it initially seems on the balance sheet.However, a closer inspection of the financial statements gives an interpretation that doesnt reflect Borlands financial condition as poorly. Much of the companys operating expenses come from research and development and expenses relating to goodwill and intangibles (36% in 2007, 32% in 2006, and 31% in 2005). This is technically a violation of the matching principle, exactly it is a necessity since the future e conomic benefits of goodwill and intangibles is uncertain. This results in increase expenses and get earning in the current periods and decreased expenses/increased earnings in the future. The statement of cash flows shows that Borland spent a large portion of its expenditure on acquisitions of different companies (Legadero, TeraQuest, and Segue Software), technologies, and investments that include goodwill and intangibles, which further supports this analysis.ii)The markets experience of Borlands value over the period from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008 is a negative one. The overall trend shows a decrease in value of Borlands stock price (beginning approximately 5.4/ part and ending roughly 2.0/share), indicating negative perception of Borlands value. Borlands market capitalisation at the end of 2007 was about $218,927,916 (total earthy shares outstanding) * (stock price) = (72,975,972 shares * $3/share = $218,927,916). The book value of equity is $202,070,000 therefore the ma rket value estimate is greater than the book value by about $16.9 million as of December 31, 2007.iii)After reviewing the analysis in part h. i and h. ii, it is clear that the current value of Borlands goodwill and other intangible assets is undervalued. Although current earnings are low due to increased expenses in the current periods, the high market capitalization over the book value shows that investors believe the value of the company will be higher in the future.iv)In Borlands May 7, 2008 raise release regarding Q1 2008 data, the company states that the goodwill impairment charge of $13.3 million associated with CodeGear is an infrequent point and was required by GAAP standards. Borland did not believe that this accurately portrayed the financial status of the companys regulation operations and thus should be excluded in any investors assessment of the company. Borland has a valid point in this statement since these goodwill impairments affect the financial documents alon e do not arise from the cell nucleus operations of the company.