Implications of essays

Implications of essays The Wave is a video about a classroom experiment gone way out. The teacher tried to answer a students question about the likeness of the ignorance of the German public on the Nazis actions during World War II, like the holocaust of the Jewish people. As an experiment he started an organization called the Wave, which focused on three basic statements: Strength through discipline, Strength through community, Strength through action. To his surprise, the students accepted and responded to the organization with great ease and devotion. Out of curiosity he decided to go further and wilder with the limits of the experimentation and soon it became a mess. Students fought physically in the name of the Wave, and started to get aggressive and insensitive, as though they all have been brainwashed. As the show progressed, we see obvious changes in the characters personality. At first, most people seemed enlightened by the movement, and inspired to be something greater, having a sense of a greater purpose than themselves. But as the experiment progressed, some people began to show signs of aggression and abuse, while some people realized that the movement had moved from what they thought it would be in the first place. Unfortunately, the latter seemed to be an extremely minor fraction of the population. Although the reason of change and the results of the changing of personality may be different to each individual (like social outcasts may find a new sense of being in the movement, or bored individuals seeking for a new purpose), they generally become less aware of who they were originally, and indulged into a world where they THINK they are doing things for the good of the whole movement. A good theory to the reason for this may be that social movements like this one may see m sensible and meaningful at first, so individuals feel a sense of a truly working harmony that inspired everyone, but after a wh...

Nucleic Acids - Function, Examples, and Monomers

Nucleic Acids s, and Monomers Nucleic acids are molecules that allow organisms to transfer genetic information from one generation to the next. These macromolecules store the genetic information that determines traits and makes protein synthesis possible. Key Takeaways: Nucleic Acids Nucleic acids are macromolecules that store genetic information and enable protein production.Nucleic acids include DNA and RNA. These molecules are composed of long strands of nucleotides.Nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar, and a phosphate group.DNA is composed of a phosphate-deoxyribose sugar backbone and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T).RNA has ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases A, G, C, and uracil (U). Two examples of nucleic acids include: deoxyribonucleic acid (better known as DNA) and ribonucleic acid (better known as RNA). These molecules are composed of long strands of nucleotides held together by covalent bonds. Nucleic acids can be found within the nucleus and cytoplasm of our cells. Nucleic Acid Monomers Nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar, and a phosphate group. OpenStax/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0 Nucleic acids are composed of nucleotide monomers linked together. Nucleotides have three parts: A Nitrogenous BaseA Five-Carbon (Pentose) SugarA Phosphate Group Nitrogenous bases include purine molecules (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidine molecules (cytosine, thymine, and uracil). In DNA, the five-carbon sugar is deoxyribose, while ribose is the pentose sugar in RNA. Nucleotides are linked together to form polynucleotide chains. They are joined to one another by covalent bonds between the phosphate of one and the sugar of another. These linkages are called phosphodiester linkages. Phosphodiester linkages form the sugar-phosphate backbone of both DNA and RNA. Similar to what happens with protein and carbohydrate monomers, nucleotides are linked together through dehydration synthesis. In nucleic acid dehydration synthesis, nitrogenous bases are joined together and a water molecule is lost in the process. Interestingly, some nucleotides perform important cellular functions as individual molecules, the most common example being ATP. DNA Structure DNA is composed of a phosphate-deoxyribose sugar backbone and the four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). OpenStax/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0 DNA is the cellular molecule that contains instructions for the performance of all cell functions. When a cell divides, its DNA is copied and passed from one cell generation to the next generation. DNA is organized into chromosomes and found within the nucleus of our cells. It contains the programmatic instructions for cellular activities. When organisms produce offspring, these instructions in are passed down through DNA. DNA commonly exists as a double stranded molecule with a twisted double helix shape. DNA is composed of a phosphate-deoxyribose sugar backbone and the four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). In double stranded DNA, adenine pairs with thymine (A-T) and guanine pairs with cytosine (G-C). RNA Structure RNA is composed of a phosphate-ribose sugar backbone and the nitrogenous bases adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil (U). Sponk/Wikimedia Commons RNA is essential for the synthesis of proteins. Information contained within the genetic code is typically passed from DNA to RNA to the resulting proteins. There are several different types of RNA. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is the RNA transcript or RNA copy of the DNA message produced during DNA transcription. Messenger RNA is translated to form proteins.Transfer RNA (tRNA) has a three dimensional shape and is necessary for the translation of mRNA in protein synthesis.Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a component of ribosomes and is also involved in protein synthesis.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that help to regulate gene expression. RNA most commonly exists as a single stranded molecule composed of a phosphate-ribose sugar backbone and the nitrogenous bases adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil (U). When DNA is transcribed into an  RNA transcript during DNA transcription, guanine pairs with cytosine (G-C) and adenine pairs with uracil (A-U). Differences Between DNA and RNA Composition This image shows a comparison of a single-stranded RNA molecule and a double-stranded DNA molecule. Sponk/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0 The nucleic acids DNA and RNA differ in composition and structure. The differences are listed as follows: DNA Nitrogenous Bases: Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and ThymineFive-Carbon Sugar: DeoxyriboseStructure: Double-stranded DNA is commonly found in its three dimensional, double helix shape. This twisted structure makes it possible for DNA to unwind for DNA replication and protein synthesis. RNA Nitrogenous Bases: Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and UracilFive-Carbon Sugar: RiboseStructure: Single-stranded While RNA does not take on a double helix shape like DNA, this molecule is able to form complex three dimensional shapes. This is possible because RNA bases form complementary pairs with other bases on the same RNA strand. The base pairing causes RNA to fold forming various shapes. More Macromolecules Biological Polymers: These are macromolecules formed from the joining together of small organic molecules.Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates include saccharides or sugars and their derivatives.Proteins: These macromolecules are formed from amino acid monomers.Lipids: Lipids are organic compounds that include fats, phospholipids, steroids, and waxes.

Service Value Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service Value Assessment - Essay Example Authors who carried out studies concerning service  value  indicated their interest in the aspects and techniques used to determine the value of service in hotels. Moreover, there was recognition of the natural characters of services like heterogeneity, concurrently, expiring and indefinable, on the hospitality business, and other features such as seasonal requirements and  inaccurate  values.  This discovery led to some difficulties in defining and measuring the value of service (Salazar, Costa & Rita 383). For instance, assessment of  quality  values such as being good,  caring  and  courteous  may have  diverse  analysis  depending on the client. It can as well be a  demanding  activity, involving the development of an organizational tradition, which involves  daring  people to  perform  better than they already are, and acknowledging and rewarding when they do so. According to these writers, listening is one of the features that are  fund amental  to  service  value improvement. Furthermore, there is a  climax  phase  of  time  where  order  is higher, like depart or  high  period, which makes yet more complex, to  convey  a  reliable  level  of value. Spending money in a manner that will not  develop  the  service  is one of the most  regular  mistakes industries  make. ... Research from clients displays the strengths and limitations of a firm. Researches from non-clients  inform  us about rivals’ performance, and this can be utilized as a set of assessment (Salazar, Costa & Rita 384). Anticipations  better  fulfilled by rivals  signify  the  way  of action to  follow. An  outstanding  service is a  beneficial  policy, since it will  involve  more customers, extra  business  with real clients, fewer customers lost, a bigger  separation  from rivals’ prices and fewer errors resulting in conveying once more the  service. Advantages that  occur  from value include customer fulfillment. Better value reinforces the  business’ competitiveness by  better  status, more recurring  business  and few  invisible  customers lost. Another advantage is efficiency and profitability. Reduction of wasted resources as a result of lack of  value  will enable the  business  to  spare  expenses and improvements in operations. Human resources whereby members of staff that  give  expert  services will have a  constructive  approach toward work  atmosphere  and better presentations. One author disagrees that segregation through value guards the  company  from rivals by improving loyalty, reducing their responsiveness to price and evading other competitive powers that  decrease  price/cost borders. This study took place in three parts: in the first phase, two forms  were experimented  in the Portuguese hospitality  division- SERVQUAL having  straight  formulation and SERVPERF. A  reliable  model  was utilized, and 532 questionnaires  were gathered  in thirty two hotels. The  evaluation  was determined  using the  fortitude  coefficient from the weakening form that connected

ORGANIZATIONAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (QI) PLAN, PART I Research Proposal

ORGANIZATIONAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (QI) PLAN, PART I - Research Proposal Example This paper will specify the hospital’s vision-mission statements, its services and facilities available, the goal of the quality improvement plan, roles of consumers, and the quality indicators available for them. VA Medical Center Vision-Mission According to the Veterans Health Administration, the mission of any VA medical centers is to provide the best quality of medical care to the American veterans. Their vision is carried out through a patient-centered care administered by the teams, wherein the patients in the VA Montgomery are assured that â€Å"every single one gets the best care anywhere† (â€Å"V.A. Healthcare,† 2011) and for evidence-based services suitable for the patient’s medical needs. Accurate medical assessment is what the medical center targets to achieve at any time, in any patient such that they would be given appropriate care and medication. Services Offered and Facilities Available The G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center provide s major medical services for its patients which include â€Å"primary, second and tertiary medical, neurological and mental health inpatient care† (U.S. Department, 2010a). ... Department, 2010b). Goal of the Quality Improvement Plan This improvement plan shall address the challenges of this medical center in the past few years to further uplift its responsibility of providing the best medical care for the patients. Through this two-part plan, this paper aims to have quality services, assurance of safety, accurate medical delivery, knowledgeable line of staff, decrease of infection rate, increase of patient recovery, and continuous medical service for outpatients. Roles of Consumers in Quality Improvement The consumers specified in this plan do not only refer to the patients or the ones having the direct experience of hospital service, but this also looks at the importance a community-wide involvement. Families and persons with direct personal relationships with the patients particularly have roles in the fulfillment of this plan. For example, last year’s controversy about the hospital’s sanitation procedures for all its equipments was questio ned by U.S. Office of Special Counsel (â€Å"Mississippi VA,† 2010) could be negated or proved by the customers through the record of their personal experiences and certain evidences on how they perceive the medical center in its sanitation. External Quality Indicators for Consumers The medical center has provided several quality indicators available to consumers so that they would be able to have a personal assessment on the kind of service quality they are receiving while in the hospital vicinity or the quality of medical attention, in the cases of outpatients. Consumers can contact VHA via anonymous hotline, email, or direct contact with certain officers to

More sports in school Essay Example for Free

More sports in school Essay More Sports in School Did you know six of seven of the world population like more than one sport? Our school needs more sports. Some of the students like sports, but we do not have enough sports. Some students want to be a player when they grow up. Sports make your body stronger. We need more sports for the students, so they can become talented. Students can learn about teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. This can contribute to their development as solid citizens. According to the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry website, in two thousand eight between sixteen percent and thirty three percent of children and teens were considered obese. In organized team sports, students work together to accomplish a task and learn from their mistakes. Nicole M. LaVoi wrote school should have more sports to have fun, mastery, teamwork, and become professionals. There are a lot of sports like soccer, basketball, tennis, football, volleyball, hockey etc. Website: http://blogs. edweek. org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2013/10/ny_times_hosts_roundtable_ on_ pros_and_cons_of_youth_sports.html Academically weak students are able to excel in sports and are challenged to improve their abilities. Furthermore, D. E. builds teamwork and units thee class as a group, living cultural or social background behind. In doing sport on regular basis, students become fitter and thus. Their self-steam is increased, but most importantly, it is fun. Many students who do not have the opportunity to participate in physical activities outside of school are thankful to do sports in school. If student enjoy sports they are more likely to care about education in general and in doing so improve their schoolwork. Sports only keeps the students healthy, but also gives them a fun break of other schoolwork. That is approximately one in four children who is over the suggested body fat limit for their age. Anyone is able to participate in sports and since a D. E. program in school offer different kind of sports. Some students argue about the fact that school should only be and not fun, because they are two different things. The time should be used to study instead of doing D. E. just the contrary is true. There are schools where students have D. E. lesson every day. org/essay/sports-is-a-necessary-part-of-168936. html Sports can help the students to improve their abilities. Sports are fun and students were exercising while playing sports. Soccer is the most exercised sports, because you have so much running to do. If there are more sports in school, it will be easy for the students to become talented and to be professional players. If student enjoy playing sports their more likely to care about their education. Sports keeps you physically fit, mentally strong, builds characters, and it is a way to take your mind off of school and other things.

Creatine :: essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of time, the body has been a sign of dominance. Creatine monohydrate has been around for over a hundred years, but it has been only used as a dietary supplement for the past decade. Over the years creatine has been one of the leading in supplements, and it is used worldwide. Creatine is neither a drug nor a steroid; it is a legal dietary supplement. Athletes use it to get the edge on competition and older people use it to stay healthy. It all depends on who wants to use it. With everything in the world, there is a positive and a negative creatine is no different. Being a user myself, I want find out problems that may later come up. I am looking to find what creatine can do for me, both positive and negative. Up to this point I love creatine and over a period of three years I have noticed a dramatic change. Creatine has helped me advance my athletic ability and hopefully to fulfill my dreams and goal. The world has just surpassed the millennium mark, but there is so much we still don't know. Creatine is a supplement that has not been looked at for its long-term effect, but in due time needs to be. With so many people reporting their benefits, creatine has to be doing something right, but who knows what is in store for the future? Until a fact has been stated, and proven that creatine is deadly, one shouldn't listen to myths. To some, creatine may be dangerous drug, but to analyze it, one must know what it actually is, the ways to use it, along with the pros and cons of using creatine. Body   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The year was 1886 a French scientist just happened to stumble upon a substance that would enhance muscle growth. Chevreul, the scientist, found that creatine is stored in the human body naturally. It is mostly stored in lean red muscle tissue in the form of creatine phosphate (Sahelian 49). To users, it is known as creatine, but to advance researchers it is known as methyl guadidine-acetic acid. Creatine is a combination of three substances; glycine, arginine, and methionine. Naturally found in the body, creatine provides the energy our muscles need to move. Creatine is produced in the liver, pancreas, and the kidneys. The way creatine works is very abstruse, but the first thing one must know is that creatine exists in two different forms.

Red Bull Marketing/Segementation/Pricing Essay

You are asked to address the following questions: 1. Who are the principal target segments for Red Bull and how are they positioned towards these target segments? 2. Analyse the Red Bull brand using any frameworks you judge appropriate. 3. Comment upon Red Bull’s pricing approach 4. Evaluate Red Bull’s distribution channel strategy 5. Would you describe Red Bull as a national, a European or a global brand – give reasons? 6, What marketing strategy would you recommend that Red Bull should adopt over the next 5 years? Who are the principal target segments for Red Bull and how are they positioned towards these target segments? Red Bull has an aggressive international marketing campaign that targets young males. These customers are often similar in their tastes for extreme sports, either as spectators or participators. Its numerous sponsored activities range from extreme sports like mountain biking, BMX, motocross, windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, kayaking, wakeboarding, cliff-diving, surfing, skating, freestyle motocross, rally, Formula 1 racing, and breakdancing to art shows, music, and video games. It is this range of activities that enable the brand to be relevant to a huge collective of audiences across the globe. These target consumers use Red Bull to replenish energy levels. The high caffeine content of the energy drink is the key influence behind the target segments for Red Bull. The ‘Anti-establishment, premium end, positioning is aimed at capturing brand loyalty from young, Generation Y males, or students aged 16+ who feel the need to re-energise. The need for caffeine is associated with being active, whether physically: nightclubbing, playing sports or mentally: working long hours, driving or studying. Positioning Red Bull is positioned towards two major market segments at present: The Primary Market Red Bull is marketed at students, via student ‘Brand Managers’ in on-campus buzz marketing promotions, at drivers in petrol stations, as a premium priced mixer in nightclubs and at gyms. Red Bull’s demographic is moving from the Generation Y population to include a more mature market demographic. The Secondary Market More recently, people up to the age of 44 are feeling a ‘maintained sense of time pressure’ (Mintel 2011) and are drinking Red Bull to navigate the challenges of modern living. Red Bull has aligned its marketing approach to appeal to a wider consumer base than the primary ‘Gen Y’ market segment, with alignment to more traditional, mainstream sports such as Formula One motor racing, motorcross and World Rally Championship (WRC) car racing. Red Bull Media The Red Bull Media House operates an online â€Å"consumer platform†. The content of the platform, TV Station, global magazine and mobile operator service is all positioned at the ‘active lifestyle’ market. The exhilarating content: documentaries, films and even music, is a key cornerstone to the brand’s positioning to its target segments. Red Bull positions itself as an aspirational lifestyle brand: athletic, challenge-driven and, to the Gen Y market, youth culture, spirited and dangerous. Red Bull media programming also pursues potential business partners who may have similar target audiences. 2. Analyse the Red Bull brand using any frameworks you judge appropriate. Red Bull has managed to successfully position its brand as the leader in a market that did not exist before (Blue Ocean strategy – we need a value innovation curve). By establishing the brand itself as the â€Å"anti-brand† and building a strong relationship with an audience of consumers crowd that did not want to be told what to do, Red Bull has developed a relationship with its consumers by listened to this audience helping them to shape their  personality and fulfill their interests (Self concept attachment)., This gave the Red Bull brand giving the brand a high level of loyalty and helped it to and leveraging its brand equity. [Perhaps delete, covered later, here more disussion on Value Innovation] There are many reasons why Red Bull has become such a successful brand, consumed by many and known by all. Firstly, Red Bull has developed a very strong brand recognition, from its unique and memorable name, its instantly recognizable can, to the logo, which consists of bold graphics. Its slogan ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ has been reinforced with consumers by repetition, consistently making it instantly recognizable by all. Red Bull segmented the market and positioned the brand very effectively, with its controversial and anti-establishment status. Red bull is not viewed as being just a product, it is a â€Å"Way of Life† which is associated with energy, extreme sports and danger, very appealing to its core audience. Even though Red Bull has been followed and copied several times by similar products, due to its consistent and unique communications strategy Red Bull has managed to stay â€Å"fresh and relevant† (how?) and still maintain a leading position in a very crowded market. (how?) Red Bull’s unique and extremely well coordinated marketing repertoire is without a doubt one of the key factors for its success. Red Bull’s strategy to target its audience with non-traditional ads, made the brand more believable for its â€Å"No brands† followers. For a brand such as Red Bull, marketing communications are deemed to be so important that 35% of its turnover goes to communications and events. Through this manner of communication, Red Bull avoids traditional media channels by making the product readily available – through this strategy, consumers are attracted to the brand, giving them a sense of freedom and choice which further adds to the credibility of the brand. People talk, and if the topic is hot and controversial, even more. Red Bull is aware of this and heavily relies on â€Å"the word of mouth†. Since the very  beginning the brand has had bad press mentioning the danger of consuming this product and the fact that Taurine (a component in Red Bull) was extracted from the genitals of bulls, giving the product â€Å"aphrodisiac† attributes (this was also posted on Red Bull’s website). The buzz this created, and the fact that the product was not easy to find, gave the Red Bull brand its original mystique that still remains today. Strategy (work in to this question) 3. Comment upon Red Bull’s pricing approach Red Bull’s pricing approach is to set the price at a high level. The pricing given in the article ranges from â‚ ¬2-â‚ ¬6 depending on the point of purchase (either retail or in a bar/night club). Red Bull are not alone in charging a higher price for their product, the majority of producers in the energy drinks sector also charge a premium. This is shown in the in the table below where the price of energy drinks is compared to a close substitute, carbonated soft drinks: (Mintel, 2011) Since 2004 the consumers have paid an average premium (per litre) for energy drinks of 66.29%. They are willing to pay this premium as they perceive that energy drinks provide unique benefits (i.e. an energy boost) when compared to substitutes. â€Å"While energy/sports drinks charge a premium compared to non-functional fizzy drinks (ie Coca-Cola) this has not harmed sales, even though the majority of UK consumers do think they are expensive for what they are. Nevertheless, consumers have shown that they are prepared to pay a premium for a product which provides such a tangible benefit†.(Forsyth, 2011) Setting the pricing at a high level also leads the consumer to make price quality inferences about Red Bull. The consumer associates the high price with a high level of quality. In doing this Red Bull are making their product a â€Å"premium product†. In defining a premium product Penny Coase refers to the use of this pricing strategy: â€Å"A premium brand will always command a higher price, often significantly more than that charged by mainstream brands within the product category. However, there are typically ‘tiers’ of price and of premium;† (Coase, 2010) The benefit that premiumization (through pricing) provides to Red Bull is that it leads them to higher margins and away from competing through providing discounts. Whilst the price of Red Bull is high in comparison to substitutes it is still affordable as the cost makes up a small portion of an individual’s disposable income. This approach to pricing means that Red Bull falls in to the â€Å"masstige† (Silverstein & Fiske, 2003) category, where they can access the mass market whilst still retaining an image of quality: â€Å"These goods occupy a sweet spot between Mass and class. While commanding a premium over conventional products, they are priced well below super premium or old- luxury goods† (Silverstein & Fiske, 2003) Red Bull sold 4.631 billion cans of drink in 2011 (Red Bull, 2012) which shows that even at a higher price than it’s substitutes their pricing strategy generates significant volume of sales. Following the theory that: Profit =Price Ãâ€"Volume –Costs Red Bull will be able to generate a high level of profit as they charge a high price whilst achieving significant sales whilst producing a product at relatively low costs. Finally Red Bull were one of the first entrants into the caffeinated energy drinks market (prior to this energy drinks were based on Glucose content) and this has allowed them to set the level of pricing that they want within the market. As the product life cycle approaches maturity and Red Bull’s competitive advantage decreases they will be able to partake in â€Å" Price Skimming†, whereby they reduce the price of the good to a lower level and attract a new group of consumers who were more price sensitive to the original pricing: (witiger.com) Red Bull Q4: Evaluate Red Bull’s distribution channel strategy Red Bull was an ‘anti-brand’ that was targeting the young ‘in-crowd’. Young at this time meant Generation Y who had no brand loyalty and were suspicious of being ‘marketed to’. This called for a fresh distribution strategy to support the brand positioning. One of the hardest business strategies to effect is to break into a profitable industry dominated by established brands. Virgin Cola struggled to make an impact in the US when it was launched in the late 1990’s due to the stranglehold that Coke held over shelf space. However around the same time Red Bull launched using a radically different distribution strategy. Channel Implementation In order to both promote Red Bull as an anti-brand whilst by-passing the lock that established soft drinks manufacturers held on the distribution and retail network in most markets, the company adopted a novel two-pronged approach. Firstly it developed a ‘street marketing strategy’ in which the â€Å"Wings Team† (generally comprising attractive female students in a customised Mini with a giant Red Bull can on the back) would distribute free samples to those thought in need of energy. This would typically be in public spaces where the young and cool hang out; this might include public squares, beaches, parks, ski resorts, or skating parks. This would be an opportunity to introduce the product, talk about its properties and convey consumer feedback. Secondly it would target a select number of venues – generally trendy bars or nightclubs that were again deemed to be the places where the cool people hang out. Here DJs, bar tenders and other opinion leaders would be approached. Empty cans would be left on tables and even in bins outside. In the early period other venues that asked to sell Red Bull would be turned away, re-enforcing its select image and supporting the price premium that was charged. The company moved on to establish â€Å"student brand managers† on university campuses. These would throw parties at which Red Bull would be distributed.  The brand would become better known amongst the target audience and very cheap market research would be reported back at very low cost. Through this unconventional ‘youth underground’ the viral message spread. As its popularity grew (aided by the ‘invention of the Vodka Red Bull’) it was able to dictate terms to bars that stocked its cans. This included minimum pricing to maintain exclusivity and the requirement that bar tenders fill a glass and present the customer with the rest of the can – thus creating high brand visibility in the bar. The same energy effects that made it popular with clubbers also drew a following amongst long distance truckers. Its availability in late night gas stations and even vending machines added to its edgy image whilst channelling sales to new markets. Outcomes Red Bull has succeeded in breaking into the soft drinks market by effectively establishing a niche through bypassing conventional distribution channels. Its positioning as an exclusive (and elusive) product meant it was well placed to be carried on a wave of buzz marketing into the mainstream. Red Bull has become a mass-market drink and is found across a wider range of supermarkets and licensed premises. This presented the risk that it would lose its exclusivity as the cool crowd grew up and moved on, leaving it as one of a number of similar commoditized products that would be vulnerable to price competition. However potential brand risks such as it being banned in Denmark and France and being restricted to medical use in Japan and Norway actually ensured the edgy image endured. Hence thus far its brand strategy has enabled it to maintain the power in its relationship with sellers, and is hence able to dictate terms in a way that has supported the brand positioning so far. 5. Would you describe Red Bull as a national, a European or a global brand – give reasons? Red Bull can be considered a global brand both in terms of its near-global customer base and its extensive marketing campaigns. Red Bull does this by carefully targeting a huge collective of niche audiences across the globe, which cumulatively comprise its total share of the energy drinks market. This managing of the brand globally allows Red Bull to achieve economies of scale, particularly for product and promotion, and give it greater communications control and consistency in how it reaches target audiences, often through a global brand message. There are, of course, exceptions and these will be addressed in the closing paragraphs. Red Bull has an aggressive international marketing campaign that targets young males. These customers are often similar in their tastes for extreme sports, either as spectators or participators. Its numerous sponsored activities range from extreme sports like mountain biking, BMX, motocross, windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, kayaking, wakeboarding, cliff-diving, surfing, skating, freestyle motocross, rally, Formula 1 racing, and breakdancing to art shows, music, and video games. It is this range of activities that enable the brand to be relevant to a huge collective of audiences across the globe. At the end of 2011, Red Bull reported employment of 8,294 people in 164 countries. In the same year, Red Bull achieved worldwide sales of 4.631 billion cans. This scale has been achieved through its positioning as a global brand, notably on the basis of product and promotion. With few exceptions the company manages a highly focused brand effort. On a product level, the company maintains the ‘Red Bull’ brand name and ensures consistent product ingredients across its markets. Its beverage brand extensions are also consistent i.e. ‘Red Bull Sugarfree’ or ‘Red Bull Energy Shot’. This is further reinforced by universally recognised packaging and company merchandising, which are also consistent. On a promotional level, the company deploys steady messaging that is always on-brand in terms of look and feel. The bold contrast of its red lettering against a navy and silver background is recognisable across the globe. Its  advertising slogan, ‘Red Bull gives you wings’, is also adopted as is in most markets without the usual translation pitfalls. The exception to this is in Malaysia, where the company instead deploys a single one-word slogan, Bullleh!, a word play on the Malay word Boleh (lit: Can be done) and the word Bull. Furthermore, Red Bull is sold world over in a tall and slim blue-silver can, except in Thailand where it is sold in a wider gold can with the name of Krating Daeng. It is these examples of exception to Global promotion, that highlight the entry challenges to more challenging markets. A key example is China, where Red Bull may need to revise its global marketing strategy to break into this valuable market where there are significant differences in consumer culture, needs and usage patterns. As the previous example of Thailand illustrated, Red Bull may need to diversify its marketing strategy and seek alternative ways of reaching Chinese youth culture. This experience tallies with many Western brands who have tried unsuccessfully to break into Asian markets, particularly China. The challenge Red Bull must face in trying to enter China is whether to adapt or to continue to standardise its marketing strategy to date. And, if it choses to adapt its strategy, would this in turn impact its brand positioning in its domestic market? (A recent example of this is Google’s decision to temporarily suspend its worldwide operating values as it currently does in China.) Furthermore, despite the company’s employees being based across 161 countries, most of its major decisions are still made either at Red Bull’s headquarters in Fuschl, an Austrian village, or at Hangar-7, a few minutes outside Salzburg. This is true even of decisions relating to Red Bull Media House, its brand extension media company. This corporate structure could work to hamper local, or glocal marketing agility. However, as Apple has demonstrated in recent years, it is possible for a company to export its vision of the world to far flung markets across the world. 6. – What Marketing strategy would you recommend that Red Bull should adopt over the next five years? : In researching this paper, many sources expressed concern that Red Bull may  already be reaching its greatest success in a maturing engergy drinks market. However, research indicates the opposite. The energy drinks market is expected to grow organically by 33% until the year 2015 (Datamonitor, 2011). So, a more important challenge for Red Bull over the next five years is how it might grow its share of this market. Our research leads us to conclude that Red Bull has already begun positioning itself favourably in order to capitalise on a growing market opportunity in two ways. Firstly, its should continue to its successful founding practice of aggregating niche markets globally. The popularity and growing range of exptreme sports will continue to form a core part of Red Bulls’ progressive audience, which in turn helps convert into a broad customer base. Secondly, Red Bull is at the forefront of marketing practices that are overhaulling existing models of demand generation. In the case of Red Bull, the company is doing this via its recently launched Red Bull Media House. Above all, Red Bull Media House enables it to tap into its audiences increased media consumption at a global scale. This is a shrewd move by Red Bull as it also enables it to create further advertising and partnership revenues as a secondary source of profit. The move into media communications could help Red Bull deepen its penetration in hard to convert markets, such as Asia. From a brand perspective this is clearly desirable as it reduces the requirement to create alternative brands. Moreover, by controling media messaging it may also extend its reach to other chosen demographics. These two features of Red Bull’s marketing strategy should enable it to capture this growth in the Energy drinks sector. However, as the success of Red Bull Media House reveals, there are more radical ways in which Red Bull might pursue its next five years. Product Possibly the most radical area Red Bull could chose to innovate in would be a subtle but significant brand extention to its core product Red Bull energy drink. It could tap into another adjucent category, health drinks, by focussing its attension on additional healthy ingredients like guarana and vitamins. This brand extension, Red Bull Health, would extent its extreme sports image into one that is moreover health conscious. Further products like branded energy bars, decaffinated Red Bull for kids, and Red Bull water would fit into this new market extension. A subtle repositioning such as this would also enable Red Bull to consider entering the fitness services market, such as gyms. A Red Bull gym would deliver a wider customer base, while enabling it to be creative with the range of supported activities. Promotion Red Bull Media House is the communications platform that will enable its customers to be always on in communicating with the brand. If a wider market share strategy is adopted, via gyms for instance, Red Bull might do well to consider a new slogan for its brand. As challenging as this may be, brands like Coke have shown that this is possible and even necessary to stay relevant in changing times. Here, Red Bull might chose to review its ‘give you wings’ slogan by finding a tag that positions it as an active lifestyle brand. Place By capturing more mainstream market share through Red Bull gyms and its Media House, Red Bull may reach markets previously difficult to open, such as China. It could opt to launch Red Bull gyms first, thereby positioning it firmly as a lifestyle brand. A launch of its health drink variants could follow. Distribution of Red Bull could also be deepened by use of vending machines in places complemenatry to active lifestyles. Price As the market continues to grow, Red Bull can continue to maintain its price premium. In conclusion, the evolution of Red Bull as brand will most certainly come from brand extensions which are based upon broader product offerings. As the success of Red Bull to date indicates, its forward-thinking marketing has created an enormously valuable brand that is very likely set to continue its global success. There is no doubt that Red Bull created a new market, but with so many competitors using the same marketing approach and targeting the same consumers, there is a strong possibility for endless generic similar products to flood the market and effectively question the authority of Red Bull. Constant change in the market, consumers behavior and high volume of direct competitors continuously launching new products poses a significant risk to Red Bull. A primary threat is those with marketing strategies which  establish the brand as being ‘small, unique and rebellious’. Even though these brands are positioning themselves very well, capturing the attention of the â€Å"anti-brand† crowd, Red Bull remains the leader in this market. We believe that Red bull should be bold and confident and aim for a bigger marketing strategy, while still adopting a NON-traditional approach,(guerilla campaigns, experiential, etc). Red Bull cannot deny its size, it should embrace its position by leveraging its brand equity. It is possible to apply a mass marketing approach. without alienating consumers. For example, Virgin a big company doing mass communication has managed to build a mass marketing campaign without losing its individualist spirit, brand vision and rebellious soul. By adopting a mass marketing strategy, Red Bull may lose some of its original consumers however, it will gain a new set which appeal to a broader audience. If Red Bull does not advance its marketing campaign in the face of increased competition, other brands are likely to gain market share, if they bring something new to the table (e.g. new trends or more relevant image), and Red Bull faces the potential risk of appearing ‘dated’. Red Bull should be loyal to its original attitude and proposition, but be bold, in the face of a changing business context by going big, even bigger than the actual hangar!

Business Studies †Recruitment and Selection Essay

Every business or organisation has a recruitment department, which is often undertaken by recruiters. It can be undertaken by an employment agency or even a member of staff at the business organisation. Human resources run the recruitment process. Recruitment (run by the human resource department) is the process of finding the right possible candidates for the job. When the organisation knows what candidates they re looking for Advertisement is commonly used for recruiting the right employees. Recruitment process: A business or organisation must have a work plan in order to make sure that they find the right number of employees for their needs. When a business is looking to recruit new employees they need to be able to mention and define the main jobs and responsibilities that will be expected. During the recruitment process there are many stages that need to be followed In order to select the right candidate for the job. The recruitment flow chart: Job analysis: Job analysis is the first part of the recruitment process. This is when the human resources department needs to identify whether a new member of staff is needed or could the work be done by reorganizing existing staff or working over time. Or even consider whether part-time or full time appointment needed. Job analysis is essential for the recruitment process and this defines whether they need workers and is so will the business recruit internal or external employees. The human resources department will need to decide whether to recruit employees internally or externally. Recruiting internal candidates will benefit the business as this will increase their workers morale and their motivation will increase because there is a higher chance of them getting promoted than the external employees. Another advantage of recruiting an internal employee is there’s a lower cost of not having to go through training, as they already know the business. However the disadvantage is having to replace their internal workers. External candidates will also help gain advantage for the organisation as they will let the business find out more about the competition, gaining more ideas. The disadvantage of recruiting an external employee is the cost of training them to learn more about the business. Job description: A job analysis can be used to create a job description. The job description will describe how a particular employee is to fit into the organisation. A job description could be used as a job indictor for applicants. Alternatively it could also be used as a guideline for an employee to his or her role and responsibilities within in the organisation. Job descriptions can be used by organisations to provide information for use in drafting a situation vacant advertisement and for briefing interviews. he function for a job description can be very simple. It’s when the businesses human resources department will need to draw up a list of tasks that the job will involve and the responsibilities of the person appointed. This is good for a business to draw a list up of their specific job description as this gives not only employers but also employees an idea of what they’re looking for. So therefore the business will most likely attract workers that they appointed for. Person specification: Armed with this sort of specification, those responsible for recruiting and selecting someone to do a particular job have a much clearer idea of the ideal candidate. However at the same time those applying for the job have a much clearer idea of what is expected of them and whether they have the skills and attributes. The human resources department may set out for its own use a person specification. The meaning of person specification is identifying the personal qualities for example qualities such: * Experience: Someone with experience in carrying out a particular job who has a particular responsibilities should be able to draw on that experience n new situations. * Qualifications: Is another important part of a person specification. As they will have more knowledge then say someone who have no qualifications. Another advantage for a employee in having qualifications as this will lower the list of people wanting a job, for example if an employer has a long list of employees he/she will recruit either ones with experience or ones who have qualifications. The advantages for the person specification process in recruiting in staff, is the employers will benefit from recruiting experienced staff as they are able to do a range of tasks. This makes them more flexible workers, which in turn increases the output of the business. Customers often like to deal with experienced employees. Qualifications are also good measures of prior learning. The idea of qualification is that it prepares he employee to do a particular job or activity. Inn creating person specification, organisations will therefore need to consider the level of qualification required by a job holder. Job advert Job advertisements form an important part of the recruitment process. An organisation is able to communicate job vacancies to a selected audience by this means. Most job advertisements are written (or at least checked) By the personal department, a task involving the same skills as marketing a product. Advertisements must reach those people who have the qualities to fill the vacancy. Job advertisements take many forms, according to the requirements of the post. A good job advertisement, while providing prospect candidates with helpful information also helps to deter people who do not have the required qualifications for the job. Presentations of the advertisement is very important as it gives prospective employees a first impression of the organisation Application form: Having an application form is essential. If business’s or organisations provide an application form, it means that they’re looking for someone precise. This is good for the business, because the candidates have to right specific stuff that are required, which means the business can find the right employee. Where as some businesses ask for employees CV. In my opinion this is a disadvantage to the organisation, as the candidate can write what ever they feel, most likely something that will advantage them to getting the job. So therefore the organisation wont be able to find the right candidate to do the job. Interview: Interviews are very important in the recruitment process as this gives the employer an idea of what the employee is like and if he or her is suited for the job. Some business such as Marks and Spencer’s use a certain technique when interviewing new candidates. They would rather ask the interviewee open questions as this allows them to answer the question with longer sentences rather than yes or no answers. This gives the employer a bigger judgement ad a better feel on the employee’s personality. Business also try to focus on questions that involve; what? Why? When? And how? Generally speaking overall the interviewers should try to make the interviewee feel relaxed and comfortable so that the interviewee can show his or best side. An opening remark might be to ask the interviewee about his or her journey. Selection process: Recruitment and selection can be very costly process for a business. It takes a great deal of time to set up the process which includes drawing up a job description, advertising the position, sifting through applications, checking which application best meet criteria set down for the post, interviewing candidates and finally selecting the best candidate for the post. There is a considerable scope along the way for waste and inefficiency. For example, when a job advertisement attracts 100 applicants there will be a considerable waste of time and resources when reducing the list down to six. If you get your procedures wrong you may eliminate some of the best candidates right from the start and end up with six who are barely satisfactory. If you end up choosing an unsuitable candidate for the job, the company will suffer from having trouble within he organisation before walking out on the job and leaving the company o go through the expense of replacing him or her yet. Induction: Induction is the process of introducing new employees o their place of work, job, new surroundings and the people thy will be working with. Induction also provides information to help new employees start work and generally ‘fit in.’ Once the successful applicant has been selected and offered the post, the human resources department needs to prepare a suitable induction programme for when the new induction programme which should include; * An awareness of the workings and objectives of a business. * An awareness of health and safety issues. * Requirements when absent, ill or late. * Introduction to management and workmates. * Identification of any immediate training needs. I Training needs: As part of the induction process, new employees may be introduced to new processors or software that they are unfamiliar with. The employer should explain each of these processes to new employees, question them about their experience with the processes or software and listen carefully to their answers to discover their level of experience. For example an employee may be familiar with the Microsoft office software but may not have had the experience with spreadsheets. If this is the requirement of the role, then careful questioning will determine the skill level of the employee and the training required to enable them to do their job. Training may be carried out formally through a course r more informally by a colleague or with training in a timely needs and implementing training timely manner is important to ensure the new employees are equipped with the skills to properly carry out their duties. Application form: Having an application form is essential. If business’s or organisations provide an application form, it means that they’re looking for someone precise. This is good for the business, because the candidates have to right specific stuff that are required, which means the business can find the right employee. Where as some businesses ask for employees CV. In my opinion this is a disadvantage to the organisation, as the candidate can write what ever they feel, most likely something that will advantage them to getting the job. So therefore the organisation wont be able to find the right candidate to do the job. Both Application and CV form provide same information: Motivation theories: Financial: Wages, salaries and bonuses: Wages- time rate: Under this scheme workers receive a set rate per hour. Any hours worked above a set number are paid at an ‘overtime rate’ Salary: flat rate: This is a set rate of weekly or monthly pay, based on a set number of hours. It is easy to calculate and administer but does not provide an incentive to employees o work harder. Piece rate: This system is sometimes used in the textile and electronics industries, among others. Payment is made for each item produced that meets quality standards. The advantage of this is that it encourages effort motivates workers. However it is not suitable for jobs that require time and care. Also many jobs particularly in the service sector produce outputs are impossible to measure. Bonus: A bonus is paid as an added encouragement and motivation towards employees. It can be paid out f additional profits earned by the employer as a result of the employee’s effort and hard work or as an incentive to workers at times when they might be inclined to slacken effort for example at Christmas and summer holiday times. Commission: Commission is a payment made as a percentage of sales a salesperson has made. Output related schemes: Output related schemes are the most common methods used to reward manual workers most schemes involve an element of time rates plus bonus or other incentive. Standards are set in many ways, varying from casual assessment to a detailed work study, based on method study and work measurement. A standard allowable time is set in according to the stages. The workers pay is then determined according to the success of the third stage. Performance related pay: In recent year, the emphasis in a number of organisations has shifted towards performance related pay. Performance is assessed against working objectives and ‘company goals’ scoring systems are then worked out to assess performance against objectives and these distinguish levels of attainment, e.g. high, medium or low. Managerial jobs are most affected by performance related pay. Based on performance appraisal techniques, such as schemes have been adopted in a wide range of occupations, including the police force, universities, insurance and banking. Evidence indicates that up to three quarters of all employees are now using some form of performance appraisal to set pay levels. One way of rewarding performance is to give increments as targets are met, with the employee progressing up an incremental ladder each year. Profit sharing: Profit sharing is an incentive tool which involves giving profit related pay to employees or giving them bonuses based on the profit performance of a business. Using this approach employees are able to see the that the success of the company will also lead to personal rewards for them. Another example similar to profit sharing is a theory called the attribution theory which is often compared to profit sharing and the non financial appraisal. Attribution theory: All business have a need to explain the world, both to themselves and to other people, attributing cause to the events around them. This gives us a greater sense of control. When explaining behaviour, it can affect the standing of people within a group (especially ourselves). When another person has erred, the business will often use internal attribution, saying it is due to internal personality factors. When they have erred, they will more likely use external attribution, attributing causes to situational factors rather than blaming ourselves. And vice versa. They will attribute our successes internally and the successes of our rivals to external ‘luck’. When a football team wins, supporters say ‘we won’. But when the team loses, the supporters say ‘they lost’. Business attributions are also significantly driven by our emotional and motivational drives. Blaming other people and avoiding personal recrimination are very real self-serving attributions. They will also make attributions to defend what they perceive as attacks. businesses will point to injustice in an unfair world. They will even tend to blame victims (of us and of others) for their fate as we seek to distance ourselves from thoughts of suffering the same plight. They will also tend to ascribe less variability to other people than ourselves, seeing themselves as more multifaceted and less predictable than others. This may well because they can see more of what is inside themselves (and spend more time doing this). In practice, we often tend to go through a two-step process, starting with an automatic internal attribution, followed by a slower consideration of whether an external attribution is more appropriate. As with Automatic Believing, if we are hurrying or are distracted, we may not get to this second step. This makes internal attribution more likely than external attribution. Share options: Employees may be encouraged to take up shares in a company, often as part of a reward scheme. When employees take up these share options they are then rewarded according to the performance of the business. When the business does well so too does the value of their shares and the dividends they receive as a return to shareholders. Dividends are typically paid twice a year. Non-Financial: Goal setting: Establishing goals for employees to work towards can be an important motivational factor as the achievement of these goals then creates a sense of achievement and personal fulfilment. Goals can be established for an individual, team or for the whole organisation and achievement may be related to promotion at work. In order to direct ourselves we set ourselves goals that are: * Clear (not vague) and understandable, so we know what to do and what not to do. * Challenging, so we will be stimulated and not be bored. * Achievable, so we are unlikely to fail. If other people set us goals without our involvement, then we are much less likely to be motivated to work hard at it than if we feel we have set or directed the goal ourselves. When we are working in the task, we need feedback so we can determine whether we are succeeding or whether we need to change direction. We find feedback (if it is sympathetically done) very encouraging and motivating. This includes feedback from ourselves. Negative self-talk is just as demotivating as negative comments from other people. Depending on the type of goal we have, we will go about achieving it differently. A directional goal is one where we are motivated to arrive at a particular conclusion. We will thus narrow our thinking, selecting beliefs, etc. that support the conclusion. The lack of deliberation also tends to make us more optimistic about achieving the goal. An accuracy goal is one where we are motivated to arrive at the most accurate possible conclusion. These occur when the cost of being inaccurate is high. Unsurprisingly, people invest more effort in achieving accuracy goals, as any deviation costs, and a large deviation may well more. Their deliberation also makes them realize that there is a real chance that they will not achieve their goal. When we have an accuracy goal we do not get to a ‘good enough’ point and stop thinking about it–we continue to search for improvements. Both methods work by influencing our choice of beliefs and decision-making rules. Goal setting can be compared, in a financial sense with performance related pay as employees are rewarded in accordance with goals set by the company. Perks and status symbols: Perks and status symbols are useful motivational tools in a company. A perk is something extra that you get for doing a particular job. For example employees of a railway company may get free rail travel for them and their families. A cinema employee may get free cinema tickets. Status symbols are also important motivators. Obvious status symbols n is having a bigger office, or having a sign outside your door with your name on. People often respond very favourably to status symbols because these mark them out as being special therefore employees will be motivated to work harder in order for them to be the special person. Appraisals: Common stages of staff appraisals are as follows: 1. The line manager meets with the job-holder to discuss what is expected. The agreed expectations may be expressed in terms of targets, performance standards or required job behaviours- attributes, skills and attitudes. 2. The outcome of the meeting is recorded and usually signed by both parties. 3. The job-holder performs the job for a period of six months a year 4. At the end of the six months period the jobholder and line manager or team leader meet again to review and discuss progress made. They draw up action new action plans to deal with identified problems and agree targets and standards for the next period. Meeting training needs: Mentoring needs: Mentoring and coaching are seen by many organisations as essential ways of motivating employees so that they feel valued and cared for in their work. Mentoring involves a trainee being ‘paired’ with a more experienced employee. The trainee carries out the job but uses the ‘mentor’ to discuss problems that may occur and ho best to solve them. This approach is used in many lines of work. For example it is common practice for trainee teachers to work with a mentor who s responsible for their early training and development. The student teacher will match the mentor teacher before starting his or her own teaching. The mentor will then give ongoing guidance to the student teacher on how best to improve his or her performance. If the student teacher has any problems or difficulties he or she can talk to the mentor for advice. Coaching: Coaching involves providing individuals with personal coaches in the workplace. The person who is going to take on the coaching role will need to develop coaching skills and ill also need to have the time slots for the coaching to take place. The coach and the individual being. Acquired needs theory: Need are shaped over time by our experiences over time. Most of these fall into three general categories of needs: * Achievement (nAch) * Affiliation (nAff) * Power (nPow) Some businesses may have different preferences and will tend have one of these needs that affect the business more powerfully than others and thus affects our behaviors: * Achievers seek to excel and appreciate frequent recognition of how well they are doing. They will avoid low risk activities that have no chance of gain. They also will avoid high risks where there is a significant chance of failure. * Affiliation seekers look for harmonious relationships with other people. They will thus tend to conform and shy away from standing out. The seek approval rather than recognition. * Power seekers want power either to control other people (for their own goals) or to achieve higher goals (for the greater good). They seek neither recognition nor approval from others — only agreement and compliance. Identifying preferences A common way of discovering our tendencies towards these is with a Thematic Apperception Test, which is a set of black-and-white pictures on cards, each showing an emotionally powerful situation. The person is presented with one card at a time and asked to make up a story about each situation. Using it Challenge achievers with stretching goals. Offer affiliation-seekers safety and approval. Beware of personal power-seekers trying to turn the tables on you or use other Machiavellian methods. Make sure you have sufficient power of your own, or show how you can help them achieve more power. Defending Understand your own tendencies. Curb the excesses and, especially if you seek affiliation, beware of those who would use this against you and for their own benefit alone. * Atrribution theory†¦profit sharing (financial) and appraisal ( non financial) We all have a need to explain the world, both to ourselves and to other people, attributing cause to the events around us. This gives us a greater sense of control. When explaining behavior, it can affect the standing of people within a group (especially ourselves). When another person has erred, we will often use internal attribution, saying it is due to internal personality factors. When we have erred, we will more likely use external attribution, attributing causes to situational factors rather than blaming ourselves. And vice versa. We will attribute our successes internally and the successes of our rivals to external ‘luck’. When a football team wins, supporters say ‘we won’. But when the team loses, the supporters say ‘they lost’. Our attributions are also significantly driven by our emotional and motivational drives. Blaming other people and avoiding personal recrimination are very real self-serving attributions. We will also make attributions to defend what we perceive as attacks. We will point to injustice in an unfair world. We will even tend to blame victims (of us and of others) for their fate as we seek to distance ourselves from thoughts of suffering the same plight. We will also tend to ascribe less variability to other people than ourselves, seeing ourselves as more multifaceted and less predictable than others. This may well because we can see more of what is inside ourselves (and spend more time doing this). In practice, we often tend to go through a two-step process, starting with an automatic internal attribution, followed by a slower consideration of whether an external attribution is more appropriate. As with Automatic Believing, if we are hurrying or are distracted, we may not get to this second step. This makes internal attribution more likely than external attribution. Sex discrimination act 1975 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 applies to men, women and gender reassignees and states that it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate or fail to prevent discrimination against a worker because of his or her gender, marital or gender reassignment status The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 states that there are two types of sex discrimination: Direct discrimination This occurs where a worker has been treated less favourably than another in similar relevant circumstances on the grounds of his or her gender, and the treatment has resulted in dismissal, denial of opportunities within or for employment or training, or any other detriment. Indirect discrimination This occurs where a provision, criterion or practice is applied equally to both male and female workers and three conditions are jointly fulfilled: * The proportion of one gender who can comply is, in practice, considerably smaller than the other; * A worker suffers a detriment as a result; * The employer cannot show the condition or requirement to be objectively justifiable. For example, indirect sexual discrimination could occur if an employer applied a redundancy policy by selecting only part-time workers. This is because such action would discriminate disproportionately against women, as over 80% of part-time workers in the United Kingdom are women. Race relation act 1976 The race relation’s act 1976 makes discrimination on racial grounds unlawful in employment, training education and the provision of goods, facilities and services. The act defines two main types of discrimination: direct discrimination and indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination Direct discrimination occurs when someone Is treated less favourably on racial grounds. Racial grounds do not only include grounds of race but also those of colour, nationality, citizenship and ethnic or national origin. For example a dress manufacturing company advertises in the local newspaper for a Turkish machinist, Indirect discrimination: Indirect discrimination occurs when rules, requirements, or conditions that appear to be fair – because they apply equally to everyone- can be shown to put people from a particular racial group a much greater disadvantage than others and the rules cannot be objectively justified. A racial groups may be defined by race, colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin. For example an advertisement asks for ability to speak Bengali. This requirement discriminates indirectly against people who do not speak Bengali and will be unlawful unless it can be justified by the nature of the job For example it would be unjustified to ask for Bengali speaker if the job involves working with people who can communicate well only in Bengali. Another example of an indirect discrimination is an advertisement invites applicants who speak English as their mother tongue. This requirement too, discriminates indirectly against people who speak English fluently, but not as their mother tongue. This kind of requirement will rarely be justified. If an especially high standard of English is needed for a particular job it would be better to ask for just that ‘a very high standard of written and spoken English’ or alternatively, ‘fluent English’ Example: the race relations act does not cover discrimination indirectly on religious grounds, but advertisements inviting Muslim or Christian applicants may discriminate indirectly against some racial groups, and the requirements must be justified by the nature of the job. A religious requirement may be justified for jobs connected with a church, temple, mosque etc and possibly religious organisations.

IT for Users in Organizations

IT for Users in Organizations Introduction Advances in IT have revolutionized the way business is conducted in many organizations. Producers and consumers can now access a variety of goods and services from anywhere in the world without the constraints of geographical locations or time zones( Leavilt, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on IT for Users in Organizations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One Of the major legal issues stemming from application of Information and technology in business organizations is the concept of cloud computing. Cloud computing refers to the practice of storing data on information systems that are controlled by third parties using remote servers. The data can then be readily accessed using the internet. Before the advent of cloud computing, clients had to connect to multiple servers in their business organisation and they could only connect on each server separately. Cloud computing solved this problem by allowi ng all servers and applications within a network to be integrated and to function as a single-entity. It thus led to speed and more efficiency in the management of resources. Clod computing is offered through three major platforms: Iaas (Infrastructure as a service); SaaS (Software as a Service); and PaaS (Platform as a Service) (Ruiter, 2009). IaaS is the simplest and easiest since it allows connection of hardware through web interfaces. Paas provides a platform for users to develop and implement their own software and share it though web interfaces. Saas provides applications installed on a remote computer, which users can easily access. Business organizations can develop their own computer cloud services or hire CSPs (Cloud Service Providers) to do so. Cloud computing can thus be classified into four broad categories: Public clouds, hybrid clouds, Private internal clouds, and private external clouds. The security and privacy concerns experienced by clients of a business organizat ion depend on the type of cloud computing technology being used. In public clouds, services are obtained through a CSP located outside e organization. The CSP hosts the hardware of different organizations. Therefore, an organization exerts very little control over the privacy of data. Private external clouds still rely on a CSP but the CSP hosts only the organization’s hardware therefore the security is a bit enhanced. For private internal clouds, the organization does not rely on a CSP and it manages information through a private data centre. In hybrid clouds, the different cloud types are combined (Bull, 2001, p. 240).Advertising Looking for report on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The use of cloud computing in business organizations have raised Legal issues pertaining to confidentiality, privacy, and security of personal data. This is particularly in relation to private financial information and financ ial transactions. If hackers or other malicious third parties are able to access such crucial information, it would have devastating effects for the clients, customers, staff and indeed the entire business organization. This paper seeks to explore the problems associated with cloud computing, consequences, and possible solutions to the problem. Case Study In April 2011, Amazon’s cloud infrastructure experienced two attacks. Hackers used the Amazon cloud to attack the Sony’s corporation online entertainment system. Major media corporations reported the case. The hackers used a fake account for the attack and then rented a server on Amazon’s cloud service. They were able to access and compromise crucial information relating to over 100 million customers. The attack was described by IT experts as being very sosiphicated and very professionally executed (Martin, 2000, p.42). The hackers did not even have to go to extreme measures of breaking into Amazon’s rem ote servers. They registered like any legitimate organization seeking to hire Amazon’s service as a Cloud Service Provider (CSP). They only used fake details meaning that the capability of many CSPs to authenticate information is very weak since they cannot detect fake details from valid ones. Amazon hires out cloud space to other cloud service providers so that they can provide the services without having to purchase their own servers. The attack resulted in a drop of both Amazon’s and Sony’s shares in the stock exchange market. The hackers were also able to access credit card records, debit records and general personal information of over 100 million Sony customers. Sony’s Play station and Qriocity networks crashed and stalled as a result of the attack.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on IT for Users in Organizations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The response taken involved, giving the FBI a history of transactions on the cloud so that they could try to identify the hacker. This would be done through validating the internet address, the payment information and the specific credit card, which had been used. The Sony Corporation was subpoenaed by New York’s Attorney General to give further explanation. The FBI also subpoenaed Amazon. Sony also offered customers free annual protection form identity theft. Users were advised to install and update their anti-virus and anti-spyware software and to continuously update the web browsers they are using. The users were warned against clicking on links on their emails and sharing passwords on cyber space. Amazon also promised to upgrade the cloud data security capacity, and refreshed the entire VPN infrastructure. Discussion The right to privacy has been declared a fundamental human right (Gellman, 2009). Most national legislations and international human right instruments have enshrined the right to privacy in their national legislative policies. The economic theory states that business policies are shaped by the preferences of the consumers. Consumers determine the market share that a company enjoys and the larger the market share, the higher the company’s profits. As illustrated by our illustration, the attack on Sony’s online entertainment system led to a reduction in the value of its shares in the stock exchange. Business organizations should be aware of the security issues that come with cloud computing services. There is need to ensure privacy, confidentiality and availability of the data (Regan, 2004, p.481).There must be a high degree of transparency on isolation and protection of consumer data. Heavy reliance on web browsers by CPSs means that the security failure of the browser will lead to breach o the security of the data stored by the cloud service provider. Before opting for cloud computing, a business organisation must put into consideration the viability of its app lication to handle cloud data, the cost of the life cycle and the transition (Weinhardt, et al., 2004).Advertising Looking for report on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Data stored in a cloud must be secured from third parties and the external world. There is no guaranteed security of cloud data and third parties are easily able o break into the system as illustrated by our case study. Since CSPs are found all over hence, the globe customers cannot be able to determine the exact location of their data (Gellman, 2009). Where data is distributed in many centres, it becomes difficult to investigate the transactions in the cloud and identify possible culprits. For instance, Amazon was not able to identify the persons who hacked into Sony’s online entertainment system. Privacy risks emanate from the lack of laws preventing clients from disclosing certain private information to CSPs. Information that users may not like to disclose to a cloud easily finds itself in cloud space with detrimental consequences. Users sometimes ignore reading through the terms of service and privacy of the cloud provider (Bull, 2001, p.242). The situation is further com plicated by the fact that there are no laws governing trans-border transmission of private data (Ruiter, 2009). The CSPs such as Google Docs and Amazon do not give clear information on how they intend to use the information provided by the user. The providers al draft policies terms of use without consulting the consumers. The Cloud service Providers may also unilaterally block a user from accessing his or her data with no alternative means to recover it. Currently CSPs use SSl (Secure Socket Layer) technology, authentication protocols and digital signatures, all of which have proved ineffective in safeguarding consumer data since they have been attacked by hackers. The physical location of a CSP has been identified as an important aspect in enforcing privacy regulations (Leavilt, 2009, p.17).This is to determine the country or state which has jurisdiction in case of breach of the security of private data. Outsourcing individual data to a CSP poses the greatest threat to a personâ⠂¬â„¢s privacy. The CSP e.g. Amazon physically hosts and controls the data while the client e.g. Sony is accountable for failure to comply with privacy regulations. The security solutions relied upon by CSPs include encryption of data, firewalls, management of access and detection of intrusion. The data security depend on the type of cloud that is being used. The data may also be disclosed to third parties such as government agencies and marketers without the owner’s consent.CSPs themselves are not aware of the privacy laws that they are supposed to comply with. Several solutions have been suggested as means of dealing with the privacy and security issues posed by cloud computing. Subscribers should be entitled to terminate the services of a CSP and to recover all the data that they had entrusted with the CSP (Nicolett and Heiser, 2008). Subscribers should be compensated for any losses or injuries that they may suffer if their data is exposed to third parties. Subscribers mus t ensure that the CSP is compliant with privacy regulations, is subjected to external audits and staff are continuously vetted (Baase, 2007).The CSP should also be licensed and certified to operate.Subscibers must also have the authority to remove an application online. Subscribers must also ensure that clouds are compatible with data access protocols. Data should also be segregated so that sensitive data is accorded higher protection than non-sensitive data. Cloud providers should not modify data without client approval.They should also delete and dispose data upon a costumer request.It should also be possible to recover the data through provision of archiving capability and data back-up. Subscribers must minimize risk of attack of their data by ensuring that they have installed updated anti-virus, anti-spyware and web browsers. This would reduce attacks that are directed towards infecting personal computers with malicious software (Cubrilovic, 2009). They should ensure that high q uality encryption is used during internet sessions where confidential applications or data transfers are required. The physical location of the plant of a CSP must be secure since in extreme cases cyber attackers may physically target the back-up storage. Providers that are not limited one location are preferable in case unforeseen consequences such as natural disasters occur. Cloud Service providers should use strict authorization codes that are able to differentiate valid subscriber accounts from fake ones (Ruiter, 2009). Subscribers should be able to validate the access mechanisms supported by the provider’s infrastructure and the tools used to authenticate other subscribers. They should also be able to track their data once a cloud service provider receives it. For cloud service providers offer cloud services in the form of VMs (Virtual Machines), subscribers should ensure that the CSP prevents attacks through VLAN, virtual IPS, and Virtual firewalls. Users should also ch oose clouds that are compatible with standardized tools and languages. Conclusion From the case study and the consequent discussion, it is clear that cloud-computing poses inherent security and privacy risks to client and organisation data. It is also clear that there is no effective legislation or guidelines that have been put in place to deal with the problem. Cloud Service Providers need to analyze the risks involved with the service before they provide it to users. Business organizations should also consider adapting a private internal clod computing policy since security and privacy concerns are minimized. Cloud service users should take time to read the terms and conditions of the cloud service provider. They should also perform a risk analysis themselves on the likely consequences of entrusting their data with the CSP (Reagan, 2004, p.490). The Cloud service providers and the subscribers must share responsibilities in implementing the relevant data security measures and contr ols. A business organization must define security measures to address cloud security concerns, increase security measures during procuring of the services, keenly scrutinize cloud service providers, and make sure security protocols are deployed throughout the process. This will greatly help in mitigating security threats and ensuring data privacy. Reference List Baase, S 2007, A gift of fire: Social, legal, and ethical issues for computing and  The Internet, Prentice Hall, London. Bull, G 2001, â€Å"Data Protection-Safe Harbor, Transferring Personal Data To The USA†, Computer Law Security Report, vol.17 no.4, pp. 239–243. Cubrilovic, N 2009, â€Å"Letting Data die a natural death†, International  Journal of electronic Government Research, vol.22 no.3, pp. 56-67. Gellman, R 2009, Cloud Computing and Privacy: Presented at the World  Privacy Forum, https://www.worldprivacyforum.org/2011/11/resource-page-cloud-privacy/. Leavitt, N 2009, â€Å"Is Cloud Compu ting Really Ready for Prime Time?† Computer, vol.42 no.1, pp.15–20. Nicolett, M. and Heiser, J 2008, Accessing the security risks of cloud  Computing, Stamford, Gartner Inc. Martin, A 2000, â€Å"Security protocols and their properties†, Foundations of Secure Computation: NATO Science Series, vol. 11 no.4 pp. 39–60. Reagan, P 2004, â€Å"Old issues, new context: Privacy, information collection, and homeland security†, Government Information Quarterly, vol.21 no.4 pp.481–497. Ruiter, J 2009, The Relationship between Privacy and Information Security in  Cloud Computing Technologies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam. Weinhardt, C et al. 2009, â€Å"Business Models in the Service World†, IT Professional, vol.11 no.2, pp.28–33.

A Modern Look at the Plague of Athens

A Modern Look at the Plague of Athens The plague of Athens took place between the years 430-426 BC, at the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. The plague killed an estimated 300,000 people, among which was the Greek statesman Pericles. It is said to have caused the death of one in every three people in Athens, and it is widely believed to have contributed to the decline and fall of classical Greece. The Greek historian Thucydides was infected by the disease but survived it; he reported that plague symptoms included high fever, blistered skin, bilious vomiting, intestinal ulcerations, and diarrhea. He also said that birds and animals which preyed on the animals were affected and that doctors were among the most affected by it. The Disease That Caused the Plague Despite Thucydides detailed descriptions, until recently scholars have been unable to come to a consensus of which disease (or diseases) caused the Plague of Athens. Molecular investigations published in 2006 (Papagrigorakis et al.) have pinpointed typhus or typhus with a combination of other diseases. Ancient writers speculating on the cause of plagues included the Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen, who believed a miasmic corruption of the air arising from swamps affected the people. Galen said that contact with the putrid exhalations of the infected was quite dangerous. More recent scholars have suggested that the Athens plague arose from bubonic plague, lassa fever, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, measles, typhoid, smallpox, toxic-shock syndrome-complicated influenza, or ebola fever.​ Kerameikos Mass Burial One problem modern scientists have had identifying the cause of the Athens plague is that classical Greek people cremated their dead. However, in the mid-1990s, an extremely rare mass burial pit containing approximately 150 dead bodies was discovered. The pit was located on the edge of the Kerameikos cemetery of Athens and consisted of a single oval pit of an irregular shape, 65 meters (213 feet) long and 16 m (53 ft) deep. The bodies of the dead were laid in a disorderly fashion, with at least five successive layers separated by thin intervening deposits of soil. Most bodies were placed in outstretched positions, but many were placed with their feet pointing into the center of the pit. The lowest level of interments showed the most care in placing the bodies; subsequent layers exhibited increasing carelessness. The upper-most layers were simply heaps of the deceased buried one on top of another, no doubt evidence of a spike in deaths or a growing fear of interaction with the dead. Eight urn burials of infants were found. Grave goods were limited to the lower levels and consisted of about 30 small vases. Stylistic forms of the Attic period vases indicate they were mostly made around 430 BC. Because of the date, and the hasty nature of the mass burial, the pit has been interpreted as from the Plague of Athens. Modern Science and the Plague In 2006, Papagrigorakis and colleagues reported on the molecular DNA study of teeth from several individuals interred in the Kerameikos mass burial. They ran tests for the presence of eight possible bacilli, including anthrax, tuberculosis, cowpox and bubonic plague. The teeth came back positive only for Salmonella enterica servovar Typhi, enteric typhoid fever. Many of the clinical symptoms of the Plague of Athens as described by Thucydides are consistent with modern day typhus: fever, rash, diarrhea. But other features are not, such as the rapidity of the onset. Papagrigorakis and colleagues suggest that perhaps the disease has evolved since the 5th century BC, or perhaps Thucydides, writing 20 years later, got some things wrong, and it may be that typhoid was not the only disease involved in the Plague of Athens. Sources This article is a part of the About.com guide to the Ancient Medicine, and the  Dictionary of Archaeology. Devaux CA. 2013.  Small oversights that led to the Great Plague of Marseille (1720–1723): Lessons from the past.  Infection, Genetics and Evolution 14(0):169-185.  doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2012.11.016 Drancourt M, and Raoult D. 2002.  Molecular insights into the history of plague.  Microbes and Infection  4(1):105-109.  doi: 10.1016/S1286-4579(01)01515-5 Littman RJ. 2009.  The Plague of Athens: Epidemiology and Paleopathology.  Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine: A Journal of Translational and Personalized Medicine  76(5):456-467.  doi: 10.1002/msj.20137 Papagrigorakis MJ, Yapijakis C, Synodinos PN, and Baziotopoulou-Valavani E. 2006.  DNA examination of ancient dental pulp incriminates typhoid fever as a probable cause of the Plague of Athens.  International Journal of Infectious Diseases  10(3):206-214.  doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2005.09.001 Thucydides. 1903 [431 BC].  Second Year of the War, Plague of Athens, Position and Policy of Pericles, Fall of Potidaea.  History of the Peloponnesian War, Book 2, Chapter 9: J. M. Dent/University of Adelaide. Zietz BP, and Dunkelberg H. 2004.  The history of the plague and the research on the causative agent Yersinia pestis.  International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health  207(2):165-178.  doi: 10.1078/1438-4639-00259

Development(history) of Transportation system in US(or California) Essay

Development(history) of Transportation system in US(or California) - Essay Example This essay stresses that transportation system development in the U.S. is concentrated on sustainability, economic contribution, environment, governmental efficiency and competitiveness of the nation. Benfield is of the view that efficiency is the only factor that one needs to develop a transportation system. Economic cost for transporting goods and passengers, fuel consumption implications, pollution, and urban sprawl and congestion are some of the factors that motivate the government to invest profoundly in developing the national transportation system. This paper makes a conclusion that the U.S. transportation system has undergone dramatic change processes spanning from the 18th to the 21st century. Its developmental journey started from waterways to mass transit systems of today. The emergence of such a complex transport system had come about through political, economic and social endeavors. From Red Indians during the 18th century to the Gold Rush consumers to the modern transit travelers, these consumers have paved the way for the U.S. transportation system. However, these developmental factors would not have achieved its objectives had it not been for the contribution of business community. Although, they had been motivated by their own interests, nevertheless they were the first "planners" who had literally paved the way for linking settlements, towns and metropolis. Regardless of the players and factors, the U.S. transportation system today is clearly one which deserves admiration.