Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks By Samovar,...

Intercultural Communication Introduction According to the articles Intercultural communication stumbling blocks by Barna and Intercultural communication by Samovar, Porter, McDaniel Roy, describe the various challenges that are faced between communications of two individuals who come from different cultures. Notably, challenges that are faced by different people who come from different cultures exist due to the problem of the difference between the cultural norms. For instance, what is acceptable in the United States as a form of communication is entirely different from what is acceptable in Japan as a form of communication. Additionally, challenges that exist in intercultural communication may be due to the prejudices that individuals†¦show more content†¦The Vietnamese student thought that Americans are superficial for the way talk as well as smiling too much. On the other hand, An American Girl viewed that the international students most of them were quite unfriendly. According to this article, there are stumbl ing blocks that exist in intercultural communication. First is the language whereby there may exist different interpretation concerning a particular vocabulary or sentence (Barna, 1994). For instance, according to this article, when a Japanese hear that ‘won’t you have some tea? He may respond ‘no meaning that he is interested in taking tea which may mean to an American person that he is not interested in taking the tea. Thus, this may act as a stumbling block. The second stumbling block is nonverbal signs and symbols. In case there exist different meaning of the non-verbal signs and symbols, communication is hindered. Summary of Prejudice in Intercultural Communication This article describes the way individuals react negatively to other people without any factual material or direct contact. In other words, it describes the way some people have a negative attitude towards other people from a particular culture due to the prejudice. According to this article, individuals usually practice prejudice towards other people due to four reasons. First is due to their utilitarian or adjustment function. In this case, they intend to hold the

How the Rediscovery of the Works of Aristotle Challenged the Church Free Essays

Rediscovery of the Works of Aristotle challenged the Church in several ways as it triggered the Scientific Renaissance. This was characterized by many inventions and discoveries. It is the discoveries that challenged the Church then and continue to do even today. We will write a custom essay sample on How the Rediscovery of the Works of Aristotle Challenged the Church or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some of these discoveries caused people to start doubting what the church and Christianity beliefs had made them to believe. The developments in the study of the universe especially brought contradictions in what was discovered and what the Church Taught. An example is that while it was discovered that the sun did not move, the Bible which was very fundamental to the Church had verses that implied that the Sun moved. Developments in Astronomy a result of the rediscovery of the works of Aristotle are hence an example of its challenge to the Church (Kretzmann Stump, 2001). What Scholasticism is and how it attempted to Reconcile Faith with Reason Scholasticism is a method of teaching where learners are encouraged to reason dialectically. This tool for learning enables the learners to learn how to argue with those holding beliefs and ideas that are different from theirs hence are able to persuade them to join them (Alvarez, 1971). The sole objective of Scholasticism was to resolve ideas that were contradicting or conflicting. This is because even though the ideas and beliefs were different, they shared some common principles which brought out the conflicts as individuals argued on which ones were right hence in an attempt to find the answers, Scholasticism was invented. It attempted to reconcile reason and faith by looking using Aristotle’s philosophy of human reasoning to explain the Christian faith that was characterized by supernatural contents that could not be easily understood. It sought to bring together the wisdom of the Christianity religion and that of the Aristotle and other Greeks. The movement sought to integrate the two, that is the secular beliefs and Christian beliefs so as to come up with an ordered system used reason to explain faith. 2. How Renaissance Altered Views of Humanity and the Human Relationship with God prevalent during the Middle Ages. Renaissance period which was characterized by numerous cultural changes altered views of humanity in many ways. It emphasized so much on reasoning that some views of humanity that initially were believed to be against humanity became morally right due to reasoning. Most of the issues that are perceived to be inhuman such as suicide for example have their root s in this period. This is because it was during this period that individuals reasoned that actions such as suicide were the better option (Alvarez, 1971). For example it was reasoned that it was better for old people to commit suicide than to continue living as they suffer the complications that come with old age. The stoics were amongst the humanists who supported suicide in the event that it was done under such circumstances. Suicide was now seen and described as good death as it relieved younger people the burden of taking care of or killing individuals who were too old. Humanists such as Plato and Aristotle argued against suicide claiming that no circumstances could justify it as it left the responsibilities of those who killed themselves abandoned and denied the community a citizen who could contribute to its development. Other philosophers such as Jewish and Christian religions however believed that such action were against God’s desire and human good as they affected human responsibility to god as he created life to be preserved. Philosophers such as Michel de Montaigne even challenged condemnation of suicide arguing that it was a moral thing to do under certain circumstances and that it should be perceived as a religious belief but as a matter of choice as every human being had the freedom to choose. During the middle ages, the prevalence of human relationship with God was very low. This can be attributed to the many scientific discoveries that challenged the church and its beliefs hence deviating people’s beliefs from its teachings. The many philosophers and their theories also caused confusion causing their relationship with God not to be as strong as it was before. The Humanists, what they said and how they Contributed to Modern Education. Humanists scholars who challenged some of the philosophers shaped and established intellectual landscape from the middle age period to the present day. These philosophers include Thomas More and Niccolo Machiavelli who criticized contemporary government and some of the secular beliefs. Their theories and teachings revived the Roman’s and Greek’s way of thinking and ideas. The challenging of Aristotelian status quo by humanists such as Martin Luther led to the introduction of faith and justification ideas that were new, liberal and radical. The justification theory is very crucial to modern education as many fields of study call for justification to be made before they can be accepted. This goes for research too. 3. How Dangerous Beauty Reflects Values Dominant in Venice and how it depicts relationship patterns between man and women. The fact that Marco was discouraged by his family from veronica even though he loved her implies that individuals in Venice value wealth more than any other thing. Veronica’s decision to become a courtesan in an effort to get money that would support her and her mother reflects the same value of the Venice individuals preferring wealth so much that they could even compromise their principles. The fact that Veronica was not the only one and that even her mother and grandmother had done the same thing implies that prostitution is a dominant thing in Venice especially with men of high social standing. This value has negative impact on the relationship between men and women. This goes especially for the married couples. We observe that Marco’s marriage started experiencing problems as he had no intimate relationship with his wife once he started being with Veronica. The marriage eventually broke up. It can be concluded that both the values discussed above negatively affect the relationship between men and women. 4. How Lady Jane show the dynastic and religious conflicts prominent in England in the 16th Century The two weeks that Lady Jane ruled England and her execution brought out the existing dynastic and religious conflicts prominent in the Kingdom. We observe she was not the right person to inherit the throne from Edward VI. The only reason Edward chose her to succeed him and not Mary his half sister who was the rightful heiress at the time was because just like he was, Jane was a staunch protestant while Mary was Catholic. There seems to have been a religious conflict as the English nobles did not want the throne to be given to a catholic. Mary went away and gathered herself support. She later came back and denounced Jane as the Queen of England. According to the law she was the rightful heiress hence the parliament could do nothing but proclaim her as the Queen. Mary then imprisoned Jane and her husband. This brings out the dynasty conflicts in England within the Royal families. When Mary married a Roman catholic Prince from Spain called Philip, the protestants in England rebelled and carried out demonstrations as they were against catholic religion. Some even called fore the restoration of Jane as the Queen. This made Mary to execute her so as to repress any future rebellions and unrest within the kingdom. It was observed that this marked the climax of religious and dynasty conflicts in the kingdom at the time as Protestants did not want to be ruled by Catholics while the Catholics did not want to lose their grip on the throne. It can hence be concluded that dynasty and religious conflicts were prominent in England during the 16th Century. 5. The Hundred Schools of Thought, their chief Theorists, and what they said. Especially Confucius. The hundred schools of thought were schools and philosophers that sprang up and got established from the period 770-221B. C. E in China. These schools flourished during an era that the country was experiencing culture and intellectual expansion. The thoughts that were developed during this time influence the country up to now. The schools developed were confucianism, school of law, languages, Moism , amongst several others. The theorists of confucianism were Xunzi who argued that humans are not born good but that goodness is a virtue that is developed with time through training of ones conducts and desire. Mengzi another confucianism theorists argued that every individual had a responsibility and obligation to every one else in the society and not just to those they were acquainted with. He explained that one had to be careful in their action as they affected many people. Kongzi argued that ideal human beings were those that were gentlemen. He also explained social stratification and political governance could only exist peacefully by ethical values. He argued that good leader needed to be virtues in order for them to rule well. He added that the best relationship was achieved when leaders remained leaders while subjects accordingly remained so. 6. Buddhist Thought. The Buddhist Thought is based on three fundamental principles namely impermanence, selflessness and unsatisfactoriness. The thought is that all; things in life come from one source and eventually go back to the same source. It explains that everything in the world is connected to each other and none can exist independently or occurs apart from the rest. Its view is that everything in the world undergoes transformation and some change during its existence. This according to the thought is that things do not cease to exist, they only change their state through transformation and exist in other forms. This thought is what explains the religion’s belief in rebirth. 7. Historians talk about the revolution of the 11th Century, which launch a series of conflicts between Church and state. What form did these conflicts take? The 11th century was characterized by many conflicts between the Church and state. These conflicts were mainly between kings and Popes. As both parties sought to have more power than the other, conflicts arose. Initially monarchs had ruled both the throne and the church as it was believed that they had divine right. But then, in contrast the pope was believed to be God’s vicar on earth hence having the divine authority from God to the state. (Elliott, 1877). This resulted to the church having more power in the West but as secular kingdoms flourished, power struggle between the two sprang up. The conflict was between the secular ideologies of the state and the sacred ideologies of the church. Eventually the church lost some of its powers to the state. 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Stakeholder Management and Communications Plan - MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Stakeholder Management and Communications Plan. Answer: The project management documentation is helpful for the development of the specific activities of the project integration and development (Kerzner 2013). The proper documentation would be helpful for the deployment of the project activities for the integration of the simplified processing and development. The analysis would be helpful for the development of the effective processing and the formation of the plan for the project operations. The project of Site Demolition would comprise of the role of the effective development of the processes and integration (Burke 2013). The project would use the various project management processes for the development of the systematic tools and development. The following assignment is a project management plan that comprise of all the major documentation requirements for the project. The integration of the various types of documentation would be formed for ensuring a sound process system is formed for the project. The various plans made in this document are organisational/staffing plan, stakeholder management and communications plan, resourcing plan, program schedule, budget estimation plan, quality management plan, work health safety plan, procurement and logistics plan, and risk management plan. These plans would be formed into a simple document used for the development of the effective processing of the project. Organisational/Staffing Plan The project resource planning for the project is Goyder Street - Site Demolition is shown in the table below, Human Resource Roles and Responsibility Project Engineer The project engineer is responsible for the major activities of the project of site demolishing. Site Foreman The site foreman is responsible for the development of the site of the Goyder Street for the demolition activities Plant operator The plant operator is responsible for the management of the operations at the plant of the drainage works and water works General laborer The general laborer is responsible for all the activities of the project construction including the general works at the site such as removal of the waste or laying the basic concrete ground Principal Surveyor Principal surveyor is responsible for the development of the major survey of the site and analysis of the requirements Senior Surveyor The senior surveyor would take care of the surveys of the site and it would form the development of the effective surveys accurate for the project Surveyor The surveyor would comprise of general surveyor responsible for the analysis of the various data and information required for the development of the project Survey Draftsperson The draftsperson would complete the drafting of the survey results for easing the projects data. Survey Assistant The survey assistant supports all the activities of the surveys by doing all the activities. Arborist The Arborist would be responsible for the uprooting of the trees so that it does not harm the integrity of the trees. In this way, the trees would be placed successfully. Hygienist The Hygienist is responsible for the development of the effective processing and development of the effective processing. The analysis of the processes would be helpful for the formation of the system development. Asbestos Removalist Supervisor The Asbestos is harmful mineral hazardous to human health and the supervisor is responsible for the development of the process of removing these from the ground. Asbestos Removalist Labourer The laborer would support the activities of the removing of the asbestos. The manual work required for removing the Asbestos would be done by the laborers. Senior Environmental Consultant The senior environmental consultant would be responsible for the analysis of the effective processing and development. Environmental Consultant The environmental consultant would be responsible for the management of the environmental activities. The demolition would impact the environment of the site and the consultant would ensure that the environment does not face any major harm from the project activities. Structural Engineer The structural engineer is responsible for the development of the effective processing and integration. The analysis would help in the development of the major demolition activities of the project. Stakeholder Management and Communications Plan The stakeholder management plan for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street is developed for managing the development of the effective and improved services for the management of the stakeholders of the project (Larson and Gray 2013). The stakeholder management plan includes the identification of the stakeholders, key stakeholders, and the stakeholder analysis. Identification of the Stakeholders: The identification of the stakeholders is the primary step of the stakeholder management plan. The project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street would comprise a number of stakeholders such as the project team of Project Engineer, Site Foreman, Plant operator, General laborer, Principal Surveyor, Senior Surveyor, Surveyor, Survey Draftsperson, Survey Assistant, Arborist, Hygienist, Asbestos Removalist Supervisor, Asbestos Removalist Laborer, Senior Environmental Consultant, Environmental Consultant, and Structural Engineer, project client, government, site owner, and local community. Key Stakeholders: The key stakeholders of the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street can be realized by the forming the specific analysis of the major stakeholders of the project. The key stakeholders have large impact on the operations of the project and all the other stakeholders of the project would communicate with the key stakeholders for any situation. Stakeholder Analysis: The stakeholder analysis is done for categorizing the stakeholders in terms of their interest and influence on the project. The stakeholder analysis for Site Demolition at Goyder Street would comprise of forming the classification of the project stakeholders by assigning them a value of 1-5 for power and interest. The analysis has been based on the power and interest and it would be depicted by a matrix. The high power and high interest stakeholders are the key stakeholders of the project that takes managerial decisions for the project. Communication Plan The communication plan for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street is made for the development of the effective transfer of the information from one level of the project hierarchy to the other level. The effective communication is very important as it would be helpful for the achievement of the project success (Serra and Kunc 2015). The communication plan includes selection of communication approach, analysis of communication requirements, review of the communication constraints, communication methods and technologies, and development of communication matrix. Selection of Communication Approach: The selection of the communication approach for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street is very important as it would help in deploying effective communication management plan. The approach would help in classifying whether the communication plan would be implemented successfully over the period of time. Analysis of Communication Requirements: The analysis of communication requirement for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street would comprise of developing the effective and improved development model. The communication requirement analysis would be helpful for carrying out the deployment of the improved processes of the communication plan developed. Review of the Communication Constraints: The review of the communication constraints would be helpful for the development of the effective processing and integration. The communication constraints include the various barriers or noises (disturbances) that hinder or limit the process of communication for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street. Communication Methods and Technologies: The communication methods that can be used in the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street are verbal communication face to face, documentation and reports, email conversation, use of telephones, meetings, and use of social media. These methods and technologies would assist the ease of the information transfer and provide scope for the development of the effective communication in the organization. Development of Communication Matrix: The communication matrix is developed for the deployment of the communication requirement analysis for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street. The communication matrix accounts the deployment of the specific plan of communication for various stakeholders. Communication Terms Communication Medium Frequency Audience Objective Project Kick off Meeting Face to Face Once Project Sponsor Project Team Stakeholders To initiate the project activities Project Plan Scheduling Meeting Face to face Social Media Group Messaging Once Project Team To schedule the project plan Risk Management Planning Conference Call Email Monthly Project Technical Staff To explain the project risk management plan Project Status Report discussion Documents Emails Weekly Project Manager Project Team Project Client To acknowledge the project progress Closure Face to Face Once Project Sponsor Project Manager To close the project A Resourcing Plan The project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street is basically a construction type project and it requires the development of the activities for safely demolition of 65, Goyder Street site. The resources required for the project consists of both human and material resources. The integration of these resources would be developed for forming the smooth operations of the project activities (Mok, Shen and Yang 2015). The various human resources for the project are Project Engineer, Site Foreman, Plant operator, General labourer, Principal Surveyor, Senior Surveyor, Surveyor, Survey Draftsperson, Survey Assistant, Arborist, Hygienist, Asbestos Removalist Supervisor, Asbestos Removalist Labourer, Senior Environmental Consultant, Environmental Consultant, and Structural Engineer. These are the human resources required for the activities of the project and it would be required for integrating the effective project plan development. The material resources for the project are Utility, Tip truck rigid and dog/semi, Bulldozer, 2 cubic metre rubber tyres front?end loader, Excavator, Backhoe and front?end loader, Trenching machine, vibratory roller, Hydro excavation truck, Compressor including hoses and tools, 50mm petrol driven pump, Bob cat, Crane, and Grader. The resource usage plan is given in the table below, Resource Name Work Project Engineer 136 hrs Preparation of Project Plans 40 hrs Liaison and Approvals from all Authorities 8 hrs Liaison and Co?ordination with adjoining work sites / residential / business dwellings 8 hrs Approvals and Fees for Required Technical Support 8 hrs Unexpected Finds 8 hrs Demolition of Buildings 56 hrs Project is Closed 8 hrs Site Foreman 56 hrs Site establishment maintenance site office and amenities 24 hrs Works by ActewAGL 16 hrs Works by the Contractor 16 hrs Plant operator 160 hrs Compliance and Audit Testing as Directed by the Principal's Authorised Person 24 hrs Works by the Water Authority to existing sewer services (ICON) 16 hrs Works by the Contractor on existing water services, excluding works by the Sewer Authority 16 hrs Removal of all internal in ground water services 24 hrs Works by ActewAGL 16 hrs Works by the Contractor 16 hrs Works by Telstra 16 hrs Works by the Contractor 16 hrs Excavate and stockpile spoil at AEC 16 hrs General labourer 264 hrs Removal of Concrete Kerbs (all Types) 16 hrs Removal of Paths and Driveways 16 hrs Removal and Stockpiling topsoil on site 24 hrs Disposal of Spoil Material Off Site 16 hrs Imported Fill 16 hrs Sewer 16 hrs Stormwater 16 hrs Gas 16 hrs Electricity 16 hrs Water 16 hrs Telecommunication 16 hrs Removal of all internal in ground sewer services 24 hrs Removal of all internal in ground stormwater services 16 hrs Remove and dispose of pipes, valves and vent lines 16 hrs Remove and dispose of UST 24 hrs Principal Surveyor 32 hrs Survey Control 16 hrs Environmental Reporting and Approvals including Liaison and Co?ordination with the Principals Environmental Consultant 16 hrs Senior Surveyor 24 hrs Site establishment maintenance site office and amenities 24 hrs Survey Assistant 16 hrs Survey Control 16 hrs Arborist 32 hrs Removal of Tree 16 hrs Removal of Pavement 16 hrs Hygienist 64 hrs Protection of the Works 16 hrs Works by ActewAGL 16 hrs Works by the Contractor 16 hrs Air Monitoring 16 hrs Asbestos Removalist Supervisor 72 hrs Works by the Contractor on existing sewer services, excluding works by the Sewer Authority 16 hrs Hazardous materials, lead paint, PCBs, SMFs ODS 24 hrs Removal and disposal of all hazardous materials 32 hrs Asbestos Removalist Labourer 88 hrs Removal of Pavement 16 hrs Works by the Sewer Authority to existing sewer services (ICON) 16 hrs Hazardous materials, lead paint, PCBs, SMFs ODS 24 hrs Removal and disposal of all hazardous materials 32 hrs Senior Environmental Consultant 72 hrs Preparation of Construction and Environmental Management Plan 16 hrs Environmental Reporting and Approvals including Liaison and Co?ordination with the Principals Environmental Consultant 16 hrs Environmental Clearances to proceed with the demolition works 24 hrs Establish and maintain environmental controls 16 hrs Environmental Consultant 96 hrs Environmental Reporting and Approvals including Liaison and Co?ordination with the Principals Environmental Consultant 16 hrs Compliance and Audit Testing as Directed by the Principal's Authorised Person 24 hrs Air Monitoring 16 hrs Environmental Clearances to proceed with the demolition works 24 hrs Establish and maintain environmental controls 16 hrs Structural Engineer 264 hrs Preparation of Construction and Environmental Management Plan 16 hrs Developing Traffic Management Plan 24 hrs Traffic Clearance from authority 8 hrs Implementing Traffic Management Plan 16 hrs Traffic is Managed 8 hrs Backfilling Under Roads, Paths and Driveways 24 hrs Validation sampling of stockpile 8 hrs Demolition of Buildings 56 hrs Retaining Walls (Brick) 24 hrs Courtyard Walls (Brick) 24 hrs Concrete Stairs 24 hrs Light Poles, Light Bollards, log barriers Signs etc 16 hrs Gas Meter Brick Enclosure 16 hrs Utility 4 Removal and Stockpiling topsoil on site 1 Works by the Sewer Authority to existing sewer services (ICON) 1 Works by the Contractor on existing sewer services, excluding works by the Sewer Authority 1 Bitumen and Straw Mulching 1 Tip truck rigid and dog/semi 4 Works by the Sewer Authority to existing sewer services (ICON) 1 Works by the Contractor on existing sewer services, excluding works by the Sewer Authority 1 Grassing 1 Remove and dispose of UST 1 Bulldozer 3 Removal of Paths and Driveways 1 Removal of Existing Fences 1 Demolition of Buildings 1 2 cubic metre rubber tyred front?end loader 6 Removal of Tree 1 Imported Fill 1 Backfilling Under Roads, Paths and Driveways 1 Site topsoil to grass areas 1 Additional validation sampling 1 Additional spoil disposal 1 Excavator 5 Removal of Pavement 1 Fence Type T 1 Dryland Grass 1 Excavate and stockpile spoil at AEC 1 Removal and disposal of stockpile spoil 1 Trenching machine 2 Topsoil 1 Remove and dispose of pipes, valves and vent lines 1 vibratory roller 4 Disposal of Spoil Material Off Site 1 Removal of all internal in ground sewer services 1 Removal of all internal in ground stormwater services 1 Bitumen and Straw Mulching 1 Hydro excavation truck 3 Works by the Water Authority to existing sewer services (ICON) 1 Works by the Contractor on existing water services, excluding works by the Sewer Authority 1 Removal of all internal in ground water services 1 Compressor including hoses and tools 7 Sewer 1 Stormwater 1 Gas 1 Electricity 1 Water 1 Telecommunication 1 Fence Type T 1 Bob cat 1 Backfilling Under Roads, Paths and Driveways 1 Crane 3 Removal of Pavement 1 Removal of Concrete Kerbs (all Types) 1 Topsoiling (Type C) 1 Grader 4 Works by ActewAGL 1 Works by the Contractor 1 Works by Telstra 1 Works by the Contractor 1 A Program Schedule The project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street initiates on 1st December, 2017 and project runs for 131 working days. The project consists of seven main phases namely Preliminaries, Provision for Traffic, Earthworks, Underground Services, Incidentals, Landscape, and Demolition. The project ends on 1st June, 2018 making a total of 182 days in total. The project schedule for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street is given in the table below, WBS Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors Resource Names 0 GOYDER STREET - SITE DEMOLITION 131 days Fri 12/1/17 Fri 6/1/18 1 PRELIMINARIES 20 days Fri 12/1/17 Thu 12/28/17 1.1 Site establishment maintenance site office and amenities 3 days Fri 12/1/17 Tue 12/5/17 Senior Surveyor, Site Foreman 1.2 Survey Control 2 days Wed 12/6/17 Thu 12/7/17 2 Principal Surveyor, Survey Assistant 1.3 Preparation of Project Plans 5 days Fri 12/8/17 Thu 12/14/17 3 Project Engineer 1.4 Preparation of Construction and Environmental Management Plan 2 days Fri 12/15/17 Mon 12/18/17 4 Senior Environmental Consultant, Structural Engineer 1.5 Liaison and Approvals from all Authorities 1 day Tue 12/19/17 Tue 12/19/17 5 Project Engineer 1.6 Liaison and Co?ordination with adjoining work sites / residential / business dwellings 1 day Wed 12/20/17 Wed 12/20/17 6 Project Engineer 1.7 Environmental Reporting and Approvals including Liaison and Co?ordination with the Principals Environmental Consultant 2 days Thu 12/21/17 Fri 12/22/17 7 Senior Environmental Consultant, Principal Surveyor, Environmental Consultant 1.8 Approvals and Fees for Required Technical Support 1 day Mon 12/25/17 Mon 12/25/17 8 Project Engineer 1.9 Compliance and Audit Testing as Directed by the Principal's Authorised Person 3 days Tue 12/26/17 Thu 12/28/17 9 Plant operator, Environmental Consultant 2 PROVISION FOR TRAFFIC 7 days Wed 12/6/17 Thu 12/14/17 2.1 Developing Traffic Management Plan 3 days Wed 12/6/17 Fri 12/8/17 2 Structural Engineer 2.2 Traffic Clearance from authority 1 day Mon 12/11/17 Mon 12/11/17 12 Structural Engineer 2.3 Implementing Traffic Management Plan 2 days Tue 12/12/17 Wed 12/13/17 13 Structural Engineer 2.4 Traffic is Managed 1 day Thu 12/14/17 Thu 12/14/17 14 Structural Engineer 3 EARTHWORKS 17 days Fri 12/29/17 Mon 1/22/18 3.1 Protection of the Works 2 days Fri 12/29/17 Mon 1/1/18 10,15 Hygienist 3.2 Clearing and grubbing 2 days Tue 1/2/18 Wed 1/3/18 3.2.1 Removal of Tree 2 days Tue 1/2/18 Wed 1/3/18 17 Arborist, 2 cubic metre rubber tyred front?end loader[1] 3.3 Removal of Pavement 2 days Thu 1/4/18 Fri 1/5/18 19 Arborist, Asbestos Removalist Labourer, Excavator[1], Crane[1] 3.4 Removal of Concrete Kerbs (all Types) 2 days Mon 1/8/18 Tue 1/9/18 20 General labourer, Crane[1] 3.5 Removal of Paths and Driveways 2 days Wed 1/10/18 Thu 1/11/18 21 General labourer, Bulldozer[1] 3.6 Removal and Stockpiling topsoil 3 days Fri 1/12/18 Tue 1/16/18 3.6.1 Removal and Stockpiling topsoil on site 3 days Fri 1/12/18 Tue 1/16/18 22 General labourer, Utility[1] 3.7 Disposal of Spoil Material Off Site 2 days Wed 1/17/18 Thu 1/18/18 24 General labourer, vibratory roller[1] 3.8 Imported Fill 2 days Fri 1/19/18 Mon 1/22/18 25 General labourer, 2 cubic metre rubber tyred front?end loader[1] 4 UNDERGROUND SERVICES 43 days Tue 1/2/18 Thu 3/1/18 4.1 Excavation Backfilling 27 days Tue 1/2/18 Wed 2/7/18 4.1.1 Backfilling Under Roads, Paths and Driveways 3 days Tue 1/2/18 Thu 1/4/18 17 Structural Engineer,2 cubic metre rubber tyred front?end loader[1], Bob cat[1] 4.1.2 Existing Services Location 12 days Tue 1/23/18 Wed 2/7/18 4.1.2.1 Sewer 2 days Tue 1/23/18 Wed 1/24/18 29,26 General labourer, Compressor including hoses and tools[1] 4.1.2.2 Stormwater 2 days Thu 1/25/18 Fri 1/26/18 31 General labourer,Compressor including hoses and tools[1] 4.1.2.3 Gas 2 days Mon 1/29/18 Tue 1/30/18 32 General labourer, Compressor including hoses and tools[1] 4.1.2.4 Electricity 2 days Wed 1/31/18 Thu 2/1/18 33 General labourer, Compressor including hoses and tools[1] 4.1.2.5 Water 2 days Fri 2/2/18 Mon 2/5/18 34 General labourer, Compressor including hoses and tools[1] 4.1.2.6 Telecommunication 2 days Tue 2/6/18 Wed 2/7/18 35 General labourer, Compressor including hoses and tools[1] 4.2 Sewerage 7 days Thu 2/8/18 Fri 2/16/18 4.2.1 Works by the Sewer Authority (ICON) 4 days Thu 2/8/18 Tue 2/13/18 4.2.1.1 Works by the Sewer Authority to existing sewer services (ICON) 2 days Thu 2/8/18 Fri 2/9/18 36 Asbestos Removalist Labourer, Tip truck rigid and dog/semi[1],Utility[1] 4.2.1.2 Works by the Contractor on existing sewer services, excluding works by the Sewer Authority 2 days Mon 2/12/18 Tue 2/13/18 39 Asbestos Removalist Supervisor, Tip truck rigid and dog/semi[1],Utility[1] 4.2.2 Removal of all internal in ground sewer services 3 days Wed 2/14/18 Fri 2/16/18 40 General labourer, vibratory roller[1] 4.3 Stormwater Drainage 2 days Mon 2/19/18 Tue 2/20/18 4.3.1 Removal of all internal in ground stormwater services 2 days Mon 2/19/18 Tue 2/20/18 41 General labourer, vibratory roller[1] 4.4 Water Supply Mains 7 days Wed 2/21/18 Thu 3/1/18 4.4.1 Works by the Water Authority (ICON) 4 days Wed 2/21/18 Mon 2/26/18 4.4.1.1 Works by the Water Authority to existing sewer services (ICON) 2 days Wed 2/21/18 Thu 2/22/18 43 Hydro excavation truck[1], Plant operator 4.4.1.2 Works by the Contractor on existing water services, excluding works by the Sewer Authority 2 days Fri 2/23/18 Mon 2/26/18 46 Hydro excavation truck[1], Plant operator 4.4.2 Removal of all internal in ground water services 3 days Tue 2/27/18 Thu 3/1/18 47 Hydro excavation truck[1], Plant operator 5 INCIDENTALS 8 days Fri 3/2/18 Tue 3/13/18 5.1 Fencing 3 days Fri 3/2/18 Tue 3/6/18 5.1.1 Fence Type T 3 days Fri 3/2/18 Tue 3/6/18 48 Compressor including hoses and tools[1], Excavator[1] 5.2 Removal of Existing Fences 2 days Wed 3/7/18 Thu 3/8/18 51 Bulldozer[1] 5.3 Power Supply Disconnection 4 days Fri 3/2/18 Wed 3/7/18 5.3.1 Works by ActewAGL 2 days Fri 3/2/18 Mon 3/5/18 48 Grader[1], Plant operator 5.3.2 Works by the Contractor 2 days Tue 3/6/18 Wed 3/7/18 54 Grader[1], Plant operator 5.4 Comms Supply Disconnection 4 days Thu 3/8/18 Tue 3/13/18 5.4.1 Works by Telstra 2 days Thu 3/8/18 Fri 3/9/18 51,55 Grader[1], Plant operator 5.4.2 Works by the Contractor 2 days Mon 3/12/18 Tue 3/13/18 57 Grader[1], Plant operator 5.5 Gas Supply Disconnection 4 days Tue 3/6/18 Fri 3/9/18 5.5.1 Works by ActewAGL 2 days Tue 3/6/18 Wed 3/7/18 54 Hygienist, Site Foreman 5.5.2 Works by the Contractor 2 days Thu 3/8/18 Fri 3/9/18 60 Hygienist, Site Foreman 6 LANDSCAPE 18 days Fri 3/2/18 Tue 3/27/18 6.1 Topsoil 3 days Fri 3/2/18 Tue 3/6/18 48 Trenching machine[1] 6.2 Site topsoil to grass areas 2 days Wed 3/7/18 Thu 3/8/18 63 2 cubic metre rubber tyred front?end loader[1] 6.3 Topsoiling (Type C) 4 days Fri 3/9/18 Wed 3/14/18 64 Crane[1] 6.4 Grassing 3 days Thu 3/15/18 Mon 3/19/18 65 Tip truck rigid and dog/semi[1] 6.5 Dryland Grass 2 days Tue 3/20/18 Wed 3/21/18 66 Excavator[1] 6.6 Bitumen and Straw Mulching 4 days Thu 3/22/18 Tue 3/27/18 67 Utility[1], vibratory roller[1] 7 DEMOLITION 47 days Wed 3/28/18 Thu 5/31/18 7.1 Hazardous Materials Removal 3 days Wed 3/28/18 Fri 3/30/18 7.1.1 Hazardous materials, lead paint, PCBs, SMFs ODS 3 days Wed 3/28/18 Fri 3/30/18 68 Asbestos Removalist Labourer, Asbestos Removalist Supervisor 7.2 Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) 9 days Mon 4/2/18 Thu 4/12/18 7.2.1 Removal and disposal of all hazardous materials 4 days Mon 4/2/18 Thu 4/5/18 71 Asbestos Removalist Labourer, Asbestos Removalist Supervisor 7.2.2 Air Monitoring 2 days Fri 4/6/18 Mon 4/9/18 73 Environmental Consultant, Hygienist 7.2.3 Environmental Clearances to proceed with the demolition works 3 days Tue 4/10/18 Thu 4/12/18 74 Environmental Consultant, Senior Environmental Consultant 7.3 Underground Fuel Storage Tank 15 days Fri 4/13/18 Thu 5/3/18 7.3.1 Establish and maintain environmental controls 2 days Fri 4/13/18 Mon 4/16/18 75 Environmental Consultant, Senior Environmental Consultant 7.3.2 Excavate and stockpile spoil at AEC 2 days Tue 4/17/18 Wed 4/18/18 77 Plant operator, Excavator[1] 7.3.3 Remove and dispose of pipes, valves and vent lines 2 days Thu 4/19/18 Fri 4/20/18 78 General labourer, Trenching machine[1] 7.3.4 Remove and dispose of UST 3 days Mon 4/23/18 Wed 4/25/18 79 General labourer, Tip truck rigid and dog/semi[1] 7.3.5 Validation sampling of stockpile 1 day Thu 4/26/18 Thu 4/26/18 80 Structural Engineer 7.3.6 Removal and disposal of stockpile spoil 2 days Fri 4/27/18 Mon 4/30/18 81 Excavator[1] 7.3.7 Additional validation sampling 1 day Tue 5/1/18 Tue 5/1/18 82 2 cubic metre rubber tyred front?end loader[1] 7.3.8 Additional spoil disposal 1 day Wed 5/2/18 Wed 5/2/18 83 2 cubic metre rubber tyred front?end loader[1] 7.3.9 Unexpected Finds 1 day Thu 5/3/18 Thu 5/3/18 84 Project Engineer 7.4 Demolition Works 20 days Fri 5/4/18 Thu 5/31/18 7.4.1 Demolition of Buildings 7 days Fri 5/4/18 Mon 5/14/18 85 Bulldozer[1], Project Engineer, Structural Engineer 7.4.2 Demolition of Minor Structures 13 days Tue 5/15/18 Thu 5/31/18 7.4.2.1 Retaining Walls (Brick) 3 days Tue 5/15/18 Thu 5/17/18 87 Structural Engineer 7.4.2.2 Courtyard Walls (Brick) 3 days Fri 5/18/18 Tue 5/22/18 89 Structural Engineer 7.4.2.3 Concrete Stairs 3 days Wed 5/23/18 Fri 5/25/18 90 Structural Engineer 7.4.2.4 Light Poles, Light Bollards, log barriers Signs etc 2 days Mon 5/28/18 Tue 5/29/18 91 Structural Engineer 7.4.2.5 Gas Meter Brick Enclosure 2 days Wed 5/30/18 Thu 5/31/18 92 Structural Engineer 8 Project is Closed 1 day Fri 6/1/18 Fri 6/1/18 93 Project Engineer A Budget The estimated budget for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street is shown in the table below, WBS Task Name Cost 1 PRELIMINARIES $21,696.00 2 PROVISION FOR TRAFFIC $5,320.00 3 EARTHWORKS $27,780.00 4 UNDERGROUND SERVICES $63,160.00 5 INCIDENTALS $24,620.00 6 LANDSCAPE $16,450.00 7 DEMOLITION $60,050.00 8 PROJECT IS CLOSED $800.00 TOTAL BUDGET $219,876.00 A Quality Management Plan The quality management plan for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street can be analysed as quality management approach, quality standards, quality assurance, and quality control (Coombs 2014). These points have been explained below, Quality Management Approach: The quality management approach is used for the development of a specific approach for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street and it would form the development of the effective processing and improvement. According to Kim and de Dear (2013), the development of the quality management approach would be helpful for developing the quality management plan. Quality Standards: The quality standards for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street would comprise of using high quality of the tools, techniques, equipments, and other skills for the achievement of the specific demolition of the building and it is developed by following the ACT Standard Specification for Urban Infrastructure Works Edition 1 Revision 0 October 2002 (ACT Standard Specification). Quality Assurance: The quality assurance for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street would comprise of making sure that the project would not harm the environment and surroundings of the site of Goyder Street. Quality Control: The quality control for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street would be developed for controlling the activities of the project so that a specific quality control can be implied. The work health safety plan for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street would comprise of following the guidelines of the Environment and Planning Directorate (EPD) and Environment Protection Agreement with the EPA (Montmasson-Clair and Ryan 2014). The work health safety plan should also abide by the norms of the WHO set for the construction project and it would be reasoned for the development of the specific plan of operations for the management of the health and safety plan. The work health safety plan includes the Safe Work Procedure, Training and Competency, Emergency Plans, Inspections, and Accidents. The safety plan would be formed for ensuring that the activities of the project of site demolition would be done successfully (Martin 2017). The work health safety plan would be formed for the development of the specific analysis of the work and safety plan. A Procurement and Logistics Plan The procurement and logistics plan is developed for various contractors included in the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street such as ActewAGL (Electricity Gas), ICON Water (Water Sewer), Jemena (High Pressure Gas Services), ZNX (Gas services), Telstra (Telecommunications, EPU (soil erosion management, contamination hazardous materials removal disposal), Parks and City Services (Tree removal, tree protection), and ACT Government. The procurement logistics is developed for the development of the potential demand for the development of the specific integration development. The procurement document is formed for the analysis of the specific tools for the formation of the consumption. The procurement planning is made for developing the system for suppliers, prices, and quality of the services (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The terms of the delivery and payment option is formed for the formation of the processes. The key data in materials is formed for the planning of the specific p lan of operation. The logistic plan is formed for the development of the employment of the effective processes and formation. The risk management plan for the project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street would be formed for ensuring that the activities of the project are completed successfully. The risk management plan is formed by risk identification (top three), risk prioritization, risk monitoring, and risk mitigation strategy (McNeil, Frey and Embrechts 2015). The equipments failure is a major factor that would result in forming the issues in the development of the effective processing and formation. The risk management would form the development of the sufficient deployment and analysis of the supplementary development model. The supplementary development of the operations would be implied for the development of the effective system development. The Ref no. Risk Identification Probability Consequences Impact Rank Risk Mitigation Strategy RF99802 Equipments Failure Likely Major Critical 1st Avoid RF99801 Natural Hazards Possible Severe Very High 2nd Transfer RF99803 Change in Climate Likely Moderate High 3rd Accept Contract Management Plan and Documentation Requirements The contract management plan is developed for ensuring the documentation of the contracts with the contractors has been developed successfully. The project of Site Demolition at Goyder Street consists of various contractors like ActewAGL (Electricity Gas), ICON Water (Water Sewer), Jemena (High Pressure Gas Services), ZNX (Gas services), Telstra (Telecommunications, EPU (soil erosion management, contamination hazardous materials removal disposal), Parks and City Services (Tree removal, tree protection), and ACT Government. The contract management is deployed for the development is developed for forming the support of the management (Pritchard and PMP 2014). The contract management includes contract transition planning, contract communication protocol, GFS/I review process, method for monitoring performance-based objectives, inspection and acceptance, invoice review, fee administration, contract change control process, review of contractors requests for equitable adjustments, con tractor litigation management, contractor employee claims system, proposed settlement of costs for post contract liabilities, contract records, and contract closeout. Bibliography Boud, D., Cohen, R. and Sampson, J. eds., 2014.Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and with each other. Routledge. Bromiley, P., McShane, M., Nair, A. and Rustambekov, E., 2015. Enterprise risk management: Review, critique, and research directions.Long range planning,48(4), pp.265-276. Burke, R., 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Cicmil, S., Cooke-Davies, T., Crawford, L. and Richardson, K., 2017, April. Exploring the complexity of projects: Implications of complexity theory for project management practice. Project Management Institute. Coombs, W.T., 2014.Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding. Sage Publications. Crawford, J.K., 2014.Project management maturity model. CRC Press. Dunn, C.J., Calkin, D.E. and Thompson, M.P., 2017. Towards enhanced risk management: planning, decision making and monitoring of US wildfire response.International Journal of Wildland Fire,26(7), pp.551-556. Enright, P.T., 2014. Work Health Safety legislation; the fire engineers neglected duty?.Case Studies in Fire Safety,2, pp.1-8. Fleming, Q.W. and Koppelman, J.M., 2016, December. Earned value project management. Project Management Institute. Flyvbjerg, B., 2013. From Nobel prize to project management: getting risks right.arXiv preprint arXiv:1302.3642. Gido, J., Clements, J. and Clements, J., 2014.Successful project management. Nelson Education. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Hegazy, T., 2013.Computer-Based Construction Project Management: Pearson New International Edition. Pearson Higher Ed. Heldman, K., 2015.PMP project management professional exam deluxe study guide: updated for the 2015 Exam. John Wiley Sons. Hwang, B.G. and Ng, W.J., 2013. Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges.International Journal of Project Management,31(2), pp.272-284. Kerzner, H., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Kerzner, H., 2017.Project management metrics, KPIs, and dashboards: a guide to measuring and monitoring project performance. John Wiley Sons. Kim, J. and de Dear, R., 2013. Workspace satisfaction: The privacy-communication trade-off in open-plan offices.Journal of Environmental Psychology,36, pp.18-26. Larson, E.W. and Gray, C., 2013.Project Management: The Managerial Process with MS Project. McGraw-Hill. Leach, L.P., 2014.Critical chain project management. Artech House. Martin, B., 2017.The politics of electricity planning in South Africa: A review of dominant advocacy coalitions seeking to influence the Integrated Resource Plan of 2010 (IRP2010), and its update in 2013(Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape Town). Martinelli, R.J. and Milosevic, D.Z., 2016.Project management toolbox: tools and techniques for the practicing project manager. John Wiley Sons. McNeil, A.J., Frey, R. and Embrechts, P., 2015.Quantitative risk management: Concepts, techniques and tools. Princeton university press. Mir, F.A. and Pinnington, A.H., 2014. Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success.International journal of project management,32(2), pp.202-217. Mok, K.Y., Shen, G.Q. and Yang, J., 2015. Stakeholder management studies in mega construction projects: A review and future directions.International Journal of Project Management,33(2), pp.446-457. Montmasson-Clair, G. and Ryan, G., 2014. Repositioning Electricity Planning at the Core: An Evaluation of South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan. Neal, B., 2017. Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: Intention, implementation and outcomes in the hill country livestock farming industry. Nicholas, J.M. and Steyn, H., 2017.Project management for engineering, business and technology. Taylor Francis. Phillips, J., 2013.PMP, Project Management Professional (Certification Study Guides). McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. Portny, S.E., 2017.Project management for dummies. John Wiley Sons. Pritchard, C.L. and PMP, P.R., 2014.Risk management: concepts and guidance. CRC Press. Sallis, E., 2014.Total quality management in education. Routledge. Schwalbe, K., 2015.Information technology project management. Cengage Learning. Sears, S.K., Sears, G.A., Clough, R.H., Rounds, J.L. and Segner, R.O., 2015.Construction project management. John Wiley Sons. Serra, C.E.M. and Kunc, M., 2015. Benefits realisation management and its influence on project success and on the execution of business strategies.International Journal of Project Management,33(1), pp.53-66. Svejvig, P. and Andersen, P., 2015. Rethinking project management: A structured literature review with a critical look at the brave new world.International Journal of Project Management,33(2), pp.278-290. Todorovi?, M.L., Petrovi?, D.?., Mihi?, M.M., Obradovi?, V.L. and Bushuyev, S.D., 2015. Project success analysis framework: A knowledge-based approach in project management.International Journal of Project Management,33(4), pp.772-783. Turner, R., 2016.Gower handbook of project management. Routledge. Verzuh, E., 2015.The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley Sons. Walker, A., 2015.Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons. Communication Plan

The fittest and dreams Essay Example For Students

The fittest and dreams Essay Steinbeck has shown a direct significance in chapters 1 and 6 to show his view on survival of the fittest and dreams. The novel is cyclical as we examine, begins and ends in the same place. The beginning included keywords such as ‘twinkling’, ‘sunlight’ and ‘golden’, which makes the setting seem almost like the Garden of Eden. It has also been quoted that ‘a path had been beaten hard by boys’, portraying the theme of the novel, where nature being the weak and man destroying it with their power, shows the weak never survive and it’s the battle of the survival of the fittest. Even throughout the novel, events are foreshadowed throughout. We will write a custom essay on The fittest and dreams specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Where the death of Candy’s dog foreshadows the death of Lennie, Lennie killing the mouse, the puppy, and then the girl, all show a link to what may happen. Both chapter 1 and chapter 6 feature animals to foreplay the story where Steinbeck can give us two ideas to the theme of the novel and where he introduces the water snake and heron. Where in the first chapter everything seems to be calm and under control and peaceful, but in the last chapter it seems as if good (being nature) had been destroyed, where the heron then eats the water snake ‘plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake’. This scene gives us a sense of the weak not being able to survive but then the scene is followed by ‘re-birth’ or a new life, ‘another little water snake swam up the pool’, which gives us another sense that even after death and the feeling of all hope being lost, there may still be a second chance. In chapter 6 on the other hand, the setting is completely different. All signs of hope seem to have been gone and highlights the end to the ‘American dream, which could link to how they have been destroyed throughout the novel. The whole heavenly-like atmosphere has disappeared where the peaceful surroundings have now turned into almost a hell-like vision with ‘the sun had left the valley’, ‘a pleasant shade had fallen’, symbolising the death of dreams and the use of pathetic fallacy. We know from just by looking at the scene where the whole novel had started, which was based in the location ‘Soledad’ meaning loneliness in Spanish, that loneliness is the main theme, where every man is for himself, where they dream of freedom that they can never really get.

How to Structure News Stories With the Inverted Pyramid

How to Structure News Stories With the Inverted Pyramid There are a few basic rules for writing and structuring any news story. If you’re accustomed to other types of writing – such as fiction – these rules may seem odd at first. But the format is easy to pick up, and there are very practical reasons why reporters have followed this format for decades. Inverted Pyramid in News The inverted pyramid is the model for news writing. It simply means that the heaviest or most important information should be at the top – the beginning – of your story, and the least important information should go at the bottom. And as you move from top to bottom, the information presented should gradually become less important. In the age of internet news, many online news outlets have tweaked this format to align with search engines. But the basic premise remains the same: Get the most important information at the top of the news story. How to Write with the Inverted Pyramid Let’s say you’re writing a story about a fire in which two people are killed and their house is destroyed. In your reporting, you’ve gathered a lot of details including the victims’ names, the address of their home, what time the blaze broke out, and possibly what officials believe may have caused the fire. Obviously, the most important information is the fact that two people died in the fire. That’s what you want at the top of your story. Other details – the names of the deceased, the address of their home, when the fire occurred – should certainly be included. But they can be placed lower down in the story, not at the very top. And the least important information - things like what the weather was like at the time, or the color of the home - should be at the very bottom of the story (if included at all). Story Follows The Lede The other important aspect of structuring a news article is making sure the story follows logically from the lede (this is a deliberate misspelling of lead, which prevented confusion among typesetters in the early days of newspapers). So if the lede of your story focuses on the fact that two people were killed in the house fire, the paragraphs that immediately follow the lede should elaborate on that fact. You wouldnt want the second or third paragraph of the story to discuss the weather at the time of the fire, for example. Details such as the peoples names, their ages and how long they had lived in the home would all be important to include immediately following the lede sentence. History of the Inverted Pyramid The inverted pyramid format turns traditional storytelling on its head. In a short story or novel, the most important moment – the climax - typically comes about two-thirds of the way through, closer to the end. But in news writing, the most important moment is right at the start of the lede. The inverted pyramid format was developed during the Civil War. Newspaper correspondents covering that war’s great battles relied on telegraph machines to transmit their stories back to their newspapers’ offices. But often saboteurs would cut the telegraph lines, so reporters learned to transmit the most important information – General Lee defeated at Gettysburg, for instance – at the very start of the transmission to make sure it got through successfully. The use of the inverted pyramid also grew in popularity because as the news cycle grew shorter with the advent of television and online news, readers attention spans grew shorter as well. Now, theres no guarantee readers will continue to the end of a story, so getting the most important information at the top of the story is more important than ever.

Bounty Land Warrants From 1775 to 1885

Bounty Land Warrants From 1775 to 1885 Bounty land warrants were grants of free land issued to veterans in return for military service from the time of the  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Revolutionary War through 1855 in the United States. They contained the surrendered warrant, a letter of assignment if the warrant was transferred to another individual, and other papers pertaining to the transaction. What Are Bounty Land Warrants in Detail Bounty land is a grant of free land from a government given to citizens as a reward for service to their country, generally for military-related service. Most bounty-land warrants in the United States were given to veterans or their survivors for wartime military service performed between 1775 and 3 March 1855. This includes veterans who served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Mexican War. Bounty land warrants werent automatically issued to every veteran who served. The veteran first had to apply for a warrant and then, if the warrant was granted, he could use the warrant to apply for a land patent. The land patent is the document which granted him ownership of the land. Bounty land warrants could also be transferred or sold to other individuals.   They were also used as a way to provide evidence of military service, especially in cases where a veteran or his widow did not apply for a pension How They Were Awarded Revolutionary War bounty land warrants were first awarded through an  act of Congress on 16 September 1776. They were last awarded for military service in 1858, although the ability to claim bounty land previously earned extended until 1863. A few claims that were tied up in the courts caused lands to be granted as late as 1912. What You Can Learn From Bounty Land Warrants A bounty land warrant application for a veteran of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 or the Mexican War will include the individuals rank, military unit and period of service. It will also generally provide his age and place of residence at the time of application. If the application was made by the surviving widow, it will usually include her age, place of residence, the date and place of marriage, and her maiden name. Accessing Bounty Land Warrants Federal bounty land warrants are kept at the National Archives in Washington D.C. and can be requested through the mail on NATF Form 85 (Military Pension/Bounty Land Warrant Applications) or ordered online.

Marketing Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Marketing Models - Essay Example These are responding to customer needs which will drive company success. Electronic marketing and technology will enable us to relate to the classics. Riley (2012) notes that cheaper and faster will allow businesses to execute strategies that would be impossible before. Consumer wants are constantly changing faster in the 21st century compared to past years. This is due to easy access to products through internet, electronic and print media. Industries are flooded with same products hence customers should to be aware of your business and what it offers. Consumer awareness can be fully achieved through marketing. So as a business person, one must always be focusing into the future. Most Small Micro Enterprises always sideline marketing citing expenses. Small businesses operate mostly on no-frills thus view marketing as expensive. Question that arises is how in absence of marketing one suggests to acquire the much wanted client base that affect sales. Many businesses are in operation and competition cut throat in the 21st century due to improved innovation. Without effective marketing of products, brand Image Company’s are deemed to fail in the start up stages, Riley (2012) Marketing campaign decisions must be drawn to sway sales and consumers. Generally a business could swap sales team size, price and advertisement budget. Marketing process invloves situational analysis, marketing strategy, market mix decision and implementation and control. Because the product already exists in the market and at its maturity stage, the market mix process would be applicable. Several tools are used by marketers to create the desired feedback from target consumers. These set of tools are called marketing mix. At the market mix level, planned decisions are drawn for controllable indicators. The most applicable indicator for the product is product promotional assessment. The main marketing

Personal Statement for Bioinformatics Graduate Program

For Bioinformatics Graduate Program - Personal Statement Example At High School, my plans for the future centered on my becoming a practicing doctor, with the skill of healing patients. I must admit that I had to overcome the disadvantage of a relatively weak foundation in Science, as a result of my Middle School curriculum in China, which did not include Biology. The language barrier also proved difficult to break during the initial years of my arrival in the USA, and my focus then was on mastering English and Mathematics, and understanding American culture. The scientific terms in Biology were difficult to come to grips with! However, my determination to enter the field of Medicine kept me going. The same determination is now my tool in my effort to overcome any shortcomings in my academic career. I am very aware that my GRE writing score of 3 could have been higher, and am determined to identify and address this through repeated practice of writing skills. A career in medicine continued to be my goal as I stood on the threshold of my freshman y ear at the University of California, Davis. However, the first Molecular Cellular Biology class I attended at the UC Davis, discussing gene therapy, proved to be a revelation to me: I had discovered the interest of my life! I was fascinated by the intricacies and application of genetics: especially in the area of finding epigenetic information. Here was a new front in the battle against chronic disease. As I continued to take additional technical electives in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biotechnology, I came to realize that genetics is one of the most powerful tools available to humanity in the field of medicine. Gene association studies and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection can be used in disease prediction, thus potentially preventing disease formation. Genetics is the cutting-edge of health-care research and personalized medicine. The next step in my academic evolution was my realization of the power of technology. As the only child of immigrant parents who were focused on earning a living, the computer has been a good friend of mine, right from the age of twelve, when I moved to the USA. While working as a Laboratory Assistant at the Immunology and Histology Lab of UC Davis Veterinary School in 2009-2010, I became deeply aware of the vast amount of medical information stored and retrieved by accessing a database. This personal experience of the power and efficacy of computers impressed on me the importance of technology as a tool in research. I discovered that the hands-on processing of data gives me immense satisfaction. Gradually, my earlier interest in science and research shifted focus from the traditional bench sitting to a computer oriented approach. Therefore, in my junior year of college, I declared my major as Biotechnology, with a Bioinformatics option that combined my interests in both technology/informatics and biology/genetics. The Applied Bioinformatics course I took in the fall of 2010 confirmed that my special interest lay in the field of bioinformatics and its application in genetic/genomic studies. Craving further practical experience in this field, I opted for internships at different laboratories: Theg Lab, UC Davis; Molecular Anthropology Laboratory, UC Davis; Dubcovsky Wheat Genetic Lab, UC Davis;

McDonalds use to help their employees Essay Example for Free

McDonalds use to help their employees Essay Staff are expensive and in McDonalds need to obtain permission to recruit a new member of staff. If McDonalds is struggling, they may also need agreement to replace someone who is leaving. Normally therefore there is a specific procedure managers must follow before the recruitment process can be started. Agree the Job Description The job being advertised may be new, in which case a job description needs to be devised. Even if someone is being replaced, it is useful to update the job description in case any task or duties have changed, Example of a Job Description Department : Marketing Job Title: Marketing Assistant Hours of work: 38 per week, normally 9am-5 45pm Monday-Friday with one hour lunch, but some flexibility required Salary scale: 12000-i 14000 Responsible to: Marketing Manager Responsible for: Not applicable Job purpose: to provide general support for the marketing team, to prepare marketing materials, to keep the website up to date and monitor online responses. The type of interview will depend on the job. a basic one stage interview is usual for manual or junior vacancies in McDonalds. A two stage interview in McDonalds would involve a panel of interviewers used for senior or high skill vacancies. Some interviews will include basic tests of aptitude or specific skills such as keyboarding or numeracy All interviewers in McDonalds should be trained so they know how to question candidates skilfully and fairly. They should know how to spot gaps on application forms, understand how to follow up inadequate answers and have the skills to encourage shy or reserved candidates to do their best. They must also be clear on all the laws e. g. sex discrimination, health and safety etc. They should also be able to be fair, ths involves same questions and discussions. Making an offer Once a person has been selected McDonalds makes a formal job offer. The other candidates are normally not contacted at this stage, in case the first choice refuses because then a offer can be given to the second best. Only after the offer is accepted 100% the other applicants are told they have been unsuccessful. McDonalds know that waiting for news is agonising for candidates they speed things up contacting candidates by phone so that the remaining letters can be sent quickly. Training The reason why McDonalds train there employees is to make sure there employees are learning knowledge and skills which can be used in employment. Training can be split into two parts On the job training This means that the employee is trained in the McDonalds. Many people enjoy this as it gibes them experience and enable them to do their job properly. Off the job training This means attending course elsewhere such as colleges or a training centre away for McDonalds. Skills Training Training is about gaining more skills Non transferable skills These are skills that are specific to the job held. They may be of little use in another job. E. g. training to make burgers in the restaurant provides the employee with a non transferable skill. This is not a problem unless they look for a new job, get made redundant, or skill becomes out of date. This is where McDonalds allocating people extra tasks in their jobs gives management a better idea of an employees true ability and determination. Job enrichment Where McDonalds add more interest and more difficult tasks to the job. This is done with an employee with promising potential to see just how capable the person really is. Understudying An employee is attached to a very senior manager to act as an assistant. Shadowing This is where in McDonalds an employee spends more time each week with a manager to learn what they do and to get a better idea of what problems they deal with. It is used in McDonalds to adapt a employee rapidly into a top job. Mentoring This is used in McDonalds a lot; it is where a senior manager passes on the benefits of his or her experience and wisdom to a younger employee. Project work Giving a promising employee a specific investigative project enables them to get appropriate many aspects of McDonalds and it enables them to get to know senior management. National Awards McDonalds are very keen to train and develop their employees. The government encourages McDonalds to invest time and money to be able to do this. Employees can achieve NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications. National training awards McDonalds and their employees can be granted National training awards for achieving excellence and success through training. The awards are aimed at people who have decided to improve their chances of success through learning new skills. National Vocational Qualifications The reason for NVQs is to create a national system of approved skills based qualifications for all employees. These qualifications are workplace based and they cover vocational areas such as McDonalds Administration. Training and development are vitally important for the overall efficiency and competitiveness of McDonalds. The way in which McDonalds recruit and train is excellent as there employees have generally improved. The appraisal is a good method which also helps the employees performance, because McDonalds do this every six months to analyse progression. For McDonalds, people are its most important asset. This is because customer satisfaction begins with the attitutudes and abilities of employees and committed, effective workers are the best route to success. For these reasons, McDonalds strives to attract and hire the best, and to provide the best place to work. All businesses experience staff turnover for various reasons e. g. career change, leaving the area, returning to education, a new opportunity elsewhere. Recruiting and training staff is very expensive and businesses will look to keep staff turnover to a minimum. One way of doing this is to choose wisely, and treat well. McDonalds needs people who want to excel in delivering outstanding service. To ensure the company recruits the right people, it has identified essential skills and behaviours that applicants should be able to demonstrate. For each position there is a job description outlining typical duties and responsibilities and a person specification defining personal skills and competences. Recruiting suitable applicants Under McDonalds recruitment policy, each individual restaurant is responsible for filling hourly-paid positions. The Management Recruitment department in East Finchley co-ordinates the recruitment of managers. For recruiting hourly-paid employees McDonalds use several avenues. Positions are generally advertised in the restaurant. The companys recruitment history shows this is the best method of hiring quality staff e. g. people living locally and/or friends of existing employees. McDonalds also uses local job centres, career fairs and other local facilities. It is vital to use effective hiring material with a clear message targeted at the right audience. A recruitment exercise often generates more applications than there are positions available. The manager will select the applicants to be interviewed and will conduct the interviews. Over 60% of restaurant crew are aged 20 or under and; for the majority of applicants, a job with McDonalds would be their first experience of employment. For many young people, McDonalds also offers a career opportunity. A well-run interview will identify an applicants potential to be a successful McDonalds employee. To find people who will be committed to excel in delivering outstanding service, McDonalds scripts an interview guide that helps the company predict how an applicants past behaviour is likely to influence future performance. It uses a fact-based decision-making process. The questions look for actual events or situations rather than allowing applicants to give a general or theoretical response. Interviewers look for behavioural evidence in the applicants life history that fits with the requirements of the job. The interviewer rates candidates on their responses and offers jobs to those who earn the highest ratings. McDonalds future managers come from two main sources. More than half of all salaried management positions are taken up by hourly-paid employees who earn promotion. The remainder are predominately graduates. Wherever possible, McDonalds directs applicants towards applying on line at www. mcdonalds. co. uk. People who cannot access the web can call the Recruitment Hotline, or pick up a pre-paid Business Reply Card from a McDonalds restaurant. The selection process includes an initial online psychometric test. This test produces an initial score. The applicant then attends a first stage interview and is offered On Job Experience (OJE). This is a 2-day assessment in a restaurant. Successful completion at OJE will lead to a final.

Platos Repubulic- Music, Art, Literature Essay -- essays research pap

In The Republic, Plato uses many different aspects in Books II, III, and X including: art, literature, and music. These aspects play a huge part in the building of the â€Å"ideal city†. Plato includes what can and cannot be used and what is good and what is bad for the city. While building the city, everything is broken down and analyzed by Plato. Art as an imitation of real things, three types of imitation, the types of literature, art, and music allowed and not allowed in the city, and the impact of art on the people of the city will all be analyzed in this paper. Books III and X contain information on art as an imitation of real things. â€Å"Imitation, we say, imitates human beings performing forced or voluntary actions, and, as a result of the action, supposing themselves to have done well or badly, and in all of this experiencing pain or enjoyment† (287). Plato also describes art as the imitation of real things as a copy of an object. A painter paints a picture of a couch. The couch in the painting looks the same as the couch that was used for the painting, but the couch in the picture is a copy of the original couch. Plato makes it seem that art imitates the objects and events of real life. Plato furthers his point by introducing his theory that a copy of a copy of an object is imitation. For example, carpenters build a bed which they did not originally event. The carpenter’s bed was built by the carpenter but it was based off another bed that was originally created by God. This makes the carpenter’s bed a copy of another bed. When a painter is painting he also creates a copy of an object. If he paints the carpenters bed, it is a copy of a copy of an object. Plato includes, â€Å"imitation is surely far from the truth, and, as it... ...s that the people are very important to Plato. If degrading artwork, stories, or poems enter the city it could make the people weak, unhappy, and very depressed. On the other hand, if positive artwork is introduced the whole mood of the city changes. They could be come strong, happy, and vivacious. Plato made sure that there was no literature or music that sad or discouraging in the city. As seen in Books II, III, and X, art, literature, and music played a large part in putting the ideal city together. The imitation of art had a large impact on everyone in the city, each type of music had to fit the personality or job of each person in the city, and the literature had to be watched closely so that the women, children, and even men were not distraught by it. While building the ideal city Plato had to make sure everything was perfect so that everyone was happy.

Dark and gothic atmosphere Essay

In this essay I will show how Mary Shelley manipulates the reader’s view of the monster throughout her novel â€Å"Frankenstein.† I will show that Shelley creates many different impressions on the reader, through various methods, to change their opinion throughout the book.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Frankenstein† is a romantic gothic horror novel written in 1818 by a young woman named Mary Shelley. It includes the classic gothic themes of romance, horror, religion and good and evil. â€Å"Frankenstein†, however, is centred on a issue still debated today; whether trying to change life is playing God and if it will lead to dire consequences. At the time of writing Mary Shelley was 16, the wife of Percy Shelley and staying in the Swiss Alps with Lord Byron and her husband. One of the more classic methods Shelley uses to manipulate her readers is setting. In chapter 5 the setting gives a dark and gothic atmosphere, which tells the reader that the monster is horrifying and to be feared. â€Å"One in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out.† This quote is giving the reader the idea of isolation; something surreptitious and forbidden. Mary Shelley does this by using a classic gothic horror setting; the night which traditionally implies evil, secrecy and darkness, the bad weather, used to make everything more dank and dismal, and the burnt down candle, a symbol of long hours of frenzied work and manic concentration. This setting also reflects badly on Frankenstein’s character; the middle of a stormy night when most people would be in bed and he is up, furtively completing a long held ambition. The burnt down candle image heightens this idea but also adds the concept that Frankenstein himself may be close to burning out. The candle is used as a metaphor for his own exhaustion. This type of setting shows the reader that Frankenstein is doing something secretly, something offensive to society. This casts a negative shadow on his character. The setting is also used to put a negative slur on the monster and just about everything else in the scene. The setting is used to make everything worse. The strange hour of the night and turbulent weather show the reader that the monster must be weird and unnatural to be kept away from normal people. Overall the main effect of this setting is to make all the ideas Mary Shelley presents to her readers in this chapter seem twisted and dangerous. Another thing which Mary Shelley uses to influence the reader’s opinion of the monster is its appearance. We are introduced to the living monster in chapter 5 and this is where most of the description concerning its â€Å"horrid† appearance is used. The monster is repulsive and gruesome, which is described in horrifying detail, causing the reader to make negative judgements on its character. In describing the monster Shelley also uses the reference of â€Å"Dante†. This comparison introduces a religious element; in playing God, Frankenstein has produced something worse than can be found in Hell. This also reinforces the unnatural image. This is continued with the idea that the monster has not turned out the way Frankenstein expected. â€Å"Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The whole vivid description centres on the unnatural and freakish, especially the way the monster’s innards are described as visible through the monster’s sallow skin. This creates a dramatic image in the readers mind as something human shaped but ultimately wrong, different and scary, more animal than human. The monster is also described as having â€Å"watery eyes† which make us think of illness, or perhaps, in the case of the monster, crying. This idea makes the monster seem all the more wretched and repulsive. Mary Shelley also uses the reaction of Victor Frankenstein to prejudice her readers against the monster in chapter 5. â€Å"†¦the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.† The inventor turns against his creation immediately after giving it life. He takes no responsibility for the monster’s well being though he is the closest thing to a father the monster could have. He runs from his duty and breaks down, delirious with the shock of losing his dream and realising that he has done an evil deed. This adds to the fear felt by the reader; if even it’s creator cannot stand the monster, how evil would a stranger find it? The way Frankenstein turns against the monster the moment it comes to life signals to the reader that this is the moment when the sin is committed. Giving life is going against God so this is where all the negativity in this chapter, and in most of the book starts. The last influence on our opinion of the monster I will look at in chapter 5 is the monster’s own words and actions. In this chapter they are deliberately given a double meaning; animal, or baby? â€Å"His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks.† This quote shows the monster as incoherent, whether due to a lack of intelligence or experience is unclear at this point. However the monster has, in effect, just been born and the behaviours Shelley describes are very similar to young children not quite in control of their movements, trying to pick up or chew on everything they find. When these movements are applied to the monster Shelley describes they become intimidating and threatening which gives the reader an even worse impression of the monster, when in reality it is just a scared child who has been called into the world and then rejected within minutes. Frankenstein is the first living creature the monster sets eyes on. This means that in its view Frankenstein is its father. This means that the monster reaches out to him for comfort and shelter. â€Å"†¦one hand was stretched out,† This quote shows the monster reaching for Frankenstein. However Shelley deliberately leaves the action open for interpretation as an animal attack to reinforce the overall impression received by the reader in this chapter that the monster is an ugly, evil, dangerous, horrifying animal. There are a lot of contrasts between chapters 5 and 10. The first is the setting which becomes a lot more dangerous and inaccessible in chapter 10. The setting is first portrayed in this chapter as enormous and amazing, as yet untouched by humans. â€Å"Solemn silence of this glorious presence-chamber of imperial nature was broken only by the brawling waves or the fall of some vast fragment.† This quote shows why Frankenstein has come to this place; he wants peace and isolation, and to think about more than just his own personal tragedy. â€Å"They elevated me from all little ness of feeling, and although they did not remove my grief, they subdued and tranquillized it.† The language used to describe the setting is more elaborate in this chapter, which reflects the increased grandeur of the scene. This is done to create a sense of awe from the reader and to show them how isolated the setting is, which affects their perception of the monster when he is introduced to the c hapter.

Marketing Plan Phase Essay

Marketing increases awareness of an organization’s products and services. In the current technology driven market, organizations must constantly develop and promote new products and services to meet customer needs. The following plan outlines a proposed Kids’ Area for Best Buy. Company Overview Best Buy is a growth company focused on better solving the unmet needs of our customers, and we rely on our employees to solve those puzzles† (Best Buy, 2009-2015). In 1966 Robert Schulze and his business partner James Wheeler opened Sound of Music Inc. in an effort to produce a share of the home and car stereo retail market. In 1970 Schulze decided to buy out his partner and continued to develop his retail chain. Schulze began to realize that he needed to alter the direction that his company was going in, so he attended a seminar that brought him to turn the possibilities into a reality. The first change was to expand the offerings of the organization that would include VCR’s, and appliances, which would ultimately bring in more revenue for the company, about 9.3 million for the year to be exact. In 1983 Sound of Music changed their name to Best Buy, and aimed toward a broader more comfortable customer base. As of today Best Buy has more than a dozen brand names, operates on four continents, in over 3000 stores (Best Buy, 2009-2012). Best Buy’s mission is to continue to profit and grow as a team by providing their customers with exceptional value and a great shopping experience (Best Buy, 2009-2012). Service Proposal Kids Corner will give parents a valuable service who have the desire to get in and out of Best Buy without acquiring the hassle of going from place to place to find items for their children. Kids Corner comes as a benefit to parents and their children who want to buy the hottest games and other little gadgets for their children. This particular area is a place where parents and children can find the electronics and accessories that kids want in one location instead of running all over the store to find what they need. Another added perk of Kids Corner is the online features and service that will give children the opportunity to play online games, parents can evaluate different products and modify their online profiles. Kids Corner will be separated according to age groups ranging from: 3-17 year olds. Grouping according to age is how Best Buy will decide what products go where. The three to five year old sections will consist of mostly educational and some electronic games, kid’s movies and dvd’s. This area will add an extra touch with decorated pictures of Disney, marvel, and educational characters. For the six to ten10 year old area it will feature educational games, software, video games, music and dvd’s. The 11-14 year olds (pre-teens) will have music, dvd’s, gaming accessories, educational games and software, cell phones, and cameras. The 15-17 year olds (teens) area will consist of music, music accessories, video games and accessories, dvd’s computers, cell phones, and other gadgets. Marketing Approach Approaching marketing research for the idea of a Kids Corner for Best Buy would need to include different fundamentals, such as consumer analysis for demographics, psychographics, behavioral patterns, including buying habits, and geographical scenarios. The goal of marketing a Kids Corner for Best Buy is to make Best Buy widely known and recognized for promoting a kid friendly environment. Another important aspect for research is the competition of competing with other electronics stores that offer the same service. Researchers perform psychographic research by engaging the consumers to say yes or no to activities, personal interests, and personal opinions about the marketing research conducted. When research has been completed the results are shared in regard to geographic and demographics, according to characteristics of the target area (Business Dictionary, 2013). Psychographics will generate an in-depth profile of the consumers who participate in the research. The research will p resent an opportunity to collect data on activities, interest, and opinions that will be advantageous to both the consumers and Best Buy’s sales power. The success of Kids Corner will depend on a solid marketing plan that must be focused on the consumers more rather than the power of the service offered. The plan will cover advertising, promotions, public relations, and sales. Strategically, although quality service is also crucial, the buying public still has their personal preferences Clancy, 2008). If Kids Corner targets more of the consumers needs, they will come back again and bring along potential customers. The research plan will include research on other competing electronics stores to allow Best Buy to identify if the needs for a Kids Corner would be beneficial to the organization’s needs. If the data collected shows the service is already offered by the competitors than Best Buy can shift is marketing strategies to accommodate consumers, by marketing a scenario that the other electronics stores does not offer. The marketing strategies will also need to focus on the contributions of consumers who in turn will contribute to the success of Best Buy Kids Corner and their needs. Pricing is another important aspect of the marketing strategy, and it will need to be affordable. The results of the surveys conducted as well as the needs of services will help determine Best Buy Kids Corner geographical areas depending on Best Buy stores locations. Understanding the markets needs, consumer contributions, developing, and building upon the strategy proposed, and implementation of the plan, to include monitoring the plan are the marketing steps used to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the marketing approach (Clancy, 2008). SWOTT Analysis A SWOTT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and trends) analysis on the new Kids Corner service offered at all Best Buy store locations: Strengths: Best Buy’s internal strengths include their available resources and capabilities that can be used in the development of a competitive advantage. * The innovative development of a new service called Kids Corner * Best Buy is a $50 billion Fortune 100 company (Best Buy, 2009 – 2015). * Best Buy has an average of 1.6 billion visitors per year via in-store, on-line, and mobile device (Best Buy, 2009 – 2015). * Best Buy continues to experience growth via acquisitions and mergers, i.e. Magnolia Hi-Fi, Inc. and Geek Squad (Best Buy, 2009 – 2015). * Best Buy leads the way in Consumer Electronics compared to other discount stores such as Walmart and Target. Best Buys largest competitor is RadioShack Corporation. * Reorganization of the existing space in the already large Best Buy stores to make room for Kids Corner. * Use existing â€Å"sample/interactive† products, i.e. hand held video games, toys, etc. as tax write-offs. * Knowledgeable customer service and highly trained/tech savvy staff to serve the customers. * Competitive edge over other electronic department stores with the existing branded image and children’s focused department. * Best Buys Trade-in program compensates consumers in a variety of ways for used electronics products. Weaknesses: Best Buy’s internal weaknesses are items not as transparent to consumers and may be viewed as weaknesses. * Lack of knowledge specific to children’s electronics/toys. * Undifferentiated products or services in relation to Best Buy competitors. * Interactive displays may expire quickly with overuse in the Kids Corner. * If RadioShack Corporation were to offer a similar service this could lead to confusion of consumers and possibly damage the brands. * Training staff specifically to children’s electronics and toys ma y lead to additional funds for re-training the Kids Corner if the strategy is reconsidered. * Success of the Kids Corner is dependent upon consumers seeking child specific products. Opportunities: Best Buy has many external opportunities with the addition of the childcare center. * Best Buy could expand Kids Corner to online and mobile service with children’s electronics/toys customer service readily available via online chat or by telephone. * Increased sales by customers simply spending more time on their personal shopping by having the ability to have a highly visual Kids Corner in-store where knowledgeable staff is available to assist with products specific to the Kids Corner. * The implementation of the Kids Corner opens doors to other growth opportunities, such as mergers or acquisitions pertaining to children’s products. Threats: Best Buy’s potential threats from the external environment * Competitors could develop a similar service and cause consumer confusion of the brand and possibly damage the brand. * Increase in labor costs specific to hiring and training for children’s electronics/toys offered in Kids Corner * Online competitor’s ability to sell consumer electronics at lower prices. * Online gaming sites are reducing the consumers need to purchase games. Many websites offer free games for children, i.e. Disney.com and Nickelodeon.com. Trends: Best Buy’s management team has various avenues of marketing research available to determine the success of the Kids Corner service. * Demographically, Best Buy stores are generally located in city suburbs that encompass large amounts of families. The large amount of families in a close radius to Best Buy locations encourages the implementation of the new Kids Corner service. Changes in demographics could lead to Best Buy restructuring or reconsidering the Kids Corner service. * Economic environments of city suburbs include both large corporations and small business with low amounts of unemployment. Best Buy’s m anagement can review the markets economic status by assessing various publicly available reports both finance and employment rates. Management can make decisions to develop new strategies to encompass the changing economic environment. * Best Buy practices sustainability in their Trade-In program available to customers who want to trade used electronics to receive in-store credit or check on site to refurbish or recycle used electronics. *Children’s electronic products are included in the Trade-In program. * Best Buy’s primary focus is on technology and offering the most advanced consumer electronics to consumers. Best Buy learns about consumers needs and wants by performing extensive research by in-store customer interaction and consumer purchases, online research of publicly available survey results, reviewing the success of their primary competitor’s products, and by conducting online surveys available on the Best Buy website. This data allows Best Buy to determine what products and services to offer next such as the Kids Corner. Marketing Strategy â€Å"8- to 12-year-olds spend $30 billion of their own money each year and influence another $150 billion of their parents’ spending† (Lagorio, 2009). Best Buy is making their kids products easier to find and to purchase. With the marketing strategy, Best Buy notices a high conversion rate of children’s products, but doesn’t want to dilute their other client segments by turning the culture of Best Buy into a kid’s store. Best Buy has found a way to grow their child customer base, while making it easy and convenient for the parents, children and other customer segments. Location of the Kids Corner will be a major part of executing this strategy. By consolidating the children’s products into a specific part of the stores globally, called the Kids Corner, it offers a better overall culture to the client segments Best Buy has identified. The parents who are looking for their children can get all their children’s needs at one, convenient place, while Best Buy continues to cross sell and up sell. Pricing causes challenges and in many cases, Best Buy and other stores have hard times cutting prices in the latest and greatest electronics and toys. Offering a specifically targeted shopping convenience is proven to increase revenue with new and loyal customers. Promoting with both in store and online ads will drive awareness. Online marketing will make it easier to market toward those you know have kids. Emails and banner ads showcasing the Kids Corner will be sure to keep parents coming for more. Conclusion The Kid’s Area seeks to enhance the shopping experience for Best Buy’s customers. By conveniently gathering products for children, Best Buy targets products more accurately. This accuracy increases the likelihood of success for Best Buy’s overall market strategy. Reference About Best Buy. (2009 – 2015). Retrieved from http://pr.bby.com/about-best-buy/ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500823_162-2798401.html Lagorio, C. (2009). Resources: Marketing To Kids. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500823_162-2798401.html