Case Silic

Case SILIC Question 1 Under IAS 40 companies can either use the cost model or the fair value model for investment property. Investment property is held to earn rentals or for capital appreciation or both of them. Next I will summarize main differences between the value models. If the company has chosen the cost model it can change it to the fair value model later. If the fair value model has chosen it is impossible to move back the cost model in practice. It is very hard to find any good reason how the cost value model will enhance the quality of financial reporting if the company has used the fair value method before.In that case if the company has chosen the fair value model the company has to use it in the future. The company has to take account of this issue. The cost model: The depreciation method is used and based on the useful lifetime or depreciation rate. The depreciation time is based on time how long the investment will turn a profit. The company has to report current valu e taken off accumulated depreciation on the balance sheet. Depreciations are reported on the income statement. If the company has chosen to use the cost model the fair value also has to be reported in the notes to the financial statement.The fair value model: Fair value of property is based on the market value. It is the price which independent player would pay for the property on the market. The company should use an expert who will confirm the fair value. The fair value has to be defined every accounting period. Fair values of investment properties are reported in the balance sheet and the changes in fair are reported in the profit and losses. The depreciations are not used in the fail value model. The choice of accounting method affects company? s solvency.When the company has made a choice to use the fair value method the total sum of balance sheet will change on the market prices. However company? s liabilities do not change. If the estate? s value decreases the company? s gear ing ratio will also decrease. This is the situation when solvency has been measured by gearing ratio. I think this is a better way because balance sheet is more indicative now. If the cost model is used solvency does not change when the market prices are changing. The choice of value method affects also on company? s ROE.If the level of rent is rising it means that profit is also going up. When company uses the fair value method ROE will be almost same as before. Profits go up and shareholder? s equity also rises. In the situation where the cost value method is used value of estates do not change when the level of rents rise. So the fair value method is more indicative in case of real return on equity. Silic Inc. has used the cost model as they have valuated their investment properties. Their ROA was 3. 41 % in 2004. If they had chosen the fair value method ROA would have been 2. 94%.Question 2 In the Exhibit 10 according to Investment Property Industry fair value seems to give bett er information about real estate companies because of the nature of the industry. One negative side of the fair value model, however, was the difficulty to make comparisons with historical accounting data. There are few paragraphs in IASB conceptual framework which deal with the performance and changes in financial position. It is important that the users of financial statements can make their economic decisions and predict future profits based on reliable information.One of the qualitative characteristics of financial statements is comparability (paragraphs 39-42) which means that the financial statements of an entity should be comparable through time. According to these views the negative side of the fair value model mentioned earlier would not be in line with the IASB conceptual framework. On the other hand the comparison between other entities might be easier when there are no mistakes or misevaluation in the financial statements. Among International Accounting Firms and Associa tions fair value model seems to be the only reliable way of using in measuring financial statements.Fair value model brings transparency in financial statement that leads to reduction of the manipulation of results by managers. According to National Financial Authorities there is, however, no rush needed to reform accounting too fast partially because of the lack of education as International Accounting Firms and Associations states. It is logical that Accounting Firms and Associations think that fair value model is the most reliable way to use in valuating. For example for auditors fair value model would make the auditing easier because there would be less malpractice or it would be easier to recognize those.IASB conceptual framework highlights the importance of reliable and faithful representation in recognizing and measuring items. Paragraph 34 says that sometimes there are difficulties to apply right measurement technique that correspond with the event. That is why the use of fa ir value model would ease identifying the right way of valuing an event in some situations and increase transparency and understandability in financial statements. Financial Institution Investors argue that fair values have problems with the volatility of earnings and may be too subjective.Financial Analysts go along with Financial Institution Investors and state that fair value model allows greater manipulation of results and introduces volatility. According to IASB conceptual framework, paragraphs 36 and 3942, financial statements should be neutral and comparable which means that subjective valuating is not allowed to occur. Still especially with the values of the assets which are not quoted on the Stock Market may include more subjective valuating in the prices even though used professionally qualified valuers.That may lead to manipulation and not to transparency as discussed earlier. Fair value model may also enable some volatility of earnings between previous financial statemen ts which may lead to difficulties to compare financial statements with historical data. One of the qualitative characteristics of financial statements in the IASB conceptual framework is prudence. Measuring events have to happen with caution especially under uncertainty which means that using the fair value model should be done with prudence and also according to substance over form principle (paragraph 35).That reduces the risk of too subjective valuating. Also the paragraphs 37 and 46 highlight that the valuating must be neutral to ensure the reliability and true and fair view of financial statements which decreases the possibility of making too considered valuating. Problems with fair value described by authorities are real but can be solved by following IASB conceptual framework and other standardizes and especially by following the substance over form principle. Question 3 There is some kind of disadvantages of the cost model. The cost model is not relevant information.It looks at the acquisition cost of an asset and does not recognize the current market value. For example some item that was purchased 15 years ago could be worth much more than the balance sheet shows. A property purchased many years ago and which is registered in the balance sheet at the original cost does not reflect the current market price. Another disadvantage of the cost model is its obvious flaws in times of inflation. This one accounting model also based on the assumption that the currency in which transac- tions are recorded remains stable, so that its purchasing power remains the same over a period of time.Another main point with regards to inflation is rise in prices for an asset. An asset purchased at a point in time may be expensive in the future. Moreover effects of inflation may not be the same for all companies in the market and the cost model accounts become almost unhelpful when comparing corporate performances. Advantage of the cost model is that this model focuses on th e services the asset will provide rather than the precise physical asset. The cost model also helps managers to forecast futures operational costs based on the past data.It is said that the basic function of the cost model accounting is to tell to user the cost of the thing. At first one disadvantage of the fair value model is frequent changes. And that because an item? s value can change frequently in volatile markets. This is seen to lead to major swings in a company? s earnings and value. The fair value model is also kept less reliable because bookkeepers may find fair value accounting less reliable than the cost model accounting. For example when items have different values in different areas. It is also said that inability to value assets is a disadvantage.Businesses with specialized assets or investment packages may find it difficult to value these items on the open market. The fair value model is claimed to reduce book value. Typically company? s book value changes when a com pany buys new assets or disposed old assets. The fair value model? s advantage is that it reduces net income both it is realistic financial statement and this model is very good for investors. And when a company is using fair value model so then values of assets decreases and same time calculates net income decreases. This in one of the advantages to companies because a lower net income results in lower taxes.When company uses the fair value method so then financial statements are more accurate than in those companies not using this method. Because assets are reported for their actual value so then it results in more realistic financial statements. In fact, the fair value model also offers advantages for investors as well. We recommend Silic to choose the fair value model. There is different kind of features which are reasons why we chose the fair value model. At first transparency, international investment and timeliness are better when a company uses the fair value model.Although when we are talking about historical cost comparisons and volatility of earnings so these things are better in the cost model method. Finally maximizing reported performance, financial accounting standards board and information quality were reasons why we chose the fair value model. Silic owns properties near airports and therefore properties consist of offices and light industrial spaces. So in such a case the premises are not suitable for just to one company use. That is the reason why the fair value model is the best way to appreciate the properties.Location and purpose are such that the properties are liquidated at the market if necessary, so the appreciation of the quality of reporting is the best alternative. If we assume that International Accounting Standards Board would start to use only one model in the future so we had to make our choice. After comparing benefits which are told before in this text between the cost model and the fair value model we decided to choose the fa ir value model. Because we saw that this model would be better to Silic. In addition all advantages of the fair value model look better in the future scenario.Question 4 IFRS 13 p. 3 states that â€Å"when a price for an identical asset or liability is not observable, an entity measures fair value using another valuation technique that maximizes the use of relevant observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. Because fair value is a market-based measurement, it is measured using the assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk†¦ † Investment properties are not traded at an active market so a valuation technique has to be used.Alternatives are to use either an income approach or a market approach. In Silic’s case I would use the income approach to measure the fair value of the investments properties. IFRS 13 p. B10 states that the income approach converts future amounts to a single current amount, for example cash flows converted to discounted amount. The income approach is intended to directly reflect or model the expectations and behaviors of typical market participants. Consequently, this approach is generally considered the most applicable valuation technique for income-producing properties, where sufficient market data exists. Wikipedia 2013. ) Income approach includes different valuation techniques. These techniques are; for example, present value techniques, option pricing models and the multi-period excess earnings method. Fair values can be calculated in different ways. The nature and location of investment properties have an effect on the fair values. However, I don’t think the choice of method should depend on the nature and location of investment properties. I see that regardless of which method is used the nature and location will affect on the fair values so that the fair values will be accurate.Question 5 IFRS 1 p. 6 states that an entity shall prepare and present an opening IFRS statement of financial position at the date of transition to IFRSs. This is the starting point for its accounting in accordance with IFRSs. Silic’s first IRFS reporting period is 1. 1. 2005-31. 12. 2005. Silic presented one-year comparative information for the year 2004. Therefore, its date of transition to IFRSs is the beginning of business on 1 January 2004. So Silic should prepare its opening IFRS statement of financial position at 1 January 2004.Question 6 According to IFRS 1 paragraph 10d, assets and liabilities should be valued by using IFRSs which means that assets and liabilities should be recognized and valued as IFRS would have always been in use in the company. The paragraph 100 in the Framework includes different kind of ways to measure assets and liabilities. One of the possibilities is historical costs which is the most commonly used measurement basis according to the framework. Assets must be valued at fair valu e or at the amount of cash paid and liabilities at the amount of proceeds received in exchange for the obligation.According to IFRS 1 Appendix D paragraphs D5-D7 an entity may elect to measure an item of property, plant and equipment at its fair value or use a previous GAAP revaluation if the revaluation is comparable to fair value or cost or depreciated cost in accordance of IFRSs. These options are also available for intangible assets including goodwill, research and development and for investment property if an entity elects to use the cost model in IAS 40. In addition according to IFRS 1 Appendix C paragraphs C1-C5 an entity can choose between two options how to measure goodwill.An entity can apply IFRS 3 and either apply IAS 21 to measure goodwill or not apply IAS 21 and treat goodwill as assets and liabilities of the entity (C2). If an entity choose not to use IFRS 3, according to paragraph C4g, goodwill can be its carrying amount in accordance with previous GAAP. In addition there are few adjustments to follow if required. Because of the differences between the accounting policies of GAAP and IFRS an entity have to recognize adjustments that arise from events and transactions before the date of transition to IFRSs. An entity shall recognize those adjustments directly in retained earnings. (IFRS 1, paragraph 11. )

Ottoman vs. Mughals

Ottoman Empire Vs. Mughal Empire The Ottoman and Mughal empires were two of the most successful empires to ever come together. However, in their dominance there was many similarities as well as differences. Both went through their share of struggle. Whether through political, religious, or cultural struggle the two empires had to rely on their emperors for guidance and rule. The Ottomans were amid the Turkic-speaking nomadic people who had spread westward from Central Asia through out the ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries. The first to appear were the Seljuk Turks.In the late thirteenth century, a new group of Turks began to emerge in the northwestern corner of Anatolian peninsula, under the leadership of the tribal leader Osman. These Turks were peaceful and engaged in pastoral pursuits. However, with the decline of the Seljuk Empire in the early fourteenth century, the Osman Turks began to expand and founded the Osmanli dynasty. The Osmanlis later became known as the Ottomans. La ter expanding westward the Ottoman Empire set up their first European base at Gallipoli. They expanded gradually into the Balkans and allied with Serbia and Bulgar forces against the Byzantines.Okhar gradually established permanent settlements in the area. Throughout the area Turkish provincial governors, called beys, collected taxes from the local Slavic peasants after driving out the previous landlords. This later became known as the Bey system. Which would be the foundation of the Ottoman administration for centuries. In this system the Ottoman leader began to claim the title of Sultan or supreme power over his domain. â€Å"The Ottoman political system was the result of the evolution of tribal institutions into a sedentary empire† (Duiker, Spielvogel. 455).At the apex of this system was the Sultan, who was the authority in both a political and military sense. Though, both administrative and military power was centralized under the bey. Okhar’s son Murad succeeded h im in 1389. Murad began to build of a strong military administration based on the recruitment of Christians into an elite guard. These warriors were called Janissaries. Some of these Janissaries were even able to become senior members of the bureaucracy. They were then assigned land in fief by the sultan and were responsible for collecting taxes and supplying armies to the empire.The land was farmed out to the local cavalry elite called the Sipahis. Who were equivalent to the beys, this system later became known as the Devshirme system. Janissaries were also a big advantage because they were directly subordinated to the sultanate; because of this they owed loyalty to the person of the sultan. Both Okhar’s and Murad’s system were vital aspects of the Ottoman’s expansion. The most prevalent was in 1451 when Mehmet II ordered the construction of a major fortress on the Bosporus. This move put the Turks in a position to strangle the Byzantine Empire. With the Byzant ines hand-cuffed, Mehmet II made his move.He attacked Constantinople in 1453 where he defeated the empire and ignited the expansion of what would be known as one of the most dominant empires of all time. Constantinople later was renamed to Istanbul, as it became the center of the art, education, and religion for the Ottoman Empire. Mehmet II did not only tear down the Byzantine Empire, but he also built the Topkapi Palace, which was the heart of administration and religion. The Ottoman Empire continued their expansion with Mehmet’s successor Selim I in 1512. Selim I defeated the Mamlucks of Egypt after they failed to support the Ottomans in there battle against the Safavids.Which gave him control of several holy cities of Islam, including Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina, Selim declared himself the new Caliph, or the successor of Muhammad in the Muslim religion. The Caliph is the highest religious authority and the defender of the religion. Also, the Caliph interprets laws of the Shari’a. However, in practice the Head Priest does the interpreting. These Ottomans elites were Sunni Muslims, although, Islamic law and customs were applied to all Muslims in the empire. Some communities were attracted to Sufism or other heterodox doctrines.The government accepted such activities as long as the communities remained loyal to the empire. Non-Muslims formed a significant minority within the empire. The minority was treated with relative tolerance, but they were compelled to pay a head tax and were permitted to practice their religion or convert to Islam. Each of these religious groups within the empire was organized as an administrative unit known as millet. Each group, including Muslims had its own patriarch priest, who dealt as an intermediary with the government and administered the community according to its own laws. Nomadic people were placed in separate millets.Where they were subject to their own laws, and were governed by their hereditary chiefs, the beys. The Mughals came about in quite a different way. In the late fourteenth century, the Indian subcontinent known as Calicut was divided into a number of Hindu and Muslim kingdoms. However, it was on the verge of a new era of unity that was brought upon by a foreign dynasty known as the Mughals. The Founder of the Mughal Empire known as Babur had a prominent family history, not only was his father a descendent from the great Asian conqueror Tamerlane, but his mother was also a descendent from the Mongol Conqueror Genghis Khan.Unlike the Ottomans who earned their first land as a reward from the Seljuk Turks for their role in the drive out of the Mongols in the late thirteenth century. Babur inherited a portion of Tamerlane’s empire in an upland valley of the Syr Darya River. Though, the Uzbeks and then the Safavid dynasty in Persia drove him south. Babur and his warriors later seized Kabul in 1504 and thirteen years later crossed Khyber Pass into India. Moreover, the conque ror of the Mughal Empire that made the greatest impact was Babur’s grandson Akbar.Although he was illiterate, and only assumed the throne at the age of fourteen. He was also remembered as one of the most intelligent conquerors of the empire. So intelligent, instead of taking the title of the Caliph as the Ottoman’s did. He proclaimed himself as the spiritual and temporal head of state. Akbar did this to insure that everyone would follow his policies, not because he was Devine, but because of his wisdom. Akbar took toleration to an entirely different level. Making the Ottoman’s look intolerable, as emperor Akbar displayed a keen interest in other religions.Tolerating Hindu practices in his own domains but also welcoming the expression of Christian views by his Jesuit advisers. With these beliefs, Akbar decided to formulate his own religion he called Din-I-Ilahi. This religion was based off toleration, taking away many regulations that the Muslim court had in plac e. For example, he allowed worship in public; he allowed construction of Christian churches and Hindu Temple. As well as establishing a translation department, translating Hindu religious books into Persian. Yet in 1519, maybe the most important regulation was eliminated, when Akbar abolished the Jizya.This was the head tax put in place by the ottomans to all of the Non-Muslims had to pay in order to stay out of the military. Doing this created a brotherhood of man within the Muslim culture, unlike the Ottomans who looked down on the minorities in the area. Akbar also extends his changes to the imperial administration. The empire was divided into provinces, a lot like the Ottoman’s, and the administration of each province was modeled after the central government, with separate departments for military, financial, commercial, and legal affairs. Senior officials were then appointed for each department.These officials were known as Zamindars. The officials were first paid salari es, but later they were ordinarily assigned sections of agricultural land. Where peasants walked the land, tilled the land, but were forced to pay a tax to the Zamindar. Which was partly kept by the Zamindar, and the rest was forwarded to the central government. The Zamindar also recruited a number of military and civilian retainers and accumulated considerable power in their areas. A great deal of the Mughals success was the harmony that Akbar imposed on their society.Unfortunately, when Akbar passed, so did most of his ideas. Akbar’s successors tried to turn the Mughal Empire back into a Sunni Muslim state, and the toleration of Non-Muslims was gone. This discrimination as well as economic crisis led to decline of the Mughal Empire. Despite the fact that both the Ottoman’s and the Mughals had outstanding leadership and motivation, this was not the lone factor that allowed them to be so successful. Some scholars have labeled them â€Å"Gun Powder Empire† becaus e of their superior military techniques of modern warfare, especially the use of firearms.Firearms played a central role in expansion for both the empires. In conclusion, these two Sunni Muslim empires could seem quite diverse on one hand, but in the big picture they have a considerable amount in common. Both were trying to achieve their goal of expansion, and both had to innovate their own regulations within a Sunni Muslim state. Nevertheless, the two went about these two goals in a diverse way. Bibliography – William J. Duiker, Jackson J. Spielvogel, World History Seventh Edition, The Pennsylvania State University, Vol. II, Since 1500.

The Life of the Prophet Joshua Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Life of the Prophet Joshua - Research Paper Example Prophet Joshua, who is the central character in the book of Joshua, is postulated by the Hebrew Bible as one of the courageous spies for Israelites. Joshua is also presented within the passages in the Hebrew Bible as Moses’ assistant (Heschel and Morris 103). The name Joshua was ascribed by Moses who preferred to call him Yehoshua, which is translated to Joshua. Joshua was born before the Israelites left Egypt during the exodus. The close association that is drawn between Joshua and Caleb reflects that these two were age mates. This paper gives a critical analysis and presentation of the life of the prophet Joshua, including exactly when he was born, the history of his family, the events which led to his becoming Moses’ assistant, and how he came to be one of the personalities in the Bible. Additionally, the discussion of Joshua’s life will include the book of Joshua and how it presents this prophet, the happenings prior to and after his death and the implication s of his life. When was Joshua Born? The date when Joshua was born is estimated in relation to the life of Moses, who was the central character of the Israelite leadership before Joshua appeared. The death of Moses is estimated to have happened when the 40 years period of wandering in the desert cane to an end. This was about the year 1405 BC. In this sense, the date when Moses was born is in or around the year 1525 BC (Krajewski and Adam 204). It is at the end of the 40 year period in the wilderness that Moses transferred the leadership of the Israel people to Joshua. In the Book of Deuteronomy 31: 1-2, Moses is depicted speaking to the Israelites saying that he was at that time a hundred and twenty years of age. Moses had become frail at this age and he had been told by God that he would not be among those who would go over Jordan. In Deuteronomy 31:7, Moses’ favor for Joshua as the next leader of the Israelites is depicted. Moses points out in front of the Israelites that Joshua will go with the people of God to the Promised Land and cause them to inherit it (Creach 35). It is at this point that Moses endorsed Joshua as the next leader of the Israelites. The death of Moses is presented in the book of Deuteronomy 34: 7-9, after which he was mourned by his people for a period of thirty days. The son of Nun (Joshua) is depicted as a person who is full of wisdom and as endorsed by Moses through the command of God. These events can be used to have an accurate calculation of the time when Joshua the prophet was born. The age of Joshua can be worked backwards from the book of Joshua 24: 29, which depicts his death. Since Joshua died at the age of 110, it is postulated that he was 90 when his leadership changed. In this sense, the date of his birth is estimated to be around the year 1495 BC (Miller 170). Happenings before the Death of Moses Moses sent Joshua and Caleb to Canaan as spies while the Israelites were still in Egypt. With Joshua and Caleb were oth er ten men who were entrusted by Moses and sent to the land of the Canaanites. Their role was to gather as much information as possible about this land, which God had promised to the Israelites (Mills 128). The significance of Joshua and Caleb is depicted in relation to the fact that these two spies were the only ones who came up with reports about the land of Canaan which were encouraging to the Israelites. Joshua and Caleb are presented in the readings as faithful men among the Israelites. It is because of their faith that they are said to be the first of the Israelite people to enter Canaan, the Promised Land (Heschel and Morris 115). It is notable that earlier on, God did not

What is the state of scholarship concerning on Rehabilitation of the Research Paper

What is the state of scholarship concerning on Rehabilitation of the arm after stroke On what issues does they debate - Research Paper Example Besides, analysts argue that the state of scholarship on the rehabilitation of arm after stroke incorporates the recruitment of students with efficient knowledge in clinical technology and has done specific projects on medicine as a discipline. Psychologists and therapists suggest that stroke is one of the collective causes of disability of the arm among various patients globally. However, there is serious improvement in stroke patients who suffer arm disabilities through rehabilitation techniques. Different research and testing institutions established in various Universities combine Tran’s cranial magnetic stimulation with the incorporation of robotic therapy. The development of this research encourages scholarships initiatives that enable more students to come in the research centers and support the testing of different diseases developed after arm stroke. Additionally, universities lecturers such as Dr. Wittenberg of the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, argues that scholarship needs to be given to students who can participate in doing different projects. The students need to be interested in the research of arms rehabilitation after stroke. Dr. Wittenbery argues that scholarships given to students in doing research on the rehabilitation of the arm after stroke need to have special interests in neuron rehabilitation, cerebral paisy, and Stroke and movement disorders (Shadmehr, 2005). Besides different psychologists in the university add that research in the above disciplines encourages and increase the number of students in medicine. Moreover, during the research, more discoveries are realized on the causes of arm stroke and necessary rehabilitative steps in curing the disease.Stroke develops and facilitates in hospitals to increase the number of saved lives in arms stroke rehabilitation. Therefore, it is necessary for various stakeholders to take part in promoting scholarships initiatives in different Universities and

Community Corrections Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Community Corrections Paper - Essay Example This is the management and supervision of offenders within the community (Alarid, 2013). These are offenders who are serving court-imposed orders either as an alternative to imprisonment or as a condition of their release on parole from prison. This means they must report regularly to their community corrections officer and may have to participate in unpaid community work and rehabilitation programs. Community corrections program is generally operated by probation and parole agencies. This programme is meant to put the offenders within the free world social environment with the people so that they can see it as a rehabilitation rather than punishment. The community in which this programme is carried out is likely to develop discriminatory approach towards such offenders due to the inherent risk of falling victims to their bad criminal nature. Taking the case of juvenile offenders, some children may be influenced by hardcore offenders who are always vulnerable to reoffending thereby s preading the rot in the community (Alarid, 2013). This programme is vital in ensuring the safety of the community by rehabilitating offenders and diverting low-risk offenders from prison which helps to break the cycle of reoffending. They equally provide labor to the community thereby serving as an open example to potential offenders hence, saving the community where it’s practiced a great deal. ... In foreign prisons, the only aspect of liberty denied is freedom of movement otherwise they have initiated reforms that have seen human treatment of prisoners in their territories. Take the case of Norway in Europe where the prisoners have recreational facilities installed for them with longer time of interaction in the compound (O'Leary, 2010). The penal structure of US is still relatively inhuman as far as prisoners’ treatment is concerned. While US still practice harsh treatment of prisoners with longer holding hours and in isolated cells, other countries are shifting towards a human rehabilitation approach in prisons despite basic incarceration. Most countries view imprisonment as a way of rehabilitating unacceptable character and changing offenders to be productive members of the society if well managed and moderately punishment. To achieve this, European countries for instance have been altering the penal code to ensure prisoners enjoy some liberty by accessing recreatio nal services; stay locked in cells for a short time and have fun days to reconnect with family members as a way of positive rehabilitation. The US prison system needs to adopt the contemporary prisoner rehabilitation approaches which would significantly mitigate reoffending. This would also initiate easy integration of the freed ex-prisoners to the society. Allowing prisoners to access basic recreational facilities like television among others would help them learn psychologically on the better side of life and take up positive traits that would make them become more responsible members of the society (Roth, 2006).US should to enable prisoners to lead a life of social responsibility

SIM335 Managing Projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

SIM335 Managing Projects - Essay Example Any concurrent activities, which activity follows which? The network diagram will look as below and boxes represent the following aspects: If activity A has duration of 4 days, earliest start time would be day 0 (zero) and the earliest finish would be day 4. The earliest start for activity B would be day 4 and the earliest finish would be day 9 as a result of adding. Earliest finish of activity A (4) + duration of activity B (5) = 9 early finish for activity B In general, earliest finish of previous activity+ duration of current activity= earliest finish of the current activity. (Early finish for earlier tasks becomes the early the start for next activity). For a case like activity G that has several preceding activities, we take the value, which has the largest earlier finish value (F 13). The latest start and latest finish are determined by working backwards through the project. Latest start for activity Q = earliest finish of activity Q because it is the last activity. In general: Latest start= latest finish– duration The latest start used as the latest finish for the previous activity. For instance, the latest start for activity Q is 93–5= 88 and this is used as the value for latest finish for activity P. for activities like I & J we use the latest start for activity K. for activity H we take the least value for latest start in this case is 34 (latest start for activity I). ... calculated by: Early finish– early start– duration=Total float For instance, to calculate total float between activities G &H =34–13–(13+8) =0 Critical path is the least amount of time that can be taken to complete the project. This means that there is no float, no free time and a delay in the critical path can lead to a delay in project completion. It can be determined by adding the duration of each activity in the sequence where there is no float. In our case, the critical path is from activity A to Q in the sequence: A(4)+F(9)+G(13)+H(8)+I(7)+K(8)+L(13)+M(9)+N(4)+O(4)+P(9)+Q(5) =93. It is very important as it helps in time scheduling of consecutive activities in a project. Events that occur here are known as milestone (Harold, 2009). If the activity begins on Monday January 16th, the project needs a total of 122 days to finish with a five-day working period then we find out how many weeks we be will need. If one week has a total of 5 working days then t he project will take 122?5=24 weeks and four days, then the project will end on Thursday 5th July 2012. In case activity B is delayed by two days, there would be no effect on the total project duration because it has a float of four days. This is however not the case for activities P and O, delaying activity P by two days or activity O by a day will affect the total duration of the project because there is no float for the two activities (Harold, 2009). Limitations of network diagrams The time estimates depend on personal bias, there is no specific formula for determining the duration of the activities and speculation is used. This may affect the whole project just in case any activity is delayed or takes a longer duration to finish. As seen from above, activities without float if delayed for any reason can

The Business Letter Packet Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Business Letter Packet - Assignment Example Lawrence University. The company offers both retail and wholesale of the computers specifically for e-learning at a considerate affordable and cheap price. Therefore, the intended audiences are higher in St. Lawrence University who have introduced e-learning in their curriculum. The contents of the letter begin with a cordial address to the intended audience, and it is the major focus of the company selling dell computers to St. Lawrence University. In order to get the attention of the University, promotional strategies are adopted such as 30% discount offers and other unique after sale services such as free Internet provision and maintenance for the first three months. All of them are attributed to the large number of the computers to be supplied at once. The importance of this letter is to assure St. Lawrence University that the computers are affordable, cheap, readily available, and of high quality. A number of computer models and specifications are precisely presented in order to ease the time taken and an easy perusal. To enhance client’s surety it is important to provide other companies and clients reviews (Sundararajan 26). It is important to provide the company official address and the customer care contacts such as emails and phone numbers (Sundararajan 80). St. Lawrence University P.O Box†¦.. Our Company sales computers designed for e-learning on retail and wholesale at a discount of 30%. After your purchase we also offer after sale services for our customers which are free Internet provision, installation and maintenance services for a period of three months after the purchase. We have been in operation for the last 20 years, and we are the key computer suppliers to various banks and academic institutions all over the country. The following shows the range of products that our company sales on retail as well as wholesale. COMPUTER MODELS SPECICATIONS PRICE Speed (GHZ) RAM (MB) hard disk (GB) HP Computers 2.8 512 40 70 USD 3.0 512 80 65 US D 2.8 1GB 40 75 USD 3.0 1GB 80 80 USD Dell Computers Speed (GHZ) RAM (MB) hard disk (GB) 2.8 512 40 65 USD 3.0 512 80 68 USD 2.8 1GB 40 72 USD 3.0 1GB 80 75 USD IBM Computers Speed (GHZ) RAM (MB) hard disk (GB) 2.8 512 40 70 USD 3.0 512 80 68 USD 2.8 1GB 40 74 USD 3.0 1GB 80 76 USD Toshiba Computers Speed (GHZ) RAM (MB) hard disk (GB) 2.8 512 40 70 USD 3.0 512 80 75 USD 2.8 1GB 40 74 USD 3.0 1GB 80 75 USD TFT SCREENS 15 inch 55 USD 17 inch 60 USD 20 inch 65 USD MOUSE 3 USD Computer software and applications are sold and free installation and maintenance offered for a period of three months. We remind you that we will be selling at a super discount prices for those who have made purchases before the opening of summer holidays. For more information or inqueries you can contact us through Website www.terrix.com Phone number +2501545722 FUNDRAISING LETTER This letter will be written in the scenario context of the St. Lawrence University wishing to conduct fundraising to facilitate the p urchase of the e-learning computers. The letter begins with the emerging concern on the need to accommodate and gather computers for students who wish to pursue distance learning within the University online. This program will enable many students far away from the University to pursue their studies conveniently. In the letter it is important to acknowledge the funding challenges of

Predictiveness and the Level of Processing Research Paper - 1

Predictiveness and the Level of Processing - Research Paper Example M, 27 September 2008). Memory does a very important job which is to remember and the same has some vital subdivisions such as attention, encoding, rehearsal and retrieval. It is believed that the durability of the memory depends on the functions of the depth of processing. Going by this statement it is believed that the deeper the functions of various processes which go on in human mind, sharper the memory. "Older adults typically experience two main types of difficulty with their memory; the first is memory for names, and the second is memory for details of occurrences. The difficulty with names sometimes generalizes to infrequently used words and to names of objects, but is most evident in names of people. The second difficulty shows itself in forgetting where a possession was left, in the source of newly acquired information, and in ''telling the same tale (at least!) twice'' (Koriat, Ben-Zur, &Sheffer, 1988). It is extremely important to know about the process of remembering because it is closely related to Predictiveness. In this regards the above information is very handy. "While information-processing models of human memory have been concerned largely with structural aspects of the system, there is a growing tendency for theorists to focus, rather, on the processes involved in learning and remembering." (Craik, Fergus I. M, 27 September 2008). So there is importance given to the process involved in learning and remembering these days, Predictiveness and the process of remembering go hand in hand, the rest of the paper will explain the same with the help of apt examples. Method An experiment will clear all the doubts related to this topic and the result of the experiment will provide an in-depth analysis on how Predictiveness effects the level of Processing. There are 132 students who are participating in an experiment to determine how Predictiveness affects the level of Processing. Of these 132 students no of female students are 82 with the mean age of 19.8, so the mean age goes to show that the experiment is conducted on young students to get the exact results. The experiment showed a Power-point presentation to the students, the presentation consisted of 40 sentences of which 20 were composed of Predictive sentences and the other 20 were Non- predictive sentences. These 40 sentences shown to the students did not have the last word, in other words the last word each sentence was intentionally left blank. The organizers of the experiment probed the students to think of the missing word. After sometime all the forty sentences were shown with the last word f or 2 seconds each. After the experiment the students were asked to take a recognition test and the test consisted of 80 different items. Of these 80 items 20 were Predictive were and 20 were Non- predictive words, the rest 40 were fillers, these fillers were included to get to know the result better. The result of this experiment is on the next page and the ambiguities regarding this topic will be settled after looking at the results. Results The

Team-Working Environment Essay Example for Free

Team-Working Environment Essay Compare the contribution of the different skills described in Task 4a whilst used within a team-working environment. Communication Skills In a sales team, communication skills are vital. They are vital because good communication skills allow someone to make important contributions to a team. In a team, the most important attribution is good clear communications. Good clear communications is important to a team because it helps to avoid mistakes, misunderstandings being made. Clear communication can be a tool used to effect motivation in a positive way. Being tactful this allows you to turn negative into positive. De-motivation occurs because of lack of communication. As a result this will lead to lack of punctuality. Good communication will improve motivation and increase company performance. In addition to that, good communication between team members will enforce standards and show what standards management expects. However, poor communication can lead to low or no motivation on the part of employees. As a result, this can lead to poor punctuality, low motivation, low confidence and low-esteem. In addition to that, poor communication can lead to employees not knowing their targets and this will result in the company stagnating as they are not reaching their targets. Conflicts can happen all the time. Good communication can go a long way to aid conflict management. Communication can help them members dissolve team issues and establish a way forward. Listening and meeting and through face to face communication. When an issue arises it is important to establish the correct method of communication. In the situation, it is better to use face to face contact as this method is very important because people will get to know each other and respect each other. If a team wants to be successful, then this is the way to go. Depending on the situation, for example, when conflict arises, it is better to solve the situation face-to-face rather than through email. In other cases such as a team leader wanting to remind someone of a task, a written memo could be used to remind them. If members within a team are going to work successful then the members will need to be able to understand and recognise each others differences as individuals. Another method is to get to know tea members by making face to face contact and through social encounters. When dealing with criticism, bad criticism can lead to low confidence and self esteem. Bad criticism can result in either two things happening; the person on the end of the criticism can be motivated by it or de-motivated by it. However, it is how the critique gives the4 criticism out is important. If its in a positive way fro example, a teacher is talking to a student and says look Deborah, you have done some fantastic work here but I think you need to add a little bit more detail here and you will defiantly achieve the grading criteria. This kind if criticism would give me the motivation to complete it and make sure I reach the criteria. In this case, it is important that you are open to criticism and do not take as an offensive gesture. if properly communicated then the other person will be open and understand the point you are trying to get across. Adaptability and responsiveness to different situations is important in areas such as the current business climate. Change ban be recognised through communication and implementation can be achieved through communication. Implementation often requires brave discussions taking place and courage to take path. This will be achieved better through face-to-face communication rather than methods such as emailing. In conclusion all the skills I have discussed above are needed to make a successful team are important. Many of the skills highlighted above come back to good effective two way communication skills and as a result will improve team cohesion and improve the way that targets are set and achieved. Now I will list the skills and why they are important. * Articulation of ideas- Important because you need to speak clearly to put your message across. * Tact- important because it involves being respectful for others and their ideas. * Effective listening- important because if you do not listen you will not know what to do. In addition to that listening as well as talking is needed or effective communication. * Sincerity- Important because you have to be sincere and honest when communicating with others as this makes you appear as a better person. * Concern for team members- important because when another person who is doing a task and you show concern, they will be more often than not return the favour and as a result the team will perform at a much higher level. * Building morale/confidence Important because if your team has members who have low morale and low confidence they will not be motivated to complete the tasks that I as the team leader have set. * Questioning- Important because you need to be able to ask appropriate questions. * Defusing and resolving conflict- Important because when conflicts arise it is important that you solve it in an unbiased way that suits both parties. Communication is the most important factor within a team. It is the deciding factor in whether or not a team reaches the targets that have been set.

Catherine in a view from the bridge Essay Example for Free

Catherine in a view from the bridge Essay A view from the bridge by Arthur Miller: discuss the extent to which Eddie has incestuous thought towards Catherine in a view from the bridge The story a view from the bridge is all about incest, incest is when a family member has sexual thoughts about another family member in this case with Eddie thinking of Catherine in a sexual way. This theme manifests itself all the way through a View from the Bridge. A View from the Bridge is all about incest from the opening words of Eddie to Catherine to the death of Eddie on the day of Catherine and rodolphos wedding. Eddie and Catherines relation ship sets up the exploration of this theme in a View from the Bridge. The main character of this book is Eddie , Eddie is an Italian American. He is a longshoreman at the docks from Brooklyn bridge, that is obviously still in debt with the Italian mafia, in this area the men stick with the other men and work together at the docks, the women also stick together and clean their house, make themselves new dresses and then cook for the men when they return home from the docks. While the men are at the docks they are all breaking the law, by breaking a crate of something they want and keeping the rest of the contents to the crate, but all the Italians stick to the code of conduct not an official law. nearly all of the Italian families are keeping immigrants hidden, submarines. Eddie likes to keep the family respectful he also likes look after his family and treats his family very good. but he does not treat Beatrices family very good for instance when Beatrices fathers house burnt down Eddie made Beatrices father sleep on the floor and still complained that she took him in. Eddie tries as hard as he can to keep this code of conduct and to get his family to keep it but in the end he hates rodolpho so much he just cracks and tells the immigration. Catherine lives with Eddie and Beatrice because her mother died and left Eddie as her legal guardian he is also hr uncle. over time relationships between Eddie and Catherine, for instance in the opening words of the book Catherine says to Eddie hi Eddie he is pleased and therefore shy about it this is the first time Eddie is introduced together with Catherine and just from these few moments it shows you how much Eddie is in love with Catherine. it shows that even though he obviously knows her well and seas her alot he still gets shy about her saying hi to him which shows he has deep feelings for her deeper than family love. Eddies relationship with Beatrice is a very straight forward till half through the play when the role starts to change but Eddie just cant see it. Up until rodolpho turns up Eddie has been the bread winner of the family and like his whole family lived to serve him and in charge of the family but when rodolpho turns up he is shown as the weaker party to his whole family which would probably make him feel insecure. Beatrice is really concerned that they hadnt had sex in long time because Beatrice thinks Eddie is in love with Catherine. Eddie reacts metaphorically saying of course he Is not and that he is disgusted that she could think of something like that. These concerns have arisen because Beatrice can see that he is in love with Catherine and is disgusted by his thoughts. Eddies reaction to any potential rivals is very strange for instance when Rodolpho and Marco turn up Eddie is sure Rodolpho is gay and thinks he is trying to marry Catherine for a citizenship in America. Eddie also tries to discredit Rodolpho to Alfieri by always saying He is not right and that he sings, cooks and makes dresses like a girl. He also says the same to Beatrice, but to Catherine he keeps saying that Rodolpho is marrying her for her passport. Eddie teaches Rodolpho to box as if to say You stay with Catherine and I could kill you with my bare hands no problem. When Marco shows his strength by lifting a chair backwards over his head and over Eddies head, Marco is metaphorically saying to Eddie Stay away from Rodolpho or you will have me to deal with. But when Eddie throws Rodolpho to the ground and kisses him, he tries to make it look like Rodolpho is gay but just makes himself look gay. Alfieris views are very clear to Eddie. He is telling Eddie it is very easy to see that he is having incestuous thoughts of Catherine and that he should stop interfering with Rodolpho and Catherine and just let it be. It is easy to see that Eddie has strong incestuous thoughts for Catherine and all through the play, and it is showed at full power and emotion.

Social Media And Its Impact On Branding

Social Media And Its Impact On Branding ABSTRACT: Social Media is a new age concept which has taken world by storm; companies are trying to promote products actively on social media and interact with customers. This research paper includes the findings of the research based on the hypothesis that Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image. This research paper highlights the increasing trends of social media marketing, how brands are being affected and what impact theses tactics have on the sales of the respected companies. A sample of 50 respondents was taken into consideration as primary research. It consisted of a good mix of people across gender, age groups and income demographics. The study aimed to analyze the awareness and acceptability of social media marketing by measuring the different factors that are associated with branding and PR; and conclude whether social marketing enhances sales or not. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to understand and identify the various methods of e-marketing with respect to social media. It is essential to identify the changing trends in branding with the advent of blogging sites, Twitter, Facebook and other networking options. With more advancement in technology; everyone uses this facility for multiple purposes, moreover the concept of the online community and interconnectivity has changed the way people share views. Therefore the prime purpose of my research analysis is to facilitate the study of various social media trends that affect branding and online marketing. It has been analyzed whether social media is a mere feedback facility or an actual revenue enhancing tool. PROBLEM STATEMENT Social media is a promotional tool and connectivity medium for companies; there is a need to determine whether it is effective in enhancing sales or not. HYPOTHESIS H0: Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image. H1: Social media marketing does not affect sales, it enhances brand image. SAMPLE SIZE The sample size of the research consists of a total of 50 individuals whose ages range between 15-25, 26-35 and 36 above. All respondents belonged to SEC A+,A, A-, B+ and B; with an educational level to understand the study. DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES Primary Research: Questionnaire interviews. Secondary Research: Literature Review Literature Review Social marketing is the new age concept in the world of branding and business. With advent of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc the way we communicate has changed. It has surely evolved from being a teenagers space to a global phenomenon for social interaction. Mark Zukerberg has been named person of the year by Times for instilling unlimited possibilities in the world of communication. A national survey of reporters and editors revealed that 89% use blogs for story research, 65% turn to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and 52% utilize microblogging services such as Twitter (George-2010). While the use of social media sources by journalists is growing rapidly, the reliability of such information remains an issue, as the survey also made it clear that reporters and editors are acutely aware of the need to verify information they get from social media Nearly half of all Americans are now members of at least one social network, double the proportion of just two years ago. While social network use is highest among the young, its not limited to this age bracket: two-thirds of 25- to 34-year-olds and half of those aged 35 to 44 also now have personal profile pages. Among the worlds 100 largest companies, two-thirds are using Twitter, 54% have a Facebook page, 50% manage at least one corporate YouTube channel and 33% have created company blogs. Overall, 79% of Fortune 100 companies are using at least one social media channel. (Pick-2010) Social media has enabled business leaders to create marketing opportunities which were untapped before. PepsiCo uses social networks to reach millions of entrepreneurs at the Superbowl. Whereas Leaders like IBMs Sam Palmisano, PepsiCos Indra Nooyi, Apples Steve Jobs, Microsofts Steve Ballmer, Carlsons Marilyn Nelson, and Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria (George-2010) are all active social network users. This transformation in business is possible today because these social networks are a unique way of broadly communicating real-time messages to the audiences they want to reach. They can write a message anywhere, anytime, and share it with interested parties without any public relations meddling, speech writers, airplane travel, canned videos, or voicemail messages people. The business area it has affected the most is marketing, a new promotional weapon adding new dimensions to consumer awareness. Social media is an interactive forum to reach the consumer at a personal level. Consumer marketing companies are lining up to use these networks to reach their tailored demographics with highly personalized messages, social channels give a chance to the consumers to share feedback readily about products and services. It is not just brand awareness but a chance to build a strong relationship with the customer. A major contribution are the blogging sites, astonishingly the fate of leading brands may be reliant on comments of regular bloggers. This may be seen as a positive by a lot of branding experts since it can lead to endless business growth. Social media is user-controlled, which means that sociologic components play a large role in any companys social media business strategy. The limits of social media are only set by the limits of the technology of social media tools (Hobsbawm-2009). At one time, companies had a monologue with its customers. Companies put out television commerci als or print ads about its products and waited to see whether the sales rolled in to determine success rates. Now, social media allows companies to have a dialogue with its customers and gain valuable feedback and input as it creates the message. Information and messaging for a company was once controlled by its marketing and sales departments. Now, with the democratization of information, no one owns the message about a product or company. Every company must become part of the conversation or risk letting users become the voice of the company. Customers are using social channels to instantly share positive and negative feedback about products and services, influencing countless other people. Word-of-mouth marketing has existed since the dawn of man, but today, it uses a massive megaphone to extend farther than ever. People exchanging feedback, ideas, recommendations and more are changing the way customers shop and the way businesses produce. The study, carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by SAS, the software vendor, suggests that social media is making the relationship between companies and their customers much more transparent. In particular, customers are more likely to try to deal with C-level executives through social media than through other channels. Businesses should respond, the report suggests, by integrating the multichannel feedback from blogs, community sites and social networks with their conventional marketing and market research data. Social media presence is a fundamental today, ranging from business to fortune 500 corporations. However social media marketing is a savior for small businesses. Its cost effective and they can easily Tweet new offers or update Facebook fanpage for latest offers. Moreover companies like Dell have used twitter to increase sales by $1 million in the past one year (Henry-2010). This whole social community allows your companys name and brand to be viewed by a significant amount of people. Continuous use of social media over time creates brand awareness and thus helps to increase sales. Competitions on social networks and interactive sessions are a new promotional tool being used, for example Top bartender page on Facebook by Absolut Vodka or Apples blogging on ipods dirty little secrets. What companies need is a financial justification, ROI on social media marketing has consistently been high, with Addidas having upto 70% returns. There are a total of 13 million internet users in Pakistan including Broadband, dial up, and mobile. Figures given by the PTA regarding internet users is that of 19 million from which face book consists of 2.2 million, (Pick- 2010) Yahoo around 4 million, MSN around 4 to 5 million and You Tube around 4.5 million. Based on these figures internet marketing is highly lucrative. Businesses in Pakistan have been marketing their products, brands and businesses using social media but still the industry has to come out. There are number of brands that have used such websites to promote their brands but still the results of such marketing tool in Pakistan are yet to achieve. Though, our neighboring country India has been using these websites as a marketing medium and they have been able to get positive results from using promotional campaigns. There are at least 500 companies with a Facebook presence. Brands like Ego, HSY, Gunsmoke etc rely on Facebook advertising. An average ad costing Rs. 10000 to Rs. 35000 on other mediums can only cost 3 to 10 cents on this site. (Syed-2010) Julie Roehm parses out the numbers from the Pew Internet and American Life study that were mentioned in the New York Times article, finding that theres a great disparity in how different generations consume content and that the older we get, the more likely we are to spend time on longer form content. Where will this lead us? Are we doomed to sound bites, tweets and trite self-absorbed updates for the foreseeable future? The viral effect that social media has in marketing is shaping a new face of branding. Moreover social media is the place people trust for seeking information. Be it feedback, product information search or tackling PR disasters, social media has it all. Social media would evolve into a decision making tool in future when mashed with other online options; making brand equity highly vulnerable to social verdicts. What lies ahead is a fierce branding battle which can be won with innovative social marketing solutions. The addictiveness can be cashed by generating a mix of the virtual society and physical customer support banded together. Many of the people involved in this study believed that information they have seen on social networks didnt influence their purchasing decision. On the surface, we would agree with them because most information you see on social networks isnt shown to you when you are in the process of making a buying decision. The real power of Social Media Marketing is the brand building and the longevity of the content a company adds to a social community (Baekdal-2009). A statement made by a company and picked up by someone you Follow on Twitter can impact a purchase you make at a later point but you wouldnt necessarily correlate that with your buying decision. There may also be content that was created on a social network that gets displayed in the results of your Google search that may influence your decision to purchase a product but you also may not realize that the information is even coming from Social Media Marketing. The lesson to be learned here is that marketing doesnt always correlate easily to direct sales. We have become too dependent on measuring your ROI from Internet Marketing. Marketers need to understand and respect the long term value of building a brand through the web and just because you dont see instant revenue from a marketing campaign doesnt necessarily mean it wont be effective. (Pick-2010) Large companies and small businesses who have used social media to promote their products and services could attest that they have experienced remarkable increase in sales. Exposing your brand in social media can be an excellent way to make the existence of your business known to the public. It is a fact that members of social media are pouring in and is still constantly increasing. So, you can just imagine the number of potential views your business can get simply by being a part of these social networking sites (Gunelius-2009). Whether you are just starting out or your business is already a multinational corporation, there are many social marketing tools available to provide the needed marketing exposure of your business. And another good thing is that most of these tools are for free therefore giving you an edge especially if your marketing budget is limited. If one is wondering how sales can be increased with social media, the answer is simple: Social media can reach millions of people worldwide. Anyone with an internet access can view your advertisements online. With TV commercials, only those people watching at the time can see broadcasted advertisement and interaction is not possible. Social sites, on the other hand, allow you to post blogs or tweets about your product and surely your company will get noticed resulting to increased sales. At the same time, you can interact with customers and gather insights on what they expect from you and how you can improve your products and services to meet the demands of your market. As observed by most companies that use social media for marketing purposes, the effect is truly viral. The case is especially true for Facebook and Twitter where friends tell each other about the products offered by small companies by word of mouth. With the tweets, recommendations and positive reviews, your company a nd your brand will be made known to a significant number of interested people. (Henry_2010) PRIMARY RESEARCH ANALYSIS PROCEDURE GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS EXPECTED RESULTS Before conducting the research, I expect that my Null hypothesis that is Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image will prove to be true. RESULTS OBTAINED/DERIVED SAMPLE: The above table shows the demographics of the survey that around 44% were male candidates and 56% of them were female. This also shows that the sample size was ideal as the percentages of both male and female are taken in consideration for survey The above graph shows the Age demographics that from each age bracket what percentage of people were taken in consideration. 68% were young adults forming the largest usage segment, followed by 22% of users between age of 26-35 years of age. The survey also included 10% of middle aged users. The above chart shows daily online presence of respondents, whether they are active users or passive users. Reason for this question was to get the insight of the consumer that how much is the highest usage of internet and to what extent internet usage effects their life. The result was 44 % of the sample use less than 1 hour a day, 36% use between 2 to 3 hours a day, 8% use between 3 to 4 hours a day and 12% use more than 4 hours a day. The results depict that most of the users use internet up to 3 hours a day. RESEARCH FINDINGS: The above pie chart shows the number of people effected by product branding while making a buying decision. The results help to determine whether it is important for marketers to enhance brand image to effect sales or not. 54% of the respondents believe their buying decision is dependent on branding while 26% believe it is not. Whereas 20% are not sure if branding can impact purchase decision. The chart above shows the usage of social media sites by respondents. Out of the 50 most of the respondents are present on more than 1 site. Most of them are on Facebook followed by a heavy use of Youtube. Whereas; presence on Twitter and blogging sites is almost equal. This shows socializing and content viewing both are important aspects of social media experience. The above chart shows consumer insight on information search, which medium is most used for product information search. 56% relied on word-of-mouth which in turn highlights social media importance. Moreover 15% relied on TV, 11% on newspaper and magazines and 18% on internet. The above pie chart shows results on buying decision of a friends Facebook status update and Tweet. Whether, people consider this feedback or not. 42% said yes they did 36% said no however 22% were somewhat influenced. The above chart shows if people would purchase a product because of positive social media response. 43% said agree, that they would purchase a product. 28% disagree, they would not buy a product because of social media influence whereas 26% were neutral. The above pie chart shows if negative feedback through social media would affect respondents Brand loyalty. 58% said yes, 32% said no and 10% being affected to a limited extent. The results depict the dependence of brand loyalty on feedback. The above chart shows if people consider social media to be best source of promotion. 36% disagreed, 32% were neutral whereas 22% agreed. The results identify the importance of social media as promotion tool, which according to the results is not very strong. The above pie chart shows which factor most influences sales, 32% said product features and 29% said price whereas only 6% said feedback. This shows that social media feedback may not directly influence sales of a product. The above analysis show the different factors influencing sales, brand image and consumer loyalty. Is can be depicted that sales is most affected by price and features and brand image is affected mostly by company PR and promotion. Moreover consumer loyalty is also dependent mostly on PR and product features. CONCLUSION The conclusion derived from my research report is that my null hypothesis being: Social media marketing has a positive impact on sales and brand image did not prove to be true. People prefer word-of-mouth (56% respondents) as the best source of information search; moreover feedback on social media may affect their purchase decision. But at the same time feedback was not rated as the most important factor in purchase decision, it is believed that sales are affected by product price and features (32% respondents). My research also depicted a key consumer insight which identifies brand presence on social media for image building and consumer loyalty is important. Consumers may not purchase anything because it is praised on social media but also be disoriented if a lot of negative feedback is received. Social media is also crucial for interacting with consumers, hence aiding the process of customer care. The research also analyzed that brands today need social media for promoting and rem inding consumers about the product, but it is true that consumers do not rate social media as a major influence of purchase decision. Therefore, the inductive hypothesis of social media only affecting brand image and not sales stands to be true. Social media in todays internet age is online presence of a brand, just like any person. Brands need to intervene in feedback, captivate consumer preference and enhance brand image. However relying on social media for increasing sales is not viable. SUGGESTION/RECOMMENDATIONS E-marketing is a really effective mode of communication and advertisement which is overwhelming the traditional means of promotion and PR. E-marketing is a very convenient way of promotion and conveying the message to the public. The rate of internet penetration has increased by more than 100% since the past few years resulting in more access to web by the new generation. The recommendations brought forth by my research findings include that presence on social media is a must. Social media content may include pages on Facebook, regular tweets on Twitter by employees and content available on Youtube. Now a days companys readily upload latest advertisements on Youtube and at times their corporate documentaries. Blogging is also a very important mode for interactions, consumers turn to these sites for answers, regular blogging may enable marketers to attain consumer insight and simultaneously discuss product related issues. It is recommended that social media marketing should be used as a secondary medium of promotion following the conventional promotion mediums as primary. Sales may not be directly affected by social media presence however companies may cash on brand equity in the long term. Social marketing may prove to be ideal for small and medium sized businesses. Where spending a lot on promotion may not be feasible, social media may prove to be a blessing. Today more than 500 businesses have a mere Facebook presence in Pakistan, it is also the cheapest and most interactive forum for such companies. FUTURE WORK: Social media is considered the next big idea by some marketers whereas others consider it to be a mere fad. Now organizations need to analyze the fact that today social media marketing may prove to be beneficial for brand image but return on investment is a crucial factor to be considered. Investment in social media marketing has to be regulated according to future needs of the company and product itself. Internet usage is part of life but modes of interaction have dynamically changed, hence to conclude ideal scenario is to build a strong brand support through social media to have a long lasting impact on the future.

A Flag for Canada Essay -- essays research papers

A Flag for Canada   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Canadian Government defines a flag as â€Å"a symbol to identify people belonging to a group.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Canada has been a country for many years but has always lacked one thing. Up until 1965, we did not have our own official flag. The first thoughts of Canada adopting its own flag started in 1925. A Privacy Council committee looked at the possibilities but their work was never completed. This meant that the Red Ensign and the Union Jack would continue to represent Canada. In 1946 a committee was again formed to determine a national flag. Over 2,600 designs were submitted but yet again, no flag was picked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1964, the Canadian government decided that they wanted a flag chosen before the ...

Survival in solitude Essay -- Essays Papers

Survival in solitude After being stranded on an uninhabited island, Robinson Crusoe manages to discover his natural abilities that serve as indicators of his true character. At first glance the common adage, â€Å"Necessity is the mother of all inventions,† appears to account for the character of Robinson Crusoe; however, further analysis suggests that the intelligence, industriousness, and optimism are inherent to Crusoe’s personality. Sir Francis Bacon so aptly stated, â€Å"Prosperity doth best discover vice; but adversity doth best discover virtue.† From the moment that Crusoe was stranded on the island until the day he was rescued he exhibits these qualities. Crusoe’s innate intelligence serves him well throughout his solitary life on the island. After agonizing over his plight, he consoles himself, and collects himself in order to move on. His shrewdness and practicality help him to overcome the obstacles that the island presents. He has enough forethought to recognize that the ship might be swept away by the tides, and he works continuously in order to salvage everything he can from the ship. He loses no time to make a trip to the ship in order to unload the cargo, and when he is in need of a method to transport the cargo to the beach, he constructs a raft that will do the job. He protects the provisions from weather and potential wild beasts. Crusoe is intelligent and understands that by being alone he might go crazy, and to combat this he keeps himself busy for...

What Techniques Does F. Scott Fitzgerald Use When Describing the Lights and Colors of Gatsby’s Party?

Fitzgerald uses many different literary techniques and vivid when describing the lights and colours of the party to exaggerate the sense of how bright the lights and colours of his parties are. He seems to say that the brightness of the lights at Gatsby’s party are equivalent to the those of the sun. He writes that â€Å"the light grows brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun† he is talking about the sun going down and everything becoming darker, however he then says that â€Å"the light grows brighter† which suggests that as the sunlight goes away Gatsby’s lights go up so high that they balance out the light lost from the sun going down. This shoes us just how bright Gatsby’s lights really are, they are bright enough to replace the sun when it has gone down. That gives an impression of the party keeping the night alive and moving which gives a sort of life to the light that Gatsby has at his party. Fitzgerald then goes on to talk of light and colour in a lot less positive way than he previously has. he describes the guest’s clothes as â€Å"gaudy with primary colours† which is describing how bright and colourful even the guests are at Gatsby’s parties. The guests clothes are not nice and even though they consist of very simple primary colours they even manage to overdo this with them then being described as â€Å"gaudy†, which means that they are just too bright. This description is strikingly similar to the description of the light at Gatsby’s parties. We get the sense that although both of them are very simple they are just too over indulgent and bright. This also reflects on the guests personalities with all of them trying to be the brightest of them all. Gatsby uses this description i think to try and tell us that everything at Gatsby’s parties scream bright lights and colours not just the lights themselves. I think this is somewhat to help the reader with later descriptions that he makes about light and colour so that they understand that he may not be literally talking about the lights or the colours but about another aspect of the party.

World heritage at malacca

Melaka is one of the historic cities built along the Straits of Melaka. The city has been developed over 500 years of the mixture of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West traders. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 1 5th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century.The Stadthuys was one of the official residences for the Dutch Governor but now has become one of the famous attractions for visitors from all over the world. The legacy of the Dutch is still very much alive and felt in Malacca in a form of a red building called the Stadthuys. It used to be the administrative centre of successive governments but now it is a history museum. The Stadthuys can be easily found as it is Just b eside the Christ Church. Opposite the Stadthuys is the famous Jonker Street visited by many tourists.The Stadhuys is an evidence of a fine Dutch architecture. The building is so firmly made that even with little alteration and maintenances, it still stands firmly and upright. This shows that the Dutch had a great knowledge about the making of architecture. There are many tourists' shops along the walls of the Stadhuys. From the roof of the Stadhuys, one can see a great view of the Christchurch. The Stadthuys was built between 1641 and 1660 on the ruins of a fort which belongs to the Portuguese. It is believed that the Stadthuys is the oldest Dutch building in the East.This massive red building displays all the common features of the Dutch colonial architecture which includes substantial solid doors and louvered windows. Since its completion to 1980, the Stadthuys was used as the administrative centre of successive governments for a period of 300 years. It was in 1982 when the Stadth uys was converted into a history museum which exhibits Malacca's history starting from the great Malay Sultanate and the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonization till the present day.This building also has his history in the field of education, which in the 19th century during the British rule, a school run by the clergy known as the Malacca Free School was built in the yard Stadhuys Building. When the free education given by the English school. However most of the students in the school is composed of the children of the wealthy Chinese. Historical records show a letter dated 19 April 1825, stating the need to set up an English school in Malacca. The letter was sent to the council signed by a representative of the church, Mr.J. Humprey , JW Overee and A. W. Baumgarten . The school finally opened on December 7, 1826 with only 18 students. Malacca Free School Principal was Mr TH Moore. Soon the number of students at the school increased to 200. Study time from 9 am to 12 noon and f rom 2pm connected to 4 pm. Number of Malay students at that time not many because most parents send their children to Malay schools or religious schools. Although the language of instruction is English, other languages such as Malay, Portuguese and Chinese are also taught.In August 1878, the British government took over the administration ot the schools ot the clergy and called Malacca High School or High School Malacca. The new principal is Mr. A. Armstrong. In 1931, Malacca High School moved to its new site in Jalan Chan Koon Cheng until now. The building now houses the Museum of History and Ethnography. Daily display of this museum is a traditional wedding dress and artifacts from the heyday of Malacca. In conclusion, all the history past made the Stadthuys had been chosen as one of the world heritage.

Literature Justification for Blended/Reverse Instruction

The concept of a reversed classroom is a logical next step from discovering the benefits of more time on task, direct instruction, reduced lecture time, and modifying homework tasks. If teachers are to find time to increase time on task and direct instruction; and greater comprehension is shown from shorter lectures over longer ones; and if homework is more beneficial when it is reduced into manageable portions; then the best division of labor is to assign the short lecture as homework to give teachers that time in class actively engaged in the application of the lesson(s. Rigorous literature on the reversed classroom is still in its infancy, but literature on its various beneficial parts is offered here along with it. Key terms: Blended instruction – teaching pedagogy that uses both virtual and face-to- face instruction. Reverse instruction – a classroom method that appoints the time for lecture material to an at home assignment, while completing practice material duri ng classroom time. Time on task – the amount of time actively engaged in assigned learning. Homework – coursework that is assigned to be completed outside classroom attendance, usually at home. Direct instruction – a teacher centered model of instruction that includes high levels of teacher support/scaffolding, ongoing evaluative monitoring with feedback, and strong student-teacher engagement of the material. (Stein 1998) Podcast/vodcast – audio or video/audio files that can be downloaded from the internet for personal use. Literature Justification for Blended/Reverse Instruction Introduction Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams began a movement. They didn’t intend to; they simply responded to the needs of their own classrooms and collaborated on an idea that was initially intended for their absent students. Then it grew into a method that freed them up to be more actively involved with students during their class periods. It involved video recording their lectures for at home use, and practicing the material and assignments with direct instruction and guidance during class time, thus â€Å"flipping†, or reversing, their use of instruction time (Bergmann 2009. The results were so positive that many others are replicating the method across the nation and tech companies are filling the need with products, (see appendix), that go far beyond PowerPoint ® for formatting the lectures they deliver to their students. This concept has been called by a few names: reverse classroom, reverse instruction, flipped classroom, and/or blended instruction, however, the opportunity created by the â€Å"flip† to increase t eacher-student interaction during class time is what characterizes its success (Bergmann 2009). As the use of this concept increases parents, teachers, and administrators are asking for research testing its efficacy. Those who are trying flipped classrooms state that increased learning does not occur just by reversing homework and lecture time alone, but by seizing the opportunity to guide and interact with students more. The technology of vodcasting by itself is not a silver bullet for our educational woes; educators must teach with sound methodology and quality regardless of what medium, or time, they choose to lecture in (Roblyer 2009. ) With that in mind I propose the following research questions about a reverse classroom study: 1. Will more direct instruction increase measurable comprehension of subject matter as reflected in test scores? Studies so far have had promising results, (Stein, Carnine, & Dixon 1998), and include mastery of material through formative evaluation before moving on in coursework, (Overmyer 2010), extra use of worked examples, (Carroll 1992), and more use of discussion, (Matthews 2008. ) 2. Will students have greater compliance in homework because is consists of lectures instead of practice? Benefits from homework are directly proportional to how much compliance demonstrated in completing it, (Keith 1982. Homework compliance at Clintondale High in Macomb County, MI increased because a short lecture is easier; applied practice has been less frustrating with support later in class, (Buffenbarger 2011). This model of education changes the character of homework from usually studying alone trying to remember and apply lecture material, to doing the work alongside other students with guidance. At home the student can be prepared to learn through the lecture without the pressure of application until un derstanding of the material is confirmed and supported. This echoes Ecclesiastes 4:9 â€Å"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down his friend can pick him up. But pity the man who has no one to help him up! † (New International Version) 3. Will more time on task, due to less lecture time, reduce behavior management issues in reversed classrooms? Clintondale High, again, has shown dramatic reduction in referrals to the office for discipline, (Higgins 2011), in the first year of reversed classrooms and school-wide emphasis on this use of time; â€Å"Students are less frustrated and disruptive in class because there is someone on hand to help one-on-one. (Buffenbarger 2011) Discussion of key terms Blended instruction is really a broad category under which the focus of my proposed study falls. It is not just any use of technology by the school for record keeping or parent communication, although those things support education. This â€Å"blend† is referring to how content is be ing delivered to the student for instruction. When a teacher has students read and respond to material online, they have blended their face to face instruction with computer instruction. When they have delivered an asynchronous lecture or lesson outside of class time, or assigned pre-recorded information by someone else for them to find and view or listen to it is also blended instruction. In extensive meta-analysis it has been found that a combination of both virtual and face to face instruction is likely to be more effective than either one alone, (US Dept. 2008. ) Reverse instruction is a category of blended instruction named according to when virtual content delivery occurs as opposed to when application and practice of the material happens. Rather than using classroom time for content delivery, the instructor uses that time for guiding application and practice, while assigning the lecture/lesson as homework, (Bergmann, 2009). Time on task, not to be confused with mere seatwork, (Siefert 1984), is a term used in this study to refer to active engagement with the content. This can be during collaborative work with fellow students, involvement in discussion, (Matthews 2008), with the instructor as a class, or individually. It can include time used for assessment, lab work, practice, or use of interactive software or textbooks, (Higgins 1992); but it is always referring to the students’ efficacious work with the class content. Homework is any assigned coursework meant to be completed outside of the classroom, usually at home. It is often a topic of study in education because of its impact on grades and tests. (Keith 1982) In recognition of the value of family life, time for friends and the pursuit of personal interests, studies are often focused on how much is needful vs. reating a balance of these things. To keep it minimal and balanced with personal life, other studies attempt to measure which types of homework are the most effective for the amount of time invested in them. (Murphy 1989) Direct instruction is a teacher centered model of instruction â€Å"that integrates effective teaching practices with sophisticated curriculum design, classroom organization and management. † (Stein 1998 ) This includes high levels of teacher support/scaffolding, ongoing evaluative monitoring with feedback, and strong student-teacher engagement of the material. It is the intention of this study to increase this type of instruction as replacement of the reversed lecture time, and in support of more time on task, (above. ) Podcast and vodcast are audio, and video with audio, files that can be downloaded from the internet. They are the most common form of lesson, or lecture time, assigned as homework in the reverse classroom model. (Schaffhauser 2009) These are available in many subjects through YouTube ®, supportive websites like Khan Academy, (see appendix), or can be custom made by each instructor for his or her class. Overmyer 2010) They are made readily available for students via CD, DVD, flash drives, or internet. (Bergmann 2008) Other forms of reverse classroom homework are interactive sites or software made available through the students’ school. Reduced lecture time and increased time on task The educational standard of a lecture-based classroom has received much criticism as our use of technology increases. Prior to the late 1800’s the lecture consisted of reading verbatim text with students taking notes to reproduce the same. As it evolved into personal interpretation of text and uthorship of original ideas, student requirements of recitation in classical education shifted to explaining a synthesis of ideas presented in lectures and textbooks (Freisen 2011). Modern students now grapple with an explosion of sources of information, and so the lecture from their teacher fades into the perspective of one person when there are so many ways to gain the required information of each class. In the information age, lecturing has been proven more effective in brevity (McFeeley & Milner 2009) Matthews & Farmer 2008). So, what then should the lecture become? Norm Friesen described it eloquently as a much needed bridge to merge information and â€Å"oral communication with writing and newer media technologies. † (2011. ) McFeeley & Milner call for it to become kernels of information, â€Å"5 minutes or less,† with time in between to allow students to understand and apply the necessary tools of their subjects (2009. ) The times of understanding and application are what I have already described as time on task, which has been attributed with higher levels of learning and test scores, (Matthews & Farmer 2008) (Stein et. al. 1998. ) Homework studies. The short lecture is an ideal assignment for homework. Easily accessed and portable, its length makes it an attainable goal to accomplish as homework. Practice and written assignments, however, vary in time commitment according to each student’s understanding of the material and their ability to complete it. Short lectures are certainly able to increase learning while still respecting the personal time of students and their families, both stated goals in assigning homework. Whether it is given in class or at home, decreasing time for lecture frees up more time for direct instruction from the teacher. Blended learning and the reverse classroom Whether or not to use technology no is longer the question. Technology is such a pervasive part of modern life that it has integrated itself into education. So, in that sense, all classrooms are more or less utilizing blended learning; it is only named â€Å"blended† when it has become intentional as a method for delivering or manipulating the constructs of the lessons. For instructors to fail to include and capitalize on this vast store of information and resources could result in failure to reach this generation of learners. The purpose of the type of reverse classroom that I am proposing is to gain more time for teachers to assist and coordinate learning from a variety of sources; to be more actively involved in each student’s comprehension and feedback. Just replacing ourselves as lecturers by podcast(s) gravely misses the point. Conclusion/Summary The reversed classroom is already happening in schools at increasing rates in both K – 12 and higher education classes. It is proving itself as a viable option for increasing direct instruction time and learning. Only when the at home lectures are too long, or when they are an attempted replacement for teaching without the beneficial increased engagement during class, is student dissatisfaction expressed, or test scores and learning level off or drop. Research would be well invested if it began to decipher which technologies are the most effective for students, and user friendly for instructors in material delivery. While surveys show that many teachers hesitate to utilize technology in their classes, starting out with it outside the classroom is a gentle step towards its use without fearing fumbling around with it in front of a student audience. In fact, teachers of distance education classes have stated that tech-based teaching has improved their overall ability and methods as instructors: â€Å"Findings from a study of teacher perceptions indicate that three quarters of teachers who teach in both virtual and traditional environments felt that virtual experiences improved their practice in face-to-face classrooms. † (Roblyer, et. al. 2009) New studies could help refine which kinds of teacher training will be the most valuable, determine best infrastructure and IT support for schools, and improve parent-teacher communication about tech-based homework. Education has always grown and shifted as culture and technology change. While lectures used to be about preserving the knowledge gains of mankind as â€Å"the task of educational institutions to preserve this vulnerable heritage from one generation to the next,† (Friesen 2011), it grew into a synthesis of information and instruction, and in twenty first century learning it is changing towards teaching skills for students to navigate and utilize the enormous body of information available in our age. The effective use of a reverse classroom model is a natural fit.

National Jazz Hall

QSO-640 Midterm Robert Wilson Question 1 The project that Mr. Rutland is trying to manage is establishing maintaining a National Jazz Hall of Fame(NJHF) in Charlottesville, VA. The NHJF was created and has been in existence for about one year. Now, Mr. Rutland has found that the Paramount Theatre in downtown Charlottesville, which shares it’s name with a famous jazz hall from the 1930s and 40s in New York City, is about to be demolished and would like to save and renovate the building as the headquarters for the NJHF.The Paramount Theatre would be where the NJHF would be located and provide a venue for a museum, archives and a concert center. This would also allow the NJHF to sponsor jazz festivals, workshops and scholarships. The museum would be used to remember great jazz artists, serve jazz enthusiasts along with education he public on the importance of jazz in American culture and history. Question 2 The stakeholders in this project begin with Mr. Rutland himself.After tha t, some of the other stakeholders include the board of directors for the NHJF, the City of Charlottesville departments renovating the historic district of downtown Charlottesville, the consultant hired by the board, other tourist attractions in around Charlottesville and in Western Virginia, they include Monticello, James Monroe’s house, and the University of Virginia. Other stakeholders would be the contractors employed to renovate the Paramount, possible donors to the project, they could be private as well as governmental such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.The potential jazz performers that are potential members of the NJHF are also very important stakeholders. If this is not a highly recognized and reputable hall of fame, some of these iconic jazz musicians will not want to be members of the organization. Finally, jazz fans as a whole are key stakeholders as well. Without them, there would not be a need for this type of attraction. Question 3 There are three major issues facing Mr. Rutland and the NJHF. They are: 1. Fund raising, 2. Building and leading a professional team to complete the project. 3. Marketing in order to promote the NJHF and gain national recognition.In order to successfully address these issues the following skills will be needed: Good communication skills – Since the PM will be dealing with many different type of people, groups and audiences, they will need to be able to communicate effectively on all of these different levels. They need to communicate with government entities in order to secure the necessary permits and inspections once the theatre is set to be renovated. They will have to speak with philanthropic groups in order to raise private funds for the renovation of the theatre along with donations to run the NJHF.In order to gain public funding, the PM will have to address government agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts. For issue two, the PM will be the team leader and have to communicate well with each group of the project team. They will have to work with the different teams to create the renovation plan. Once that is done, they will have to work with many different contractors to secure bids before deciding on who will complete the renovations. Other groups that the PM will have to communicate would include the finance team, the procurement team and the budget team.As for issue number 3, the PM will have to work with several marketing firms who specialize in the work needed for the NJHF to establish national recognition. They will have to meet with many different firms in order to select the best one for the NJHF. Once that group is selected, the PM will be the interface to that group for the project. Communications with this group will of course be vital to the longevity of the NJHF. Ability to command respect – The PM needs to be to command respect from every group involved in each aspect of the project.With out respect, none of the groups will be â€Å"encouraged† to complete their assigned tasks. Also, without respect the project as a whole will not have any credibility. It is this respect and credibility that will help generate private and government funding. Also, if there is no respect in the project, the NJHF will not gain any respect in the Jazz community. Without that, why would any of the potentials jazz musicians want to be a member of this hall of fame? Conflict Resolution skills – this is a basic skill that every PM must have. Without it, no project would move forward.In this project, the conflicts could be many for all three issues. If the PM cannot resolve the conflicts that will arise from the renovation of the theatre alone, the other two issue will never come to fruition. Good knowledge of project management principles – Of all of the PM principles, risk management is key in this project. If you look at issue two, fundraising, what happens to the pr oject if a major source of funding becomes compromised? One real world example is the Boy Scouts of America. They received almost 40% of their annual budget from a donation by the American United Way.A few years ago, the United Way reduced their donation significantly. The BSA now receives only one percent of its budget from that organization. It was real blow to their ability to maintain their year round projects. In order to recoup this budgetary loss, they established the Friends of Scouting project. They now solicit donations from the parents of Scouts, former Scouts and other companies and non-profit organizations to fulfill the gap. The PM for this project will have to have contingency plans in place like the BSA has done.Be comfortable in an uncertain environment – This is a huge, multifaceted project that a PM can understand every aspect. The PM for this project needs to be able to manage well the pieces they know very well and have the ability to manage the pieces th ey are not so familiar with. They need to put the right people in place for the aspects of the project they are the least familiar. Say the PM is strong in construction but weak in fund raising, they need to find a good fund raiser and someone who is good with marketing. Question 4 I feel that Mr. Rutland does have credibility.He is a professor of History at the University of Virginia. I don’t think that he would have been able to have had jazz greats, Benny Goodman and Chick Corea join the NJHF National Advisory board if they didn’t feel that Mr. Rutland and the board of directors he established were credible. Having two famous jazz musicians like that on the board definitely adds credence and credibility to Mr. Rutland’s plan. Is Mr. Rutland a leader? A leader is defined as â€Å"interpersonal influence, exercised in situations and directed through the communication process, toward the arraignment of a specified goal of goals. † Mr.Rutland has shown tha t ability in the first year of building the NJHF. Mr. Rutland came up with the NJHF and locating it in Charlottesville, VA. He enlisted the help of his fellow jazz enthusiast, and created the board of directors for the hall of fame. After that he found a possible building location that, by name, has ties to the famous jazz era of the 1930s and 19402 in New York City. This would give the NJHF a headquarters with a credible and recognizable name. After establishing the board, Mr. Rutland went out to generate funds for the hall by applying for grants from philanthropic groups along with various government agencies.They were denied for two reasons, inexperience of the board members and the brevity of their existence. This could not be construed negatively toward the board or affect their credibility. Mr. Rutland also understood that the NJHF would need visitors to help generate revenue to continue the hall’s existence. He found that over half a million people visit the Charlottes ville area to see many other attractions. He knew he had to work with the various venues and tourist organization to help promote the NJHF as a viable attraction. Finally Mr.Rutland showed his leadership in hiring a consultant to help answer two questions. One, what is the interest level of the respondents for jazz and the establishment of a National Jazz Hall of Fame. The survey was conducted on a national level and on a local level. This allows Mr. Rutland to find out if people were actually interested in a Jazz Hall of Fame and if they would attend, jazz music as a whole, if people would be willing to donate money to such an organization, what services and events they would expect from the hall and what the average person interested in such a place would be willing to pay for admission.This gave the board an idea of what kind of funding they could expect fromt eh public through donations and admission fees. Question 5 The cultures relevant to this project are the African-American , Cajun, Africans, and American. Jazz was influenced by different cultures and sub-cultures. The music also has roots in the development of other music movements around the world. In the US, Jazz has influenced, the Blues, R&B, Motown, Dixieland, Classical and Country music. Jazz is a melting pot of music as well having its roots in other genres.The project environment for the National Jazz Hall of Fame was a struggle to get off the ground, but was met with great enthusiasm. After the first year, even though they had many setbacks due to difficulties raising contributions from outside sources and finding out they needed at least $600,000 to renovate the theatre, Mr. Rutland and the board felt the project showed promise. Mr. Rutland did not seem to give up, but found other ways to promote and endow the NJHF. He tried to utilized the local tourism outlets, the NJHF promoted concerts to raise money and awareness.Mr. Rutland visited other halls of fame to gain ideas and insights into th eir success. He also commissioned a two surveys to gather information about the viability and interest the public would have for a jazz hall of fame. Question 6 Mr. Rutland should do the following: Budget- Philanthropic organizations – Since they had difficulties raising funds from these types of organizations due to a lack of experience on the part of the board, they need to hire an executive director with fund raising experience.This will give them someone with the proper background that these organization are looking for and a higher level of credibility. This will help solidify them as a true purveyor of a hall of fame for Jazz. Government Agencies – Once they have a qualified executive director and have been established for over two years, they should reapply for government funds from groups like the National Endowment for the Arts. They will be able to get enough funds so that they may even begin to renovate the theatre. Donations – The survey showed that they could receive an average of $23. 0 per donation. They should pursue a low cost way of garnering these donations in order to increase their bottom line. The survey targeted individuals over 35 years old with an income of $50,000+. Perhaps they can target other age and income range along with woman. Memberships – These are an excellent way to raise money. You can usually provide a few low cost incentives to individuals and they will pay a little more of an admission fee to benefit from those perks. However, at this time, without an actually facility for the hall of fame, memberships may be something they should wait on.It was recommended that they pursue Founding Memberships. This would be a more viable option until it is decided on where the actual NJHF will be located. Everyone likes to say that they were the first ones to be involved in a new endeavor. Visitors – The survey found that the average admission fee could be $3. 50. This is a good price considering how many tourists visit the Charlottesville area. Again, until a facility if build and functional, this idea should be set aside. Budget – Expenditures. The Paramount Theatre is the NJHF’s largest expenditure at $600,000.Other expenditures are the cost of the surveys. Future costs will be setting up the Founding Membership accounts, the regular memberships (if any), the salary of the executive director and all of the operational costs of an office for that individual. There will also have to be a budget for correspondence, fliers for concerts and workshops, etc. A Travel budget for the executive director will be required as well. Performance: service/activities The NJHF will have to continue to sponsor concerts and workshops.This will help them promote their mission along with getting their name out there. Offering a scholarship will help as well. This would also help gain credibility with the National Association of Jazz Educators. Competition – The NJHF needs to work with their competition. This will allow them to learn about how they are doing things. What works and what does not. It could also give them an opportunity to create an association with other hall of fames. This would make them appear more established. They could use their competitions success to their advantage.Schedule – First thing would be to hire an experience executive director. I think the NJHF’s first window of opportunity will come when they have been around for over two years so they qualify for government funding. Their first milestone could be signing up their first Founding Member. This would give them a good jumping off point to establish a large group of Members. http://businessmanstar. blogspot. com/2012/01/national-jazz-hall-of-fame-njhf-case. html http://www. expertprogrammanagement. com/2009/06/required-skills-to-be-a-program-manager/