SWOT and PEST Analysis and Their Relevance to the Marketing Planning Process - Apple Inc Free Essay Example, 2250 words

The relevance of SWOT Analysis to the marketing planning process is that this tool enables a business to gather information from its immediate environment, and then to separate the information into internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external influences (opportunities and threats) (Pearce, 2007:25). Once the business has done that, it is then better placed to determine how it is going to operate within the market that it seeks to serve, through taking advantage of its strengths and the available opportunities, while improving on its areas of weaknesses, and planning to overcome the possible threats. Secondly, the relevance of SWOT analysis in the marketing planning process is that this tool helps a business to be realistic in its marketing planning process (Macpherson, et al. , 2013:42). This is because, through the application of SWOT Analysis, a business is able to understand where it is weak and the areas in which it is strong, thus enabling the business to set goals that it is able to achieve, rather than engage in setting arbitrary objectives, which the business may not even be able to realize. We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT and PEST Analysis and Their Relevance to the Marketing Planning Process - Apple Inc or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Thus, SWOT Analysis does not only assists a business in improving its current situation but also presents the business with new ideas which enhances its marketing planning for the new project that it might execute.

Transportation And Economics Of The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, when pastoral societies began to become industrial cities. The transition for the people however was not easy; it was a long process in which manufacturing techniques completely shifted from simple hand held tools to complex machines. Before the Industrial Revolution, everything was different. Manufacturing was often homemade or grown, not using big tools but rather basic machines. The period called a shift from old ways to factories and mass production! The iron and textile industries, as well as the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution. They improved transportation and economics of entrepreneurs, yet messed with the†¦show more content†¦No longer were people living together in peace, rather their homes became crowded apartments. Those who chose to not leave the country were treated by rich landowners, who pushed enclosures in order to gain pastures. There ac tions caused farm workers to be thrown out of work, and forced to work within the city. The unemployed migrated into the towns and cities, growing the labor force of factories. Factories began to grow and grow because as demand for British goods increased; merchants needed more cost-effective methods of production, which led to the rise of the factory system as well as the improvement on transportation. The textile industry, in particular, was transformed by industrialization. Developments in the iron industry also played a central role in the Industrial Revolution. The steam engine in 1712, Englishman was introduced by Thomas Newcomen who developed the first practical steam engine. The steam engine went on to power machinery, locomotives and ships during the Industrial Revolution. The transportation industry thus underwent significant transformation, and American Robert Fulton built the first commercially successful steamboat, and by the mid-19th century, steamships were carrying freight and exporting across the Atlantic. As steam-powered ships were making their debut, the steam locomotive was also coming into use, and in the early 1800s, Richard Trevithic k constructed the first railway steam locomotive. Once again as

Drop Out Risk Factors in High School Students Free Essays

Drop out risk factors in high school students Tyrone Galimore Parent, Child, and School Psychology 133A-AMEA Professor Melissa Harwin Tyrone Galimore Parent, Child, and School PSY 133A-MEA Professor Melissa Harwin Fall semester 2012 10/11/2011 Introduction The purpose of this Life Arts Project (L. A. P. We will write a custom essay sample on Drop Out Risk Factors in High School Students or any similar topic only for you Order Now )was to review the benefits of family involvement for children. For the purpose of this L. A. P. I am going to summarize some of the expectations that families and teachers have of each other, and what potential benefits of family involvement have on at risk high school dropout students. Some of the questions I am attempting to address are: why are African American and Latino students dropping out of high school at an astounding rate? Is there any difference when students get greater attention from advocate- counselors, and smaller class room sizes? And what are the expectations that families and teacher have on each other? In this Life arts project I focused on the impact of families and teachers involvement in high school drop outs. Literature Review What initiatives are in place to prevent high school students from dropping out of school? Researcher has found that three out of ten Latino students dropout of high school, and one out of five African American students has also dropout out of high school. Understanding and addressing the issues surrounding students who drop out of high school is a continuous concern and pressing issues in school districts around the country. Over the past 20 years, the high school dropout rate has declined. (Center for Labor Market Studies, 2009 Cited in Featherston, B. Carl, 2010) Some of the research has been done through qualitative methods, while other research was conducted using questionnaires and more quantitative methods. High school drop out rate has decreased from 14. 1 in 1980 to 8. 0 in 2008 (US Department of Education, 2010) for example, this is the case for African American and Latino students. The amount of African American students dropping out of school between the age of 16-24 also decreased from 19. 1 percent rate from 1980 to a 9. 0 in 2008, and decreased have also been demonstrated by Latino students, 35. percent rate in 1980 to a 18. 2 in 2008, (US Department of Education, 2010) These alarming high school dropout rates have pushed researchers and practitioners alike to distinguish the contributing factors causing students to drop out of high school. (Featherston 2010) Reflective Analysis When I was a high school student, I myself (being of African American descent) was an at risk student on the verge of dropping out of school. If not for my Micro system support team, â€Å"Micro system- A concept associated with Bronfenbrenners’ ecological theory. The micro system includes social systems closest to child’s daily life, such as the classroom teacher and home. † (Coleman 2013), I might have not succeeded in obtaining a high school diploma. â€Å"Understanding and addressing issues surrounding students who drop out of high school is a continuous concern and pressing issue in districts around the country. Over the past 20 years, the high school dropout rate has declined, but African Americans and Latinos still have the highest dropout rates in the country†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. † (Center for labor Market Studies, 2009) Contributing Factors Many of us are concerned with the fact that there are little job in our economy today, despite the fact that unemployment is at an all time high; today’s young people are having a difficult time finding jobs. The competition is rough, and for young people with out high school diplomas are even rougher. Why do students drop out of high schools? Here are some contributing factors, and preventive method addressing academic achievement. â€Å"Many issues surrounding the decision to dropping out of school stems beyond the students immediate grasp. Among these factors are academic achievement, socio economic status, and student behavior. Student engagement is facilitated by all of these factors and gives a clear view as into why students drop out of high school. †(Featherston, 2010) Another contributing factor was that my family was a vulnerable family. In this course we learned that Vulnerable Families are families, who, because of their life circumstances, experience financial, emotional, and physical stress that can impair their functioning and well-being. The two examples used in our course books were, homeless families and working-poor families. At times we where both, along with no money to pay bills, we would find our self moving from home to home. Sometimes living with extended family members (by the way, you ever heard of the saying â€Å"theirs no place like home) well that saying is absolutely true!!!! So without adding the details, you could clearly see why I had to grow up so fast at an early age, and man up, which contributed to my failing grades. One of the major causes of students dropping out of high school is the accumulation of failing marks. Studies show that academic failure has the greatest impact on a student’s decision to drop out of school† (Suh, Suh, 2007) In my experience as a teacher assistant, at the alternative high school, for the City of New Rochelle’s Board of Education, I have seen many students dropout of school. If fact academic achievement is one of the leading reason studentâ€⠄¢s dropout at the institution I am affiliated with. In my opinion, student behavior is affiliated with poor academic behavior, which I think is a result for students being put out of school, or dropping out of school. To illustrate, when I was in high school, I failed to do homework, or take notes in class, obviously I was lost when it came to the course martial. I said to myself, what’s the point of coming to class if I don’t understand the class work. I could blame my parents for not staying together for the benefit of their children, but my parents broke up a long time ago, and I was the man of the house, being the oldest of three siblings. I toke this responsibility on, all by myself, and my mother who work long days, long nights, and occasionally on the weekend would be a weekend drunk, had vary little input when it came to making sure we went to school etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. â€Å"Shared factors associated with academic failure were the limited educational enrichment resources. † (Suh, Suh, 2007) Being the oldest of three siblings meant I had to share the responsibility with my mom, on keeping the family together. This meant getting my two younger rother up and ready for school each day, bathing and feeding them, etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Being the oldest meant, at an early age, I understood about the financial responsibilities that my mom was having a difficult time with. I learned how to be a man from men in my community (tie a tie, work for your money, etc†¦.. ), and I understood only money could help my mom in her situation. So I began to look in my community for ways I could get money to help the famil y progress, and be healthy. As a youth I had plenty of jobs, which consisted of working long hour at night and on the weekend. This definitely had an impact on my academic achievements, which resulted in me getting bad grades. Certainly I fell so far behind, that I felt, I was stupid. So I did everything under the sun (bullying, cutting class, not coming to school for academic’s, but showing up for football practice) to divert attention away from my academic’s issues. I already had a plan, if I was ever confronted with the fact that I was a troublemaker, I would quiet, and I just needed a reason. Benefit of family involvement There is limited amount of research on the benefits of family involvement for families themselves. Nevertheless, Coleman has reasonably hypothesize at least five benefits that should result when teachers and families collaborate to honor each others’ expectations and share responsibility for educating, socializing, and protecting children. (Coleman 2013), Parents’ knowledge of child development, schools sometime publish flyers to educate families about the physical, mental, and social â€Å"readiness skills†. Coleman 2013), Example, family participation practice can boost parents’ knowledge of child development and in turn, provide them with better insight into their children’s classroom performance. Parenting skills, teachers support children’s development and education not only in the classroom but also by responding to parents’ questions and concerns about their children’s behavior. (Coleman 2013), example, parents sometimes ask for help in addressing what they perceive to be unusual childhood behavior or a behavior that is out of character for their child. Parents may also ask for help in to such requests benefits children and families in the short and long term (knopf Swick, 2008 cited in Coleman 2013). Parents’ Self-Confidence as Advocated for their Children, to form a truly collaborative family-teacher partnership, parents need the self-confidence to advocate for their children’s education and general welfare (Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, Brissie, 1992; Hoover- Dempsey Sander, 1995, 1997, cited in Coleman 2013) Colman states that as a teacher, you can strengthen parents’ self-confidence by their children’s development and education. Also teachers should remind parents of how they contribute to their children’s well being by listening to their concerns and answering their questions†¦.. (Coleman 2013) Parents’ Creativity, Coleman talks about family strategies provides opportunities to keep parents engaged in their children’s learning experiences. They also stimulate parents’ creativity in promoting their children’s emerging skills at home and in the community. Higher educational aspirations, with support, children are able to live up to their parents’ academic expectation (Fan Chen, 2001, cited in Coleman 2013) Family involvement can contribute to positive outcome and decrease at risk student behavior by increasing parent’s self- confidence and creativity in helping their children develop the skills and motivation needed to stay in school. Benefits of family involvement for teachers As with families, relatively little attention has been devoted to studying the benefits of families involvement for teachers. Nevertheless, Colman identifies at least five potential benefits. Understanding the â€Å"ecological child†, because of their training, teachers naturally tend to focus on the â€Å"classroom child†. Only by considering the â€Å"ecological child† can we truly understand how children’s classroom performance is grounded in family and community life. Reflect on this example, cultural macrosystems. One hallmark of socially competent children in high-context cultures (e. g. African American students or Latino students) is their mastery of subtle contextual communication signals (e. g. nonverbal facial and hand gestures) rather than explicit verbalizations(Han Thomas, 2010, cited in Coleman 2013) children from low- context cultures ( e. g. , United State, Western Europe, Australia) are taught to value just the opposite. They are encouraged to be direct in their verbal communication rather than rely on subtle forms of nonverbal communication. QUESTIONNAIRE I am asking these questions in order to gather information about what happens to students as they move through high school and make decision about what they are going to do after high school. Student at the New Rochelle Alternative High School, where I am employed, were told that their responses will be combined with those of other respondents, and the answers they give will never be identified as their own. Former students who drop out of school and participated in this questionnaire were also told that the answers they give will never be identified as their own. 1) Thinking back to yours in high school, do you remember when you frist thought about leaving school? (Circle one) yes no 2) Here are some reasons students might use for leaving school which one applies or might apply to you. Circle which one you think applies to you. †¢ I had a job. †¢ I found a job. †¢ I don’t like school. †¢ I couldn’t get along with the teachers. †¢ I couldn’t get along with the other students. †¢ I wanted to have a family. †¢ (FOR FEMALES ONLY) I was pregnant. †¢ I became the father/mother of a baby. †¢ I had to support my family. †¢ I was suspended too often. †¢ I did not feel safe at school. †¢ I wanted to travel. †¢ My friends had dropped out of school. †¢ I had to care for a member of my family. †¢ I was expelled from school. †¢ I felt I didn’t belong at school. †¢ I couldn’t keep up with my school work. †¢ I was failing school. I got married or planned to get married. †¢ I change school and didn’t like my new school. †¢ I couldn’t work or go to school at the same time. 3) Do you plan to get a high school diploma or GED? YESNO Refere nces Coleman, M. (2013) Empowering Family – Teacher Partnerships, glossary Featherston, B. Carl, (2010) Review of higher education and self – learning, High School dropout prevention: a review of the literature, (7) 68-75 Robelen, W. Erik, (2006, November 15) Education week. Detailed Dropout Studies Guide Policy in City Schools, 26, 8-9 Suh, S. , Suh J. (2007). Risk Factors and Levels of Risk for High School Dropouts. Professional School Counseling, 10(3), 297-306. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database. US Department of Education Institution of Education Science. (2010). Fast Fact. In The Condition of Education 2010 (NCES 20100-028). Retrieved 11/16/2012, from http://nces. ed. gov/fastfacts/display. asp? id=16. US Department of Education. (2009). Anniversary of Title VI Marks Progress and Reminds us that Every Child has the Right to an Education. In ED. gov. Retrieved 08/20/2010, from Http://www2. ed. gov/news/pressreleases/2009/07/0701200-a. html. Wallis, Claudia (2007, May 14) Stopping the Exodus. (169) 177-179 How to cite Drop Out Risk Factors in High School Students, Essay examples

19th century Essay Example For Students

19th century Essay Firstly, I would like to highlight a profound difference in the approach to life in the 19th century and in the present based on the book. Love, determination, gentlemanship—all these values were traditionally cherished but we do not want to or we are not even able to preserve them in the present. My objective in the final part of the essay is to give you the notable examples of love, determination and gentlemanship found between the characters and to discuss the quality of relationships in the 19th century and in the present. Gaskell differentiated the North and the South of England but consequently these two parts are fused together due to the relationship between John Thornton and Margaret Hale. This relationship generates the discussion about long-standing relationships in the 19th century and kind of adoration of it. It gives rise to the question if these approaches are preferred in the present or not. This leads me to other points of my analysis. I would like to focus on a brief description of the plot as well as a depiction of the main characters. Next, I would like to point out the main features of the Victorian novel and the basic historical events that are connected with the Victorian era. After that, I intend to contrast Gaskell’s book with Dickens’ Oliver Twist because they use different attitudes to describe social classes. This also invites the comparison of Gaskell and Jane Austen. Even if Austen created her works before Gaskell, we can state that she was influenced by her. Finally, I would like to point out other themes which Gaskell deals with in the book but they are hidden and the general reader might not be able to reveal them. 1. A brief description of the plot and the main characters The story is set in England in the 19th century. As the title suggests, this works provides comparisons and descriptions of the North and the South of England. It tells the story of a young woman Margaret Hale who originally comes from Helstone in the south but she lives with her close relatives Aunt Shaw and Cousin Edith in Harley Street in London. The relation between Edith and Margaret is worth the attention because they are like sisters. However, Edith marries Captain Lennox and they leave for Corfu where his regiment is stationed. Margaret finds the state of being abandoned by her true friend scarcely bearable so she decides to return to Helstone. The most unexpected event occurs when Mr. Hale is determined to leave the vicarage of Helstone because he lost his personal faith in it. His wife and daughter follow him obediently into the town of Milton in the north. The Hales directly experience the industrial and bustling town. They get to know two men from two distinct classes—a worker Higgins and a manufacturer Mr. Thornton. Mrs. Hale passes away because of a harsh and unhealthy environment and later on she is followed by her husband. Margaret decides to live again in London. However, she has to acknowledge that her heart goes out to Thornton who is lonely and almost goes bankrupt. Coincidentally, Margaret and Thornton meet in London and they feel they are deeply in love with each other. Margaret Hale is a stubborn heroine of the story. The sudden loss of the parents makes her utterly desperate. She stoutly defends the life and values of Helstone. Margaret is filled with hatred of Thornton because of a cruel attitude to his workers. Mr. Richard Hale remains consistent in everything he does and he has to believe in it. Even if he is a local vicar and seems genuinely fond of living in the country parsonage, he stops believing in his mission. His role of being able to educate other people fulfills his life in Milton. Mr. John Thornton is a proud and hardworking northerner manufacturer who owns the Marlborough Mills. He is straightforward with his workers and devoted to Margaret in every way. Nicholas Higgins, who represents the working class, is the leader of the Trade Union. He starts the strike in a non-violent way. Nicholas loves his two daughters and he also manages to take care of his dead friend’s children. 2. Periodization and literary significance This book is traditionally placed in the category of Victorian novels. Victoria’s coronation in 1837 signals the official inception of this literary period and her death in 1901 marks its official demise. The term â€Å"Victorian† in general can be associated with sexual repression, stultifying middle-class family life and cramped views on women’s lives. General view of the Victorian period and its novels is slightly connected with being clipped or limited but Victorian novels are expansive, generous, deeply entertaining and ambitious. The novel is eager to show that it knows everything from poor workers, tradesmen, manufacturers to business, history, traveling, etc. (DEIRDRE et al. 2001: 1–3) Victorian novel is definitely not economical: 1984 Vs. Animal Farm EssayHe never went on with any subject, but gave little, short, abrupt answers †¦ with a face that is neither exactly plain, nor yet handsome, not quite a gentleman; but that was to be expected. (GASKELL 2003: 41) Nevertheless, Thornton is not a gentleman because he should have the title Gent. after his name which he does not have. Daniel Pool points out: â€Å"The person who used this title was defined by the law as someone with no regular trade or occupation.† (POOL 1993: 44) This is not possible at all because Thornton owns the Marlborough Mills. However, Margaret considers being a gentleman in social terms. I have to admit that she should not judge the book by its cover because Thornton undergoes a significant change during the plot—he is helpful to the Hales, caring and he even changes the attitude to his workers in terms of improvement of working conditions. If I were Margaret, I would not denounce Thornton of not being a gentleman because I am firmly convinced of the fact that I would have to try hard to find a man like this nowadays. A further theme repeated in the book is determination. Margaret and Mrs. Hale follow Mr. Hale into the town of Milton even if they do not quite like it. Another instance of determination is when Mr. Hale leaves the Church because he simply lost the faith in his mission: He has written to the bishop, saying that he has such doubts that he cannot remain a priest of the Church of England †¦ surely, he does not mean that he thinks differently—that he knows better than the Church. (GASKELL 2003: 28) I firmly believe that we should show appreciation of his decision owing to the fact that nowadays people would rarely quit their jobs deliberately because they stop believing in it. We can see that Thornton and Margaret Hale are full of a dogged determination as well. She is determined to hate him because of his behavior, which is not gentlemanlike in her opinion. He is determined to love her forever, which stems from the conviction that she is the first and the last woman he will ever be able to love. Thornton is excellent at courtesy which is based on the fact that courtship was a very serious matter indeed. Consequently, Thornton proposes Margaret and this is the moment where she hates him the most and rejects his proposal. Daniel Pool explains that gentleman’s course was to inform in advance the parents or guardians of the lady of his intentions and he also had to state his circumstances and property. (POOL 1993: 181) Margaret might have been offended for not telling her p arents first. A further aspect of this is that they are devoted to each other all these years and they are only waiting for the right moment to kiss. The kiss symbolizes the end of the book but at the same time the beginning of their relationship. However, the kiss is very serious matter as well as devotion and courtesy. In my view, we should worship the relationship between two people in a way they do. It would help to hold people in high esteem and generally it would raise the quality of human relationships which is poorer and poorer. Conclusion To summarize, I believe I included all the points that I wanted to achieve in the introduction. As far as I am concerned, the book provided me with a startling insight into the problematic of the relationships and even into the human mind of the 19th century. In other words, the main protagonists’ mutual devotion greatly impressed me. The books I used for writing my analysis helped me a lot because now I have my own personal view on the book as well as on the situation in England in the 19th century. I have been always interested in this topic which stems from the adoration of good manners, courtesy and the fact that even the kiss stood for something more than it means nowadays. On balance, I feel that our society will no longer be like in the 19th century. On the one hand, we can boast about our scientific and technical superiority but on the other hand, our relationships and values are poorer probably owing to a fast lifestyle. We should go back in time and refresh our memories with basic human values such as loyalty, politeness, respect for rules, etc.

Pressing Play to a New Playlist free essay sample

The smell of Korean barbeque permeates my nose as I attempt to perform a Bollywood dance on the sidewalk. I cross the street to my local bakery as my ears are filled with French melodies from La Vie En Rose. My iTunes playlist waits patiently in my palm as I decide which country to visit next. Shuffle. The serene sound of classical Italian tunes serenade my ears and I instantly find myself in an elegant gondola, drifting down the Grand Canal. My imagination can often get the best of me. Imagining diversity is the only thing I can achieve when growing up in a town that is predominantly Caucasian. Though I have been attending the same school and living day to day with the same people since preschool, I have always considered myself overtly different from my peers. While they would listen to the Backstreet Boys, my ears would be enchanted by the foreign melodies of China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. We will write a custom essay sample on Pressing Play to a New Playlist or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While my friends would go home to pizzas and steaks, a traditional bowl of hot and sour catfish soup would be waiting for me on my dining room table. Peers look at my life with curiosity but I view it with great appreciation. The plethora of cultures in my life has contributed significantly to my ability to view situations with different perspectives. My multi-Asian background along with my participation in global service projects have both helped to expand my ability to understand and discuss the development of humanity and its cultures in an insightful way. Traveling to El Salvador in 2011 with my Project Humanitarian Involvement group was the first time I realized I was capable of changing the world. I accomplished wonders in El Salvador and I built lasting relationships with the amigos I made there. Seeing the power of simple deeds being accomplished, such as building homes, change so many lives made me wonder, â€Å"If I can build a home to transform a life in El Salvador†¦what else can I do? And where†? As I press play to a new playlist in my life, I plan on further immersing myself into different communities and cultures of the world by focusing on international relations. I hope to surround myself with individuals from different cultures who will help me challenge and develop my own beliefs about myself and the changing world. I also plan to further advance my Spanish studies and improve my literary skills in Chinese and Vietnamese. My aspiration of learning languages is not only driven by my passion for seeking diversity, but also by the fact that I do not know where the shuffle setting in my life will take me. An amazing aspect of the shuffle setting on my iPod is that I never know what song to expect next. I do not know what extraordinary things my education will lead me to accomplish or what wondrous lands I will set foot in, but I do know that I am ready to escape this little peninsula that I call home and embark on new adventures into the world. I hope to encounter new experiences every day and that the shuffle setting in my life never ceases to quench my thirst for diversity. My expectation for my future is that there will no longer be a need to imagine myself riding on a gondola or hearing Bollywood music from my headphones. I am ready to turn the shuffle setting off on my iPod, and on in my life.

The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Essays

The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Essays The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Paper The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Paper The ultimate goal of a customer-oriented organization is to maximize its customer satisfaction. This topic is about the relation between the profit of a customer-oriented organization and its customer satisfaction. â€Å"The customer is KING. †. It heralds the emergence of new business paradigms that will keep pace with a world rapid changing under the impact of development. The following word will show what are the changes of marketing, what is the customer satisfaction, why the customer satisfaction is important, what is the customer-oriented organization, how to be a customer-oriented organization using the knowledge of marketing. Marketing is an organization function and a set of processes for creasing, communication, and delivering value to customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. (David L. Kurtz Boone 2010, Principles of contemporary marketing PP7) Marketing creates form, time, place, and ownership utilities. Formproduction of the good, driven by the marketing function; Timemake product available when customers want to buy the product; Placemake product available where customers will buy the product; Ownership (Possession) once you own the product, do what you want with it. ( udel. du/alex/chapt1. html, 16-11-2010) Marketing has been a part of business; its importance has varied greatly. Marketing has four eras in the history: the production era, the sales era, the marketing era, and the relationship era. The production era: The prevailing attitude of this era held that a high-quality product would sell itself before 1925. The sales era: In this era, firms attempte d to match their output to the potential number of customers who would want it in about the 1920s to 1950s. The marketing era: Marketing concept is company-wide consumer orientation with the objective of achieving long-run success. The relationship era: This era in the history of marketing emerged during the final decade of the 20th century and continues to grow in importance. Relationship marketing involves developing long-term, value-added relationships over time with customers and suppliers. (David L. Kurtz Boone 2010, Principles of contemporary marketing PP9-11) Now the main era is still in the marketing era. Marketing does not occur in a vacuum. The marketing environment consists of external forces that directly or indirectly impact the organization. We have some environmental forces: societal, political, economic, competitive, and technology. Societal Forces: Pressure to create laws Since marketing activities are a vital part of the total business structure, marketers have a responsibility to help provide what members of society want and to minimize what they dont want. Societal forces pressure political forces to create legal forces governed by regulatory forces. Political Forces: Forces in the marketing environment that are shaped by elected (and sometimes appointed) officials that impact the decisions made by a business organization. Government officials can enact laws that could cause serious harm to specific business sectors. For example, a state that passes laws prohibiting off-shore drilling would dramatically affect oil drilling companys business outlook. Through environmental scanning a business looks at these political forces that might affect them in the short and long term. Economic forces: Marketers may need to adjust their marketing mix as the economy passes through different stages. ( udel. edu/alex/chapt3. tml, 16-11-2010) Customer-oriented organization is one that allows the wants and needs of customers and potential customers to drive all the firms strategic decisions mind is that has the business philosophy incorporating the marketing concept that emphasizes first determining unmet consumer needs and then designing a system for satisfying them. Today, the marketing era is also the most important era, although it has had four eras. The organizations build on the marketing era’s customer orientation by focusing on establishing and maintaining relationships with both customers and suppliers. wordiq. com/definition/Marketing_orientation, Marketing orientation– Definition, 16-11-2010) Marketing mixing is a framework which helps to structure the approach to each market. The mix is a bundle of variables which are offered to the customer. These include the product or service itself and the price which should be charged. In 1960 Jerome McCarthey presented the 4Ps to the world. Product: This me ans the products or services quality, the functions, the features and benefits of its design plus packaging, guarantees and level of after-sales service. Choices can be made about any of these aspects. Price: It includes recommended prices to end-user customers, distributors trade prices, cash discounts, bulk discounts, terms of credit. Place: It means where and when the customer buys and consumes the product or service. Place is sometimes referred to as the marketing channels, physical distribution, logistics or location. Promotion: It means the promotions mix or the communications mix. This mix includes advertising, sales promotions, publicity, direct mail, exhibitions, display, packaging, selling and even word-of-mouth. Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicator within business. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Customer_satisfaction, Wikipedia, 18-11-2010) Customer lifetime value: This phrase relates to a very simple concept. Every interaction you have with a customer should be done on the basis that their value to you is the total of all the purchases they will ever make, not that one sale. For example your most valuable customers are probably not those who make the biggest purchases, they are the ones who come back again and again. This way of thinking also allows you to consider marketing approaches that do not require you to make back he cost of acquiring a customer in a single sale; The cost of acquisition: It has been demonstrated that it is up to 20 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep an existing one. A traditional sales approach can be likened to pouring new customers into a bucket with a hole in the bottom-the weaker your levels of customer retention the larger the hole. saferpak. com/csm_articles/Customer%20satisfaction_%20loyalty%20and%20profit. pdf, Customer satisfaction, loyalty and profit. understanding the links between service and the bottom line, 16-11-2010) Excellent service organizations intensively study the key drivers of people who use their products. Key drivers are the needs, wants, and expectations that are most imp ortant to customers, and they should be part of the organization’s knowledge base. The best way to learn these key drivers is to continually and carefully study customers. Many managers think they understand the factors that contribute to customer satisfaction and intent to return. Most times, however, management’s perception does not represent the customers’ point of view, creating a disconnect between what managers think consumers prefer and what consumers actually want. (http://onlinesuccesscentre. com/tag/key-drivers-of-customer-satisfaction/, â€Å"Customer Relationship Management. 8 Common goals for a CRM Program. What are Key Drivers Of Customer Satisfaction? 18-16-2010) There are three steps to build customer relationships: Determine mutually satisfying goals between organization and customers; Establish and maintain customer rapport; Produce positive feelings in the organization and the customers. ( businessballs. com/crmcustomerrelationshipmanagement. htm,18-11-2010 ) The organization should build up a â€Å"Customer-Centric Business Structure†: Customer segments that the organization wants to excel and dominate; the unique value targeted customers receive through our products and services; the critical few things that must be done well to deliver the customer value; basic building blocks to enable the creation of such critical capabilities. http://doc. mbalib. com/view/24c1de252959a991d26e421ea6a464b6. html,16-11-2010) Customer service deals with a wide range of practices used by businesses to make their customers satisfied. These practices can range from polite and friendly service to going the extra mile to ensure satisfaction is achieved. Many businesses, especially smaller ones, refer to t his as the key factor in the development and success of their business. Companies that strive on developing these techniques always prosper over their competitors. There are four benefits of an effective customer relation management strategy: The organization increases profit. Business studies tell that the longer the company keeps a customer, the more money it will make in the long run. This is due to the fact, that customers always spent a little money in a new business relationship, and a lot more – when the business deals are running smoothly. The organization will survive in a competitive market. Effective customer service has grown in business for staying. With an increasing globalization, faster competition and a fast running technology and the reducing of trade barriers, competition is fierce. There are several suppliers around the world, eager to make business and to snatch your customers and the opportunity to satisfy customers. If you do not deliver to the customers – you will not survive. The organization will reach a higher

Homework 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Homework 3 - Essay Example The physical stimulus of temperature is transduced in the development so as to modulate the expression of the genes coding for steroid genic enzymes and sex steroid hormone receptors. In the temperature dependent sex determination, every individual possesses an equal ability of becoming either male or female. Temperature triggers the activation of one sex-determining cascade. Temperature dependent sex determination is an evolutionary precursor to the genotype sex-determining mechanisms, mainly characteristic of birds and mammals (Becker 249). Exogenous estrogens are used in embryos for the production of females at temperatures that produce only males. On the other hand, an aromatase inhibitor is administered to produce males at temperatures that produce only females. Aromatase is administered since it is the key enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens (Valenzuela & Lance 211-227). In the temperature dependent sex determination, temperature is the regulatory factor that determines the sex of the organisms. It is during the incubation period that the temperature is controlled in favor of the desired sex. The method has proved to be efficient form of environmental sex determination

The impact of Social media on the political life in the Arab Countries Assignment

The impact of Social media on the political life in the Arab Countries - Assignment Example These influences are both positive and negative and are seen across the region. This research will rely much on information from other secondary sources in order to build up a good understanding of the whole concept. In this regard, previous studies and literature review will be an important consideration. The research will further rely on empirical study as a way of gaining in-depth primary source of information. In this regard, there will be a conclusive use of documentation review, interviews and questionnaires which will be used to gather much information. There has been a growing concern in the recent past reading the use of the social media in politics. Indeed, this concern arises out of the fact that politicians have realized the huge potential and opportunity presented by search media. In this regard, Twitter and Facebook is used extensively as a way reaching millions of people. The recent happening seen in the Arab world which led to several cases of uprising were majorly fueled by the social media. People used such media in creating awareness and championing for their rights. Indeed, there is a growing fear that the social media is being misused in gaining political mileage and this certainly needs to be addressed. In order to enhance the realization of the objectives, the research will focus on a case study which will center on one country so as to provide a clear picture of the whole situation in the Arab world. This will further reduce the challenge of having to deal with many countries in a region that is typically similar in most

Presentation for the Global marketing into CVs and Wallgreen PowerPoint

For the Global marketing into CVs and Wallgreen - PowerPoint Presentation Example The company has stores in more than 32 states and is expanding gradually in Florida. The expectations of the Florida market have been beyond anticipations due to customer acceptance and better sales figures in the new areas of expansion. Another marketing strategy used is altering the format of the stores, which has generated high margins of profit. CVS has moved from a 9600 square feet prototype convention to bigger and better free standing facilities, which has seen $22 billion in sales and ranked second among competitors in 2012 (Callegarri, 2003). On the other hand, Walgreens has based its marketing strategies on customers. This has resulted into a huge shift in direction. The strategies used include: identifying the customer need; building relationships internally between customer service, IT and operations and marketing departments; a clear outcome and goal and marketing communication; and making the company system simpler. This has seen Walgreens open more stores to cater for customer need as a marketing strategy. Another marketing strategy used by Walgreens is customer initiatives such as the launch of Customer Centric Retailing initiative in 2008, which brought huge profit margins (Nulman,

Linear Sequential Model

Linear Sequential Model Introduction Software process (Jean, Badara David 1999) defines the way in which software development is organized, managed, measured, supported and improved. Although they may show different levels of sophistication in mastering their processes, all organizations involved in software-development follow a process of some kind, implicit or explicit, reproducible, instrumented, adaptable or otherwise. Software Development Organization in general has come to realize that the key to successful delivery (on time, on budget, with the expected quality) lies in the effective management of their software process. Generic phase Pressman (2001) mentions that software engineering can be categorized into three phases, regardless of application area, project size or complexity. The definition phase focuses on what. That is during definition, the software engineer attempts to identify what information or data is to processed, what function and performance are required, what system behavior can be expected, what interfaces are to be established, what design constraints exist and what validation criteria are required to define a successful and working system. The development phase focuses on how. That is, during development a software engineer attempts to define how data are to be structured, how function is to be implemented within a software architecture, how procedural details are to be implemented, how interfaces are to be characterized, how the design will be translated into a programming language, and how testing will be performed. The methods applied during the development phase will different, but three specific technical tasks should always occur: software design, code generation, and software testing. The support phase focuses on change associated with error correction, adaptations required as the softwares environment evolves, and changes due to enhancements brought about by changing customer requirements. The support phase reapplies the steps of the definition and development phases but does so in the context of existing software. Four types of change are encountered during the support phase: Correction: Even with the best quality assurance activities, it is likely that the customer will uncover defects or bugs in the software. Corrective maintenance changes the software to correct defects. Adaptation: Over time, the original environment (e.g., CPU, operating system, business rules, external product characteristics) for which the software was developed is likely to change. Adaptive maintenance results in modification to the software to accommodate changes to its external environment. Enhancement: As software is used, the customer/user will recognize additional functions that will provide benefit. Perfective maintenance extends the software beyond its original functional requirements. Prevention: Computer software deteriorates due to change, and because of this, preventive maintenance, often called software reengineering, and must be conducted to enable the software to serve the needs of its end users. In essence, preventive maintenance makes changes to computer programs so that they can be more easily corrected, adapted, and enhanced. Linear Sequential Model / Waterfall Model Linear sequential model or be known as waterfall model is one of the approaches in Software Development Process Models that software engineer used to defined and design which are used during the development process of software. Parekh (n.d.) clearly stated that all these phases are cascaded to each other so that second phase is started as and when defined set of goals are achieved for first phase and it is signed off. Phases of Linear Sequential Model (Startvbdotnet Contributor, n.d.) Feasibility The feasibility study is used to determine if the project should get the go ahead. If the project is to proceed, the feasibility study will produce a project plan and budget estimates for the future stages of development. Requirement Analysis and Design Analysis gathers the requirements for the system. This stage includes a detailed study of the business needs of the organization. Options for changing the business process may be considered. Design focuses on high level design like, what programs are needed and how are they going to interact, low-level design, interface design and data design. During these phases, the softwares overall structure is defined. Analysis and Design are very crucial in the whole development cycle. Any mistakes in the design phase could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development. Much care is taken during this phase. The logical system of the product is developed in this phase. Implementation In this phase the designs are translated into code. Computer programs are written using a conventional programming language or an application generator. Programming tools like Compilers, Interpreters and Debuggers are used to generate the code. Different high level programming languages like C, C++, Pascal and Java are used for coding. With respect to the type of application, the right programming language is chosen. Testing In this phase the system is tested. Normally programs are written as a series of individual modules, these subjects to separate and detailed test. The system is then tested as a whole. The separate modules are brought together and tested as a complete system. The system is tested to ensure that interfaces between modules work, the system works on the intended platform and with the expected volume of data and that the system does what the user requires. Maintenance It is cannot be avoided fact that a system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for the change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. In addition, the changes in the system could directly affect the software operations. The software should be developed to keep or save detail of changes that could happen during the post implementation period. Project Output in a Waterfall Model As Freetutes.com Contributors (n.d.) has seen, the output of a project employing the waterfall model is not just the final program along with documentation to use it. There are a number of intermediate outputs, which must be produced in order to produce a successful product. The set of documents that should be produced in each project are: Requirement document Project plan System design document Detailed design document Test plan and test report Final code Software manuals (user manual, installation manual etc.) In order to certify an output product of a phase before the next phase begins, reviews are often held. Reviews are necessary especially for the requirements and design phases, since other certification means are frequently not available. Reviews are formal meeting to uncover deficiencies in a product. The review reports are the outcome of these reviews. Based on the information given by The Software Tester Contributor (n.d.), below are the advantages and disadvantages for Linear Sequential Model. Advantages of Linear Sequential Model Emphasizes requirements before design. Single system design phase emphasizes planning and design of the system architecture and technology before coding begins. Milestone reviews encourage close scrutiny of phase exit and entry criteria. Sequential progression through phases readily maps to configuration control points and the establishment of baselines. Model structure is readily understood and communicable to all stakeholders. Disadvantages of Linear Sequential Model Testing does not receive focus until after the system has been specified, designed and coded. Many different units and sub-systems could be developed within the one project and the Waterfall Model implies that these are all specified and designed in one clump which does not reflect the reality Customer involvement is not throughout so issues with requirements are not always realized until later in the lifecycle. Linear progression through the phases can result in issue identification being pushed downstream resulting in many cycles of rework causing delays. The customer does not get to see the software until the very end. Project managers cannot always get a true picture of project health and progress, especially in the earlier phases. Rapid Application Development (RAD) Pressman (2001) describes rapid application development (RAD) as an incremental software development process model that emphasizes an extremely short development cycle. The RAD model is a high-speed adaptation of the linear sequential model in which rapid development is achieved by using component-based construction. If requirements are well understood and project scope is constrained, the RAD process enables a development team to create a fully functional system within very short time periods. Normally it takes about 60 to 90 days. RAD Models Phases Stages of Rapid Application Model (RAD) Pressman (2001) Business modeling: The information flow among business functions is modeled in a way that answers the following questions: What information drives the business process? What information is generated? Who generates it? Where does the information go? Who processes it? Data modeling: The information flow defined as part of the business modeling phase is refined into a set of data objects that are needed to support the business. The characteristics or can be called as attributes. Each object is identified and the relationships between these are objects defined. Process modeling: The data objects defined in the data modeling phase are transformed to achieve the information flow necessary to implement a business function. Processing descriptions are created for adding, modifying, deleting, or retrieving a data object. Application generation: Rather than creating software using conventional third generation programming languages, the RAD process works to reuse existing program components when possible or create reusable components when necessary. In all cases, automated tools are used to facilitate construction of the software. Testing and turnover: Since the RAD process emphasizes reuse, many of the program components have already been tested. This reduces overall testing time. However, new components must be tested and all interfaces must be fully exercised. Advantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) The time required to develop the software is drastically reduced due to a reduced requirement analysis business requirements documentation and software requirement specification and planning stage. All the software prototypes produced can be kept in a repository for future use. The reusability of the components also fastens the phase of the process of software development. It is much easier for a project manager to be accurate in estimating project costs which of course means that project cost controls are easier to implement and manage as well. It is a big cost saver in terms of project budget as well as project time and cost due to reusability of the prototypes. If a component is being picked for the repository, it is already tested and hence need not be tested again. This helps in saving time required for testing. The project management requirements are collected in a dynamic manner. Every time there is a prototype ready, requirements are studied and matched. If there are any additional requirements, these are then included in the next prototype built. Disadvantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) This method may not be useful for large, unique or highly complex projects This method cannot be a success if the team is not sufficiently motivated and nor is unable to work cohesively together. Success depends on the extremely high technical skills of the developers. There are times when the team ignores necessary quality parameters such as consistency, reliability and standardization. Hence this can make project quality management hard to implement during the project management life cycle Comparison between Linear Sequential Model and Rapid Application Model Below are the comparison for linear sequential model and rapid application model that are clearly stated by e2x limited Contributor (2005) Linear Sequential Model Development Linear Sequential Model development demands that all the requirements are identified and detailed at the start of the project. The system architecture is then defined, and detailed design of the system carried out before programming starts. The system is usually delivered in modules that, once finished are then integrated and tested. The big problem with linear sequential model development is that it assumes all the requirements, the architecture and the design can be identified, fixed and signed off up front. If this is done correctly, development and delivery of the system should be little more than the correct translation of the design into code. Experience has shown that it is incredibly difficult to produce requirements of such detail and completeness that the system delivered is exactly what the customer wanted. We have also seen that the transition from design to programming, from programming to integration, and from integration to testing can be fraught with problems; usually caused by misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions and discrepancies not identified during the requirements, architecture and design phases. Linear sequential model development can, and does work, but doing it right is typically very expensive. However, even when waterfall is practiced well, it is not very good at dealing with change. Every change in the requirements requires a change request, often submitted to a change control board. Linear Sequential Model works best when change is restricted. RAD (Rapid Application Development) In a RAD project, the customer is involved early on in working with technologists to quickly produce prototypes that embody the requirements. This gives the customer and users a chance to play with the technology early on to firm up their requirements and identify any gaps or incorrect assumptions. RAD projects then typically head in one of two directions. Some will become linear sequential model development projects, with the prototypes being formalized as requirements. Others will seek to develop the prototypes into proper implementations. The later approach often leads to a number of poorly engineered and poorly integrated solutions as fleshing out a prototype is not the same as developing a proper solution from the ground up. As with linear sequential model development, RAD can and does work. However, successful RAD projects tend to be those where the final solution is actually relatively close to the prototype in terms of implementation. Front-office solutions for exotic financial markets built around spreadsheets, and one-off, limited scope, database-and-forms applications are good examples. Conclusion As a conclusion, if I am a project manager for a specific software project, I would choose rapid application development (RAD) as one of my method to develop software. By using RAD, I can roughly know what end-user want with their software, I can get clear view what the software can do, how the software behave and what type of performance that I can predict out. On top of that, RAD also enabled the team to work quicker and we can produce high quality software that can meet end-users need.

Movie Response: Boys Don’t Cry Essay example -- Film Movie Boys Dont

Movie Response: Boys Don’t Cry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First I just want to say that if I didn’t have to watch this movie for class, then it wouldn’t normally appeal for me to watch it. I didn’t have anything against this movie; I just personally do not like watching movies that have a negative vibe like it did at the end of this movie. I know that this movie was supposed to be based on the true story of Teena Brandon, however, after watching this movie, I looked up the true story and it turned out that the movie was really faithful to the actual real life events that occurred.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At first, as I was watching the movie, I was confused as to why Teena wanted to dress up at as a man and be called Brandon. I thought that maybe she was just lesbian that didn’t like dressing like a girl and wanted more of the masculine look. But then I found out that she was just having issues with not feeling right being a woman. She felt that she was stuck inside the wrong body. That’s why she wanted to dress up as a man, and later on actually be able to get the operation that would make her a man physically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the movie, I really wanted her to go back home and leave those people she met at the bar. Personally, I could tell that those people were not, â€Å"good people.† They seemed like they didn’t have their life straight. It seemed like Teena/Brandon wanted to leave, but for some reason, she decided to stay. I think it was mainly because she felt that she was accepted by them, mainly becau...

Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower

Catherine Zulfer, a former employee of playboy filed a suit against them alleging that Playboy Enterprises violated provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The former employee reports that playboy retaliated against her for refusing to participate in fraudulent activity against Playboy’s shareholders (Katz, Marshall& Banks, LLP, 2013). Without receiving permission from the board of directors, Christopher Pachler, Chief Financial Officer, instructed Zulfer to gather one million dollars in bonuses for various corporate officers of the company.At that time Zulfer felt that Pachler was attempting to embezzle the money from the company, therefore she denied the request until it was approved by the board. Zulfer then informed Playboys General Counsel and the Securities and Exchange Commission of the request that was made by Pachler. Soon after Zulfer made the report, she claims that retaliation against her began. She was excluded from company meetings and discussions, crucial information to her position was withheld from her, and her accounting staff was diminishing (Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP, 2013).On December 31, 2011 Zulfer was terminated, although Playboy describes it as a layoff. Issue: Did Playboy violate the whistleblower-protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (â€Å"SOX†)? Rule: The Playboy Company retaliated against Zulter for refusing to participate in fraud regarding the playboy shareholders. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (SOX) one rule prohibits any employer from retaliation against and employee. Another rule is that under this law employees are protected when they speak of a wrongdoing within the workplace.â€Å"Under SOX, employers are strictly prohibited from retaliating against employees who report illegal or unethical conduct. Employees are also protected when making disclosures about shareholder fraud or violations of SEC rules and regulations. † (Halunen, p. 1, Para. 1) Analysis: Append reflecti on Zulter dismissal was retaliation against her by the playboy company, because she reported and activity of fraud with the playboy shareholders.In this case, Zulter was continually excluded from meetings and discussions, withholding crucial information she needed to carry out her corporate accounting responsibilities, and eliminating corporate accounting staff. Conclusion: In the end, the courts dismissed playboy’s argument reaffirming that under the bylaws of (SOX) employees are protected from employees from retaliation for reporting violations of â€Å"any rule of regulation of the SEC.Zulfer was protected under the SOX Act, whistle-blower‘s of publicly traded companies are protected. Employers are not supposed to retaliate or discriminate against employees in the terms and conditions of their employment. The plaintiff provided information regarding violations the company was participating in; the violations that can be of a federal fraud statute, a rule or regulati on of the SEC, or a provision of Federal law relating to fraud against shareholders.The team agrees that Zulfer was protected under the Act and that the Act is there to bring forth more white collar crimes that would not otherwise be disclosed if the was not there to protect and compensate. SOX promotes honesty without fear, the whistle-blower provisions of the SOX Act provides a general framework for ensuring that employees (including attorneys and auditors) disclose information which may harm investors. Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Catherine Zulfer, a former employee of playboy filed a suit against them alleging that Playboy Enterprises violated provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The former employee reports that playboy retaliated against her for refusing to participate in fraudulent activity against Playboy’s shareholders (Katz, Marshall& Banks, LLP, 2013). Without receiving permission from the board of directors, Christopher Pachler, Chief Financial Officer, instructed Zulfer to gather one million dollars in bonuses for various corporate officers of the company.At that time Zulfer felt that Pachler was attempting to embezzle the money from the company, therefore she denied the request until it was approved by the board. Zulfer then informed Playboys General Counsel and the Securities and Exchange Commission of the request that was made by Pachler. Soon after Zulfer made the report, she claims that retaliation against her began. She was excluded from company meetings and discussions, crucial information to her position was withheld from her, and her accounting staff was diminishing (Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP, 2013).On December 31, 2011 Zulfer was terminated, although Playboy describes it as a layoff. Issue: Did Playboy violate the whistleblower-protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (â€Å"SOX†)? Rule: The Playboy Company retaliated against Zulter for refusing to participate in fraud regarding the playboy shareholders. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (SOX) one rule prohibits any employer from retaliation against and employee. Another rule is that under this law employees are protected when they speak of a wrongdoing within the workplace.â€Å"Under SOX, employers are strictly prohibited from retaliating against employees who report illegal or unethical conduct. Employees are also protected when making disclosures about shareholder fraud or violations of SEC rules and regulations. † (Halunen, p. 1, Para. 1) Analysis: Append reflecti on Zulter dismissal was retaliation against her by the playboy company, because she reported and activity of fraud with the playboy shareholders.In this case, Zulter was continually excluded from meetings and discussions, withholding crucial information she needed to carry out her corporate accounting responsibilities, and eliminating corporate accounting staff. Conclusion: In the end, the courts dismissed playboy’s argument reaffirming that under the bylaws of (SOX) employees are protected from employees from retaliation for reporting violations of â€Å"any rule of regulation of the SEC.Zulfer was protected under the SOX Act, whistle-blower‘s of publicly traded companies are protected. Employers are not supposed to retaliate or discriminate against employees in the terms and conditions of their employment. The plaintiff provided information regarding violations the company was participating in; the violations that can be of a federal fraud statute, a rule or regulati on of the SEC, or a provision of Federal law relating to fraud against shareholders.The team agrees that Zulfer was protected under the Act and that the Act is there to bring forth more white collar crimes that would not otherwise be disclosed if the was not there to protect and compensate. SOX promotes honesty without fear, the whistle-blower provisions of the SOX Act provides a general framework for ensuring that employees (including attorneys and auditors) disclose information which may harm investors.

Guidelines for Using Abbreviations in Formal Writing

Guidelines for Using Abbreviations in Formal Writing Provided they are not obscure to the reader, abbreviations communicate more with fewer letters. Writers have only to ensure that the abbreviations they use are too well known to need any introduction, or that they are introduced and explained on their first appearance. - From The Cambridge Guide to English Usage by Pam Peters Despite what you may have heard in school, abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms are commonly used in formal writing (though youll find them more frequently in business and the sciences than in the humanities). Exactly how they should be used depends on your audience, the country youre living in (British and American conventions differ), and the particular style guide youre following. 10 Tips for Using Abbreviations Correctly Using Indefinite Articles Before Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms: The choice between a and an is determined by the sound of the first letter in the abbreviation. Use a before a consonant sound (for example, a CBC documentary or a U.S. official). Use an before a vowel sound (an ABC documentary or an MRI).Placing a Period at the End of an Abbreviation: In American usage, an abbreviation that includes the first and last letters of a single word (Doctor, for example) is usually followed by a period (Dr.), while In British usage, the period (or full stop) is usually omitted (Dr).Abbreviating the Titles of Doctors: For medical doctors, write either Dr. Jan Jones or Jan Jones, M.D. (Dont write Dr. Jan Jones, M.D.) For nonmedical doctors, write Dr. Sam Smith or Sam Smith, Ph.D. (Dont write Dr. Sam Smith, Ph.D.)Using Common Abbreviations: Certain abbreviations are never spelled out: a.m., p.m., B.C. (or B.C.E.), A.D. (or C.E.). Unless your style guide says otherwise, use lower case o r small capitals for a.m. and p.m. Use capital letters or small caps for B.C. and A.D. (the periods are optional). Traditionally, B.C. comes after the year and A.D. comes before it, but nowadays the abbreviation commonly follows the year in both instances. Abbreviating Months and Days: If the month is preceded or followed by a numeral (14 Aug. or Aug. 14), abbreviate months as follows: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sep. (or Sept.), Oct., Nov., Dec. Dont abbreviate May, June, or July. As a general rule, dont abbreviate the month if it appears alone or with just the year- and dont abbreviate the days of the week unless they appear in charts, tables, or slides.Using the Abbreviation Etc.: The Latin abbreviation etc. (short for et cetera) means and others. Never write and etc. Do not use etc. at the end of a list introduced by such as or including.Placing a Period After Each Letter in an Acronym or an Initialism: Though there are exceptions, as a general rule omit the periods: NATO, DVD, IBM.Punctuating an Abbreviation at the End of a Sentence: Use a single period when an abbreviation appears at the end of a sentence. The single period does double duty- marking the abbreviation and closing the sentence.Avoid RAS Syndrome: RAS syndrome is a humorous initialism for Redundant Acronym (or Abbreviation) Syndrome syndrome. Avoid redundant expressions such as ATM machine and BBC corporation. Avoid Alphabet Soup: Alphabet soup (a.k.a. initialese) is a metaphor for using an overabundance of abbreviations and acronyms. If youre unsure whether the meaning of an abbreviation is familiar to your readers, write out the entire word.

Barbie essays

Barbie essays Since the beginning of time, toys have often been an indicator of the way a society behaves, and how they interact with their children. For example, in ancient Greece, artifacts recovered there testify that children were simply not given toys to play with as in the modern world. The cruel ritual of leaving a sick child on a hillside for dead, seems to indicate a lack of attention to the young (Lord 16). The same is true of todays society. As you can see with the number of toy stores in our society, we find toys of great value to our lives and enjoy giving them to children as gifts. Ask just about any young girl what she wants for Christmas and youll undoubtedly get the same answer: A Barbie. But what exactly has caused this baby boomer Barbie craze, and how did the entire world get so caught up in it? The answer lies in Ruth Handlers vision for the first childrens adult doll. Mrs. Handlers eleven and one-half-inch chunk of plastic began causing problems even before its public debut in 1959, yet has managed to become one of Americas favorite dolls. Ruth Handler and her two young children, Barbara and Ken, were merely sightseeing in Lucerne, Switzerland, when Mrs. Handler first saw the doll she herself had been trying to create (Lord 29). In the window of a small gift shop was an eleven and one-half-inch tall plastic doll with a slender womans body and a long blond ponytail. Her name was Lilli (Bad Girl 1). She had been created from a cartoon character in a West German tabloid similar to the National Inquirer (Lord 8). Dressed provocatively, and with a seductive look in her eye, Lilli had become a popular pornographic gag gift for men (Bad Girl 1). Excited to see her long-time idea a reality, Mrs. Handler bought three of the dolls and hurried home to begin work on her own doll (Bad Girl 2). It was 1956, and within three years, Ma...

The ethical dilemmas surrounding gay marriages Research Paper

The ethical dilemmas surrounding gay marriages - Research Paper Example Despite that, the past Christianity was much stricter than the present (Jonathan, 2004). Regardless of such, there are ethical implications that surround such relations. They have not been accorded certain basic benefits, rights and protection granted to heterosexual couples under the state from the federal law. Though gay couple lives in relationships that have a strong commitment on love among one other, responsibility and a right to enter into relation with a partner they choose, they are denied certain human rights legal and economic stability given by institution of marriages. Gay Rights have been denied at many instances. From the article, wedding professionals in at least six states were reported on a case of antidiscrimination. The cake baker refused on religious Grounds offer services to gay couples. In another case at New Mexico, a supreme court ruled against Albuquerque photography business. They had violated state antidiscrimination law. They refused to take photos of a lesbian couple’s commitment ceremony. Moreover, a number of cases were pending in other states such as Colorado, Illinois, and New York and other (Jonathan, 2004). Religious rights deny Gays Equality. The acceptance of gays has continued to grow in America ,but most still strongly convict them that homosexuality is abhorrent ,as gays violates some of gods most basic commandment for humanity and that acceptance of gays in America in abhorrent to God. From the article, a person is quoted saying that his refusal to cake baking on same sex marriages was not motivated by â€Å"hatred of gays† but rather a â€Å"desire to live his life in obeying Gods word." Despite such, constitution guarantee of religious liberty that protects them both there believe the right to act on their belief. They are wrong. Religious Beliefs and Religious Acts-Religiously motivated discrimination is rampant among conservative Christians. They have failed to convince

Application of Leadership Models in Schools Essay

Application of Leadership Models in Schools - Essay Example   A produce leadership method can be ineffective since a leader focuses on production and demonstrates a little effort to address concerns of other people. This factor goes against the ISLLC Standard 2 of developing an instructional program and school culture conducive to the staff professional growth and the students learning. The standard is violated because the principal does not nurture a program that facilitates learning and teacher`s professional growth. The Path-Goal Theory illustrates to a leader different ways to motivate subordinates in accomplishing the goals of the organization. The grid focuses on enhancing the performance of employees through focusing on factors that motivate them. The leadership styles associated with the path-goal theory include Supportive leadership where the leader focuses on demonstrating sensitivity to each person. Another form is the directive leadership where the manager communicates goals and assigns definite tasks to each. Participative lead ership involves a leader consulting with his subordinates and considers their expertise and ideas before deciding on the cause of action. The final style in the path-goal model is the Achievement-oriented leadership that makes a manager set high standards and challenging goals for his team (Practical Management, 2010). In a supportive leadership style, a school principal pays equal attention to every teacher and student as he tries to take care of all issues affecting their performance and well-being.  Ã‚  

WorkBrain Corp- A case in exit stratgy Research Paper

WorkBrain Corp- A case in exit stratgy - Research Paper Example The company is doing fairly well being a private entity. The company has cash in abundance, over $10 million and can easily operate within its realm. Moreover the current investors of the company are happy with the position of the firm in the market and are willing to even invest more if need arises. No investor of the company has expressed any desire to withdraw its investment. These are positive signs for the company and if it wishes to expand then the best alternate is to use cash from current investors who trusted in the vision of the company before it came into existence. Going public may mean new investors with a different vision that might not be in compliance with the current investors. Saying all this now is the perfect time to go public. Going public would mean more customers for the company. At the moment WorkBrain has to convince its clients that it is financially solvent and in a good position to provide services to them. As the customers cannot see the financial positio n of a private company they hesitate to get the work done from them. If WorkBrain goes public then all the financial details will be present for the customers to see and approach the company for their services. The company will benefit tremendously as it would be able to make clients and customers in much larger numbers. Keeping in mind how solvent the company is, it is the best time for WorkBrain to go public and make more customers (Bilimoria, 2007). The best option for the company would be to go with TSX listing. The reason for this is that TSX in future would be more viable. Compared to NASDAQ, TSX has a small-cap market with more some to medium term service providers and financial institutions. WorkBrain perfectly fits in their category. NASDAQ is more prestigious and has a larger clientele in terms of revenues. It would be fair to say that if WorkBrain needs to go with NASDAQ it would have to come up with a revenue margin of around $75 million. The reason for the company to go public is that it makes it financial statement visible in the market so that potential customers would know how solvent the company is. Going public gives them a chance to come out in the open and make more customers. Acquisition is a completely different proposition. It deals with selling a part of the company or rather a share of profit with someone who is ready in buying a part of business. Normally the rate at which an acquirer buys part of the business is a much bigger rate because of the goodwill attached with the firm. As WorkBrain has done tremendously well showing consistent profit since it emergence, the takeover would have to pay a lot of money for the acquisition. But there is no need of selling part or whole of the business when the firm is making sufficient profits and it is predicted that the company will only look to grow more in the coming years (Arnold, 2008). There might be other alternates that the company might look at. Bank loan is one of them but it comes wit h a cost. A high interest rate has to be paid whenever a company takes a loan from the bank. The biggest advantage of a loan is that the current owners will get to keep the possession of the firm without selling any part of the business to an investor or by going public in the stock exchange. The current owners will get to make the decisions just the way they now do as they will have the control of the firm. Lack of ability to pay in time may get the business into trouble and if

Functions, Trends and Nature of Ownership and Control in the British Mass Media Essay Example for Free

Functions, Trends and Nature of Ownership and Control in the British Mass Media Essay In this piece of writing I will attempt to explain the functions, trends and nature of ownership and control in the British Mass Media. At the end I will describe the features of a Mass Media conglomerate. The Mass media is basically any style of text or image that is viewed by a lot of people. For example T.V, radio, newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, etc are all forms of mass media. Some of these can reach millions of people like T. V, where as newspapers usually reach hundreds of thousands and so on. The media gives us things like, news, entertainment, advertising etc. TELEVISION: Television is the biggest form of media in the UK and in most countries in the world. There are two main types of T.V in the UK, public funded and independent. The BBC is publicly funded by T.V licence fees of around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 that cover all BBC related audio visual broadcasting. The government does not have any direct influence over what is shown on T.V although there are regulators who decide what is acceptable and what is not. The BBC is controlled by their board of governors of which there are twelve who are appointed by the Crown to ensure that the BBC fulfils its obligations. Among them are National Governors for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. One Governor has special responsibility for the English Regions. All are part time non-executives. They meet monthly and hold the BBCs managers to account for their performance against the agreed strategy and objectives. The BBC is led by the director-general, who is both chief executive and editor-in-chief. The Governors appoint the Director-General and (with the Director-General) the most senior management. BBC operations are run by the directors of nine programming and broadcasting divisions and six professional services, and by the Chief executives of the BBCs two commercial businesses. They report to the director-general and together make up the Executive Committee. A less formal Leadership Group meets to discuss and develop a clear vision for the BBC. The independents are controlled by themselves. However thy may be part of a bigger conglomerate. The ITV is a federation of television companies holding licences from the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to broadcast in 14 regions covering the whole of the United Kingdom. Each licence is awarded for a minimum of ten years. The ITV network has 15 independent regional television licences in 14 regional areas (there are 2 licences for London, a weekday and a weekend licence). All programmes are designed for local audiences in each region. The ITV is controlled by the ITV Council, comprising the Chief Executives of each licensee. Each ITV licensee has rights over the programme schedule, and is responsible for the production and broadcasting of its own local programme and news services. The ITV and its independent companies are regulated and licensed by the ITC. The ITC is independent of the Government and of the broadcasters. They are funded from fees that the licensees have to pay. The ITC makes sure that the independent and commercial licensees provide quality programs and a high standard of competition among other things. They also set certain standards for the time allocated to certain styles of programmes. There are five categories of channel 3 programmes for which the ITC sets minimum requirements. These are, * National and International news Three programmes each day of 20 minutes (lunch), 15 minutes (early evening) and half an hour in peak time. * Current affairs One and a half hours weekly average * Children Ten hours weekly average * Religion Two hours weekly average * Regional Varies from franchise to franchise Although the ITC is involved in licensing and regulating all forms of digital television, the Broadcasting Act 1996 makes it specifically responsible for establishing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in the UK. DTT is especially important because it carries existing free-to-air services provided by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 (S4C in Wales) and Channel 5. At present, T.V broadcasting is mainly analogue, however within the next five years it will all be digital. Digital T.V will bring a bigger choice of programmes to watch, as it will have on average 200 stations. You can already do shopping and go on the internet with digital T.V, but by the time it takes over analogue completely it will have many more options and facilities. NEWSPAPERS: There are many distinguishing features in the British Press. Some of these are things like the differences between tabloid and broadsheet papers or the differences between national, local and regional papers. There are ten morning daily papers and ten Sunday papers which make up the national press. Fleet Street in London used to be the centre of the newspaper industry, but all the national papers have moved their editorial and printing facilities to other parts of London or away from the capital all together. National papers are often described as quality,mid-market or popularpapers because of their differences in style and content. Five dailies and four Sundays are usualy described as qualitie papers. These papers are directed at people who want full information on a wide range of public maters. Popular newspapers are for the more light hearted reader. Mid-market publications cover the intermediate market. Quality papers are normally broadsheet (large-sheet) in format and mid-market and popular papers are tabloid (small-sheet) in size. Scottish editions of national papers usually only change things like the sports page and the T.V listings. Most places in the UK have their own regional or local newspaper. These can be anything from daily papers to evening ones, Sundays or weeklies. These papers concentrate mainly on local or regional stories although the dailies do print national and international news from a local viewpoint. Newspapers from the Irish Republic and the British national press are widely read in Northern Ireland. Several hundred free distribution papers, mostly weekly and financed by advertising, are published in the UK. They have enjoyed rapid growth in recent years. Ownership of the national, London and many regional daily newspapers lies in the hands of large corporations, most of which are involved in the whole field of publishing and communications (media conglomerates). Local papers however are owned by different companies altogether. Newspapers are also controlled by their boards of management. It is possible for two national papers to be owned by the same company and they can even be owned by broadcasting companies as a separate division, however influence between the two types of media is not recommended. There are local weekly papers for every district in Greater London; these are often different local editions of one centrally published paper. This does not just happen in London. A prime example of this in our area would be the Press and Journal. It covers the North of Scotland as well as some southern areas as far down as Perth and Stirling, but it produces different editions for every area of which there are eleven. These editions are classed as local editions. All newspapers are answerable to the press complaints commission, which responds to public complaints about printed items. RADIO: There are basically two types of radio in the UK. There is Commercial Radio and The BBC Radio. The Radio Authority governs commercial radio stations such as Moray Firth radio and XFM. The radio authority is basically the ITC of the radio. Like the ITC it also has no powers over the BBC. The BBC is fully independent. Although there are far more Commercial radio stations than BBC ones, the BBC is still ahead in ratings. The gap between BBC Radio and its commercial rivals has widened recently to show BBC Radio to have a share of 51.4% compared with 46.79% for Commercial Radio. In the neck-and-neck race for reach, the BBC edged ahead with 31.2 million listeners compared with their rivals 31.1 million. The figures released by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) cover the period from June 26 to September 17 2000. Radio can change on a daily basis because the control of its output is not restricted. The format usually stays the same although major changes in presentation can happen from time to time. Independent radio station change depending on their income and audience. The better the audience the better the sponsorships and advertisers. Things like audience talk shows on radio where members of the audience can phone in and participate are very successful. The BBC and large independent radio companies are controlled in the same way as they are on T.V. Although the majority are part of larger groups, local radio is controlled by local management. These groups use their own style in the local stations but adapt it to suit the area of broadcast. VOLENTARY IN-VOLENTARY CODES OF PRACTICE: Independent T.V and radio are quite strictly controlled by the ITC and Radio Authority, but magazines and newspapers have more freedom. These, along with the BBC, ITV, Press Complaints Commission and the Broadcasting Standards all enforce their own codes of practice throughout the media. However, the law has the final say in control of the media in the following areas: Defamation: A statement which damages the reputation of an individual or company, i.e. false accusations, libel, innuendos, etc. Obscenity: The publication or broadcasting of material which will tend to deprave or corrupt. Incitement of racial hatred: 1986 public order act forbids material which is likely to incite racial hatred. Blasphemy: To pass the limits of decency and controversy and outrage Christian feelings. Only applies to Christians. Sedation: Forbids the publication of material that incites hatred towards parliament or the monarch. Official secrets act: Forbids the publication of official secrets. Contempt of court: Forbids you from pre judging a court case or to assume someone is guilty. MASS MEDIA CONGLOERATE: Carlton Media Group: The Carlton Media Group runs the following sixteen companies: Carlton London Region The London Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton Central Region The Central Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton International Carlton International is the largest distributor of classic British films and the biggest sales house for British TV outside the BBC. ITN ITN is one of the most respected independent news organisations in the world catering for news, sport, business and entertainments. Carlton West Country Region The West Country Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. ITV Carries information about programmes on the ITV network. Action Time Television production company Action Time is a leading distributor of entertainments formats, including an extensive home video clip library. London News Network LNN is a TV and production company working for joint shareholders Carlton and LWT. Carlton Cinema Carlton cinema is a film channel available exclusively on On digital. Visit the website for comprehensive movie listings. Media Sales For information on rates, screen advertising, pitch time, sponsorship and career opportunities at Carlton. Carlton Communications Plc Carlton Communications Plc is the publicly quoted parent company of Carlton Media and other related media companies. Click here for the share price, financial and other investor information. ONdigital ONdigital was the first company in the world to launch a digital terrestrial television service delivering multi-channel TV and interactive services into homes through an ordinary TV aerial. Visit the website for listings. Simply Food SimplyFood.co.uk is the UKs No.1 food and drink website and home to the Carlton Food Network. It has a searchable UK restaurant guide and a database of thousands of recipes, plus features and reviews. Carlton Video On the Carlton Video website you can buy videos and DVDs of many of Carltons programmes and films, including classics like Inspector Morse, Soldier Soldier, and Britain at War. PeopleBank PeopleBank is the UKs leading provider of internet recruitment services, bringing together quality candidates and employers. Online since 1995, PeopleBank has extensive experience in providing cost-effective e-recruitment solutions. HTV HTV, the ITV broadcaster for Wales, was recently bought by Carlton TV. Visit the site of the most popular channel in Wales. They also have Carlton Books. This shows that Carlton cover broadcasting, publishing, the internet, advertising, and marketing. This means that if Carlton have a successful income level from one of there companies it can benefit all of them and in turn make them more desirable to the public. Because of this they can use control there revenue a lot better without having to pay other companies to do things like marketing. They sell advertising space to make the initial money to fund projects such as a new drama series. They can then market and publish their own material and because they own all the copyright they can expand by using the internet. Although there is a national guideline concerning who owns what and the amount of fields you can spread into to prevent companies from becoming all powerful and swallowing up smaller companies, Carlton still has its eye on Direct. This is a group who run insurance and holiday companies. At present, Carlton are biding for the Scottish Media Group who have two radio stations, a newspaper group, Scottish and Grampian television. If they are successful in their bid, they will be able to grow to new heights and spread into both radio and print forms of media quite successfully in Scotland. Functions of the Mass Media: There are five main functions in the mass media. Entertainment functions: This provides healthy amusement and helps to divert the attention of the audience from serious social issues and inequalities. Information functions: This helps to structure a particular view of the world and to look at it in geographical, political and social terms. Cultural functions: This helps to develop mass culture at the expense of more diverse subcultures. That helps to maintain the status quo in cultural terms, but may also discourage change and growth. Social functions: These socialize us into beliefs and relationships which help us operate successfully in society. This naturalizes one view of society and stops us thinking, obtaining and acting on alternative views. Political functions: This helps us to understand the operation of politics in our society. However, it gives us the illusion of participating in the political process, but actually endorses the authority of those who continue to run our lives unquestioned. The media are also capable of shaping opinions about political events and issues. Current Trends in the Mass Media: When you think of current trends in the media at the moment two things come to mind, digital and conglomerates. A lot of companies are trying to branch out into other fields of the media at the moment. The Scottish media group for one are trying to expand their interests in radio although this could cause problems with its T.V. franchises. There are regulations set up to prevent certain big companies from taking over the media by branching ever wider into it. However there are discussions about these regulations which could result in big firms having huge ownership or control over certain areas of the mass media. The main trend of the moment has to be the evolution from analogue to digital. T.V. and radio are all a part of the growing trend and it doesnt look like its going to stop there. Already you can tune in to the radio through digital T.V. as well as go on the internet, shop, play games, the opportunities are endless. The future however lies with a fully digital T.V. without the aid of ugly dishes on the side of your house or cumbersome boxes on top of you tele. With this you will be able to access anything you want. There will be no set programs, no times, just you, your T.V. and the whole media world at your fingertips. You will be able to pick anything to watch, read, here, play, buy, or do from your tele. This astonishing development is proving very expensive to produce, run, and buy if it is ever released. If it is released it will be the main media related technological break through in history.

Theodore Roosevelt Essay -- Presidents History Essays

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt was fond of quoting an old African proverb that admonished people to "speak softly and carry a big stick." Ironically, it was his thunderous voice that made him president, earned him enemies and brought him friends. That voice also made him the bulwark of the Progressive Movement. On October 27, 1858, Roosevelt was born on East Twentieth Street in New York City to Martha Bulloch, who he described as a "sweet gracious, beautiful Southern Woman" and Theodore Roosevelt Sr., who he wrote was "the best man I ever knew." Roosevelt was born into wealth, with his father a henchman of the family firm, Roosevelt & Son. Roosevelt’s grandfather, Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt, had earlier redesigned the business so it focused on selling plate glass instead of retail hardware. When the financial Panic of 1837 struck New York, Roosevelt’s grandfather bought up land. The plate glass business was sold to a British firm in 1876 and it changed its focus again – this time moving into the private banking and investment business. As Roosevelt grew up, his uncle, James A. ran the business, but his father received a portion of the enormous profits. (Renehan, 16) Roosevelt was a frail and asthmatic child who was teased and bullied. He gradually overcame his ailments be becoming physically active, learning to box and ride horseback. He looked forward to the long vacations his family spent in the country, where he could revel in the countryside and its wildlife. While he was still a young boy, he became interested in natural history and zoology. His interest in hunting and nature were a lifetime passion for Roosevelt. In the fall of 1876, Roosevelt entered Harvard, where he graduated in 1880. "I thoro... ...cted, it became clear that the United States would probably become involved in Europe’s war whether it wanted to or not. Roosevelt began lobbying Washington so he could raise a division of infantry and cavalry to serve in Europe. He did not receive favorable responses and journeyed to Washington D.C. to personally speak with Secretary of War Newton D. Baker and President Wilson. His wish to create a division was refused. Roosevelt would later write a friend that Wilson’s soul was "rotten through and through." In 1918, Roosevelt was once again consorting with Republican conservatives such as Taft and Elihu Root, who were opposed to Wilson and his League of Nations. Roosevelt was overjoyed in 1918 when republicans won a Senate majority. Early in 1919 he was boasting that he would be given the Republican nomination for president in 1920. But he died on January 6, 1919.