Mis Report

Assignment 2 for MIS 1. Give an illustrative database for an Information system for Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. Design various reports required by management for decision making. 2. Give three output formats (reports) for a Help desk at Ruby Hospital, Pune. 3. National Investment Co. is in the business of Financial Management. They accept fixed deposits of different types and also give loan on Fixed deposit. They pay interest to the investors periodically. The management of the company is interested in getting MIS reports from the system. ) Give layout for any 4 major files in the system. b) Draw ERD for the system. c) Give 2 MIS report layouts. 4. Give an illustrative database and four report layouts for an Information System for British Library Pune. 5. Design the following formats of reports produced by Payroll system. What information the organization will get from these reports? a) Pay slip b) Provident fund statement c) Department wise salary summary. 6. Draw the following report layouts and explain their use in decision making. a) Pending sales orders. b) Product wise sales (periodical basis) ) Product wise rejection analysis. 7. Draw report layouts for the following and elaborate the use of these reports in the process of decision making. i) Stock register ii) Pending Purchase requisition (submitted to purchase department) 8. A distributer of building supplies for construction contractors has a database involving three types of entities: suppliers, products, and customers. Identify some of the important attributes of each type of entity. Draw Entity Relationship Diagram. 9. A mobile company is developing mobile billing system. Company is offering more than one mobile to customer. The mobile company offers facilities like music on demand, internet, alerts and messages, electricity bill payment etc. Customer can choose facilities he wants customer can pay bill either in cash, using credit card or through ECS. The bill shows details about tariff, facility charges and rent. As a analyst design a system having a) Input screen for application for new mobile number. b) Format of pending Bill report 10. Design a web page for Airline reservation system. .

Outline for the poem “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening” Essay

Outline Imagery in the poem â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† by Robert Frost In â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening†, the poet uses the contrasts of ideas and images to present the metaphors which will give the main theme and mood to the poem. Visual images and tactile images help to understand better the mood of the narrator along with creating a clear picture of the scenery of the poem in the reader’s mind. The poet uses personification to increase the tension in the middle of the poem in order for the reader to understand that there is some uncertainty in the narrator’s acts. The poem talks about a man wondering around in the woods with his horse on a snowy evening, for a moment he stops and contemplates the scenery. A) The poet uses mostly visual images in describing the scenery, such as â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow†, â€Å"The darkest evening of the year† and â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep†. The effect that the poet creates with these images is the sense of tranquility and beauty that made the narrator be lulled by the woods. B) We find metaphors used by the poet in the phrase â€Å"And miles to go before I sleep†, where â€Å"miles to go†, is the metaphor for life and â€Å"before I sleep†, is a metaphor for death. The repetition of this line at the end of the last stanza gives emphasis to the phrase giving a second meaning to the phrase, along with turning drastically the mood of the poem into something darker. C) The poet uses personification in the horse, since he gives human character to the horse when it starts questioning its master decisions. The horse feels anxious and he even tries to awake his master of the trance he has sunk in. The fear of the horse brings tension to the poem along with the  feeling of uncertainty.

Quaility management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quaility management - Essay Example Therefore, total quality management is a customer driven process (Rawlins, 2008, p. 37). This paper seeks to discuss the assistance available to organizations seeking to improve quality. Total quality management is meant to focus on customers and non-customers. It is mandatory for the organization to ensure their major decisions are focused on the customer. Moreover, an organization is bound to carry out a research on customer perception about its service to know of its strength and weakness in order to effect appropriate improvements. In addition, having an understanding of non-customers will help an organization to have an insight on the modalities employed by the competitors. Secondly, an organization should ensure that it maintains continuous improvement. A good organization will have a service research program that managers will always consult when making decisions. Service quality information will assist in identifying any major shortfall likely to occur and a swift action will be taken (Oakland, 2003, p. 230-233). Moreover, employee’s involvement is essential for proper total quality management achievement. Employee research is just like customer research. Employee can be used to review the quality of nay service before it is released to the consumer as what happen internally to an organization affects the service offered to the customer. Employees are also aware of the problems and challenges that affect the quality of any service offered by a particular organization. Additionally, ensuring teamwork between employees will act as a benchmark for quality service delivery. Workers will be motivated to serve at their level best and will be able to accept quality criticism. Team involvement may also act as a source of motivation to proper service delivery. Moreover, open discussion in an organization should be encouraged and employee

Dell Computer Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Dell Computer Corporation - Case Study Example The year 1986 was a memorable year for Michael Dell and his corporation when Dell entered the European market. By the year 1989, Dell acquired sales of $50 millions. The last four quarters earned revenue around $57.9 millions2. Dell always aims to deliver the innovative technology and services. This company sells the maximum number of systems than any other computer company. The main principle of Dell is selling computers directly to the customer. In this way, this company can understand the needs of their customers in a much better way. This direct business model3 eliminates the middlemen and hence reducing the cost and time. The strategies of Dell enable it to offer the best possible systems and services at the most reasonable prices. Dell always launches the latest relevant technology much earlier than its competitors. Dell always has everything to satisfy its customer's needs at the most reasonable price. The direct linking with the customer is the key to success of Dell. The processing time is much better than any other competitors with the use of information system. ... The direct linking with the customer is the key to success of Dell. The processing time is much better than any other competitors with the use of information system. The customers are getting the advantages of one-step shopping system for all products and services. They can directly contact the company with a phone-call or internet and this company is always ready with an instant response. It is clear that Dell will continue to put its efforts in order to drive the inventory down by increasing its velocity up to the most possible rate. 1.2 Expansion Dell formed its largest workforce in the year 1998 by recruiting 16,000 employees in central Texas. 4500 employees were hired for its European unit in Ireland. By that time, Dell was ready with its 5 plants, Malaysia, Ireland and three in Texas. Its sixth plant was in China and seventh in Brazil. At present, dell has around 78,700 employees4 in all units. Chapter 2 Strategies 2.1 Build-to-Order strategy The key strategy of Dell was build-to-order. Customer were free to order their PC's directly to the manufacturing floor of the company where various process like assembling and testing were done before shipping the order to the customer. The time taken by the company to deliver the product was just 4-7 days. Due to this strategy, Dell managed to eliminate the resellers and other middlemen and linked directly to the customer. This profit was returned to the customer in the form of lower costs. Linking directly to the customer

Mnging people in retil Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mnging people in retil - Case Study Example In most retil orgniztions, these chnges come in the fce of reltively little premerger plnning. lthough mny firms consider the implictions of structurl chnge on their orgniztion, often such nlysis is cursory nd superficil. This pper will introduce the elements of structure within the retil orgniztion, then explore the reltionship mong structure, strtegy, nd culture. Finlly, the structurl chnges within retil orgniztion strtegy is presented in the previous pssges of the pper. Retil orgniztionl structure hs numerous dimensions: formliztion, speciliztion, stndrdiztion, hierrchy of uthority, complexity, centrliztion, professionlism, nd personnel rtios. mong them, complexity, formliztion, nd centrliztion re focl to our discussion of retil orgniztion (see Figure 1). Complexity refers to the number nd vriety of hierrchicl lyers, job titles, nd divisions nd deprtments within n orgniztion. The more lyers nd divisions, the higher the complexity of n orgniztion. (Bddeleys, Jmes, 1990) It is needed to sy tht the level of complexity vries within the retil orgniztion. Within Tesco, the legl deprtment hs mny lyers of lwyers nd stff members servicing the legl needs of different regions of the country, wheres mnufcturing my hve only one loction with two hierrchicl levels. Formliztion refers to the number nd content of rules nd regultions present within n retil orgniztion. The more written rules, stndrd operting procedures, nd policy mnuls, the more forml n orgniztion. The degree of formliztion determines how mny decisions re preprogrmmed, since rules nd mnuls cn replce mngeril decision mking. Highly formlized structures led to routine work nd ctivity. In forml orgniztions, behviors nd ctivities re predetermined since they re described in some document. Employee freedom in decision mking nd behvior is therefore highly limited. dditionlly, formliztion often leds to impersonlity for both employees nd customers Centrliztion The compny tht is being discussed hs decentrlized retil dministrtion. It is counted to be the cornerstone of orgniztionl policy tht is crucil when it comes to compny's retil success nd some difficulties to overcome every now nd then. The ltter my relte to the locl overpricing of goods, poor service, out-of-stock conditions, nd excessive nd unblnced inventories. t the mentime, compny officers ssume tht the dvntges of decentrliztion previl over its disdvntges. Centrliztion Centrliztion refers to the distribution of power nd decision mking within n orgniztion. The less the number of groups nd levels involved in decision mking, the more centrlized firm. In centrlized orgniztions, lrge mjority of ll decisions re mde by top mngers. In decentrlized orgniztions, on the other hnd, decisions re delegted or pushed down to lower levels. DETERMINNTS OF STRUCTURE There hs been considerble reserch regrding the fctors tht determine, nd re determined by, the structure nd design of n orgniztion. The fctors considered most often re size, technology, strtegy, externl environment, nd most recently, culture nd ledership. Evidence cn be found supporting the position tht these elements determine structure nd tht structure determines them. So there is circulr reltionship mong them. They ll mutully

Michael Porter's 5 Forces for Target Research Paper - 1

Michael Porter's 5 Forces for Target - Research Paper Example New entrants are firms that have just entered into a market or will do so in the near future (Barney and Hesterly). Because Target just operates within one market, the United States, it is susceptible to new entrants trying to take away some of Target’s market share. Another reason is due to a reducttion in the barriers to entry, e.g. international trade. It is becoming easier and easier for foreign competitors to enter markets because of liberalization of trade. The UK-based company Tesco is perhaps the biggest threat to the American discount deparment store market. Supplies assist firms by contributing raw materials and labor, among other things, to the process of finishing a product (Barney and Hesterly). The bargaining power of suppliers in the discount department store industry is relatively strong because of the wide number of competitors in the market. If suppliers do not like their current relationship with a discount department store, then they can take their business somewhere else. Another reason that suppliers have greater bargaining power is through the increase in online stores. Now, consumers can choose to purchase a product directly from the supplier rather than through the retailer. Buyers are a key component of Target’s marketing schemes because they have the ability to stay with the company or leave if they feel prices are too high (Barney and Hesterly). Because of the wide range of stores in the industry, customers do not feel loyal to one particular brand and can switch their loyalties if another brand offers a product of the same quality for less. As a result, firms are always competing to lower their prices, and this can only be good for the customer because it strengthens their position. Substitute products fulfill customer needs by do so by offering something extra (Barney and Hesterly). In the discount department store industry, the threat of substitutes is

One of the primary aims of copyright is to ensure society is rich with Essay

One of the primary aims of copyright is to ensure society is rich with creative works. Without copyright creators would not create new works. Discuss - Essay Example Pirating copyrighted products is an inexpensive venture since pirates only need a computer, internet access, and power to run the computer (Waldfogel 2012, p. 44). In addition, available digital technology boosts the ability to produce excellent copies. Worldwide losses due to infringement of copyrights are estimated to be $4.2 billion per year. To put it into perspective, in 2005, motion picture industry and the software industry reported losses estimated at $ 18.2 and $34 billion respectively. Today, digital piracy is the primary issue of concern, which calls for a thorough understanding of its driving forces. It is worth noting that a majority of today’s issues relating to digital piracy relate to the evolution of computing era (Cronan & Al-Rafee 2006, p.238). However, advancements in technology are also vital in the protection of copyrighted products as well as digital rights management. On the other hand, pirates have strived to make use of technology to â€Å"hack† or â€Å"crack† protected contents. The only option left for copyright owners includes finding strong legal protection against copyright infringement. The legal system has agreed that technological advancements have the potential to circumvent the legal system, and leave a poor intellectual property framework (Matsuura 2009, p. 25). The ability to store data in a binary format is the cause of digital piracy (Fenwick & Locks 2010, p. 18). From this point, this paper will look into forms of digital piracy (media and software piracy), their incidences and motivating factors. It would also be crucial to look into some of the technologies applied in fighting digital piracy. Other than technologies, the paper will also touch on copyright laws and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. To date, the media industry has suffered heavy losses due to increased rates of digital piracy. Information generated through digital media is easy to represent

Why Obama Won Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Why Obama Won - Assignment Example By taking into concern the current situation of this contemporary world, it can be stated that the political parties need to become market-oriented, by recognizing public demands and most importantly, by designing an effective party product. In this similar context, the party product may comprise certain important factors including policies, constitutions, symbols, organizations and ideologies. It has been apparently observed that an effective political marketing imposes significant impacts upon several important aspects which include political decisions, market orientation strategies, online association marketing and media coverage initiatives (Marshment & Rudd, n.d.). Besides, the notion of political marketing is also viewed as a sort of commercial marketing that emphasizes upon forming, preserving as well as improving long-term interrelation with the voters for the purpose of attaining significant success and expected objectives (Shaughnessy, 2001). In addition, an effective polit ical marketing is all about shaping and delivering accurate message to the key audiences in order to obtain considerable success, especially in the political field (Ren Scott Creative Marketing, n.d.). In this discussion, a detailed analysis will be taken into concern regarding how an effective political marketing supported US President Barack Obama succeed in defeating Mitt Romney to earn a second term. Analysis Brand Difference of Obama and Romney Considering the recent changes in the US political environment, it can be stated that it is the democratic brand which mainly differed Obama from Romney who possessed republican brand. A major difference that can be viewed in this regard is that Obama largely supported the ideas as well as the policies based on Democratic Party while conversely, Romney deciphered strong concern towards Republican Party’s theories and concepts. Furthermore, US President Obama, from the very beginning, was observed as much keen towards introducing a s well as developing significant democratic policies concerning international relations, supporting legalization particularly for illegal immigrants and augmenting employment opportunities among others. These quality facets of democratic policies can be viewed as a significant factor which contributed to the success of Obama helping the common people to interpret the policies as mainly formulated for the interests of the nation (Carothers, 2012). This significant aspect, i.e. the democratic brand of Obama might have significantly assisted him to attain success and win for a second term as US President by a large extent. The democratic branding of Obama evolved over the course of the campaign when he included republican idea into his proposal relating to health insurance reform. According to the proposal, a few of the initiatives based on republican ideas have been taken into concern under the guidance of Obama. In this regard, the initiatives included facilitating varying health ins urance premiums on the basis of participation in programs relating to employer wellness, establishing standardized mechanisms to enhance healthcare quality and superior access towards different community based health centers (The White House, n.d.). Conversely, the republican branding of Romney evolved over the course of the campaign when he acclaimed prior to the election that it is possible to mitigate the loss of revenue resulting from tax cuts by eradicating different deductions as well as exemptions, especially for the upper-income individuals of the US. However, a few of the republicans were significantly criticized regarding the viewpoint of Romney regarding the

Hollywood and Hip Hop Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Hollywood and Hip Hop Stereotypes Essay For this activity, I choose this picture of American tennis champion Serena Williams. In the photo, Williams is wearing the latest attire for tennis which tends to reveal more skin as shown in her midriff-baring shirt for women players though it is meant to allow more freedom of movement and at the same time keep the player’s bodies from heating up during grueling matches. In this photo, it would appear Williams typifies the brute stereotype associated with African-Americans where those who are physically endowed, especially men, are savage, wild and violent and likely to be lustful (Ferris State University, 2010). Although this tag applies to men, this photo shows it could be applied to Serena though she has not declared herself a lesbian. Her physique is the result of her intense training regimen that comes with being an athlete in a sport that also requires strength. She can hardly be labeled as â€Å"Mammy† or even †Jezebel† where the former is laid-back and docile and the other is alluring but promiscuous. Her powerful strokes, her rippling muscles and nearly her athleticism makes her a â€Å"Brute† as all blacks are treated this way whenever they try are associated with sports. In conclusion, it would appear are blacks athletes or anyone physically endowed for that matter are classified brutes and along with that are the jokes or stereotyping. Racists believe this is the result of the evolution from apes to humans as the former are renowned to be the very aggressive and violent and the black people are said to have inherited these same animal traits which makes them faster, stronger, and more durable. Naturally, nobody in his right mind would think every black man is a dangerous animal waiting for the right moment to unleash his beastly qualities. If one were to judge a person it should not be on the basis of his ability, rather than the color of his skin and should not immediately subscribe to stereotypes despite the fact they do excel in sports. It is apt to frighten the womenfolk, prompting their fathers or husbands to protect them from these â€Å"savages† which of course, is wrong. Reference Ferris State University. (2010). Jim Crow Museum of Leftist Memorabilia. Retrieved July 24, 2010, from Ferris State University: http://www. ferris. edu/jimcrow/menu. htm

Sport Tourism Essay Example for Free

Sport Tourism Essay Sports tourism presents an opportunity for the City of Kent, Kent State University and City of Kent schools to leverage existing sports and recreation facilities to create new economic and community value by hosting amateur sporting events at Kent venues. These events bring new dollars into the Kent economy, showcase Kent’s assets, and provide opportunities for Kent’s kids to compete against some of the best student athletes in the nation in their own home town. This report provides an overview of how other cities have combined local resources to create a competitive sports tourism strategy. July 17, 2006 Office of the City Manager 1 Table of Contents I. II. III. Sports Commission Missions Sports Commission Membership Sports Commission Practicing Models Big City 1. Cleveland, Ohio 2. Columbus, Ohio Small Cities with Universities 1. Cortland New York 2. Gainesville, Florida 3. Huntsville, Alabama 4. Lehigh, Pennsylvania 5. Southbend, Indiana 6. Yakima, Washington Small City without a University 1. Read more:  Wallace good people  essay Kingsport, Tennessee Greater Cleveland Sports Commission Greater Columbus Sports Commission page 3 page 4 page 5 page 5 page 8 Cortland Regional Sports Council Gainesville Sports Organizing Committee Huntsville Sports Commission Lehigh Valley Sports Commissio Southbend Regional Sports Commission Yakima Valley Sports Council page 13 page 25 page 27 page 30 page 34 page 36 Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau page 38 IV. National Association of Sports Commissions page 48 V. Economic Impact of Sports Events 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A Review of Economic Impact Study on Sport Events Greater Chattanooga Sports Committees Estimated Economic Impact Surpasses $15 Million Kingsport Sports Tourism Dollars in 2005 Cortland Sports Tourism Dollars Economic Impact of Amateur Softball Events Cities Compete to Host Sporting Events Economic Impact Calculation Examples Comparative Economic Impact Analyses page 53 page 53 page 55 page 59 page 60 page 62 page 64 page 66 page 67 2 I. Missions Summary To make Greater Cleveland the nations foremost destination for sporting events and activities. The mission of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission is to provide leadership, guidance and marketing expertise in attracting regional, national and international sporting events and activities to benefit Greater Columbus economically and socially. The mission of CRSC is to promote Cortland County for sports related business, events, competition and education. CRSCs goal is to create a positive economic impact through sporting/recreational events within the Cortland community. Our mission is to be a leading voice of the sports and tourism industries in Alachua County; to foster economic development and add to our quality of life through sports utilizing public and private sector resources; to recruit and create sports, recreation and entertainment opportunities for the community that produce a positive economic impact; to build an understanding in the community of the importance of sports and tourism; and to do so with skill, while meeting all industry professional standards. By recruiting and retaining events, the organization seeks to increase tourism, create a significant economic impact and provide for an improved quality of life for Lehigh Valley residents. The mission of the Lehigh Valley Sports Commission is to attract sports events to the Lehigh Valley through effective marketing, bid coordination and hosting activities. The sports commission will develop a fundraising mechanism for bid fees, and foster relationships with national governing bodies, sponsors and local media. Our mission includes building a volunteer base to support amateur sports events throughout the Lehigh Valley. The South Bend Regional Sports Commission exists to attract and retain international, national, regional, state and local sports events to St. Joseph County and surrounding communities. To promote the South Bend region as a world-class sporting event destination and to pursue and assist sports-related activities which stimulate the local economy, enhance the area’s image, provide outstanding entertainment and participatory opportunities while contributing to the community’s quality of life. To advance the mission of the Yakima Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau by stimulating economic growth through sporting events that generate economic impact for the Yakima Valley. Emphasis is placed on promoting the Yakima Valley as a premiere sports destination to event planners, participants and spectators while providing exception customer service. 3 II. Membership Summary Columbus Board of Commissioners Brian Ellis, Chair Nationwide Realty Investors Nick Ashooh American Electric Power †¢Paul Astleford Experience Columbus Irwin Bain Schottenstein Stores Corporation †¢Butch Moore The Dispatch Printing Company †¢Michael Priest JMACRhett Ricart. Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority †¢Gene Smith The Ohio State University Gainesville Sports Organizing Committee Wende Blumberg, the 2006 GSOC President, leads the twenty-five member GSOC Board of Trustees. The Board comes from a broad cross section of Alachua County citizens. Trustees are area business people with an interest in sports and economic development. The board includes people from sports facilities including the Stephen C. OConnell Center, various Alachua County cities, Gainesville Raceway, local banks, insurance companies, and local print, radio and television companies. Huntsville Sports CommissionRonald Evans Von Braun CenterCharles Winters Huntsville Madison County Conventions and Visitors Bureau Greater Cleveland Sports Commission VISION To make Greater Cleveland the nations foremost destination for sporting events and activities WHY BOOK A VENUE WHEN YOU CAN BOOK A CITY? There are so many reasons why Cleveland is an outstanding place to host your sporting event. We can help make your event a success! The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is dedicated to making Cleveland the nations premier destination for amateur sports events and activities. The Sports Commission offers a wide array of services and assistance to not only attract events to Cleveland, but to ensure their success. Sponsorship Event Management Marketing Public Relations Facility and Site Selection Volunteers Hospitality Vendor Referrals Connections to the Cleveland Community If you would like to discuss bringing YOUR event to Cleveland, please call us at 216. 621. 0600 Host Commission of: 2004 International Children’s Games 2004 NBC Gravity Games 2007 NCAA Women’s Final Four Basketball Championships 2004 U. S. Short Track National Speedskating Championships U. S. Gymnastics Championships McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Game U. S. Olympic Trials Box-Offs. David E. Gilbert is President CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, whose goal is to make Greater Cleveland the nation’s foremost destination for amateur sporting events and activities. The organization is responsible for attracting, promoting and managing major amateur athletic events and to create sporting opportunities for youth and amateur athletes. Since its refounding in late 1999, the Sports Commission has already had significant success by securing more than 50 events for Cleveland including the NCAA Women’s Final Four, NBC Gravity Games, U. S. Gymnastics Championships, International Children’s Games, McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Game, and U. S. Olympic Trials Box-Offs. These events represent an economic impact of more than $160 million for Cleveland’s economy. Prior to this position, David served as Director of Community Affairs and Special Projects for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland where he was responsible for advancing Cleveland’s travel and tourism service standards and related developments. Highlights of his tenure with include funding and development of two new, full-service visitor information centers and spearheading the funding, creation and operations of the Spirit of Hospitality Career Training 5 Program, an innovative, new welfare-to-work initiative that received national recognition and acclaim. Prior to his work with the CVB, David served as executive director of North Coast Harbor, Inc. , a local development corporation responsible for the master planning and marketing of Cleveland’s downtown lakefront development district. He also held the position of director of corporate development for The Cleveland Play House. David Gilbert We are bringing people to town for reasons other than conventions, he said. Our mission is to make Cleveland a national capital for amateur sports. With the Commissions event schedule at 41 (one-third having already taken place, including the Gravity Games and the U. S. gymnastics and figure skating championships), Gilbert estimated the economic impact at $160-162 million. Without the capital to pay a $200,000 bid fee for a typical event, the non-profit Commission won the figure skating championships, for example, by paying only part of the bid fee but taking responsibility for hospitality, transportation, arena rental and other aspects off the shoulders of the event organizers. With creative tactics such as this, and the support of our partners, Gilbert said were beating the pants off other locations. 6 Red carpet treatment for skaters By MAYA R. PAYNE 2:21 pm, April 5, 2006. Cleveland is in the running to host the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, and area leaders are betting that a bit of North Coast hospitality will give the city an edge over two other cities hoping to host the event. The U. S. Figure Skating Association site selection committee visits Cleveland today and Thursday and is seeking information to help its members narrow the field of potential sites. The association’s representatives will appraise the ice rinks at Quicken Loans Arena and the Wolstein Center. They also will meet with Cleveland leaders and the local figure skating community, which includes a dozen separate skating organizations comprising the Greater Cleveland Council of Figure Skating Clubs. A U. S. Figure Skating Association spokeswoman declined to identify the two other finalist cities. She said the organization won’t comment on the selection process until mid-April, when it makes its recommendation to the International Skating Union, the sport’s governing body. But Spokane, Wash. , also is in the hunt, according to the Spokesman-Review in Spokane. The city’s business and community leaders had a red carpet rally along Post Street in Spokane to demonstrate their support of the event. Cleveland has its own plans for wooing the event that is expected to bring its host city $30 million. It begins with showing that Clevelanders will embrace the skating championship and not simply host it, said David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. The organization promotes amateur sports events and activities in the region. â€Å"When this event is here, it will mean everything to this community,† Mr. Gilbert said The sports commission and assorted community leaders, including Mayor Frank Jackson, will drive home this point with discussion of past successes such as the International Children’s Games and the U. S. Figure Skating Championships that Cleveland hosted in 2000, he said. The skating championship still holds the record for highest attendance in a non-Olympic year, Mr. Gilbert said. They can also list financial and in-kind support among Cleveland’s strengths. Mr. Gilbert said the commission has secured $900,000 in commitments already. He declined to name the donors. The International Skating Union will select the city and has already said the United States will host the 2009 event. 7 2. Greater Columbus Sports Commission Greater Columbus Sports Commission 45 Vine St. Columbus, OH 43215 614-221-6060, 800-331-0092 fax: 614-224-7301 www. ColumbusSports. org The mission of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission is to provide leadership, guidance and marketing expertise in attracting regional, national and international sporting events and activities to benefit Greater Columbus economically and socially. The Greater Columbus Sports Commission is a member of the National Association of Sports Commissions. Board of Commissioners Brian Ellis, Chair Nationwide Realty Investors Nick Ashooh American Electric Power Paul Astleford Experience Columbus Irwin Bain Schottenstein Stores Corporation Butch Moore The Dispatch Printing Company Michael Priest JMAC Rhett Ricart Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority Gene Smith The Ohio State University Interns needed to work with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. View the general job posting or one for a specific project with the National Softball Association. The Advisory Council, comprised of high-profile sports and community figures, is directly involved in sales and marketing efforts to attract regional, national and international sporting events to Greater Columbus. Bret Adams Blaugrund, Herbert Martin, Inc. Mark Bivenour Columbus Distributing Steve Germain Germain Motor Company Archie Griffin The Ohio State University Alumni Association John Hicks MVP Tours Stephanie Hightower Columbus Board of Education Jim Lorimer Arnold Fitness Weekend Mark McCullers Columbus Crew Clair Muscaro Ohio High School Athletic Association (retired) Mike Reynolds Thrifty Car Rental. 8 Wayne Roberts Columbus Recreation and Parks Department Jack Ruscilli Ruscilli Construction Co. , Inc. Ken Schnacke Columbus Clippers Todd Sharrock Columbus Blue Jackets Dan Sullivan HNS Sports Group, Inc. Rob Wallace Accor/Red Roof Inns Robert Werth Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP Visitors bureau plans launch of sports commission Business First of Columbus May 10, 2002 by Kathy Hoke Business First Forget the Olympics. Think youth soccer and basketball tournaments. Under a new marketing program to begin in late June, Columbus will go after youth athletic events as well as adult amateur matches such as the popular mens and womens NCAA Final Four basketball tournaments and USA Volleyball National Championship. The Columbus Sports Commission expects to add new power to ongoing efforts to attract sporting events, which can draw thousands of participants and fans and generate millions of dollars in spending for cities. The commission will begin operations June 28, a day after a planned fund-raiser at Nationwide Arena aimed at promoting the citys amateur sports history to a local crowd. Sponsored by the Greater Columbus Convention Visitors Bureau, the Columbus Celebrates Sports event will pay tribute to the history and future of sports in the area. Ballots for the greatest or most memorable sports moments in Columbus will appear beginning May 15 in newspapers and on a variety of Web sites. Our goal is not to determine who are the best athletes from Columbus, but rather to recognize the top sports moments that captivated our community and really put us on the map, said Paul Astleford, president and CEO of the bureau. Sports celebrities expected to attend are Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, OSU football coach Jim Tressel, U. S. national soccer team and Columbus Crew standout Brian McBride and former Buckeye greats Jim Jackson and Keith Byars. More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the event, to be emceed by Greg Gumbel of CBS Sports. 9 Logan in charge The sports commission fulfills a plan laid out when Linda Logan joined the bureau in 1997 as its first sports marketing sales representative. Logans prediction that it would take five years to form a sports commission was accurate. She will head the two-member commission, which will be structured as a charitable nonprofit in which donations are tax deductible, rather than the not-for-profit association status of the bureau, whose downtown Columbus office will house the commission. Within two years, the commission is expected to grow to a staff of seven, about even in size with many sports commissions in other cities but far smaller than the sports commission in Indianapolis, which has a staff of 30 and has operated for more than two decades. Its a very competitive market, Logan said. Over 200 cities are going for the same events we are. Logan, secretary to the National Association of Sports Commissions, knows what other cities are doing to attract athletic events. The Columbus commission is long overdue, she said, and will allow her staff more opportunities and resources to attract sporting events. A staff of two compared to a staff of seven or a staff of 30 is not an even playing field, she said. About 80 percent of the commissions work is expected to focus on attracting youth, collegiate and amateur sporting events to Columbus. The commission also will work toward luring professional events, although contributions for that work will not be tax deductible. City can compete Your city should not have a concern about its ability to compete in this industry, said Don Schumacher, a sports marketing consultant who heads the national association and who once ran a now-defunct sports commission in Cincinnati. Schumacher cited Columbus central location for drive-in visitors and its sports and hotel facilities as key factors for drawing athletic events. Logan will need support from corporate donors to fulfill the commissions potential, Schumacher said. You cant do this without the proper funding, he said. You need sufficient operating money to find events and bid on them, and raise support behind the events. 2-21-2005 By: Joni Bentz Seal 10 OSU ATHLETICS CONTRIBUTE $100. 5 MILLION TO ECONOMY Each year, nearly 1,000 athletes clad in scarlet and gray tackle, shoot and swing more than $100 million into greater Columbus coffers by drawing millions of fans for matches in 36 varsity sports. Those fans contribute to  the economic vitality of central Ohio by driving radio and television ratings, purchasing Ohio State merchandise and game tickets, and patronizing area hotels and restaurants. One of the largest and most diverse athletics programs in the nation, Ohio State is among the first to measure its impact with a study conducted by a joint effort of the Department of Athletics, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, SportsImpact of St. Louis and local public relations firm Paul Werth Associates. Athletics Director Andy Geiger presented â€Å"An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Ohio State Athletics on the Greater Columbus Region† at the Feb. 2 Columbus Metropolitan Club forum on the topic. Geiger and President Karen Holbrook also introduced the department’s Good Sports community outreach initiative, which will serve as an umbrella program for the interaction student-athletes, coaches and staff have with the residents of central Ohio. â€Å"For the past 18 months we’ve been working on a way to tell a different sort of story about the Ohio State athletics program — about some of the many things we do that don’t make the headlines,† Geiger told forum attendees. â€Å"We want to share our ideas with you — and to get your reactions to — what we have in the works to share the accomplishments of our student-athletes and staff — off the field and in the community. † Applying an economic impact equation, the team studied the spending habits of event attendees and participants — which include visiting student-athletes, coaches, team officials, referees/umpires/officials, NCAA representatives and media — from outside greater Columbus during the 2002-03 academic year. The report also indicated that, of the revenue generated, 36 percent, or $36. 1 million, is retained long term as valueadded revenue to Columbus, meaning it boosts regional income, property-type income and local taxes in an amount sufficient to annually fund 989 full-time jobs paying market wages. But Geiger explained there is an impact made on the community that transcends dollars and cents: â€Å"It is the way we touch the lives of others. We have nearly 1,000 studentathletes and 300 associates of the department who are using the power of sports to touch people of all ages and in all corners of central Ohio and campus community,† he said. The Good Sports program endeavors to demonstrate the human impact Ohio State student-athletes and staff have on the community. For example, Geiger said studentathletes contribute thousands of volunteer hours to hundreds of community groups. Many on the athletic staff lead nonprofit boards in the community and serve as leaders of major charitable fundraisers. And throughout the year, Ohio State makes its world-class athletic venues available to youth organizations, providing children with the thrill of competing in the same facilities as their sports heroes. â€Å"Good Sports is our way of further institutionalizing our mission and values within our own staff, on campus and throughout our community,† Geiger said. â€Å"We operate our department based on six core values — and we want everyone to know them well — Education, Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Respect and Tradition. † 11 In her opening remarks, Holbrook reminded forum participants that many Ohio State student-athletes will settle in the Columbus area and continue to be contributors to the social fabric of the region long after their competitive days end. â€Å"We believe the many meaningful things our people are doing in the community will be energized and grow by placing them under the umbrella of the Good Sports program, where we can measure the impact more clearly and develop synergies between various outreach programs in our city,† she said. 12 1. Cortland Regional Sports Council About the Cortland Regional Sports Council More affectionately known as the CRSC, this agency was formed as a result of hosting sporting events in Cortland for the 2002 Empire State Games. The economic impact that these events had on the Cortland Community was tremendous and thanks to a partnership between SUNY Cortland, TC3 and local community members, a focus on attracting sporting events to our community was launched. The mission of CRSC is to promote Cortland County for sports related business, events, competition and education. The possibilities are endless! So far, three events have been associated with CRSC New York State Girls High School Lacrosse Championships, Section III High School Soccer Championships and the NYS Volleyball Tournament. Combined, these events have produced over $600,000 in revenue for the Cortland business community. CRSCs goal is to create a positive economic impact through sporting/recreational events within the Cortland community. We look forward to being the recognized clearinghouse for Cortland County Sporting and Recreational events via printed and electronic media. Over the next few months there are several CRSC events slated to take place in Cortland County. There will be opportunities for local businesses to participate in these events either as volunteer or as sponsors. If there is an event you are particularly interested in, please call 756-1864 for additional information or e-mail us at [emailprotected] org. 13 Current 2005 Events Section III Soccer SemiFinals (November 5, 6 2004) Site: SUNY Cortland Economic Impact: $209,438. 00 NYSPHS Volleyball (November 12, 13 2004) Site: SUNY Cortland Economic Impact: $137,060. 88 CNY Powersports SnoCross Race (February 5, 6 2005) Site: CNY Powersports Economic Impact: $207,130. 00 ATV Special Events 2004 Season Banquet (February 12, 2005) Site: Holiday Inn Economic Impact: $5,030. 30 AAU Basketball Tournament Cortland Shootout (March 25 26, 2005) Site: SUNY Cortland Park Center and Luske Field House Economic Impact: $42,373. 87 New York State YMCA Gymnastics Competition (April 15th 16th, 2005) Site: JM McDonald Sports Complex 14 Economic Impact: $19,727. 50 Crown City Soccer Friendlies (April 30 May 1, 2005) Site: SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex Economic Impact of $7,693. 55 Crown City Lumberjack Invitational (May 21, 2005) Site: JM McDonald Sports Complex Economic Impact of $14,795. 00 NYSPHSAA Girls Lacrosse Championships (June 4, 2005) Site: SUNY Cortland Economic Impact of $68,453. 05 North/South Lacrosse Game and Banquet Economic Impact of $73,976. 00 Bull League Lacrosse Opening Day Economic Impact of $321,939. 00 BonTon Roulet Bicycle Tour Economic Impact of $26,631. 00 NYS Junior American Legion Baseball Championships Economic Impact of $25,408. 88 Celtic Festival / Heavy Athletics Economic Impact of $184,464. 18 Southern Tier Bowhuners Championships Economic Impact of $8,877. 00 TOTAL = $1,352,998. 21 15 Cortland Venues JM McDonald Sports Complex The Cortland Sports Complex is a 80,000 square foot facility with the following components. Indoor NHL size ice rink (200 x 85) with seating capacity of 700 Large indoor soccer field (210 x 110) with seating capacity of 200 Smaller indoor soccer field (110 x 50) with bleachers Raised observation area Full service concession stand Indoor walking track Five locker rooms and two changing rooms Meeting rooms including a Party Room Paved parking for over 200 cars Space to provide additional overflow parking for large events Floor seating for special events like graduations and concerts will allow significant additional capacity. SUNY Cortland – Outdoor Venues For more information you can visit http://www.cortland. edu. Stadium Complex . Stadium Field Sprinturf surface with 6,5 00 seating capacity Auxiliary Field Sprinturf surface with 1,500 seating capacity with 8 Lane Track with long jump, high jump, pole vault, hammer throw, discus and shot put areas 5 Additional Natural grass fields available All fields suitable for Field Hockey, Football, Lacrosse and Soccer Wallace Field †¢ Natural Grass Baseball Field 800 seating capacity Holloway Field †¢ Natural Grass Soccer Field 1000 seating capacity Dragon Field †¢ Tennis Natural Grass Softball Field 150 seating capacity †¢ 22 Newly resurfaced Tennis courts. SUNY Cortland – Indoor Venues 16 For more information you can visit http://www. cortland. edu. Corey Gymnasium †¢ †¢ Maple Hardwood Flooring with the option of one full size, 18,000 sq. ft. and 3,500 seating capacity OR 3 separate smaller gyms Suitable for Basketball, Volleyball and Badminton Holstein Pool †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 6 Lane 50 meter pool with removable bulkhead State of the art timing system 15 Diving area with 2 one-meter diving boards, 1 three-meter diving board water agitation system underwater viewing deck Alumni Arena †¢ †¢ 15,275 sq. ft. facility with 2,000 seating capacity Suitable for Ice Hockey and Skating. Gymnastics Arena †¢ Fully equipped gymnastics gym with seating capacity of 500 in the balcony Auxiliary Gym †¢ †¢ †¢ 5,158 sq. ft. which houses 1 Basketball or Volleyball Court 4 Badminton Courts Project Adventure with High Ropes Course and Climbing Wall Wrestling Room †¢ 3,200 sq. feet of padded space Racquetball †¢ Squash 10 Regulation size Courts †¢ 8 Regulation size Courts Lusk Field House †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 40,000 sq. ft. 6 lane indoor track with long jump pit and pole vault area Netting to allow for Baseball, Softball and Lacrosse practice Space can be used as 3 Basketball courts, 6 Volleyball courts or 24 Badminton Courts. 17 City of Cortland Recreation Facilities Park Beaudry Location Scammell St. Basketball 2 Courts Soccer 4 Fields #1 U12 #2 U12 #3 U10 Tennis Softball/Baseball 3 Fields Beaudry 1 Youth Adult Softball Youth Baseball Beaudry 2 Youth Adult Softball Park Randall Location Elm St. Basketball 1 Court Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 1 Field Field #1 Regulation Tennis 2 Courts Softball/Baseball 1 Field Softball Field with lights Park Armory Location Randall St. Basketball 1/2 Court Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 1 Field Field #1 Regulation. Tennis 4 Courts Lights Softball/Baseball 1 Field Meldrim Field with lights Park Barry School Location Wheeler Ave Basketball Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 1 Field Field #1 Youth Tennis Softball/Baseball 1 Field Youth Baseball/Softball Location Raymond Ave. Basketball Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 2 Fields Field #1 Tennis Softball/Baseball 2 Fields Field #1 Jr. Sr. Baseball Field #2 Jr. Sr. Baseball Park Suggett Regulation Field #2 Regulation Location Homer Ave Basketball 2 Courts Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 2 Fields Field #1 Tennis. Softball/Baseball 2 Fields Williamson Youth Softball/Baseball Suggett Youth Adult Softball/Baseball Park Yaman Youth Field #2 Youth Location Basketball Soccer Tennis Skate Park 1 Park Open to Skateboards, rollerblades and 20 inch bikes. Kennedy Pkwy 1/2 Court 18 Cortland University Department of Sports Management CORTLAND, N. Y. For over 20 years, Cortland Sport Management professor Dr. Ted Fay built many solid relationships as an Olympic coach and administrator. This year, he brought one of the relationships home with him. Thanks in great part to Fays connections and tireless efforts, U. S. and international team handball officials visited the State University of New York at Cortland campus on Tuesday May 11 to announce their intentions to locate a USA Women’s Team Handball National Training Center at the Central New York campus. This is an extremely significant announcement, not just for the college, but for the entire Cortland community, Fay said. A lot of hard work went into this, and there will be a lot more in the future to grow the sport to where it needs to be on an international level. Dr. Hassan Moustafa of Egypt, the president of International Handball Federation (IHF) Federation, and Michael Cavanaugh, executive director of USA Team Handball, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of team handball, spoke at a press conference coordinated by SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex. SUNY Chancellor Robert King and Cortland Regional Sports Council Chair Joseph Reagan, a local businessman, also addressed the media. â€Å"It is my pleasure to announ.

Effect of globalisation on fast food industry

Effect of globalisation on fast food industry As mentioned earlier in part 1.3, I will be using Porters Five Forces to analyse the external environment to obtain a comprehensive understanding of a given industry. My focus here will be the fast food industry. BK is my chosen company to evaluate the effect of globalisation has upon fast food industry. The analysis will be done in four areas as below and there may be some overlapping of points as they can be interrelated. Section 3.1 Threat of new entrants Section 3.2 Threat of substitutes Bargaining power of customers Section 3.3 Bargaining power of supplier Section 3.4 Rivalry among existing competitors To aid understanding in this analysis, charts and diagrams drawn using Microsoft Excel is provided. 3.1 Threat of new entrants There are six major sources identified as barriers to a market entry which include economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirement, switching cost, access to channels of distribution and government policy (Porter, 1980). All these have had impact on BK especially as from the point of view of globalisation. 3.1.1 Capital Requirement In my observation, it is very possible to open one or two outlets but to globally have a chain of outlets with the same branding requires tremendous capital requirements. Thus globalisation has directly impacted BK in the way it structured its business model through franchising. BK could afford to do so as with agreements such as US- Canada Free Trade Agreement and North American Free Trade Agreement (Reference for Business, 2010). BK took advantage of the relative free flow of resources under globalisation to expand globally. Franchising is a relative low cost and low risk business model. Most of the US franchisors often use this method to enter a new market with diverse economical, cultural and political environment (Alon, 2006). For instance, 88% of BKs restaurants worldwide are franchised in fiscal 2009, contributing to $412.5 millions of total revenue globally (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). Franchising enables the business to develop in an unfamiliar market relatively quickly on a larger scale, allows the use of local partners who are familiar with local environment and also to create a standardised, global brand image, generating marketing economies of scale (McDonald et al., 2002). Charts below will provide further information on BKs franchise restaurants. Chart 1: Percentage of BKs Franchise Restaurants and Company Restaurants Worldwide ( Burger King Holdings Inc.,2009; SEC Info, 2007) Chart 2: Revenue Breakdown From BKs Total Revenue Worldwide (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009) However with globalisation, competition is globalised and relentless. McDonalds is actually BKs largest competitor as it provides better menu variety with more valuable and affordable prices (CNN.com, 2009), biting into BKs revenue by securing a larger market share. McDonalds is also more a pioneer compared to BK because it opened its first restaurant in 1940 (Spiritus-temporis.com, 2005) compared to BK with its first restaurant in 1954 (WikiAnswers, 2010). Being a pioneer, McDonalds has many advantages which includes entrenchment of position in consumers minds, creating higher thresholds for later entrants in terms of quality, advertising and distribution support, enjoys long-term market share advantages and reputation benefits (Gass et al.,2003). It is the effect of globalisation where McDonalds has built around 32,000 outlets in more than 117 countries (McDonalds Corporation, 2010). With its expansion into international markets, the company is famous throughout the world and is the leader in this industry followed by BK only at second place. The difference in number of outlets worldwide which also translates into sales volume differences between these two fast food chain can be seen clearly in the diagrams below. Chart 3: The total number of restaurants worldwide for BK and McDonalds. ( Burger King Holdings Inc.,2009; McDonalds Corporation, 2009) Chart 4: Comparison of Sales Revenues Between BK and McDonalds (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009, McDonalds Corporation 2007; 2009, SEC Info, 2007) Based on the charts, McDonalds is approximately 3 times larger than BK in terms of outlet and 10 times larger in terms of sales revenues. Substantial capital is also needed in terms of advertising to build up BKs brand. The advertising cost of McDonalds is approximately 8 times higher than BK thus creating a higher barrier entry when BKs brand name is lacking compared to McDonalds. To compete with McDonalds, BK needs more capital to increase its advertising as it is very much needed in globalisation to introduce BK in new markets and building up its image that they may otherwise not known about (Coulter, 2001). To ease comparison of the advertising cost, it is illustrated in chart below. Chart 5: Advertising cost of BK compared to McDonalds (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009; SEC Info, 2007; McDonalds Corporation, 2007;2009) With these type of cost outlays, for other competitors to come into the same scale as these two companies is extremely daunting indeed, thus the threat of entrants is low, though for smaller players is possible to find niches that are under or not exploited as yet. Luckily the advertising costs have resulted in branding, which builds a better image globally and flows ultimately into higher sales and profitabililty. Table below provides Best Global Brand Ranking 2009 highlighting few of BKs major competitors and where BK succeeded in positioning its brand among top 100 in year 2009. 2009 rank 2008 rank brand country of origin sector 2009 brand value ($m) 6 8 united states restaurant 32275 61 64 united states restaurant 5722 79 81 united states restaurant 3876 90 85 united states restaurant 3263 93 new united states restaurant 3233 Table 1: Best Global Brand Ranking 2009 (Interbrand, 2009) It is clear that BK lags behind McDonalds though in many ways this is to be expected given its much lower advertising cost outlays, which besides outlet costs, form a significant barrier of entry as mentioned earlier. 3.1.2 Product Differentiation With globalisation, BK differentiates itself from other fast food giants by acknowledging culture and country specific needs. For instances, Pork-based Bulgogi Burgers are offered in korea and the ultra-spicy Rendang Double in Singapore (Wikipedia, 2010). Picture 1: Pork based Bulgogi Burger Picture 2: Rendang Double (flickr.com, 2008 ) (therealnurulle.blogspot.com, 2010) BK also keeps its promise of Have it your way with customers having 221184 possible ways of ordering a Whopper meal (Swabey, 2007). This will help to ease its penetration into new market with different local conditions. BKs response to globalisation is obviously to cater to local tastes, as the pictures above testify. Another response to globalisation has been the move towards becoming more healthy by offering healthier menu with less salt and also with its product innovation to provide food with higher nutrition contents. At all times, BK is trying to differentiate itself to meet customers demands. Further details regarding food offerings will be mentioned in later part. 3.2 Threat of Substitutes and Bargaining Power of Customers Various global fast food chains have successfully make inroads in diverse market settings around the world (Watson, 2006). These restaurants stand the most conspicuous symbol of globalisation and modernity in countries worldwide (Wilk, 2006). Hence, they are often viewed as the cutting edge of emerging global consumer culture which have caused societies worldwide to become increasingly homogeneous and deterritorialised (Friedman, 2000). Although the expansion of Western quick-service eateries outside America and Europe has done much to transform established notions of service, taste and lifestyle (Schlosser et al., 2001), their spread has also given rise to rival domestic chains whose extensive knowledge of local preferences offers real advantages in attracting and retaining customers (Matejowsky, 2008). It is the strong bargaining power of customers which intensify the competition among various food chains with more substitutes available. To deal with these forces on a global basis, BK resorted to differentiate itself through innovative marketing and menu items. 3.2.1 Innovative Marketing BK has adopted a strategy which helps to differentiate them from their competitors. The company appointed TMP Worldwide Advertising Communications to create an exclusive company-wide employer branding campaign based on the concept Fun with a Future which concentrates on brand recognition, employee engagement and delivering on brand promise. BK decided to differentiate itself through its product and people with its employee as brand ambassador where all employees at all levels are linked to the company brand featuring in BKs advertisements and posters (Business and Finance Week, 2008). This is in line with the concept of globalisation where people of different races, culture and family background will have a common global identification as BKs brand ambassador. Pictures below feature BK employees who are of different races and cultures. Picture 3: Employees of BK in Tokyo Picture 4: Employees of BK in U.S. (associatedcontent.com, 2010) (farsons.com, 2010) BK also uses a creative marketing strategy by building an edgy, hip image with young men, who are targeted consumers (Jargon, 2006). For instance, in November 2006, BK began offering BK Xbox and Xbox 360 games with their value meals. After one month, 20 million of BK Xbox games had been sold. The games could only be bought with a value meal which means that BK attracted a lot of customers with this promotion, earning a nice profit from it. Comparing with BK, McDonalds on the other hand only places Nintendo mascot toys in their Happy Meals (Mattie, 2007). A picture of both BK Xbox and McDonalds Nintendo toys can be seen below. Picture 5: Burger King Xbox Picture 6: McDonalds Nintendo Toy ( blogs.ft.com, 2006) (toadcastle.net, 2006) The successfulness of BKs innovative marketing was already proven in 1999 in a TV campaign where Whopper was proclaimed as Americas Favourite Burger. That claim was based on the result of a research where 700 consumers were asked to name their favourite burger. 33% of them picked Whopper and only 12% chose McDonalds Big Mac (Cebrzynski, 1999). Having innovative marketing is a response to the threat of substitutes and bargaining power of customers as BK tries to embed itself on consumer consciousness globally. 3.2.2 Menu Options and Changes BK tries to reach out more customers through its menu to reduce threat of substitutes, which of course with globalisation is a full time and relentless force. As mentioned in part 3.1, health consciousness was rising among people with the obesity crisis hitting globally. It was found that United States tops the hierarchy for obesity with 30.6%, followed by Mexico and United Kingdom with 24.2% and 23% (NationMaster.com, 2010). Even though BK tries to blunt customers bargaining power and the threat of substitutes through aggressive marketing as seen above, in truth they are obviously much stronger with no switching cost. New Products Thus a response from BK is to try to be almost all things to customers. For instance, provide healthier food options. The company in its social responsibility statement promises to work with its trained chefs and nutritionist to develop new menu options that meet customers nutritional needs globally (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2010a). BKs efforts could be seen when it unveiled a healthy eating adaptation of its Have It Your Way strategy where posters in restaurants tell customers how to order a low carbohydrate, low fat and low calorie meal (Walker, 2004). The famous Whopper can also be served without the bun, mayonnaise and ketchup (MacArthur, 2004). BK also launched a new salad line offering shrimp and sirloin steak with grilled peppers and onions on it (Walker, 2004). Besides, health drive was initiated by BK by reducing salt and fat content in burgers and fries. Even children are targeted where childrens menu also comes with a choice of apples or grapes, milk or fruit juice (Forte, 2006). In 2008, BKs kids meal underwent makeover with the introduction of apple fries as part of the meal (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2010b). A list of BKs healthier options with their calorie contents are provided in Appendix 3. Pictures below show two healthy options from BK. Picture 7: Kids meal with Apple Fries Picture 8: Bunless Whopper (fastfood.ocregister.com, 2009) (hungry-girl.com, 2010) In addition, BK also later launched its Joe Coffee. This made-to-order coffee processed from 100% Arabica coffee beans (The Franchise Mall, 2005). This is actually a response to global economic crisis where it was found that consumers were trading down from more expensive coffee such as starbucks into lower ranking choices, providing a perfect option for BK. Thus even though globally the economic situation was dire, for instance it was found that 2009s world economic growth rate was only half percent (International Monetary Fund, 2009). BK found a new market segment to exploit to further reduce the threat of substitutes and bargaining power of customers. Latest initiatives include where in February year 2010, BK decided to replace its own coffee brand BK Joe with Seattles Best Coffee, a brand owned by Starbucks to increase falling sales by improving its product offerings (Tice, 2010). Pictures below show BKs Joe Coffee and its replacement, Seattles Best Coffee. Picture 9: BK Joe Coffee (ebay.com, 2010) Picture 10: Seattles Best Coffee (myalohavibe.com, 2010) BK also imitated a McDonalds breakfast item. BKs Breakfast Muffin Sandwich was promoted through an advertisement where a cleverly disguised BK breaks into McDonalds Headquarters to steal the Top Secret Blueprints for the Sausage McMuffin With Egg (Dave, 2010). Picture below shows the contrast between the two breakfast offering from McDonalds and BK. Picture 11: McDonalds Sausage McMuffin with Egg Vs BKs breakfast Muffin (davescupboard.blogspot.com, 2010) New Pricing It is not just menu changes were offered but also menu pricing as well. To meet the changing economic conditions as an impact of global recession, BK also announced that it will offer $1 double cheeseburger in order to gain market share back from McDonalds (Johnson, 2007). This has cause BKs franchisees to file a law suit challenging BKs right to dictate maximum prices as the products costs is at least $1.10 per sandwich (Glover, 2009). Thus even though BK tries to satisfy customers other stakeholders may not be happy, showing the complexities in managing relationships in the era of globalisation. Further in many ways, as seen in breakfast, and even in pricing, since the RM $1 cheeseburger, BK is imitating McDonalds. 3.3 Bargaining power of suppliers With globalisation, BK is required to maintain the quality of services in its restaurants worldwide. As a measure of quality control, BK will evaluate before approving the existing or potential manufacturers and distributors of food, packaging and equipment products used in the restaurants. Evaluation is done based on their delivery, timeliness and financial conditions. To ensure consistency, franchises are required to purchase their products from approved suppliers. (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). 3.3.1 Purchasing Power of BK Restaurant Services Inc. (RSI), a not-for-profit independent purchasing cooperative leverages purchasing power of the BK system in United States by negotiating the purchase terms for most equipments, food, beverages, toys and paper products used in the restaurants (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). RSI currently involves in the negotiation of purchase with BK for more than $3 billion a year in goods and services, managing supply agreements with over 300 suppliers and 27 distributors (Sterlingcommerce, 2009). For company restaurants and franchise restaurants in Canada, a subsidiary of RSI is responsible to purchase the products. However, there is currently no appointed purchasing agent that represents franchisees in other international regions. BK will work closely with their franchisees to implement programs that leverage their global purchasing power and to obtain lower product costs outside the United States and Canada. (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). Globalisation has increased the purchasing power of BK and therefore reducing bargaining power of suppliers with the ease of selection of suppliers who meet the company criteria 3.3.2 Suppliers of BK Food As a global fast food chain, it is important for BK to maintain its brand name worldwide. The image of the global brand could be destroyed in a day due to globalisation where news travels billion times faster than it used to be in the past. BK was labelled Murder King by animal activists forcing the company to implement new policies that are more closely monitor its suppliers. Thus by 2001, there were guidelines that require the egg suppliers battery cages to contain two water bottles, allowing the birds to stand upright and be at least 75 square inches (Detweiler, 2001). BK further discourages its suppliers from trimming chickens beak and breaking their wings to save packing space when transporting (Detweiler, 2001). Reports in media of one or more cases of food-borne diseases in one of BKs restaurant also negatively affect its sales worldwide when being highly publicised (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). During an earlier case in year 1997, BK cut off its ties with one of its biggest beef supplier, Hudson Foods Inc. as its beef supplies were contaminated with E.coli..Hudson voluntarily recalled the beef after the severity of E.coli contamination was discovered at its plant in Columbus, leaving some BK restaurants without sufficient beef supply for 24 hours to 48 hours (Papernik et al., 1997). Soft Drinks In fiscal 2000, BK decided to enter into a long term contracts with The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper/Seven-Up Inc to supply all restaurants of BK in United States with their product (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). BK prolonged its long term liaison with The Coca-Cola Company as an approved soft drink supplier for its international region covering Greater Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific (PRNewswire, 2003). With the effect of globalisation, consumers in around 200 countries enjoy Coca-Cola products of more than 1 billions servings per day (The Coca-Cola Company, 2010). BK International President believes that with this renewed alliances, Coca-Cola Company, recognised as the worlds best known brand (The Coca-Cola Company, 2010) will help to grow the BK brand rapidly by providing the best burger experience to their consumers in all restaurants globally (PRNewswire, 2003). Getting into alliances with suppliers is a good way to also set up higher barriers of entry. From my analysis, bargaining power of food suppliers are strong but over soft drinks especially in terms of dealing with companies with strong brand name is weaker. Obviously, the extent to which the other party uses branding and distribution network as leverage globally as well. Employees Other than external suppliers, internal supplier is also an important piece of puzzle which without, BKs supplier network would not be complete. Hence, the bargaining power of its employees should not be shoved aside. BK had approximately 41320 employees in its company restaurants, field management offices and global headquarters as at 30th June 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). As mentioned in part 3.2.1, there are diversity of employees with different backgrounds, race, religion and cultures. It is clear that like globalisation, the factors in Porters Five Forces are interlinked and do not stand alone. The success of BK is highly dependent on its ability to attract general managers with necessary competences to be part of the management team to motivate the employees to sustain high service levels and maintain sales growth. The competition for the right employee candidates causes higher payment of wages featuring the high bargaining power of employees (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009). However, where boundaries between countries became narrower and communication made easier with globalisation, the search for the right employee is more efficient and effective through online application, which could perhaps reduce their bargaining power. The selection of employees is important as a wrong choice would lead to negative publicity. In one of the cases, a BK employee in Jacksonville had tried to poison a customer as he was pissed due to his suspension for misconduct (Morbid, 2010). In another case, a Washington State Deputy, Edward Bylsma after discovering a spit on his Whopper ordered fr om a BK employee decided to sue BK seeking $75,000 of compensation (Ryan, 2010). No doubt with globalisation, these news would definitely spread fast and adversely impact the companys brand. Further, since a large portion of outlets are franchised as a result of BKs decision on this bus model to move globally, employees become even more important as front link assets to keep sales and profits up. With payroll expenses on the increase as seen in the chart below, it is clear that for employees, their bargaining power is, in my opinion, rated medium to high. Chart 6: Payroll and Employee Benefits for BK ( Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009) 3.4 Rivalry among Existing Competitors Globalisation has increased the competition among the fast food chain. With various quick service restaurants mushrooming worldwide, other than competing on a national or regional basis, they are competing with each other globally. As an effect of globalisation causing increases in degree of awareness among consumers, there has been intense competition among the competitors globally to gain market share. Increasing prices of raw material, agitation by social organisations, slow down of U.S economy and also increasing fuel prices has prompt many fast food chain to divert their attention to eastern part of the world especially China ( Naim, 2008). Although globalisation has ease the expansion of fast food chain worldwide with the ease of information transfer and seeking global suppliers, entry into China and other Asian countries still pose logistical and political challenges. As quoted from Martin (1994) in Nation Restaurants news Among the most frustrating obstacles are the scarcity and inordinately high cost of prime locations in most markets as well as the steep tariffs and patchwork of inconsistent regulations that impede imports of commodities and equipment. 3.4.1 New Geographical Regions and New Ventures Taking a closer look, even though globalisation has blurred boundaries, there are still differences in cultural issues between United States and other countries resulting in different eating habits of consumers ( Glazer, 2007). From consumer point of view, globalisation has resulted from development of sophisticated media contributing to the creation of a borderless market but it does not mean it is without internal differences or local tastes (Ziedman, 2003). When a company goes global, they are bound to satisfy the demands of local customers. For example in India, cows are sacred and worshipped by the Indians, beef could not be served and the muslims, they could not consume pork (Kulkarni et al., 2009). Hence, it is a must to substitute the beef and pork in the product offerings. To further compete globally, BK invested in Whopper Bars. BK opened their first Whopper Bar in Orlando during spring 2009, and the first in Asia in Singapore during September 2009 (International Wire, 2009). It offers a specialised burger menu with more than 20 toppings (Ruggles, 2010). On 8th February 2010, BK further announced that beer sales will be added at a new unit opening in South Miami. ( Ruggles, 2010). BK changes may not be rapid enough to obtain further market share from McDonalds but the company has been spending more effort in improving its sales in this global competition ( Anderlini et al., 2010). Competing on a global scale gives rise to global income streams. This would help BK to sustain the worldwide competition where the profit from a restaurant would balance the loss in another. The pie charts below show the distribution of revenue from different geographical region. Chart 6: BKs Geographical Sales from Year 2007-Year 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009) In a way, the company is more dependent on its home market, as showed in the pie chart above where most portion of global stream income is generated. In a recent case in 2009, BKs advertisement for Texican Whopper burger in Europe had angered the Mexicans where a small wrestler featured in the advertisement was dressed in a cape resembling a Mexican flag. Mexicans have high respect for their flag and therefore could not tolerate such an insult from BK ( The Assiociated Press, 2009). This adverse publicity could have adversely impact its profits. Still, the company had not done unduly badly as seen in the charts below. Chart 7: Revenue, Gross Profit and Net Profit of BK from Year 2005 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009, SEC Info, 2007) It is clear that BK has done well as seen in increasing absolute figures of all sales, gross profit and net profit. A look at gross profit and net profit margin also shows that on a relative basis the company is handling itself well in the world of globalisation. Chart 8: Gross Profit Margin and Net Profit Margin of BK from Year 2005- 2009 (Burger King Holdings Inc., 2009, SEC Info, 2007) Even though Gross Profit Margin has been decreasing slightly, its net profit margin has been increasing with a drastic improvement from year 2006 to 2007. This is definitely a good sign. 3.5 Conclusion and Recommendation Globalisation can be a threat to the company and also it may help its expansion. Being a global brand, BK has a lot benefits which include cost-efficiencies, sharing of resources and ability to attract partners, employees and customers on entering new market. It all depends how the company took opportunities and work towards their goals. Management of globalisation is the key to success and most importantly, BK need to balance between global and local control (Samli, 2008). The company has retreated back to the US market, which is why the share prices have been sliding back down in recent times as seen below. Chart 9 : BKs Share Price Ups and Downs from 2001 till 2010 ( Yahoo Finance, 2010) Recommendations made to companys performance are as follows: Moving In Developing countries, Especially India and China Aggressively: India and China both has a steady high economic growth rates of 8.8% and 10% in 2010 (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2010) and will probably be the major players in the world economy. It is definitely a wise option to expand BKs growth in these two countries by using local partners, local employees and local ingredients. Furthermore, BK could also offer limited promotions during festive seasons or special events, for instance during Chinese New Year or Deepavali as this will help to attract more customers during that period. Broader Menu Selection: As mentioned earlier in the project, BK should continuously provide more choices of menu which allow customers to pick from wider choices. This step should be taken to also reduce threat of substitutes from new entries and existing competitors. Its product offerings must also be ensured to meet the local taste. As mentioned by the officials of market research firm of the NPD Group, quick service operators who are expanding their brands outside the United States must customise each unit to meet the specific needs of consumers in the country and region they seek to enter (Glazer, 2007). Promotions and Advertising: As observed so far, BKs advertising has been giving positive impact on its sales. Hence, BK should continuously invest in its promotions and advertisement to gain market share. BK could perhaps invite its employees to give their opinion as they are also the brand ambassadors. This would allow a fresher and a more creative in flow of idea and to boost the motivation of the employees as they are invited to participate in the companys program. However, BK should avoid price wars with its competitors ie. McDonalds as this would pull down the profits of all burger chains. BK should choose to differentiate from its competitors. There is only one winner in cost strategy but there may be more than one winner in differentiation strategy. Relationships with Franchisees: There has been cases where the franchisees are not happy with the decisions of BK Inc..The most obvious example is the sale of doublecheese burger at $1. BK should strengthen its ties with the franchisees by encouraging them to provide ideas and feedbacks on how to improve sales. When there is a disagreement between them, BK should understand the reason behind and to solve it on a win-win situation. If this could be practised, law suit against BK Inc. could be avoided. In conclusion, Porters Five Forces Analysis that was used to analyse BKs stand in the industry gives a birds eye view of the company and industry globally. Globalisation plays a major role in pushing and shaping the company. The survival of BK is dependent on its ability to adapt to constant changes in business environment due to globalisation. With BKs effort in improving its performance, it will definitely survive in this field and could perhaps be the number one fast food chain worldwide in the future.

Roman Entertainment :: essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Romans, like the Greeks, loved entertainment. Their idea of entertainment was usually something involving death and drama. They liked to watch plays, watch gladiators, participate or watch games, and watch or participate in animal hunts. Colosseum Events   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Colosseum is a famous arena that’s still partly standing today. This arena could seat over 50,000 people. On hot days, a canopy was raised over the Colosseum to protect the viewers from the heat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Colosseum, many events were held for the Romans to watch. Watching was free so that everyone could come. The events held almost always involved death and destruction. There were the gladiators, the feeding of people to lions, animals fighting animals, animal hunts, animal circus acts, and mock sea battles, where the Colosseum was flooded with water. The animals used in these events were kept below the Colosseum and an estimated 5,000 animals were killed the day the Colosseum opened. The animals were kept under the Colosseum. Gladiators   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gladiators are people who fight each other or wild animals for other people’s entertainment in ancient Rome. They usually fought in the Colosseum. People would gather from all over to see them fight until they die, since they usually didn’t survive. If a gladiator survived three to five years of fighting, he or she was released and allowed to go back home. Romans watched gladiators fight because they not only thought it entertaining, but also thought it would prepare them for war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People did not usually volunteer to be gladiators. Gladiators were slaves, condemned criminals, or prisoners of war. Someone called a lanista, or owner of gladiators would purchase these people. However, a few free men volunteered to be gladiators, though this did not happen often. Depending on what the person did or who the person was, the gladiators had different training and weapons. For example, a criminal that had committed a capital crime fought weaponless, while a criminal who did not commit a capital crime had training in a private gladiator school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the private gladiator schools, gladiators trained every day and received medical attention and three meals a day to keep them healthy. They were allowed to pick the weapons and armor that best suited him or her. Different types of weapons resulted in different types of gladiators. The types of gladiators are: Andabatae, who wore helmets without eye holes, Catervarii, who fought not in pairs, but

controversial issues :: essays research papers

Controversy is everywhere; people can take the least controversial things and make them controversial just for the sake of arguing about them. There are a lot of issues that are a big concern to people these days; issues that cause debates and become major issues in presidential elections. People take all kinds of views of these very issues and a lot of the time the bible is a big influence on people’s final decisions on how they feel. People believe things are wrong because the bible tells them that it is wrong. No matter what religion you are the bible in a very important piece of history in this society. Things like abortion and homosexuality are frowned upon because of the way the bible is interpreted. People feel that the sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† also goes for a fetus; or they take that a union is between a man and a woman means that people of the same sex can’t have the same sacred union. People take this out dated piece of history and try to apply it to our society today without taking into account that the human race has changed since the bible has been written.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the topic of abortion comes up people refer to the bible’s sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† and they feel that having an abortion is killing a baby no matter what stage of the pregnancy it is in. People feel that abortion should not be legal. Professor of law at the University of Colorado, Paul Campos said, â€Å"Whether or not abortion should be legal turns on the answer to the question of whether and at what point a fetus is a person. This is a question that cannot be answered logically or empirically. The concept of parenthood is neither logical nor empirical. It is essentially, or quasi-religious idea, based on one’s fundamental (and therefore unverifiable) assumptions about the nature of the world.† People have different views on abortion, when it’s acceptable, when its not and some just think that no matter what the circumstances it is never okay. There are people that believe that abortion is only acceptab le under certain conditions such as the woman was raped or she got pregnant due to incest. Some people feel that an abortion acceptable when the woman is in danger. People who are more about the choice of the woman feel that abortion is okay when it is done in the first trimester. controversial issues :: essays research papers Controversy is everywhere; people can take the least controversial things and make them controversial just for the sake of arguing about them. There are a lot of issues that are a big concern to people these days; issues that cause debates and become major issues in presidential elections. People take all kinds of views of these very issues and a lot of the time the bible is a big influence on people’s final decisions on how they feel. People believe things are wrong because the bible tells them that it is wrong. No matter what religion you are the bible in a very important piece of history in this society. Things like abortion and homosexuality are frowned upon because of the way the bible is interpreted. People feel that the sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† also goes for a fetus; or they take that a union is between a man and a woman means that people of the same sex can’t have the same sacred union. People take this out dated piece of history and try to apply it to our society today without taking into account that the human race has changed since the bible has been written.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the topic of abortion comes up people refer to the bible’s sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† and they feel that having an abortion is killing a baby no matter what stage of the pregnancy it is in. People feel that abortion should not be legal. Professor of law at the University of Colorado, Paul Campos said, â€Å"Whether or not abortion should be legal turns on the answer to the question of whether and at what point a fetus is a person. This is a question that cannot be answered logically or empirically. The concept of parenthood is neither logical nor empirical. It is essentially, or quasi-religious idea, based on one’s fundamental (and therefore unverifiable) assumptions about the nature of the world.† People have different views on abortion, when it’s acceptable, when its not and some just think that no matter what the circumstances it is never okay. There are people that believe that abortion is only acceptab le under certain conditions such as the woman was raped or she got pregnant due to incest. Some people feel that an abortion acceptable when the woman is in danger. People who are more about the choice of the woman feel that abortion is okay when it is done in the first trimester.

Amendments

There are Ten Amendments ratified to the United States Constitution. These amendments are called and known as the â€Å"Bill of Rights†. The first amendment in the Bill of Rights talks about how the freedom of establish of religion, freedom of press, freedom of assembly right to petition, freedom of speech. They all have to do with people talking free in the United States and doing what they can with this amendment. The first part talks about the freedom of religion. In these case the freedom of religion lets you be in any kind of religion you want to be in the United States. In the contrary some other countries you could not be any different from others because you can be considered an outsider or an enemy to the people of that country. In addition, freedom of religion is known to be a human right. The first amendment rights to freedom of the press guarantees me the right to read any news paper, read any magazine, or right about any story, or watch any movie without having any fear that my government would censor my right to do these things. For example, if I want to release a video on the internet containing any nudity or foul language, I have the right to do so without any censorship. The government can only regulate by putting some sort of warning label on it but can not prohibit me from doing so. Also, the freedom to assemble allows us the people to gather up for harmonious and legal purposes. Implicit within this right is the right to association and belief. In other words this amendment protects us from what we believe. For example, people can organize a parade for immigration rights, and the government would be ok with it because it falls down in legal purposes to assemble. Furthermore, people can also gather up to celebrate a â€Å"Quinsenera† without any problems because this would fall down under the peacefully assemble. Now the government may also prohibit people from associating in groups that engage and promote illegal activities. The right to petition the government for justice of grievances guarantees people the right to ask the government to provide a second chance of relief to change something wrong to a right. This petition is made my court or by any other governmental action. For example, a person gets a ticket for speeding , but he or she is more than sure that he wasn’t. That person is going to try to appeal that ticket by going to court and standing in front of a judge to try to dismiss that ticket. The right to freedom of speech allows an individual to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government. This amendment gives us the right to express what we feel. We have the symbolic and the uttered way on expressing ourselves. We don’t necessarily have to speak in order to show our emotions; we could use the symbolic method to do so. We can express it by wearing clothing that symbolizes what we feel. In the other hand we also have the most common way, which is uttered. Most people express themselves by making a speech. However, our right is also limited because the government prohibits some speech that may cause a breach of peace or may cause violence. For example, someone might make a judgment that they hate someone. But just because they hate them doesn’t mean they have to kill them.

Business and administration Essay

Some sources of information may be found within an organisation (known as internal sources) while other sources are found outside the organisation (known as external sources). You can click on the icons below to see some examples. Internal External As you can see, there are many sources of high quality information out there. By taking time to explore this information, most people should be able to find out what they need to know. What a written statement must include A written statement can be made up of more than one document (if the employer gives employees different sections of their statement at different times). If this does happen, one of the documents (called the ‘principal statement’) must include at least: the business’s name the employee’s name, job title or a description of work and start date if a previous job counts towards a period of continuous employment, the date the period started how much and how often an employee will get paid hours of work (and if employees will have to work Sundays, nights or overtime holiday entitlement (and if that includes public holidays)Â  where an employee will be working and whether they might have to relocate if an employee works in different places, where these will be and what the employer’s address is As well as the principal statement, a written statement must also contain information about: how long a temporary job is expected to last the end date of a fixed-term contract notice periods collective agreements pensions who to go to with a grievance how to complain about how a grievance is handled how to complain about a disciplinary or dismissal decision What a written statement doesn’t need to include The written statement doesn’t need to cover the following (but it must say where the information can be found): sick pay and procedures disciplinary and dismissal procedures grievance procedures In Northern Ireland, a written statement must explain what the disciplinary rules and procedures are. Employers can download a template of a written statement of particulars to fill out. Working abroad If an employee has to work abroad for more than a month, their employer must state: how long they’ll be abroad what currency they’ll be paid in what additional pay or benefits they’ll get terms relating to their return to the UK This information can be given to the employee in a separate document. An employer may send an employee to another country in the European Economic Area (EEA). In this situation employees must get the terms and conditions that are the legal minimum in that country for: working hours and rest breaks holiday entitlement minimum pay (including overtime)

Education and Unforgettable Experience

Unforgettable Experience I still remember my first day of school in USA. It’s an unforgettable experience that I will always remember. In 2001 my family and I moved to USA, Arizona from India for better life and education. I was placed at 6th grade elementary school. First day of school for any student can be hard, but even hard for a student who doesn’t speak a word of English. Now, what made my first day of school so unforgettable was how I had to find my class, how I had to introduce myself to my new classmates, and how I tried to understand what the teacher was trying to teach.Reading a map and navigating the class location is quite hard for a 6th grader. Specially, for a student that’s in a new country and a new school like myself. I got off the bus and I have my school map on my hand trying to find where my class is. I am running one way to another holding my heavy backpack. Accidently, I ran into a girl. We both fell hard to the ground. I quickly got up an d helped her pick her stuff up and apologized. Funny to say I knew how to say sorry from watching movies, I said sorry to her but I didn’t understand a word she was saying to me and she didn’t seem quite happy.I understood from her facial expressions that she was cursing me and the students around were laughing out loud. Then, a nice lady teacher name Mrs. Smith came and I showed her my class number. Somehow, she understood that I needed help. So she helped me to my class after that embarrassing scene. Now everyone knows first day of school is about the teacher introducing themselves, going over the class rules and every student introducing their self to the class. My teacher name Mrs.McDonalds started with talking about herself and also, about what we were going to do that school year. After her it was the students turn, one by one each student stood up and said their name. They told the class about their interests and favorite things to do. I am nervously looking aro und trying to figure out what is going on. Then all of the sudden everyone starts staring at me and the teacher is asking me something. I started getting nervous and shy. I only understood the word name the teacher said, so I quickly told her my name.Then I stood quietly while the whole class started to laugh because of the awkward situation. After an embarrassing introduction of me to the class the teacher started to talk about our first assignment. We had to write a narrative essay with at least 500 words. As she explaining and teaching us about how to put together a narrative essay. I am sitting there asking to myself what in the world is going on. What do I do? It was even hard for students with English being their first language. Sitting in class not knowing a word of English was not fun.My classmates didn’t want to work with me because I couldn’t communicate with them. I just couldn’t wait for school to end for the day. It is an unforgettable experience I will always remember and think about. A quote that comes to mind says â€Å"you always learn the hardest way† unknown. What I went through that day made things easier for me the next day of school because I was more aware of things. I was more careful on my way to class, tried to learn how to introduce myself and ask the teacher for help with assignments.

Establishing Ground Rules and Promoting Appropriate Behaviour

Establishing Ground Rules and Promoting Appropriate Behaviour When it comes to dealing with a new group of students, the first thing that one needs to keep in mind is that every student, as an independent individual, is unique and prone to acting upon and analysing certain situations in diverse ways. In order to come to a mutual understanding, certain arrangements on anticipated conduct within the classroom have to be made and maintained. According to Atherton (2011), these arrangements or ground rules are â€Å"the minimum necessary conditions for getting learning work done in the class†.So essentially, the ground rules are a pact concluded between the learners and the teacher; a pact that provides a greater understanding of the expectations as well as the needs of both the teacher and the learners relating to positive learning environment. There are various ways or approaches in which ground rules can be constructed. The concept of setting out rules is closely connected to t he idea of leadership – â€Å"a process of influencing the activities of†¦ a group of individuals in an effort towards goal achievement in given situations† (Bhatti et al, 2012).Consequently the approaches of ground rule establishment can be compared to three leadership styles, determined by Lewin, Lippit and White in their article Patterns of Aggressive Behaviour in Experimentally Created Social Climates (1939): a) authoritarian type, when the leader is making decisions independently with almost no contribution from the rest of the group, b) delegative or Laissez-Faire type, when the decision making is in the hands of group members, and c) democratic type, when the leader is allowing and encouraging the contribution from the members of the group.Every leadership style mentioned above could be implemented in the formation of ground rules in the classroom, the question is, however, which one of these would prove to be the most effective? On one hand, it can be deba ted that authoritarian approach could be beneficial – a set of clear, predetermined rules, provided by the teacher could give a good insight into the outcomes and certain regulations, that the learners would be expected to comply with. On the other hand though, this approach by its nature is not earner inclusive, which could result in the learners' reluctance to engage because of the dictatorial essence of the authoritarian approach. One can argue, that the delegative approach could be impactful, when working out ground rules, because the learners would be free to make independent decisions and set out their own standards. However, every educational establishment has a scheme of set policies and requirements that one has to hold by, which would mean that these policies would have to be included in the making of ground rules.Yet the learners might not be aware of these and therefore won't necessarily include those in their rule structure. Consequently, the Laissez-Faire approa ch might not be the right option. Common sense dictates that the democratic approach could be the best path to take. That way the formation of ground rules can be seen as a collaborative decision between the teacher and the learners. The teacher will be in a position to identify and establish particular rules that need to be in place, such as certain regulations, i. e.Health & Safety issues, or their expectations towards the learners, whereas the learners, in turn, will be able to address their preferences and requirements. This combined decision making can be achieved through group discussion or ice breaker activities, where different ideas can be proposed and afterwards either accepted or discarded. It can be reasoned that the advantage of this approach is the fact that the learners will be given a voice in decision making, therefore they will be more likely to respect and adhere to the set out rules.With an eye on creating a healthy learning environment, the established ground ru les need to promote and encourage appropriate and positive behaviour from both the learners and the teacher, both in and out of the classroom. In order to preserve this positive setting the teacher should place the emphasis on attaining an organic and well-handled atmosphere within the classroom, by encouraging creativity and enthusiasm in learners, recognising and praising success, flexibility in learning styles and approaches, as well as modelling of good and respectful behaviour, preventing any sorts of inappropriate conduct.In return, the learners should respect and appreciate the ground rules, be aware of their fellow learners and be able to consider and accept their needs, as well as to develop the sense of self discipline and responsibility. REFERENCES †¢ Atherton, J. S. (2011) Learning and Teaching; Ground Rules for the class [Online] Available from: http://www. learningandteaching. info/teaching/ground_rules. htm †¢ Bhatti, N. , Maitlo, G. M. Shaikh, N. , Hashmi, M. A. , Shaikh, F. M. (2012) The Impact of Autocratic and Democratic Leadership Style on Job Satisfaction, International Business Research [e-journal], 5(2). Available from: http://ccsenet. org/journal/index. php/ibr/article/view/14599 †¢ Lewin, K. , Lippitt, R. , White, R. K. (1939) Patterns of Aggressive Behaviour in Experimentally Created Social Climates, The Journal of Social Psychology, 10(2), p. 269-299