Friday, December 27, 2019

Children in the 19th Century Essay - 900 Words

Children in the nineteenth century were usually faced with poverty and lived in the urban slums. Progressive reformers, who were generally people from small towns who later lived in cities, focused primarily on these children and their problems. The goals of the reformers were to change the meaning of childhood and help people understand how children should really be treated. A child growing up in the nineteenth century was expected to live an adult life by an early age. â€Å"In the colonial period in America, once children became toddlers they were considered as miniature adults-in-the-making.† (Twenty-First Annual Report 1901) They would do chores and labor even at the age of six. Some would enter the work force and be exposed to harmful†¦show more content†¦The two women were passionate about their work and strived to get the information on healthy childhoods out to mothers in order to restore the meaning of childhood. Not only did it help mothers better understand how to handle their situations, but also decreased the infant mortality rate. The progressive reformers analyzed that parents provided poor diets for their children causing malnutrition and diarrhea. This was a huge cause to the death of infants and toddlers. The Bureau hoped to educate families to weaken the child mortality rate and hopefully create a better understanding o f how a child should be raised. The reformers were very successful in many ways. The advice they gave out to mothers helped save man y children and help define a healthy childhood. For example, one response of the Children’s Bureau was, â€Å"the infant is especially sensitive to uncleanliness.† (Ladd-Taylor 1986) This made it clear to mothers that the child must be exposed to a clean and healthy environment in order to prevent diseases or sicknesses from arising. Not only the clothing of the child should be clean, but also its food, bedding, or anything else it may come in contact with. The reformers also feel that children should not be guided into the workplace to work with dangerous and unhealthy conditions. They believe a child should be raised and nurtured by loving parents until they reach anShow MoreRelatedLiterature for Children in the 19th Century897 Words   |  4 PagesLiterature for children in the 19th century Since the view of childhood changes in the nineteenth century, the potential of children’s literature becomes evident. With the reference to the sources of children’s literature, they can be traced back to alterations in translation and in the literature for adults, where a child or childhood are essential concepts; moreover folk literature is concerned to be a wide source for this literary genre. According to Peter Hunt Children before theRead MoreLiterature for Children in the 19th Century909 Words   |  4 PagesLiterature for children in the 19th century Since the view of childhood changes in the nineteenth century, the potential of children’s literature becomes evident. With the reference to the sources of children’s literature, they can be traced back to alterations in translation and in the literature for adults, where a child or childhood are essential concepts; moreover folk literature is concerned to be a wide source for this literary genre. According to Peter Hunt Children before the seventeenthRead More Homeless and Neglected Children in the 19th Century Essay example2098 Words   |  9 PagesNeglected Children in the 19th Century   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his novel Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain creates a fictional character that must confront very real problems as a result of cultural and social issues of the time.   Many of these such issues, slavery and race relations being the most prominent, are dealt with significantly by the author, but another issue not addressed in any sort of overtly significant manner is the plight of homeless, neglected, and otherwise abused children in the 19th century.   WhileRead MoreThe Damages Caused by Canadian Residential Schools for Indigenous Children in the 19th Century1618 Words   |  7 Pagesnineteenth century, the government of Canada felt it had an obligation to the nations people to educate the Indigenous population of the country. The federal government sought to pursue this task through the development of residential schools. Under this system, framed by the Davin Report, Congregations of Christian missionaries were responsible for providing compulsory educa tion to Indigenous children within governmentally constructed schools. They were charged with assimilating these children into mainstreamRead MoreChapter 24 Discussion Questions952 Words   |  4 Pageswomen’s status change during the 19th Century? Women usually did not work in the factories in 19th century Europe. It became expected of them to stay home and take care of the children. They formed bonds with their children because of the decrease in infant mortality rates and genuinely loved their husbands because people married out of love, not for economic reasons. Women had legal inferiority to their husbands and worked to change that throughout the 19th century. They campaigned for equalRead MoreTrends Of Reproduction Persist Into The 19th Century844 Words   |  4 Pagesinto the 19th Century Likewise, Ottoman sultanate’s traditions of reproduction also translated into 19th century Istanbul. Much like the royal concubines before them, after marriage, the role of women in Istanbul was still to give birth to children and raise them to be successful adults. With a fertility decline in Istanbul in the 19th century, it became more significant for women to give birth to her husband’s children. Duben and Behar states that pronatalists in Istanbul associated children with theRead MoreDominance over Women by Men Essay905 Words   |  4 Pagesthoroughly acknowledges the various struggles experienced by a typical woman in the 19th century. Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Dolls House illustrates the 19th century as a time period when equality among genders was not accepted. The roles of men and women in 19th century consist dominantly of the male, which is exhibited through the household, society, and the workforce. Primarily, the typical household in the 19th century indicated the male dominance. As the head of the household and ethical leader,Read MoreA Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen868 Words   |  3 Pagesis used to establish power roles between the characters of the play, and how the theme contributes to typical gender roles in the 19th century. A womans duty in the 19th century was to exhibit â€Å"piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity,† This was the â€Å"cult of true Domesticity† in the 19th century (Radek). Depending on their social class, women in the 19th century were seldom allowed to handle money. Lower class women, however, were allowed to work as servants in a masters home, nannies, factoryRead MoreThe Evolution Of Technology In The 21st Century881 Words   |  4 PagesToday, in the 21st century technology is all around. Walking down the street, people from the age of 9 to 90 is on some type of technology. It has gotten to the point that everything purchasable today has technology built into it. That was not the case in the 19th century. Back then technology was scarce. Everyday scientist create new and improved ways to benefit lives with the use of technology. The evolution of technology is remarkable when looked at from a far. Society now a day is all aboutRead MoreWomen Struggles During The 19th Century923 Words   |  4 PagesLabarron Collins Professor Griffin ENG 251- 02 25 September 2014 Women Struggles in the 19th Century Since the beginning of time women have struggled to prove themselves to society so that people understand they are just as good as men. However, society has made a mockery of women for years. Using women for sex appeal and for personal gains. Women were those who stayed home cleaning, took care of the children, and prepared meals for the family. This sounds quite familiar with today’s society, but

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Suffering Griselda in The Clerks Tale Essay - 2999 Words

In Geoffrey Chaucers The Clerks Tale, from The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes a perfect wife. This wife, Griselda, is totally submissive to her husband, and seems to have no regrets or remorse for anything he makes her do. Griseldas husband, Walter, puts her through many trials in order to test her dedication and loyalty to him. He takes away both of their children, telling her that he is going to have them killed. He then tells her that he is divorcing her and taking another bride. After this, he forces her to prepare the new bride for him. Through all of this, Griselda loves Walter without fail, meets his demands without any word of disapproval, and remains faithful. This causes the reader to ask†¦show more content†¦Griselda consents, and they are married. Griselda later has a daughter and son, both of whom Walter takes away leaving Griselda with the impression that they will be killed. He does this to make sure that Griselda is totally loyal to him. Griselda never complains or shows any loss of love for him. Walter decides that Griselda should still be tested, and tells her that he is divorcing her. He then brings the children back. Griselda returns home to her father, and Walter pretends to get his new bride ready to marry, which is really his daughter. Griselda assists with the wedding preparations. Walter then decides that Griselda is truly loyal to him, and tells her the truth. They then live happily ever after. It is probably easiest to see the comparison between Griselda and the biblical character of Job. It is easiest because Chaucer (or the clerk) makes mention of this comparison himself when he says: Men speke of Job, and moost for his humblesse,/ As clerkes, whan hem list, koone wel endite,/ Namely of men, but as in soothfastnesse,/ Though clerkes preise wommen but a lite,/ Ther kan no man in humblesse hym acquite,/ As womman kan, ne kan been half sdo trewe/ As wommen been, but it be falle of new (149). Everyone thinks of Job as a very humble man. This passage says that although Job is humble, Griselda has much more humility. Men rarely praise women when theyShow MoreRelated The Power Struggle in The Clerk’s Tale Essay2548 Words   |  11 Pages Through layers of narrators, The Canterbury Tales frequently critique meaningless conventions and abusive uses of authority. The Clerk’s Tale struggles with the subversive power inherent to passive submission, showing how it enables an inferior to exert control over those who cannot be dominated through direct means because of their complete and unquestioned authority. In the context of The Clerk’s Tale, Griselda and Walter have a very strange relationship in which a confusing power struggleRead MoreGentilesse for the Masses in General Prologue and The Canterbury Tales2355 Words   |  10 PagesPrologue and The Canterbury Tales , we can find any number of characters with these behavior distinctions if we examine them. The Knight, for example, is described as a worthy man of trouthe and honour, freedom and curtesie (I, 46). He is of a noble rank, and therefore his behavior is one of good reputation (honour). Conversely, Both the descriptions of the Reeve and the Miller in the General Prologue are quite unflattering; their verbal cutting into each others tales demonstrates the stereotypicalRead More Women and Love In Chaucer1988 Words   |  8 PagesThe Wife of Bath and The Clerks Tale which assault the reader with antithetical views of women. The Wife of Bath is one of the most memorable characters Chaucer ever created. She is considered, in view of Diamonds statement, to be better than the men in her life. Patient Griselda in The Clerks Tale is a peasant woman, married to a nobleman, who tests her loyalty through a series of ordeals in which she is lead to believe her children to be murdered. In this tale Chaucer is exposing his readerRead MoreCanterbury Tales - Linking Griselda of The Clerks Tale to the Biblical Sacrifice of Abraham1880 Words   |  8 PagesLinking Griselda of The Clerks Tale and the Biblical Sacrifice of Abraham      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Clerks Tale seems to strike most readers  as a distasteful representation of corrupt sovereignty and emotional sadism; few can find any value in Walters incessant urge to test his wifes constancy, and the sense that woman is built for suffering is fairly revolting to most modern sensibilities. Nevill Coghill, for instance, described the tale as too cruel, too incredible a story, and he notes thatRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales: Clerk and Monk1078 Words   |  5 Pagescharacters lying in opposite extremities. What one person lacks, the other has gained in abundance. This essay will explore the major differences between the Clerk and Monk in the Canterbury Tales; its focus mainly pointed to physical descriptions, differences in personality and the underlying themes in their tales of sacrifice and betrayal. Chaucer the pilgrim is quite keen on both of these opposite characters in respect to their attitudes. The Monk is a merry man who has a portly body and notRead MoreThe Sexual Exploitation Of Women Is Made Clear From The Work Of Atwood, Rossetti And Chaucer3015 Words   |  13 Pagesthe time in which Rossetti and Chaucer were writing, women had their role, and the male would become the dominant figure. In The Handmaids Tale,the male figure overpowers the woman and becomes obsessed with the idea that women are able to reproduce. Within the three texts, this idea is put into context, each in their own form. For example, in The Handmaids Tale the idea is put across more physically, whereas in Rossetti poetry, it is seen to be portrayed in a more mental state of mind.Another idea

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

HR Role in Health Sector-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Disucss about the HR's Role in Creating Sustainable Organizations. Answer: Introduction The importance of the HR department in an organization cannot be emphasized enough. The human resource department is responsible for managing people who are the most significant asset of the organization. It also accounts for almost three-quarters of the company's budget (Jiang et al., 2012). With a properly managed workforce, the result is an enthused and satisfied workforce that delivers health services of a high standard in the health sector thus enabling it to accomplish its mission, provide health care, and improve its competitive advantage. Thesis Statement This report's objective is to determine the role of HR in creating sustainable organizations. Furthermore, this study examines a case study of a hospital in Australia that lacks the HR department with an objective of providing an in-depth understanding of the significance of HR to the sustainability of an organization. Recommendations the CEO of the Hospital for Possible Course of Action towards the Improvement of The HRM Operation In order to improve the operation of HRM at the hospital the CEO should first have a dedicated HRM department with a professional HR manager and officials, modify the HR perspective, align HR and Business objectives, monitor HR and exercise control. Dedicated HR Department Strategic human resource management is the process of associating the HR function with the strategic goals of the organization to increase performance (Daley, 2012). The hospital CEO should adopt the HR department for it mainly exists for this reason among others which include evaluation of HR policies, team building, assists in monitoring progress, and keeps the organization legal. Assists in Evaluation Of HR Policies According to Cohen, Taylor, and Muller-Camen, (2012), The HR policies in the organization ensure a better workplace environment and healthy employee relations to each other and with the organization towards the achievement of a sustainable business. The department of HR is responsible for the daily implementation of the policies and the revision of the ones that are outdated and do not align with the mission of the organization. Therefore, the CEO of the hospital should work towards creating a dedicated HR department to deal with the issues of inconsistent application of the HR policies and practices. Team Building. According to Hendry, (2012) the HRM department aids to initiate a sense of team spirit and friendship with the hospital. The success of the mission of the hospital is dependent upon stakeholders, the management, employees, and patients. Therefore, a department acts as a link to open communication among these groups. Such an action will address the issues of staff grievances; turn over, staff shortages and industrial strikes which are affecting the hospital. Assists In Monitoring Progress. The human resource department helps in monitoring of the organizations progress towards the achievement of its laid down objectives and goals in the strategic plan. Over half of the strategic plan is dependent on the cooperation and assistance of the workers and departments within the organization (Snell et al., 2015). The HR department is crucial in making sure that all of these elements of the strategic plan are executed efficiently and in time. Therefore, by the CEO taking an action of creating an HR department will improve the operation of HRM. Keeps The Organization Legal Bratton and Gold, (2012) notes that the HR department significantly contributes to the compliance of the organization with the laws associated with the remuneration, insurance, etc. of the employees. The legislation and policies that govern organizations are complex and vary a lot, but the HR department is not only significant in ensuring that the organizations objectives and plans are legal but also flexible to adapt to changing legal circumstances. Modify the HR Perspective The CEO should first start by changing his/her view of the HR department. The CEO should adopt thinking towards HR that is more than a department that has no significant role in the performance of the hospital other than payroll management. The HR department is also responsible for administrative duties besides processing of the payment. Align HR and Hospital Objectives After adopting the HR department, The CEO should set goals to the office that agree with the vision of the hospital and improve the quality of service offered to patients. For instance, the mission of the hospital is to provide quality health care services to its patients; therefore, the objectives to set for the HR department include employee retention and training development. onitor HR and Maintain Control Now with an existing HR department, the CEO can go forward and ensure that its activities are in tandem with mission and objective of the hospital. For example, the hospital can monitor whether the level of employee turnover, quality of patient care and safety, level of staff retention and morale has changed for the better since empowering the HR department. Significant Features of Building a Sustainable HR Capability According to the Brundtland Commission (1987), Sustainability is the ability to to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The pressures from regulations and the society have increased the environmental and social responsibility for organizations thus necessitation the emphasis on sustainability. Therefore a sustainable organization can be described as one that contributes economic, social and environmental paybacks to the society and at the same time achieving the long-term sustainability of the organization. The key features of a sustainable HR capability are as outlined below: Recruiting and Retaining Best Talent Kroezen et al., (2015) based on their study argues that Organizations can only succeed in the long-term if they hire and motivate workers who have the ability to respond to and shape the future challenges. Such people are those that can create competitive advantage from the available opportunities that the different market presents, are interested in learning from the consumers, suppliers and colleagues, and who can develop and power long-term and efficient relationships. Establishing Incentives for Outstanding Performance Bal et al., (2012) asserts that the primary source of motivation for employees is an intricate blend of rewards. These can be informed of financial security and bonuses, promotion, recognition of peers, etc. the difficult standard task for HR managers is to come up with the opportunities and incentives that maximize the input of workers to corporate performance (Boselie, 2010). The objective is to motivate the employees to learn on a continuous basis to bring value to the company by improving the overall adaptive capacity of the organization to variations of the environment in which the organization operates. Developing Critical Competencies Organizations ought to develop the skills of its employees on a continuous basis as a way of responding to the evolving demands of clients, investors and the society. The clarification of the required competencies to deliver the strategy of the company as well as to keep up with the different competitive forces is the arduous task of the HR manager. The means of developing these competencies include official training programs, mentoring, peer learning, or participating in community projects (Ulrich et al., 2012). Conclusion This report's goal has been to examine the role of HR in creating sustainable organizations with a case study of a hospital with 400 staff members dispersed across its branches in Australia. The challenges affecting the health sector are examined and appropriate recommendations made. From the study, it was apparent that the hospital is not accomplishing its main work which is to offer quality healthcare to its patients while maintaining a vibrant workforce. The problems it's facing are as a result of the absence of the HR department and manager to oversee the day to day running of the organization alongside the implementation of the policies of the hospital towards providing a healthy working environment for the staff and quality service for the patients. The HR is crucial towards creating sustainable organizations. References Bal, P. M., De Jong, S. B., Jansen, P. G., Bakker, A. B. (2012). Motivating employees to work beyond retirement: A multi?level study of the role of I?deals and unit climate.Journal of Management Studies,49(2), 306-331. Boselie, P. (2010). High performance work practices in the health care sector: a Dutch case study.International Journal of Manpower,31(1), 42-58. Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2012).Human resource management: theory and practice. (5th Ed.).London: Palgrave Macmillan. Brundtland Commission. (1987). Our Common Future: The World Commission on Environment and Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cohen, E., Taylor, S., Muller-Camen, M. (2012). HRMs role in corporate social and environmental sustainability.SHRM report. Daley, D. M. (2012). Strategic human resources management.Public Personnel Management, 120-125. Hendry, C. (2012).Human resource management. London: Routledge. Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Hu, J., Baer, J. C. (2012). How does human resource management influence organizational outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms.Academy of management Journal,55(6), 1264-1294. Retrieved from: https://amj.aom.org/content/55/6/1264.full Kroezen, M., Dussault, G., Craveiro, I., Dieleman, M., Jansen, C., Buchan, J., ... Sermeus(2015). Recruitment and retention of health professionals across Europe: a literature review and multiple case study research.Health Policy,119(121517-1528. Snell, S. A., Morris, S. S., Bohlander, G. W. (2015).Managing human resources. (7th Ed.). Nelson Educ the future of human resources. New York. McGraw-Hill Education

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Comparing The Deserter by Winifred M Letts and The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon Essay Example

Comparing The Deserter by Winifred M Letts and The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon Paper Both poems are during the period of war. Each of these two poems is talking about a certain person during the war time, whether he was seen as great man or an ignorant abandoner, both poems relate to a significant person. From the beginning of the story, we can already separate which one is seen as a hero and who is seen as unforgiving. The two poems begin with a completely different tones; one is delightful, but The Deserter starts already in the first verse with an unnamed man and the reader already sees him as worthless and unimportant. In The Deserter there is a clear sign of repetition in the verses 4 to 5, so as to emphasis the faults that this nameless man committed and show his mistakes in a deeper aspect. During the entire poem, the man is described as a frightened child and is seen as a hare, which is the animal at the bottom of a food chain, nonetheless worthless and unimportant. The colours described in this poem are dark, signs of death and abandon, of fear and darkness, where grey is the most dominant. Yet again, in verses 24 to 25, a repetition of an English bullet in his heart shows that the author is feeling a sense of betrayal by this lost man and how he must have left his troops and men behind, dependent on him all along. Betrayal during war times war unacceptable, yet quite frequent. This poem enables us to see that even though this happened rather often, deserting the field was seen as offensive act. In Verse 16, the author mentions the fear of death that many soldiers had at the time; it seems that it is something which is dishonourable even though it is only natural for a man to fear death and what is beyond. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing The Deserter by Winifred M Letts and The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing The Deserter by Winifred M Letts and The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing The Deserter by Winifred M Letts and The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In this poem, it seems that whatever the deserter does, even if it is a simple action; the author will view it as wrong and judge him furthermore for his previous actions. When the author describes the mothers reactions to his death, it is seen as ironic and a rather dark humour against the young fellow yet again. It seems that even his own mother would be distraught if she knew the about his sons death. It feels unfair for the reader to see this but the poem ends on a rather unsatisfying note. The author places the deserter into a deserters grave, a place where only the worthless people settle and is not worth any visiting. The Hero is a poem that is different to The Deserter in many ways. Even if in the two poems, the authors are describing soldiers from the war, their faiths are completely different and the authors attitude towards them also is. From the beginning the author sees the death of this young man a tragedy rather than deliverance and he does not criticise his actions rather than his personality. The poem immediately starts with the mothers reaction to the young mans death, whereas The Deserter ended on that point. When the mother says that she is so proud of how her son dies, it shows how moved she is by his death and how even though she is full of sadness, she cannot help but to be proud. But as the poem continues the tone slowly becomes more pessimistic and ironic than at the start. The writer describes how the officer lied about the entire ordeal and mimics the mothers sadness. The writer has had a drastic change of view from the beginning and now the dead soldier is no longer seen as glorious but rather pathetic, and the mother is seen as rather modest. This poem also ends on a slightly awkward note, explaining that no one cared about the way this young man perished except that lonely woman with white hair, showing somehow that she is the only woman that ever cared for her son. In both poems, the mothers are the ones that play the role of the appearing parent, this is most probably because mothers are seen as more sensitive and they are more patient towards the wait for their sons news. Both stories end, with the mother proud, even though neither of the parents truly knows what happened to their sons. The two poems are quite ironic in a way and set an uncomfortable ending, something which keeps the readers on edge. Both poems successfully show us the difficulties of the war, and for many soldiers, it was terribly hard to deal with and many suffered and simply wished to travel back home or disappear from the battle field.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Telecommunications of International Travel Essay Sample free essay sample

Travel is the motion of people from one location to another. There are seven major grounds why people travel. These are for touristry. sing relations and friends. carry oning concern or trade. go toing maps. presenting objects. migration and pilgrims journeies. Tourism is considered as a recreational type of travel where historical or culturally of import locations are explored by traveling topographic points. Visiting relations and friends are a common behaviour for people that are populating or working far apart. Travel is sometimes a demand for concerns or trade since the exchange of stuffs and resources are usually undertaken to make full the demand for these goods in different locations. Work and meetings by and large implies theodolite since there is a demand to congregate people and maps to accomplish specific ends. Migration implies pull outing a individual or a household from one state to be able to settle in another piece pilgrims journeies are journeys to topographic point s associated to spiritual patterns or beliefs ( Massey et. We will write a custom essay sample on Telecommunications of International Travel Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Al. . 2005 ) . In 2005. people who traveled for touristry intents exceeded 800 million which is 42 million more than in 2004. Of the 42 million travellers. 18 million were in the European continent. 11 M in the Pacific part. 7 M in the Americas. 3 M in the African continent and 2 M in Middle East states. These contributed to an overall 5. 5 % addition of travellers around the universe in the touristry sector. This tendency was attributed to the handiness of lowered airfares and go oning addition in the demand for vacations ( UNWTO. 2006 ) . Business travel is categorized in four categories. These are meetings. business-related leisure. conferences and trade expoundings. Recent alterations in the planetary economic system are impacting concern travellers with the prominence of long-haul plane and train service. Business travel is seen to be dropping from the current 2. 4 per hebdomad to 2 in the close hereafter due to the displacement towards for economical and efficient avenues such as teleconferencing and video-conferencing ( Olson. 1983 ) . Human migration predates civilisations and continues to happen throughout human history. Immigration refers to motion of people with deductions on a long-run lasting abode while labour migration is considered seasonal but is besides a signifier of in-migration. One hundred 90 million international migrators were estimated by the United Nations in 2005. This figure is approximately 3 % of the entire population of the universe. The remainder or 97 % of the universe population are sedentary and did non go forth their original states or nation-states for that same twelvemonth. Causes of migration are variable and these include poorness and hunt for better pay rates. natural catastrophes. work or spiritual grounds. political and racial persecution. diplomatic service. instruction and retirement ( Massey. 2005 ) . Telecommunications â€Å"Telecommunications is an electronic agencies of accomplishing interactions. traffics. and other personal businesss that constitute human activities such as conversations. conferences. direction. aid. sharing. trade. and doing contracts through the usage of telephone. mail. cyberspace and other signifiers of message conveyance. Telecommunications can be considered as a transit of information† ( Salomon A ; Schofer. 1991 ) . Advanced telecommunications may besides include hive awaying. change overing. adding value to. screening. and obtaining information. The importance of advanced telecommunications transcends the straightforward conductivity of an electromagnetic signal. The transit of information through the implements of telecommunications may be facilitated in the transmutation from physical formats such as paperss or recordings. It besides indicates that information that is being carried in transit vehicles could be carried in the same mode as through telecommunications channels ( Niles. 1994 ) . Telecommunications volume is composed of electronic and optical information cyclosis and has been touted as agencies for cut downing travel by transporting information electromagnetically over wires and through signals alternatively of transporting people and paperss in vehicles ( Mokhtarian. 1990 ) . Telecommunications of International Travel Communication can be categorized into three major types. each asking some extent of travel to take topographic point. First is face-to-face communicating. which involves rider motion. Second is the passenger car of an object transporting information such a study. papers or discs. which involves cargo transportation or goods transit. Third is telecommunications. which involves the transit of signals over overseas telegrams or airwaves ( Mokhtarian. 1990 ) . In the seventiess. computing machines and information engineering crept and invaded the workplace. In add-on. the menace of energy crises in that decennary helped set on path the geographic expedition of telecommunication tools as options of cut downing travel. energy and fiscal branchings connected to it. In the following decennary. the focal point on bettering air quality and take downing urban jamming highlighted the demand for farther survey and application of these new engineerings coupled with the speed uping rate of progresss in information and communicating tools which include personal computing machines and fax machines. Another decennary came and a profuse proliferation of more advanced engineering was witnessed. This was 1990s and cellular phones. electronic mail. and the Internet became platitude and readily accepted as communicating channels in private. concern and authorities minutess ( Mokhtarian. 2003 ) . The effects of telecommunications engineerings on non-work international transit are really of import. Since non-work travel is usually more variable and independent than work travel. it is more unfastened to the influence of modern engineerings. Non-work travel is more flexible since there is increased assortment of pick of going clip. manner of transit. class. itinerary. finish and frequence while work-related travel is relatively more preset from the really start. Furthermore. non-work travel is on the rise compared to the diminution of work-related travel ( Salomon. 1986 ) . Tools for Telecommunication in International Travel Mobile phones permit calls to be made and received during international travel at sensible rates. and may besides offer coverage back at place. Some can besides allow one look into electronic mail and surf the Internet. whatever state a individual is in. Forty per centum of the populations of the United States and European states use nomadic telephones. Unfortunately most wireless phones provided in the United States use a system that is incompatible with telecommunications webs in other states. which can ensue to unexpected backdown for international travellers used to remaining in contact all the clip. Other options are available to contradict the effects of the abovementioned limitation for international travellers. First is purchasing a SIM card. which can be the best option for international travellers since it is one of the most convenient and cheapest options available. When a GSM phone is bought in the U. S. . an extra SIM card can besides be bought in other states that provi de a local Mobile phone figure. which can be inserted whenever a traveller is in that state. This option removes the demand to lease or purchase a new phone every clip a traveller is in another state. The 2nd option is purchasing a GSM phone with rolling capableness. This enables the traveller to retain the same nomadic phone figure even in other states. The disadvantage is the expensive call rates. The 3rd option is leasing a nomadic phone in international finishs. It may supply changeless and nomadic connectivity and lower call rates but this would intend another figure and returning the unit after several yearss or months. The 4th option is purchasing a nomadic phone in an international finish. All of the above advantages can be obtained together with the minus side of a new figure. This option is recommended for individuals who are be aftering to remain in a peculiar state for a long clip or has decided to settle in that new location ( Salomon A ; Schofer. 1991 ) . Aside from nomadic phones at that place besides electronic mail options. Most international travellers use e-mail and the Internet to pass on particularly for concern people. This is done through the usage of laptops or other appliances with Internet connectivity. Most hotels and conference locales besides provide these services as necessities in this sector. Furthermore. there is proliferation of Internet stores or coffeehouse in other states even in 3rd universe 1s. Most aeroplanes. airdromes and terminuss besides provide Internet connectivity that the international traveller can take advantage of ( Frew. 2000 ) . How Telecommunications Reduces Traffic Some telecommunications services result to information watercourses that were once conveyed by physical transit such as the usage of a facsimile that antecedently went through the aid of a courier or attending of an of import meeting by a delegate through teleconferencing alternatively of driving several stat mis across two metropoliss. There are legion ways that the transportation of information can be greatly cut down therefore extinguishing the demand for insistent motion of paperss such as in the instance of utilizing facsimile and electronic mail or people such as teleconferencing or doing phone calls. The degrees of demand for telecommunications alternatively of travel vary by propinquity or state of affairs ( Niles. 1984 ) . Telecommunications permits workers who would normally transpose from abode to a work topographic point to telecommute from a house or from a topographic point closer to abode. It allows informations to be sent in electronic province instead than in physical signifier such as a papers. It facilitates human communicating from distant countries instead than go to a specific meeting location ( Mokhtarian. 2003 ) . It makes possible the distribution to divide. single audience of communal events such as featuring. attractive forces. political. traditions. and other activities alternatively of necessitating the audience to congregate and witness a peculiar event ( Niles. 1984 ) . It facilitates aggregation of information from separate beginnings into a peculiar point through distant feeling alternatively of boring human observation. It helps travellers to be after more productive travel via distant research. understandings. and geographic expeditions of possible jobs. which makes existent trips unneeded. It enables consumers to buy points without traveling to a shop and at the same clip allows the motion of merchandises to jump the wholesale and retail distribution measure of selling ( Garrison. 1988 ) . Servicess and minutess that require travel can be accessed or provided through automatic systems such as electronic banking. Internet and telephone minutess. Travel can besides be reduced for household members since telecasting and Internet can supply most of amusement and socio-economic activities required. Besides. telecommunications can cut down figure the figure of vehicles through coordination of travellers who may choose to portion drives or program more efficient transit manners and paths ( Niles. 1984 ) . How Telecommunications Enhances Travel Telecommunications besides has an heightening consequence on travel by increasing the efficiency of transit systems through acceleration of information exchange among critical nodes and gateways. Telecommunications is ideally used to do transit and travel safer. more reliable. quicker and more prolific. This is achieved through the changeless entree and flexible applications of radio telephone services such as cellular phones. use of which has dramatically increased among travellers and other people involved in the transit sector ( Mokhtarian. 2003 ) . Information engineering. with all its applications and advantages. lowers the natural transit value thereby guaranting efficiency. answerability and adaptability. There is displacement toward an ineluctable integrating of telecommunications and travel as evidenced by applications of wireless. cellular phones. travel information systems. satellite Global Positioning Systems and the similar. Traffic systems doing usage of information gathered from long-standing traffic monitoring plans are besides being utilized to develop more efficient. drum sander and safer travel along complex main road systems that may besides ensue to the development of intelligent vehicle systems that can avoid terrible traffic breaks and commuter uncomfortableness. ( Niles and Toliver. 1992 ) . Telecommunications has four emerging constituents. These are telework. teleservices. teleprocess and telestructure. Telework represents telecommunications-enabled shamble of the locations of the workers. Telework encompasses telecommuting or a state of affairs where employees work at place alternatively of office locations. The prevalence of nomadic selling forces and suburban information processing services are illustrations of the outgrowth of telework. Teleservices is a telecommunications-enabled alteration on the locations where goods and services are brought to the clients. Examples of which are distance instruction. automatic Teller or hard currency machines. proviso of services over the phone like in the instance of consultancy. Teleservices are of import in the entire metropolis traffic crisis since these have a great impact on non-work travel forms. which consists of shopping and other consumer activities. Teleprocesses is composed of telecommunications-enabled trade. indust ry. logistics. economic sciences. and organisational procedures of corporations and of pudding stones. This is achieved through the usage of computing machine webs and other manners of informations interchange. This phenomenon creates clients. employee. and supplier transit. Telestructure: agencies telecommunications infrastructure such as intelligent edifices. computerized traffic direction. and the national populace controlled telephone connexions. It provides the skeleton for the three other phenomena of telecommunications ( Niles. 1994 ) . Substitution of International Travel with Telecommunications Due to the broad applications and maps of telecommunications. an at hand permutation of travel with telecommunications becomes ineluctable. Peoples associated in authorities. concern. touristry and other involvements have the ability and chance to impact a displacement toward greater usage of teleprocess that fundamentally entails increased dependance on telecommunications alternatively of transit. This starts in the integrating of telecommunications in the transit system and gradual displacement to telecommunications-oriented nature of travel ( Mokhtarian. 1990 ) . Travel riddance is merely an consequence of the purpose of modernizing services through the usage of more convenient and more efficient telecommunications solutions in stead of conveyance jobs. Added to this is the eventful lowering of value or monetary value of the said services because of the easiness and adaptability among travellers. Travels that are involved in authorities and concern activities are largely affected by this displacement chiefly because these are the marks for cost-cutting and efficiency attempts to supply better service or increase profitableness ( Niles. 1984 ) . Tourism and other related types of travel non inhibited by limitations on factors listed supra are in more flexible state of affairs with respects to the permutation of travel with telecommunications. While better telecommunications may heighten conveyance. amusement and other cultural wonders and may besides be delivered by telecommunications media therefore controling the demand for leisure travels. Therefore. this permutation has no unequivocal or predicted impact on touristry ( Garrison. 1989 ) . Expectations on Telecommunications of Travel Some experts predict the happening of either complementation or permutation of telecommunications to go. These state of affairss are bases on the premiss that engineering will go on to progress unabated. The steady input of more convenient and quicker manners of telecommunication lowers the necessity of international travel whether in concern or touristry. But there are besides outlooks on the lowering of the cost of international travel. This means that alternatively of permutation or complementation. there may even be competition. The two sides are bring forthing more attractive tools and options that were neer at that place earlier. Peoples are hence in a bind whether to use either of the two to accomplish their intent. One addition of telecommunications in the engineering and monetary value war is a loss for the transit services and frailty versa. But in all. the general form of convenience and lowered monetary value for the two services will besides connote addition of people wh o may be enticed to go endorsers or consumers with greater information and fiscal freedom people are sing with the economic growing in approaching old ages ( Niles. 1976 ) . On the other manus. if current tendencies continue in the hereafter. the existent monetary value of international will travel down or stay at a comparatively stable rate. In the instance of sudden addition in the cost of international travel caused by a great demand on the service. effects of geopolitical alterations and natural catastrophes. the permutation of telecommunications for the accomplishment of transit intents is clearly expected. It is non merely attractive in the economic and logistic point-of-view but besides in visible radiation of the current realisation for more environmentally friendly activities such as the decrease of nursery gases and energy preservation ( Mokhtarian. 2003 ) . Tourism has been the Jesus for the travel industry. International or world-renowned topographic points are pulling more and more tourers due chiefly through the aid of advanced telecommunications. Pictures of tourer attractive forces in Internet advertizements or viva-voce publicities through the usage of telephone services can merely add to the demand for travel for touristry. The universe is acquiring smaller for tourers with the add-on of flights to antecedently restricted parts. International travellers have the option of drawn-out holidaies or frequent jaunts due to the tremendous provender and ingestion of information in nomadic phones. telephones and the Internet. All factors considered. so. telecommunications and international travel were proven to hold risen together through many past technological developments. geopolitical events and natural and semisynthetic catastrophes. There is no compelling grounds at present to believe that bing and prospective events will well alter that correlativity. Mentions Clark. D. and K Unwin. ( 1981 ) . Telecommunications and travel: Potential impact in rural countries. Journal of Regional Surveies. Frew. Andrew J. ( 2000 ) . Publications and communications engineering research in the travel and touristry sphere: Position and way.Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 39. No. 2. 136-145. Garrison. William and Elizabeth Deakin. ( 1988 ) . Travel. work. and telecommunications: A position of the electronics revolution and its possible impacts. †Transportation Research A. Vol. 22A. No. 4. pp. 81-95 Jack M. Nilles. ( 1976 ) . Telecommunications-transportation trade-off: Options for tomorrow. . New York: John Wiley A ; Sons. Inc. Massey. D. S. . Arango. Joaquin. Graeme. Hugo. Kouaouci. Ali. Pellegrino. Adela and Taylor. J. Edward ( 2005 ) .Universes in Gesture: Understanding International Migration at the End of the Millennium. New York: Oxford. Mokhtarian. Patricia L. ( 1990 ) . A typology of relationships between telecommunications and transit. †Transportation ResearchVol. 24A. No. 3. pp. 231-242. Mokhtarian. P. L. . and I. Salomon. ( 1997 ) . Emerging travel forms: Do telecommunications do a difference? Resource Paper. Presented at the 8th Meeting of the International Association for Travel Behavior Research. Austin. Texas. Sept. 21–25. 1997. Mokhtarian. Patricia L. ( 2003 ) . Telecommunications and travel: The instance of complementarity.Journal of Industrial EcologyVolume 6. Number 2. Nile rivers. J. ( 1994 ) . Beyond teleworking: A new paradigm for the consequence of telecommunications on travel. Report No. DOE/ER-0626. U. S. Department of Energy. Offices of Energy Research. Retrieved April 2. 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. lbl. gov/ICSD/Niles. Nile rivers. John S. . and Paul A. Toliver. ( 1992 ) . IVHS engineering for bettering ridesharing.Proceedings of the Second Annual Conference of the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Society of America.May 1992. Olson. Margrethe H. ( 1983 ) . Remote office work: changing work forms in infinite and clip. Communicationss of the ACM. New York: ACM Press. Salomon. I. ( 1998 ) . Technological alteration and societal prediction: The instance of telecommuting as a travel replacement.Transportation ResearchVol. 6. No. 1/2. pp. 17–45. Salomon. I. ( 1986 ) . Telecommunications and travel relationships: A reappraisal.Transportation Research A( no. 3 ) : 223-38. Salomon. I. . and J. Schofer. ( 1991 ) . Transportation system and telecommunications costs: Some deductions of geographical graduated table.The Annals of Regional ScienceVol. 25. No. 1 United Nations World Tourism Organization. ( 2006 ) . International touristry up by 5. 5 % to 808 million reachings in 2005.World Tourism Barometer. Vol. 4 No. 1.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Marketing plan- Galaxy gear Essay Example

Marketing plan Marketing plan- Galaxy gear Essay Marketing plan- Galaxy gear Essay RESEARCH PROPOSAL Prepared for: Marketing Manager Subject: Yermegiyayev Azat Samsung Galaxy Gear Technology Company : Fast Furious Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Samsung is a multinational South Korean based conglomerate company that is best known for telecommunications and consumer electronics. It is headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul. It is currently the largest Korean business conglomerate. Samsung is one of the leading smartphone manufacturers in the world, while also providing a long list of products and services including advertising, hospitality, construction entertainment, communications technology and much more. The company is currently researching new technology that can help users make the most of their smartphones. The aim of the study is to increase productivity and seamlessly incorporate Samsung technology into the everyday lives of users. We are looking in to new technologies that can be used as an accessory to promote the advancement of our smartphones system. Along with this, we want to know and understand the needs of our clients and how they respond to this type of development. This proposal has been prepared as a response to the current smartphone battle. Samsung has released new technology that partners with their latest high- nd smartphone. The Galaxy Note Ill, a successor of the popular Samsung Galaxy Note and Saumsung Galaxy Note II, now comes with a revolutionary new smartwatch that increases the effectivity of the smartphone (Treacy, 2013). The tagline Design Your Life, speaks to the users and potential users in saying that such a piece of technology can help them increase the productivity of their day with the Samsung effectiveness of the new Galaxy Gear Watch by looking into client attitude, awareness and use. This paper will look into the details of the Samsungs understanding of the esearch objectives, methodology, rational, and data processing, reporting as well as timeframe to achieve the results and to better improve the new technology in areas that it needs improvement. SITUATION ANALYSIS Samsung has recognized the new potential for major smartphone accessories as a new potential revenue scheme and understands the need for more research in terms of sales and customer response. This means that the company will have to find out how the public reacts to the release of such technology. This research project will look into the effectiveness of the Galaxy Gear Watch and ee how users accept and utilize this type of technology. The approach of the project will be to approach users who currently own a Galaxy Gear Watch as well as potential users who would like to get their hands on one. This would give the researchers an idea of how users see the watch along with the current appeal of this new technology and how it can help Samsung market future smartphones. The results for this study will provide insight on future demands for like technology of The Galaxy Gear Watch as well as the effectiveness of the device. SAMSUNG GALAXY GEAR WATCH The revolutionary new device called a smartwatch is on the list of things techie individuals are on the look-out for. These stylish and high-performance devices go beyond time keeping, and they have the functionality to help you get through your busy day. They can perform basic tasks that allow them to act as your personal assistant. Smartwatches are seen to take over the mobile world, allowing people to connect with their phone, check messages and so much more without having to take their smartphone out of their bag or their wallet. Samsung announced the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note Ill, shortly after releasing the Galaxy Note II. This model was probably one of the most highly anticipated smartphones to come out of Korea this year. Despite the short nine month interval between releasing new phones, the Note Ill was received very well. It is probably one of the most advanced smartphones in the world as of the moment, with its high speed, amazing display, sleek lines and excellent camera. Many critics have received this particular model well and have praised Samsung for their timing. However, the Samsung Galaxy Note Ill was released with a particular accessory also available. The Samsung Galaxy Gear Watch was marketed as an accessory for the Samsung Galaxy Note Ill. It has been said that the watch makes everyday tasks much easier. Although critics had mixed reviews before the actual release of the watch, no one quite new what to expect from the revolutionary device. Samsung claimed that the device was meant to make smartphone use easier. However, many users and potential users were still skeptical about this. As soon as the Samsung Galaxy Note Ill and the Samsung Galaxy Gear Watch were released, it was only a matter of days, or even hours before tech experts and self-proclaimed critics voiced out their opinions. public. Although a number of buyers did choose to get both the smartphone and the atch, despite the hefty cost of the Galaxy Gear, the return rates were high. Samsung saw an embarrassing return rate of over thirty percent with one in every three customers returning the watch after a few days of use. After short surveys on why they have returned the Galaxy Gear, only limited responses were gathered. Most claimed that it was Just not what they are looking for. Although the public did not like the new smartwatch released by Samsung, the media leaked that it is apparently one of Oprahs favorite devices, as seen on her List of Favorites. Along with a picture of the smartphone and the watch, Oprah says that he watch helps her check her phone discreetly during meetings, without seeming impolite. Very little was said about the watch and its functionality. Looking into the comments made by Oprah can help the researchers safely assume that the functionality of the watch can work for some people who look for that type of feature. However, for the people who have returned the watch, what they are looking for in such a device needs to be determined. The researchers aim to know more about the publics response to the Galaxy Gear watch in order to determine if it was a market failure or not. The results of this study ill help Samsung know if such a device can be a good stream of revenue. Having a like device marketed with a major high-end phone that is highly anticipated is great in theory, however the question is if the product delivered is something that Samsung users and potential users are looking for. The Samsung Galaxy Gear Watch is meant to make the users lives easier by helping them multi-task and go about their day without having to constantly take their phone out. Unfortunately, it seems as if users who have purchased the watch either do not need this feature, or do not know how to fully utilize the device. RESEARCH RATIONALE Along with the research objectives mentioned above, Samsung has also come up with a SWOT analysis for the Samsung Galaxy Gear Watch. This analysis will help researchers put the new type of technology in perspective and see where it is positioned in the market. This can also help researchers determine if such a device is important in developing a new revenue stream for the company. Samsung Galaxy Gear SWOT Analysts STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Innovative technology Leading Smartphone brand Add on revenue stream Powerful marketing Product cost Small market Release is too soon for new version of Galaxy Note OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Providing something new for users and potential users Basis for future like-products Marketing new smartphones with an added device Competition coming up with new technology Losing the market to different smartphone brand Unwanted/unneeded luxury technology Samsung Galaxy Gear PESTEL analysis Political Political situation is quit stable in US but unfortunately cant say about economical side of US now is at the edge of default, it has a huge threat for all businesses in this country. It is assumed that the credit limit will extended even more. But for how long the government can continue doing this. This uncertainty may threat the businesses, Samsung is not an exception. Also international laws should be considered : INCOTERMS, as the US is in the International trading Convention. Samsung should consider different laws in different states in US. Economic environment The main factor to consider is an unemployment rate, in 2011 unemployment rate in US was 9. 1% in 2013 is 14% it is slightly better than in 2012 when the country was under recession. It is for about 34 million Americans out of work. High unemployment rate definitely affects the consumers confidence which affected the consumer spending. Social-cultural Environment Technological boom has contributed to rise of telecommunication in both business and pleasure aspects. In order to determine primary target groups to sell device for, a company need to measure social aspects such as age, demographics, etc. It will be also helpful to improve or develop a new concept of device. Technological Environment The most important factor is that the cellular network in US. Country sides has a poorer quality of the voice/data transfer but most of the population is concentrated in cities where the cellular networks has almost a 100% coverage and a high quality. Legal For the past few years there were numerous lawsuits: Apple vs Samsung A recent loss to Apple (24august 2012, Apple won wins lawsuit where was awarded for $1 billion). Had a negative effect on the sales of Samsung sales in US. Which affected the companys reputation. Also this factor the sales of Galaxy Gear. Even though that most of the case can be considered as SILLY the cost from those law suits are quit high which affects the speed of the release of new device. Also it makes harder for manufactures to be competitive (increased costs, damage of the brand image). Samsung makes a very broad environmental activities around the world. Has their strategy on following topics: Eco-product- design sustainable products Climate strategy- minimize effect on environment Recycling Take phones for using old details in new phones Sustainable operation- substances BCG MATRIX Market growth Market share Smart watch 3% Sony 2. % 7% We can see that the Galaxy Gear has a very small market share and market growth rate. The same we can say about its closest competitor in smart watch sector (Sony). This can be explained that the product is very new and the product was advertised badly. So customers are not able to see the products all opportunities. By many experts it is estimated that the growth of this ind ustry may increase to the rate as the smartphone industry. It is estimated that by 2018 the smart industry may rise to 9 billion but now it is only 800million-1. billion if the growth rate of the industry will be 9-10% per year. So this explains why Galaxy gear has a small market share and a small market growth. The market is only shaping there is a long way to its maturity. So this shows a high potential of Samsungs products. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of this research is to establish the effectiveness and desirability of Samsungs Galaxy Gear towards users and potential users so that the business can: Understand how valuable these new major smartphone accessories are for the organization In terms of sales and a potential revenue system. Understand how valuable these new major smartphone accessories are for the users this will help the researchers understand how the users respond to such technology and how it makes their lives easier. Understand what needs to be improved with the Samsung Galaxy Gear Watch the technology of the Galaxy Gear Watch still has room for improvement. The response of current users in terms of what they wish to see in the atch will be gathered to help researchers understand what users are looking for in this type of technology. Understand how to position and market future like- technologies when releasing a new smartphone this insight will allow researchers to see how the market responds to this new technology and how Samsung can create a new revenue stream from a product like the Galaxy Gear Watch. See Table below for areas of research focus: Fig 1: Areas of focus for Questionnaire Understanding Awareness of the product Are they aware that Samsung has come up with a new smartwatch made exlusively for the Samsung Galaxy Note Ill Smartphone? Have they ever seen in any form of advertising? If so, how many times? How did they hear about the new smartwatch? Will they recognize the device as a Samsung innovation when they see it? Attitude towards the new product Are they interested in owning such a device? Do they like the device in terms of aesthetics? What about the device is most intriguing? Do they believe that such a device can improve their productivity? How do they think this type of technology can improve their lives? Attitude to Samsung as a result of the new product Has the smartwatch device enabled them to know more about what Samsung is about? Do they see Samsung Smartphones differently after the release of the device? Would they consider purchasing future Samsung products if they came with a like device? Attitude to purchasing decision as a result of the new product Are they happy with their purchase? Do they believe that the cost of the product is fair? Would they recommend this new technology to friends and loved ones? Do they feel as if they have fully utilized the technology? Has this smartwatch helped them better function in the day? Does this smartwatch help them increase the effectivity of their smartphone? Did they purchase the smartphone because of the smartwatch? METHODOLOGY AND RATIONALE Samsung specializes in developing new innovative technologies and understands the key considerations to determine the most appropriate research methodology for this project: These include: The dispersed location of the audience Company policy towards engaging in market research such as this Sample set is small, therefore all users and potential users will be able answer all the research questions The users and potential users have a time restriction Therefore, this research will include three types of research: Very important to note that the region was take a US for the research. Because most international IT ompanies demonstrate and realease their products first in US. A success in US market means a lot in general success of the company. Also Us is the one of the biggest consumers in the world. 1 . Secondary Desk Research Once all the information is gathered, a secondary type of research will commence. Using the answers from the surveys, the researcher will look into areas that need awareness and how the users utilize such a product. The focus of the secondary research is also to explore new marketing strategies that can be used in order for people to know more about the new Galaxy Gear Watch. Apart from this, the research ill be used to know more about what can be done in terms of future technology innovations and how well they can be marketed with a new smartphone. 2. Primary Qualitative Research This stage will be seen as a basis for the research. Samsung will need to get initial feedback from users and potential users in order to develop the other areas of the study. This area will greatly improve the quality of the research conducted in terms of secondary and primary research. A small group of users and potential users from one area with different Job functions and occupations will be gathered to represent different groups. This small focus group can provide more insight on the product and let researchers know what needs to be improved when it comes to the technology. The potential users along with the current users will be able to sit-through a short tutorial on how to use the product and fully utilize it so that their productivity throughout the day can be improved. The users will first be asked what they like about the product, and the potential users will be asked if they would want such a product and what they find intriguing about it. They will also be asked why they have yet to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Gear Watch and what causes their reluctance in purchasing such a product. Samsung will have two moderators for this focus group, two members who have been selected for this specific role because of their interview and communication skills. They are most competent in reading into the attitudes of the users so that they can get the best, most accurate and most useful results for this study. 3. Primary Quantitative and Qualitative Mixed Research The primary quantitative and qualitative mixed research approach will be done in the form of a survey. The survey will ask relevant questions to people who are both ware of the new product and those who are not. This will be structured in a way to help us know where to focus on our secondary desk research portion for the study. Samsung has a good client base in the United States, and this particular study will focus on the clients of three different telecommunications stores in a specific area. The survey will only be about 10 15 minutes long where users and potential users will be answering mostly yes or no questions. A pilot testing phase for this will be done to see if the questionnaire is too long or too short. Telephone-based interviews for this research will not be used. However, online urveys will be needed. This will be provided by Survey Monkey, one of the leading online survey providers online (Buchanan Hvizdak, 2009). Samsung will create a short survey on their local website and email customers who are registered on their database. We will only collect the first set of surveys that are submitted and create a cut-off only for research purposes. This is a fast, effective and cost-friendly way to receive feedback from users and potential users. SAMPLE clients, as mentioned above. This particular study will be conducted in one of Samsungs headquarters in the United States. There will be a total of 12 individuals or each focus group discussion and a total of 100 120 respondents for the survey. The researchers believe that this sample size will be broad enough to gather useful information about Samsung Galaxy Gear Watch. The respondents in the survey should represent a particular group which Samsung would like to market to or already is part of Samsungs target audience. Before Samsung does come up with the focus group to identify the few respondents in the discussion, users and potential users will have to submit the following information in order for the researchers to determine if the individuals are a good fit for the study: First Name Last Name Occupation Job Title and Function Address Contact number Email address ONLINE SURVEY The online survey will be hosted by Survey Monkey, an online survey generator and provider (Buchanan Hvizdak, 2009). This will be emailed to Samsungs users and it can also be taken online in several Samsung retail stores. This method of gathering information is now very popular and it provides fast, easy and reliable results. The information from the surveys that are taken will simply be emailed to the researchers who can then compile the results. Before the survey questions will be finalized, a pilot will be done for one day, otaling of about ten surveys. Depending on the results of the survey, the researchers will then edit the questionnaire to better suit the study. The researchers will observe this chance to contact those who have already answered the survey and ask them about what they thought of the current questions and how convenient it was to answer something online. QUESTIONNAIRE GUIDE The questionnaire will involve users and potential users of Samsung phones. Those who have availed of the Galaxy Gear Watch will be generalized as Samsungs current target market. Those who have yet to buy the device, yet are interested will e studied. The questions on the survey will have a mix of closed and open questions, since it is both qualitative and quantitative. The questions will be short enough for the users to want to answer the survey. Also to make the questionnaire more effective, it should be designed in certain way: from general questions to open questions. QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Dou Yes No Maybe, I dont know 2. Do you think this device will benefit your daily life? Yes, a lot No, I dont think so 3. Do you have a Samsung phone? (if no next question) 4. Will you switch to Samsung because of the watches? 5. Do you like the design? . Will you manage to wear it every day? than 2 times Yes 7. Do regularly check recent IT news? Yes, every day No, never 8. From whom did you here about the watch? Online advertisement in Youtube Samsung Website Advertisement in magazine TV ads Once a week/ weekends/ more Friend 9. Do you think this watch will be suitable for everyone? (Kids, adults, elderly people) 10. Which gender will be more interested in this watch? Male Female 11. Do you think it is suitable for any occasions? (Wedding, party in club, business meeting, etc) Yes 12. Will you recommend this watch to your mother? I dont know 3. Will you give this watch as present to your friend? 4. Do you listen to music everyday? 15. Does this watch make music listening experience easier? 16. Will you wear it while doing sports? 17. Do you think Galaxy Gear innovative? 18. Will you wait for the next version? 19. How much are you willing to pay for Smart Watch? 50-150 1 50-250 250-350 20. What is your favorite color? White Black Red Yellow Green Blue 21 . In your opinion, what kind of functions Galaxy Gear should add? Video streaming Social media (Facebook, Twitter) Could be used as USB Other DATA HANDLING AND PROCESSING 1 . Survey Money for data collection Samsung uses a reliable and ethical data collection online provider (Buchanan Hvizdak, 2009). For a small fee each month, Samsung will have access to a customized survey created on this survey host. All information gathered from users and potential users will be collected through this host and emailed to the researchers. 3. Pilot Survey The pilot survey will be done to test the effectiveness of the questionnaires and to receive feedback from users and potential users. The researchers will see if the survey is too long / too short and if the questions are relevant to the study.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations Essay - 2

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations - Essay Example Several performance measure indicators are also discussed and they have a deep co-relation with how the initial funds are generated. Performance indicators of both the types differ slightly but this is the only aspect in which most general finance principles can be applied to both. Finally, we looked at how corporate governance is ensured for nonprofits yet they lack in strong monitoring as the real focus of government, agencies and creditors is on how for – profits are performing. Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations Financial Management for nonprofit organizations has many similarities with the financial management practices being adopted by profit organizations yet it differs in some respects. Maximization of Shareholder’s wealth and return on investment are the key performance indicators for a ‘for-profit’ organization. However, as far as a not for profit organization is concerned, the key emphasis is on developing the welfare projects of the society by contributing in one form or the other. Major stakeholders of a not for profit organization are not entitled to any wealth maximization. ... This actually leads to the definition of the mission statement of a not for profit organization (Blackbaud, 2011). The disclosure and administration activities of a nonprofit organization must be scrutinized; therefore the working staff must be accountable for every incoming dollar. This is for donor’s satisfaction and for the transparency of the management processes (Cass, 2010). Fund accounting system has become even more critical considering an increasing shift in the importance of external financial reporting (McFarlane, 2012). Therefore, budgeting and cash flows management are of immense importance in a not for profit organization’s financial management setup. Liquidity and asset management is important too since commitments of servicing are to be continued over an extensive period of time. Cash Flow prediction becomes challenging due to two main factors. Primarily, operational cash flows are negative and financial cash flows are not certain. Another reason for thi s unpredictability is the fact that cash flow donors aren’t the ones who are receiving services or any other advantage on their investments. Severe management crisis can be an outcome of a demand increase in the resources of the nonprofit organization. Accounting control also becomes important since the forecasted revenue is unreliable and that’s the reason why not for profit organizations are not inclined in servicing newer clients until they have done a thorough research on that. With control comes budgeting, thus, a not for profit organization requires risk averse financial managers and tactical marketers. Sources of Funds Nonprofit organizations utilize a method known as fund accounting for maintaining books pertinent to the received resources by

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Analysing a web based company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Analysing a web based company - Essay Example Business Planning, Retail Growth Strategy, Meal Plan Strategy, Sourcing and Procurement Strategy, Concept Development, Health and Well-Being Strategy, Information Systems Strategy, Food Facilities Planning and Design. Accommodation and food services makes up about 8.1 percent of all employment. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Employment in the accommodation and food services industries is predicted to grow 18% between 2002 and 2012, adding more than 1.6 million new jobs. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Of the 8,740,000 total workers employed in the accommodation and food services industry in 2003, 5,343,000 works full-time (61%), while 3,397,000 work part-time (39%). (Annual average for 2003, according to the Current Population Survey, a joint project of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau). The Total Industry Investment is $1,765,000 and the total leveraged resources are $5,900,000. Profit and average room rate at the UK's chain hotels continued to increase in November, according to the latest HotStats survey from TRI Hospitality Consulting. Across the total UK sample of 462 hotels, income before fixed charges (IBFC) - also known as gross operating profit - rose by 5.6 per cent to 52.81 per available room. Average room rate increased by 7.4 per cent to 95.03 in November, a similar rate of growth to the 7.2 per cent achieved during the year so far. In London, profit grew by 7.9 per cent to 82.19 per available room. London's hoteliers continued to achieve rate growth at near annual levels with an 8.9 per cent increase taking average room rate to a new high of 125.85. - Jonathan Langston, UK Chain Hotels Market Review November 2007 | TRI Hospitality, www.trihc.com Villa's Market in Florida Florida property values vary greatly depending on where you are buying. A four-bedroom, three-bathroom Florida villa in Tallahassee will cost around $275,000 whereas a similar property in Key West will cost nearer to $4 million. The Florida villa rental market is thriving because of the popularity of the sunshine state with tourists and also the growth of commerce-based localities such as Miami. Zoning restrictions on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts have pushed up the price of Florida villa rental in those regions. The average weekly rent in West Palm Beach is $1587 and $1431 in Miami. The lower costs in Orlando, a ready-made tenant base, means it may offer the best investment opportunities in the market for Florida villa rental. Florida has a number of the fastest growing property markets in the US with price rises of 36% in Naples and 28% in Orlando in recent years. The growth of the Florida property market has meant there has been a shortage of properties in some areas. This has been met by developers seemingly building a Florida villa on every spare piece of land they can find. The Florida property market now appears to be experiencing an overall slow-down with less developments being planned and prices growing at a slower rate. Mortgage rates are expected to rise in the future, pushing up the cost

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Critique One Empirical Article Relating to Adult Education

Critique One Empirical Relating to Adult Education - Article Example Winn et al. (2006) wanted to test if two reading strategies applied to children and adolescents can also be used to improve the reading fluency of adult learners. Fluent reading is a skill in rapid and accurate reading (p.196). The researchers recognized the gap in adult education research in the context of fluent reading and believed that K-12 research can help provide teaching tools, when research on adult education strategies and practices is lacking. They hypothesized that it is important to enhance reading fluency, because this can also increase the preference for reading (p.197). They stated that non-fluent readers are less motivated, have less cognitive resource management success, and have weaker reading reinforcement; thus, it is critical to enhance reading fluency, so that comprehension skill and probability of reading among adults can also be improved (p.197). The study used three reading strategies: 1) controlled, 2) repeated reading (RR) and 3) listening while reading (LWR). The research design was an experimental design with a comparison made between pre and post-results. Their sampling included twelve (12) participants, who studied literacy skills in an adult education center. The dependent variables were words read correctly per minute and errors per minute (EPM). Researchers collected the baseline data for reading fluency using the 1996 Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE). Findings showed that RR and LWR conditions showed higher scores in WCPM than the control condition. Errors per minute were lower in RR condition than control and LWR conditions. Furthermore, WCPM scores were higher when RR and LWR conditions were used. There were also no differences in words correct per minute using the LWR and RR conditions. Within subject comparisons of WCPM across LWR, RR, and control conditions showed greater reading fluency under LWR and RR conditions. Hence, RR and LWR both enhanced reading fluency more than the control condition. 3. Implications for Education The information in this article can be used by educators to improve adult education, because it underlines the importance of testing successful teaching strategies in the adult sector, using children or adolescent educational theories and research, it provided practical measures for improving reading fluency among adult learners, and it demonstrated the need for greater research on adult education literacy skills. First, this study showed that successful adult teaching strategies can be based on children or adolescent educational theories and research, although with some modifications. For instance, the topics of the reading materials were based on the interests of the adults, since this can improve the probability of reading. Second, the study gave practical tools and strategies for enhancing reading fluency among adult learners. RR and LWR conditions already h ave step-by-step procedures that can be easily applied to adult learning settings. These steps were also simple and feasibly applied for resource-stricken and time-limited adult education programs and centers. Third, the study recognized the gap in adult education research, such as lack of reading strategy studies for adult students. This points the direction for future studies, which include identification and evaluation of existing reading fluency

Friday, November 15, 2019

Do objects exist independent of the mind?

Do objects exist independent of the mind? This essay will investigate the question of whether mind independent objects exist according to John Locke and George Berkeley. John Locke reasons that objects do exist independently of our mind but this is not without some caveat. George Berkeley on the other hand argues that no material substances exist other than ideas or perceptions in our minds. Hence there are no mind independent objects. I will argue that John Lockes reasoning is actually stronger than Berkeleys and therefore the case for mind independent objects existing is coincidentally stronger as well. Lockes argument in support is that we can be sure of the limits of our knowledge of their existence because of the ideas we obtain from our senses. I will firstly detail how Lockes reasoning supports this contention. Secondly I will explore Berkeleys claim which denies that any form of material substance and hence mind independent objects do not exist independently. I will argue that Berkeleys claim fails because of inadequacies raised during his rejection of Lockes argument. Berkeley relies on an appeal to the supernatural (e.g. God) to counter the universal proposition that he inevitably draws himself into with the existence of other minds in external human bodies and in his contention that external objects only exist as ideas in the mind. Locke adopts a pragmatic approach to this inquiry because he uses the senses in a practical everyday way to assess the degree of certainty of knowledge. Importantly, Locke accepts the limitations of human knowledge which then defines the inquiry question of what level of certainty there is for the existence of external objects (Bennett, 2007). Locke says that an idea is; whatever is the object of the understanding when a man thinks (Bennett 2007 p2). This is an important definition because it suggests an idea to be more than just a representation of an external object. What Locke alludes to here is that we have a cognitive ability to obtain knowledge of the external world through a relationship in our mind between simple (sensations from experience) and complex (abstracted from particular to universal principles) ideas and are thus able to pass judgement (subjective) about the certainty of that knowledge. Locke states that; Knowledge, then, seems to me to be nothing but the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and incompatibility, of any of our ideas. That is all it is (Bennett, 2007, p196). So knowledge then becomes the outcome of complex ideas created in our mind from sensations. The mind has no innate ideas and starts out as a tabula rasa (or blank sheet) but with mental faculties which thus enable the creation of ideas from experiences of the external world (Bennett, 2007). This is not unproblematic though because it raises the question of exactly which faculties are then innate. However, the ideas created come into being from when a person first has sensations. Locke says that: Since there appear not to be any ideas in the mind before the senses have conveyed any in, I think that ideas in the understanding arise at the same time as sensation (Bennett, 2007 p22). These ideas fashioning our knowledge are thus derived from our experience. They are also built upon the immediate impression of external objects in our mind through our senses. More complex and abstract concepts result from our own introspection. Locke then talks about three types of knowledge which are important in our understanding of the certainty of the existence mind independent objects. He claims that these three types of knowledge are; 1. Intuitive Knowledge which is the immediate agreement or disagreement between ideas without an intervention of other ideas; 2. Demonstrative Knowledge which does not immediately perceive the agreement or disagreement of ideas. It therefore brings into itself more ideas and creating complex ideas thus calling it reasoning; 3. Sensitive Knowledge which is knowledge gained through the senses (Bennett, 2007 p22). Sensitive knowledge is the key element of his claim that external objects exist independent of the mind. Whilst it is readily conceded by Locke that sensitive knowledge is not as certain as intuitive knowledge or demonstrative knowledge, it nevertheless goes beyond probability (Bennett, 2007, p202). It follows then that the level of certainty in establishing a case for the existence of external objects knowledge using the senses is limited. But I contend that the degree to which it is limited does not discount its use. Locke also asserts that whilst some philosophers question whether external objects exist even though they may have an idea in their mind, there is a degree of evidentness which puts the question beyond doubt (Bennett, 2007, p202). So he postulates that we can feel the sun, notice the difference at night without the sun and appreciate the contrast between a dream and an idea coming into our mind through the senses (Bennett, 2007, p202). So for all practical purposes, I contend along with Locke that this is all we need to establish a high level of certainty about the existence of mind-independent objects. This is not to say, that his logic is not without some openings for criticism such as the probabilistic certainty of sensitive knowledge. However I argue that the strength of Lockes reasoning for the existence of mind independent objects lies in its pragmatic simplicity. If we have the idea that something exists independently of our mind and we confirm this with our senses, then it is highly probable that it does exist independently of our mind. If we have the idea that the ground we walk upon is solid, then the idea comes from our experience of solid ground through our walking upon it. Using Lockes reasoning then, the idea of solid ground (as a mind independent object) can be held to be certain; to the limit that sensitive knowledge allows. In contrast to Locke, one can postulate as does George Berkeley, that material substances (and hence mind independent objects) do not exist. In his inquiry, scepticism surfaces amidst the proposition that we think only about the idea and not the actual external object. This scepticism charges the materialism of Locke for example, with implying that it leads to disavowing God (Downing, 2011). This aspect of Berkeleys rejection of Lockes materialist conceptions of the existence of external objects is also a key element of my rejection of Berkeleys Idealism. Berkeleys main argument for the mind independent objects not existing is structured thus; That we perceive ordinary objects and I wouldnt have known them if I hadnt perceived them by my senses; Things perceived by the senses are immediately perceived; and Things that are immediately perceived are ideas; and Ideas cant exist outside the mind. So it follows that; The existence of things I perceive by my senses consists in being perceived. When they are actually perceived [the existence of things], therefore, there can be no doubt about their existence (Berkeley P41). Unfolding what Berkeley means by this hinges upon his use of the word perceive. If the definition of perceiving is to become aware of something through the senses, then it seems that what Berkeley is saying is that we can have knowledge of the existence of external objects. But in fact that is not what he is saying. In #1, #2, #3 #4 he is arguing that our perception or awareness of ordinary objects (external) is based upon the use of our senses creating ideas which can then only exist in our minds. Premise #5 makes his argument look remarkably circular but I will grant that it isnt for this purpose. What he is saying is that external objects only exist because we are able to be aware of them. His conclusion at #6 reiterates the thrust of his claim that when we are made aware of external objects by our senses, then we cannot doubt their existence. He does not mean the external object. He means the idea of the external object. So, if the external object is not a representation and it is not anything other than an idea brought about by a perception or awareness through the senses, how is it that we come by the idea of knowledge of the external world? And more so, how is it that when we are not present or are denied our senses for any reason, that other people continue to experience the external world. Berkeley answers this by saying that When I say that sensible things [external objects] cant exist out of the mind, I dont mean my mind in particular, but all minds. Now, they clearly have an existence exterior to my mind, since I find by experience that they are independent of it (Berkeley p42). I argue here that this sentence inherently disrupts Berkeleys claim that there are no mind independent objects. How is it that there can be other independent minds (assuming them to be within external human bodies) which have an existence exterior to his and which perceive external objects whilst Berkeley is say, asleep? How is it that they are not considered to be external mind independent objects? There must be some other explanation. So Berkeley finds himself having to refer to the supernatural deity for relief; God. There is therefore some other mind in which they [external objects] exist during the intervals between the times when I perceive them; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. it necessarily follows that there is an omnipresent, eternal Mind which knows and comprehends all things and lets us experience them in a certain manner (Berkeley p42). In my assessment this appeal to the omnipotence of God diminishes Berkeleys argument dramatically. It is not a question of having or not having a belief in God. It is about establishing a level of certainty that the external world exists independently of our mind. In contrast to Lockes argument which allows for a probabilistic consideration about the certainty of knowledge; Berkeley simply refutes the external mind independent world and fills the void he creates with that of a supernatural deity. It is contextually understandable but I argue that it severely reduces the plausibility and explanatory power of his claim that mind independent objects do not exist. This essay has argued that Lockes assertions about the existence of mind independent objects are stronger than Berkeleys claim that no mind independent objects exist and to this I offer my support. Lockes probabilistic approach to sensitive knowledge assists him to overcome the vicarious connections between the mind and the external world. This is not without its problems though as I have discussed in the paper. Locke struggles with innateness of ideas and faculties along with proving the level of certainty against a measure of probability. In contrast, Berkeley simply rejects mind independent objects outright, which leaves him with the problem of how to then deal with the issue of other minds and human bodies. To this he simply defers to a supernatural deity in God. This I contend creates a most significant weakness in his argument and causes me to reject it. ConAgra Foods, Inc: Economic Analysis ConAgra Foods, Inc: Economic Analysis Author: Artem Zaiets(36981) Summary This paper’s purpose is to look through and analyze the activities of ConAgra Foods within food processing industry. It will touch the areas of the financing of the company as well as those of the business strategies and compare the company’s major competitors’ operations over the past 5 years. The statistics will also project the expected future growth under the rate of 5% over a 3 year period and look at the sensitivity analysis. Using the projected data, this paper will also show the internal growth rate of the company as well as the external funds required for the future. Introduction ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company that is located in Omaha, Nebraska that was founded a whole century ago in 1919. The company produces and sells products under 27 different brand names, most of which are popular and known only within the North America. Some of ConAgras major brands include Hunts, Healthy Choice, Marie Callenders, Orville Redenbacher, Slim Jim (snack food), Reddi-wip, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, P. F. Changs, and Bertolli ready meals. The products of the company diverse from cooking oil to hot dogs, frozen dinners, peanut butter, hot cocoa and many more. As was mentioned earlier, the company’s brands are known mostly in North American, including Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, nevertheless, the company still competes with European and Asian packaging food companies in the market and holds a quite strong position in the list. Financial Strategy There are many tools and ratios that can be useful in order to find out a firm’s financing strategy over a course of period. In this passage, I will be discussing 3 of them: debt to equity ratio, payout ratio and retained earnings during the period from 2010 to 2014, and will compare them with other major competitors that the company has in the food processing industry. The first tool that will be used is debt to equity ratio. This ratio indicates the proportion of equity and debt that a company uses to finance its assets to know whether it is conducting a riskier but more profitable business or vice versa. From the chart we can observe the comparison of this ratio with 2 other industry-related companies (Appendix Table 1). As can be seen from the chart, over the course of these 5 years, the ratio for ConAgra Foods, Inc. jumped drastically from 0.7862 to 1.752 in December 31st of year 2013. This can be explained by the fact that the company decided that it did not have sufficient revenue in order to operate further, and as was mentioned earlier the higher the ratio is, the more risk the company takes but the more money it receives as a turn-over at the same time. We can observe the same situation with Kraft Foods, an American company which was founded in year 2012 as a grocery manufacturing and processing conglomerate. A new company has relatively à ¢â‚¬Ëœless’ to lose than an older one, especially when a company such as ConAgra Foods is nearly 100 years old. Indeed, in the short run, according to microeconomic rules of companies, the latter need to have as much revenue as possible in order to operate in the long run. That is why the ratio for the second company is relatively high. As for Nestle which was founded in year 1905 and that is headquartered in Switzerland, we can observer that the situation is rather more stable compared to the 2 other companies. In year 2012, it reached a maximum of 0.4494 ratio in debt to equity which is quite low considering this industry is capital-intensive. The payout ratio, on the other hand, shows the amount of dividends per share to earnings per share that a company makes. For investors, the ratio can show whether the company’s dividend payments seem to be appropriate and sustainable or whether the company’s paying out more than it can sustain. New and-or fast growing companies usually focus on re-investing their earnings so the business can grow, and as a result, tend to have lower dividend payout ratios. Conversely, larger companies usually have a higher payout ratio. Let us analyze the data from Table 2 (Appendix Table 2). ConAgra Foods company’s payout ratio during the period of 2010 to 2011 has been always higher than 40%, and in 2012 even reached 84.8%. This shows that the company decided to increase the relations with their shareholders, or increase the amount of people contributing to the company by having a more attractive dividend payment. As for the new company Kraft Foods, in 2012 the ratio was at 18.2% which is not surprising. However, the company in the next year decided to increase the dividend payments to 48.2%. The reasons may be the same as ConAgra Foods company’s and also that the company does not have much operating cost at this stage. Nestle in years 2010 to 2011 was quite low, but increased to a reasonable amount in the next years. Yet another tool can be used in defining a company’s financial strategy and it is the retained earnings. Retained earnings are usually used to pay off debts and/or gain additional assets (Appendix Table 3). Table shows the relationship between the retained earnings with long-term, short-term debts, as well as non-current assets and stockholders’ equity for ConAgra Foods company. The short-term debt in the company is kept relatively low at all times in the company, which shows that it spends its earnings to keep them down. Non-current assets, however, get increased by twice as much in year 2013. The explanation for this may be that the company decided to increase investments for its many brands recognition, as well as some new equipment. 1.2. The relationship between the financing strategy and the business strategy Since ConAgra Foods, Inc. has so many brands under its name, a wise strategy for the company would be to increase their investments on those brands that have the highest potential, make them more recognizable around the U.S. The company has, therefore, undertaken a few financial actions that would reflect on their business operations. An example of that is the dividend action. The dividend continues to represent one of the highest payout levels among consumer food companies today. As was shown earlier in the chart with the payout ratios of the company and its competitors, we could indeed see that the ratio was the highest for ConAgra Foods, Inc. Restructuring charges is the next strategy that the company recently implemented. The balance of this charge will reflect upon the volatile and non-volatile costs relating to the implementation of restructuring activities, including programs designed to reduce the company’s ongoing operating costs. In other words, the company also focu ses on reducing operating costs. This does make sense, knowing that this industry is quite capital-intensive. The company also announced plans to divest its seafood and domestic imported cheese businesses. 1.3. Internal Growth Rate The internal growth rate of a company illustrates the highest level of growth which is achievable by the company without obtaining external financing. The formula for calculating the growth rate is as following: IGR = Plowback ratio Ãâ€" return on equity Ãâ€" . The plowback ratio is simply 1 subtracted by the payout ratio (1 – payout ratio), and the return on equity is the net income divided by the shareholders’ equity (ROE = ). Using the latest financial data of the company for year 2014, we get that IGR = (1 – 0.527) Ãâ€" Ãâ€" =0.473Ãâ€"0.058Ãâ€"0.272=0.00746 or roughly 0.75%. A conclusion of this is that without external financing, the growth rate of the company is mediocre. In case of any questions considering number (Appendix B Balance sheet of the company). 2.1. ConAgra Foods spreadsheet Assumed growth rate 0,05 Comments Comments Income statement 2014 2015 2016 2017 Revenue 17 702 600 18 587 730 19 517 117 20 492 972 5% increase Cost of goods sold 13 980 000 60,4% of sales 14 679 000 15 412 950 16 183 598 5% increase EBIT 955 400 1 003 170 1 053 329 1 105 995 5% increase Interest expense 379 000 379 000 379 000 379 000 Earnings before taxes 576 400 EBIT-I.expense 624 170 674 329 726 995 Taxes 298 000 51,7% of EBT 322 696 348 628 375 856 Net income 315 100 EBIT I.expense taxes 301 474 325 701 351 139 Dividents 166 057 Payout ratio = 0,527 158 877 171 644 185 050 Reatined earnings 149 043 Net income-dividents 142 597 154 056 166 089 Balance sheet Assets Net working capital 1 588 400 1 667 820 1 751 211 1 838 772 5% increase Fixed assets 15 123 600 15 879 780 16 673 769 17 507 457 5% increase Total assets 16 724 000 17 547 600 18 424 980 19 346 229 Equity and liabilities Long-term debt 8 767 600 8 767 600 8 767 600 8 767 600 Shareholders equity 5 258 500 5 401 097 5 555 154 5 721 242 Increase due to Retained earnings Other liabilities 2 601 200 2 601 200 2 601 200 2 601 200 Minority interest 96 700 96 700 96 700 96 700 Total liability and s.equity 16 724 300 Equal to total assets 16 866 597 17 020 654 17 186 742 Required external finance 0 681 003 1 404 326 2 159 487 Total assets Total liab. and s.equity From this table we can observe how much external finance company needed to maintain future growth. It means that company will either sell equity or borrow debt to obtain extra cash for future growth. Required external finance was calculated, simply, by subtracting future total assets from future total liabilities and shareholders’ equity. In case of any questions considering number (Appendix B Balance sheet of the company). Appendix A 2.1. Financing strategy Table 1 DEBT TO EQUITY 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 ConAgra Foods (CAG) 0.6543 0.6183 0.7862 1.752 1.522 Kraft Foods (KRFT) N/A 0.0021 2.79 1.924 2.298 Nestle (NSRGY) 0.3249 0.3928 0.4494 0.3475 0.3024 The numbers were taken from December 31st of each consecutive year. Table 2 PAYOUT, % 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 ConAgra Foods (CAG) 43 46.8 84.8 82.1 52.7 Kraft Foods (KRFT) N/A N/A 18.2 48.2 53.1 Nestle (NSRGY) 17 18.5 60.6 72.2 47.5 Table 3 Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Retained Earnings 4417 4854 4765 5130 5011 Short-term Debt 261 364 78 703 226 Long-term Debt 3226 2870 2859 8887 8768 Non-current Assets 7778 7509 8223 16026 15136 Stockholders Equity 4924 4702 4440 5264 5259 Appendix B 1.3. Internal growth rate; 2.1. ConAgra Foods spreadsheet Balance sheet of the company 2014 Assets Current Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 183,100 Net Receivables 1,393,200 Inventory 2,292,600 Other Current Assets 361,900 Total Current Assets 4,230,800 Property Plant and Equipment 3,822,800 Goodwill 7,836,500 Intangible Assets 3,205,800 Other Assets 270,500 Total Assets 19,366,400 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 2,416,400 Short/Current Long Term Debt 226,000 Total Current Liabilities 2,642,400 Long Term Debt 8,767,600 Other Liabilities 2,601,200 Minority Interest 96,700 Total Liabilities 14,107,900 Stockholders Equity Common Stock 2,839,700 Retained Earnings 5,010,600 Treasury Stock (3,494,400) Capital Surplus 1,036,900 Other Stockholder Equity -134,3 Total Stockholder Equity 5,258,500 References conagrafoods, (2015).Investor Relations and Investor Information | ConAgra Foods. [online] Available at: http://www.conagrafoods.com/news-room/news-ConAgra-Foods-Announces-Strategy-for-Strengthening-Long-Term-Operating-PerformanceStreamlined-PortfolioIncreased-Marketing-on-Key-BrandsAggressive-Cost-Programs-and-Lower-Dividend-Shape-New-Financial-Profile-1008563 [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Financials.morningstar.com, (2015).Balance Sheet for ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) from Morningstar.com. [online] Available at: http://financials.morningstar.com/balance-sheet/bs.html?t=CAGregion=usaculture=en-US [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Gurufocus.com, (2015).ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) Debt to Equity (%). [online] Available at: http://www.gurufocus.com/term/deb2equity/CAG/Debt+to+Equity+%28%25%29/ConAgra+Foods+Inc [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Markets.ft.com, (2015).Nestle SA, NESN:VTX financials FT.com. [online] Available at: http://markets.ft.com/research/Markets/Tearsheets/Financials?s=NESN:VTX [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Finance.yahoo.com, (2015).CAG Balance Sheet | ConAgra Foods, Inc. Common Stoc Stock Yahoo! Finance. [online] Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=CAG+Balance+Sheetannual [Accessed 30 Jun. 2015]. Finance.yahoo.com, (2015).CAG Income Statement | ConAgra Foods, Inc. Common Stoc Stock Yahoo! Finance. [online] Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=CAG+Income+Statementannual [Accessed 30 Jun. 2015].