Personal Data Protection

Personal data (2012, Online) means â€Å"data relating to a living individual who is or can be identified either from the data or from the data in conjunction with other information that is in, or is likely to come into, the possession of the data controller†. The Data Protection Act 1988 – 2003 guarantee individuals right to protection their personal data and explain duties of Data Controllers. This act apply to organizations that uphold information on individuals which can contain telephone number, address, account details, nationality, religion, physical or mental health and/or other sensitive information.The Data Protection Commissioner has approved a personal data security breach Code of Practice to help organisations to react appropriately when they become aware of breaches of security personal information they maintain. The Data Controllers are required to: †¢ collect and process information fairly †¢ keep them only in one or more specified and legal pu rposes †¢ use information for the purposes for which their were collected †¢ keep them safe and secure keep them accurate, complete and up-to-date †¢ not stored them longer than is necessary Every person may obtain a copy of their entire personal data by written request to any organization or individual who holds personal information, unless the Government instructs the Data Controller to withhold the information, data subject also has a right to correct any inaccurate information or, in some cases, such information can be completely removed.The Code of Practice does not apply to providers of publicly available electronic communications networks or services. Providers of publicly available electronic communications networks or services are required to have a security policy, ensure that personal data can only be used by authorised personnel for specified purposes and protect personal data against unlawful use or access.

Compare and contrast Ralph and Jack as leaders Essay

Ralph and Jack signify different themes and ideas throughout ‘The Lord of the Flies’. They both have different personalities but in some aspects they are similar. For example, they both want to be leaders, but they want to lead in different ways. The two boys are from typical English public schools so their background is similar yet their personalities contrast. Ralph is calm and fair; he represents order, leadership and civilisation. On the other hand Jack is very authoritative and represents unbridled savagery and desire for power. As the book progresses we see these traits becoming even stronger in Jack, as if he were a dictator like Hitler from the Second World War, which was when the ‘Lord of the Flies’ was set. When Ralph first finds himself stranded on the island, it is as if he couldn’t care less as to how he got there. The fact that he has just survived a plane crash, in which many adults have died in, does not seem to bother him at all. The first thing he does is rip off all his clothes and swim in the lagoon. This is quite childish behaviour and the fact that he is ripping off all his clothes shows that he is already starting to stray away from civilisation. It is not until Piggy finds him and starts asking intellectual questions as to how they got there and whether there is anyone else on the island that he starts to vaguely consider the situation. As the book progresses Jack emerges with his choir. It is obvious that he is in control, ‘he shouted an order and they halted’. This shows he is an authoritative figure and the impression is given that he is controlling an army. Even though the two boys have not met, it is immediately clear that there are differences between them. Ralph is calmer and quite happy to take everything in his stride, whereas Jack remains in his choir uniform and still acts with a large sense of responsibility despite the fact he is hundreds of miles away from civilisation. Ralph is democratic and more thoughtful. For example, before anything happens about being rescued he says ‘we ought to have a chief to decide things.’ Jack shows his arrogance emerges when he replies, ‘I ought to be chief’, as if he was a dictator without any care for other people’s opinions. In reply Ralph uses his democratic approach and decides, ‘Let’s have a vote’. Ralph’s decision to have a vote shows how fair he is and his approach to become a leader is democratic. On the other hand, it is clear that Jack is very self-centred and is prepared to push for the position of leader even if it happens in a manner not popular with the other boys. The situation of the Second World War is being reflected in the two boys’ contrasting personalities. As the time that is spent on the island advances, Jack’s savage traits start to emerge. For example, when he goes hunting he lets the boys go off swimming whilst he continues. Unfortunately he catches nothing and goes back to camp. He describes the situation to Ralph, ‘I went on. I thought, by myself’ †¦ ‘the madness came into his eyes again’ †¦ ‘I thought I might kill’. Jack’s true traits are starting to emerge. His savage instinct is starting to become apparent; he is described as having madness in his eyes. He is starting to have a ‘compulsion’ to hunt and kill that was not apparent before because society and civilisation keeps people in control but when they are set free from this their natural or basic instincts start to emerge. However this is not true of everyone, Ralph has continued to remain calm and civilised;, building huts on the beach with Piggy, his advisor. His natural instincts are not savage but to try to find a means of remaining safe and being rescued. Throughout the book Ralph relies on Piggy to help him with many decisions. The idea to blow the conch so that other boys would emerge from the island was Piggy’s idea as well as the idea to use his glasses to start the fire on the mountain. Piggy’s pragmatic and intellectual approach to the situation they are in helps Ralph yet sometimes the boys do not listen to him, especially Jack. Jack has a very autocratic approach and feels he can make the correct decisions himself. His decline into savagery becomes apparent due to this and results in him punching Piggy and eventually killing him. For example after Piggy notices there is no smoke he tells Ralph but there is not much they can do, as the boys who were supposed to be watching the fire had gone hunting. Soon enough they notice a large group of figures coming down the beach chanting, ‘Kill the pig, Cut her throat. Spill her blood’. Jack is part of this group and it is apparent that the other boys have also acquired a lust for killing and hunting. However, Piggy drives Jack to violence by saying, ‘You didn’t ought to have let that fire out, you said you’d keep the smoke going’. After this Jack hits Piggy; Jack has lost the self control that was in place before he was held back from violence due to the moral trappings of society. Later on in the book, Jack’s leadership starts to become more appealing to the boys. The lifestyle he is offering them with meat and protection from the beast is compelling for them in some aspects, ‘To-night we’re having a feast. We’ve killed a pig and we’ve got meat. You can come and eat with us if you like’. Eventually all the boys start to switch to Jack as their leader. The boys have lost sight of what being civilise means and just want to follow a leader who offers a simple way of life; hunting, food and safety in the tribe. Ralph starts to give up hope, ‘So we can’t have a signal fire †¦ We’re beaten’. The two boys’ contrasting opinions and aims are in competition and at the beginning of the book when society and civilisation was still in the minds of many of the boys they were prepared to have Ralph as their leader. However, as time has passed and their sense of civilisation has gradually disappeared the longer they are away from it, they have resorted to Jack for fun and a preferred lifestyle. In some aspects Ralph and Jack are alike as leaders because they both want to get their own way. However their aims are different, Jack wants to hunt and Ralph wants to be rescued. Jack is the autocratic, less caring leader whereas Ralph is democratic and tries to do what is best for all the boys. In the end it turns out that the boys would prefer to be led by Jack. Golding is suggesting that it doesn’t matter who you are, even if you are from a privileged public school background, without the influences of society we will decline into savagery and our true natural instincts will emerge.

1st Autism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1st Autism - Assignment Example Stereotypes about autism are more than just laziness or incorrect information in the arguments. They actively affect people in the spectrum and harm them. They form a view on autism and sharply narrow perceptions and expectations. Autistic person would hardly achieve something in his or her life, until they are considered to be "in their own world", "devoid of emotion" and so on. Unethical practices. Stereotypes do not just erroneously attribute autistic certain features. They always assume that these features once and for all set and unchangeable. But in reality it is not. The biggest problem with any stereotype is that it denies the fundamentally important fact that autistics may vary. People with autism adapt to society, find their destiny, their friends and interests (Grinker, 2010). But it is very private for them it is accompanied by a kind of "victim complex": many autistic individuals think that they have no right to seem too happy. After all, children with "autism" have no chance of happiness. All this propaganda worked: many families do not see any future for their autistic children, if the way to cure autism is found. But the problem may be just psycho-somatic – as, according to some investigations, placebo use may reduce the behavioral symptoms (Kroeger & Brown, 2011). Thus, many autistic people have very low sense of self-confidence just because haw autism is being depicted in society. As a result, according to many polls, half of the adults with autism were exposed to violence and abuse on the part of those whom they knew personally. It speaks of the "appalling prevalence" of violence and exclusion among adults with autism. But this problem of stereotypes also has its solution. Children who interacted with children with disabilities or who watched how they communicate with other children without disabilities, developed a healthier attitude towards disabilities, comparing with children without such

State of the Union Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

State of the Union - Assignment Example This is not taken kindly by some republicans who assert that he is more concerned with politics than with the development and well being of the nation. The democrats supported the plans to raise the minimum wage. Later positing that increasing minimum wage is the quickest and surest way of putting money in the pockets of workers. The amount of the money the workers will spend will in turn increase demand for commodities and services and therefore create more jobs. The Vice President seems to be in agreement with the president throughout his speech, but his facial expression changes with the disapproval of most of the planned policies by the republicans, as pointed out in their speeches. Explain the differences in the two men’s responses on the basis of the difference between liberal (Democratic Party) and conservative (Republican Party) ideologies. (The Vice President and the Speaker) According to the two, it is clear that there is a distinction between the views of the democrats and republicans on several issues affecting the citizens of the US. The republicans seem to reject anything Obama would offer. As such, the conservatives feel that the government should serve the people and not the other way round. On taxes and wealth, republicans feel that the government keeps interfering which could have negative ramifications. This was clear with the issue of raising minimum wage and tax increases mentioned in the speech. The conservatives opt for a free market, which is self regulating without government coming in between. As such, they are of the view that instead of raising taxes, lowering them would be good for everyone. The best way to raise the standard of living for Americans is to let people pursue their own goals with reduced bureaucracy which tends to be an obstacle. Liberals on the other hand feel that the ultimate purpose of the government is to improve the lives of the people by reducing poverty,

Groupbased assignment for Financial data analysis Essay

Groupbased assignment for Financial data analysis - Essay Example The report analyses the risk and return of these two companies. Then the cost structure of these companies is compared. The first part of the report focuses on calculating the means and the variances of the two companies. 'Mean' provides a measure of average return to investors while the 'variance' and hence the 'standard deviation' indicate risk. The second part of this report focuses on calculating the cost of capital for DGSE COMPANIES INC to aid the appraisal of a project under scrutiny. The cost of capital is the "opportunity cost of an investment; that is, the rate of return that a company would otherwise be able to earn at the same risk level as the investment that has been selected". CAPM will be used as the model. The equity cost of capital is found by accumulating the data relating to the company's and market returns at different points in time. The calculations yield a mean value of 0.026557 for DGSE COMPANIES INC and 0.014395 for PUBLIC SERVICE ENTRP GRP INC. These figures can be interpreted as for an investor investing $1 in DGSE COMPANIES INC and $1 in PUBLIC SERVICE ENTRP GRP INC, after a month he will get an average holding period return of 2.6 cents and 1.4 cents on his investments respectively. The Variance and the closely related Standard Deviation are measures of dispersions, which indicate how the possible values are spread around the mean and are an indicator of risk. For the purpose of calculations, the following formula is used for variance: As per the calculations, the monthly variance for DGSE COMPANIES INC is 0.0401 (4.01 %) and for PUBLIC SERVICE ENTRP GRP INC is 0.0050 (0.5%). The square roots of these figures give the monthly standard deviation which equals 0.200 (20%) and 0.0707 (7%), respectively. The Variance is indicative of volatility, hence the risk. It indicates how risky the investment is. A Comparison of risk and return of the two companies will give a clear idea. Table 1. RISK - RETURN RELATIONSHIP S.No Company Name Risk (%) Variance Return (%) - Mean 1 DGSE COMPANIES INC 4.01 2.6 2 PUBLIC SERVICE ENTRP GRP INC 0.5 1.4 The famous phrase "Higher the risk, higher the return" holds well in our case. Chart 1 Source: Primary Table 2. YEAR WISE RETURN COMPARISON YEAR DGSE PUBLIC 1997 0.0932 0.0212 1998 0.0418 0.0270 1999 0.0895 -0.0058 2000 0.0449 0.0401 2001 -0.0188 0.0034 2002 -0.0849 -0.0142 2003 0.0806 0.0318 2004 0.0199 0.0202 2005 -0.0269 0.0229 2006 0.0261 0.0063 Chart 2 Source: Primary CALCULATION OF MINIMUM VARIANCE PORTFOLIO S.No Company Name Risk (%) Variance Return (%) - Mean 1 DGSE COMPANIES INC 4.01 2.6 2 PUBLIC SERVICE ENTRP GRP INC 0.5 1.4 The total portfolio return considering equal proportion of each companies share is (0.5)*2.6 + (0.5)*1.4 = 2% By Trial and error method, the minimum variance portfolio is arrived at respective

The analysis of thymine and its derivatives by electron-ionisation and Essay

The analysis of thymine and its derivatives by electron-ionisation and chemical-ionisation mass spectrometry - Essay Example Aromaticity of Thymine is due to the alignment of conjugated double bond and empty orbital of Nitrogens in the ring. Resonance also plays part in stabilizing the molecule. Thymine exists in different tautomeric form but the lactam form is the most stable and the form present in DNA structure. Thymine has the structure of an aromatic heterocyclic ring with two carbonyl attached to 2nd and 4th Carbon. A methyl group is attached to 5th Carbon. The first and third position of the ring is a Nitrogen atom. Both Nitrogen has unoccupied orbital that participates in stabilizing aromatic property of the molecule. Coupling of Thymine and 2-Deoxyribose creates the nucleoside Deoxythymidine which is commonly called Thymidine. One common mutations found in DNA are two adjacent pyrimidine bases commonly Thymidine that upon irradiation with UV-light will cause mutagenesis and therefore inhibits the process of translation. Thymine Thymidine Mass Spectrometry A mass spectrometer produces a spectrum of masses based on the structure of a molecule. The mass spectrum is not a spectrum with respect to electromagnetic radiation, as in the case or IR and NMR. Instead, it is a spectrum of plot of distribution of ion masses corresponding to the formula weight of the molecule, fragments derive from the molecule, or both. For the past years, advances in technology leads to well developed and precise mass spectrometric technique primarily used for structure determination and quantitative work. Mass spectrometers for structure elucidation can be classified according to the method of separating the charged particles. Most common methods are Magnetic Field Deflection, Quadrupole mass Spectrometry, Time of Flight, Ion-Cyclotron resonance and MS/MS (Tandem Mass spectrometry). The general procedure for a mass spectral analysis comes in subsequent steps. Feedingof sample in the Mass Spectrometer and undergoes vaporization. Vaporization is required if the starting substance is in liquid form. In mo st cases, this comes from an HPLC unit. GC-MS has been widely renowned for its convenience and accuracy. Components are then ionized using variety of techniques. This step is the determining factor for which kind of substance the mass spectrometer can effectively analyze. Biological sample are often ionized using Electron impact, Chemical ionization and the most recent Electron Spray Ionization. Contact with ions creates charge to various species of the sample. They are then separated according to their mass to charge ratio in a mass analyzer. The ions are detected by a transducer and then reported as spectral lines in mass spectra. Mass Spectral Analysis of Thymine Mass Spectra using Electron Ionization technique for Thymine has Molecular Ion peak at 126 m/z at almost 100% abundance. The intensity of the molecular ion peak depends on the stability of the molecular ion. Thymine is an Aromatic molecule so has the greatest stability of the molecular ion. M+1 ion is also evident as con sequence of using Electron Ionization technique in ionization step. Lower m/z lines were due to fragments of Thymine. Mass Spectroscopic Analysis of Thymidine Derivatives Oxidation of Thymine in DNA Changes in DNA structure such as oxidations in DNA bases pose a major role in mutagenic initiation and degenerative diseases. Peroxyl radicals (ROO) has been found to cause must of the oxidations in the body. The

Demonstrative Communication Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Demonstrative Communication Paper - Essay Example The important aspect of demonstrative communications is to listen and respond. Highlighting the importance of listening Kahane (2007) in the book â€Å"Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities† argues, â€Å"Listening requires opening ourselves. Our typical patterns of listening in difficult situations are tactical, not relational. We listen what we expect to hear. We sift through other’s views for what we can use to make our own points.† (p. x) Listening and responding are like alternative beats of the same heart. Demonstrative Communication can be Effective and Positive Demonstrative communication involves sending and getting wordless information. Its use is to strengthen verbal communication, though it has the capacity to stand alone and deliver messages of its own. Among all non-verbal communications, facial expressions are most common and important and they account for majority of the communications. Similarly â⠂¬Å"Body Language is very relevant to management and leadership, and to all aspects of work and business where communications can be seen and physically observed among people. Communication includes listening. In terms of observable body language, non-verbal (non-spoken) signals are being exchanged whether these signals are accompanied by spoken words or not.†(Body†¦) Demonstrative communication buttresses verbal communication. To cite an example, the style of the apparel, the disciplined handshake, and the friendly half-smile speaks a lot about the personality and inner world of an individual. When these qualities get assimilated with the verbal presentation, the final outcome is bound to be sterling. In a personal encounter, what you speak is important, but how you speak what you speak is more important. Kevin Hogan (1999) in his book â€Å"Talk Your Way to the Top—Communication Secrets to Change Your Life† argues â€Å"Communication is far more than what you say. It’s how you say â€Å"it.† Communication is about listening and talking and the act of mutually disclosing inner feelings and thoughts to others.†(p.17) Each and every movement of the various parts of the body has something to reveal about the personality of an individual. The tone of a casual â€Å"hello† is like holding the mirror for the goings on in the mind, whether one is an aggressive personality or a calm and collected individual. A person can know what the estimate of others by the non-verbal signals transmitted towards him. Such a reaction can be employed for immediate corrective measures to enable the concerned individual to work for his advantage. For example, you are told the price of a newly launched car model; you take a step back and exclaim â€Å"My God!† The salesman, well-versed in the art communication, is able to gauge your thinking process that probably he is not the one of the possible buyer of a high-priced car and will think of showing him cheaper, alternative models. Possibility of Ineffective and Negative Demonstrative Communication In a given day, one uses different types of demonstrative communications without being actually aware of the fact that one is doing so. They just become part of life. Tattoo marks, the pendant, the favorite color, the perfume, hairstyles, the apparel, are all examples of demonstrative communication. One reveals some part of the personality by such embellishments. They are meant to be the positive

Different construction insurance mechanisms currently utilized by the Essay

Different construction insurance mechanisms currently utilized by the construction industry - Essay Example Material loss may result from the death of an employee, worker's compensation or defects on construction. Construction insurance although in theory is not very different from any other type of insurance, the main difference lies in the enormous risk a construction company is exposed to while undergoing the project, thus, resulting to a higher premium. As a matter of fact, "the market for general liability insurance has taken a disastrous turn over the past two years. Builders and remodelers in every part of the country are experiencing dramatic increases in premiums and big changes in deductibles and exclusions. In some states, coverage may not be available at any price. If a company's insurance is too costly, it can't be competitive." (Miller) This is the reason why several mechanisms are used in the construction industry to minimize the risk or the amount of premiums to be paid. Some mechanisms are provided for by law whereas some evolved from general practice. Several examples of these mechanisms are the Additional-insured endorsements, Owner Insured Risk Programs, reinsurance and the inclusion of a mediation and/or arbitration clause in the insurance contract. One of the mechanisms used, particularly in Oregon, is the "additional-insured endorsements." These endorsements, "which ... An additional-insured endorsement states that in addition to the insured contractor, another party is an additional insured party under the insurance contract, thus giving the additional party the right to make a claim directly on the policy." (Christensen) This simple mechanism ensures that the insurance is available among the various participants in construction projects including owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and sub-subcontractors. This mechanism in effect lowers the overall cost for risk-allocation on the project. Another mechanism is the Owner Controlled Insurance Program or OCIP. In an OCIP, "the owner purchases insurance for other participants in a construction project." (Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP) An Owner Controlled Insurance Program will cover the owner, the contractor , the subcontractors and sometimes include the design professionals. The coverage is tailored to the needs of the party applying for it but generally it includes general liability (CGL), builder's risk, worker's compensation, design errors and omissions as well as excess and other special coverages. The OCIP process is pretty complicated, contractors and subcontractors need to be cautious when participating in an OCIP project. "They must ensure that the coverage offered by the OCIP is sufficient to replace their existing insurance coverage. They also must be careful that the bid deduct process by which the cost of insurance deducted from their price is properly and timely performed." (Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP) The OCIP was generally used in large scale constructions, however, it is slowly becoming popular even with small-scale projects especially in condominium and

Museum Visit 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museum Visit 1 - Assignment Example The mesmerizing sculptures were a depiction of life different from the modern world. Hence, these sculptures and portraits are the reminder of the people and civilization which was prominent, powerful, victorious and alive, but don’t existent anymore (" Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University") The work which intrigued me most was the Mummy Mask of a Lady whose artist was unknown and which belonged to 7th-6th Century BCE. Funeral ceremony in ancient Egypt included sculpted masks tradition, which was made for the deceased person to strengthen his spirit for the afterlife sake. Hence, these burial masks contained specifications in engraved form of a deceased person. Prominent Royal Family Members wore burial masks with specifications of their rank, status, gender, beauty and personality attributes. Thus, youth, beauty and royalty were the evident features of such masks. Ancient Egyptians believed that spirits can recognize its body through the mask. Moreover, death was a transitional process for them, a journey from one life to the other. Therefore, these masks were considered to be objects which had a power to turn a mortal into divine state. Masks hold significant position in the prevailing society as well. Thus, these invisible masks are often worn on daily bases, as available in the form of hypocrisy, selfishness, greed, lust and many more. In the prevailing society the aim of these masks, is to attain wealth. However, the ancients wore masks to become immortals. Since, there is a lack of agreement of life after death in the prevailing society therefore, people wore mask to gain material benefits only in this life. The Mummy Mask of a Lady transcended me into a different dimension of time. A time where funerals took over 70 days, mask of a deceased was a symbol or verification object to enter into another life with an identity. The peculiar features of the mask embossed the status of the deceased, in a life; which was over for him. However,

Causes of Wrongful Convictions in the United Sates judicial System Research Paper

Causes of Wrongful Convictions in the United Sates judicial System - Research Paper Example shown that wrong convictions happen on daily basis in the US judicial system, with the Bureau of Justice Statistics admitting publicly that about 8% to 12 % of all the state inmates are either factually or actually innocent (Bohm, 2011). Therefore, this research paper is going to explore the issue of wrongful conviction in the USA judicial system, establish the root causes of the problem as well as introduce possible solutions with DNA being the most viable alternative to the problem. Controversial studies have shown that USA has one of the highest numbers of inmates in the world which is said to be roughly 7.1 million people (Free & Ruesink, 2012). Other contentious statistics estimate that about one person in every one hundred adults is an inmate with the ratio dramatically increasing if persons under probation are considered. The country has about 8 percent of prisoners in the federal prisons incarcerated for engaging in violent crimes with about 52 percent inmates being sentenced in state prisons (Free & Ruesink, 2012). It is estimated that about two-thirds of these criminals are rearrested within the first three years after their release with 52 percent of them being incarcerated. The findings of these studies are highly alarming and more precisely because of the high number of innocent persons who were convicted wrongly and imprisoned. However, most people in the country used to hold the presumption that the country’s judicial system is fair and blin d and that no individual is convicted for a crime that he or she did not commit (Tong, Bryant & Horvath, 2009). A number of factors are believed to have attributed to the wrongful conviction of innocent people in the USA with eyewitness misidentification being one of the major causes. Many scholars believe that eyewitness misidentification is the root cause of this prevalent problem in the country. The US judicial system used to rely so much on witness brought forward by eyewitnesses when convicting suspected

The Devil Wears Prada Essay Example for Free

The Devil Wears Prada Essay After reading the book on intimacy relationships marriage and child bearing I realized the decisions that people choose to make will have an impact on how I deal with them in a counseling session. Understanding people and their choices will determine what treatment plan I will set for them. What is most important is for me to understand the theory of why people make the decisions that they make. As a mental health counselor, intimate relationships will be my main focus. I believe having good people in your life can help you overcome difficult times and having a strong and good marriage sets the foundation for a good family and child bearing decision. Having parents that are happy and involved in their children’s lives can help produce positive children in a community. As a mental health counselor I will be concerned about all of it and I will use the various theories to help my clients. The movie I chose was The Devil Wears Prada. It was nominated for two Oscars. It was one of the best movies of 2006. I love this movie; I have it on DVD and love to watch it on a rainy day. It’s my favorite with some chicken noodle soup. The storyline is deep and deals with personal issues of careers and romance and friendship. Anne Hathaway plays a young college graduate looking to break into the writing field. She takes on a job with a big fashion magazine in hopes of getting a big break in journalism one day. In the process, she begins to transform into a different persons in order to move up at her job. Career success brings personal woe as she begins to lose long-time relationships her friends and her boyfriend. In the beginning of the movie you can tell how intimacy is important to her as she is very close to her boyfriend and her other friends away from work. She suffers at her job because she is isolated, branded as an outsider. As time goes on, however, she progresses in her career at the magazine. As she does, she begins to feel less isolated at work, but slowly begins to lose her connections at home. Home intimacy is no longer as important to her and she begins to experience a new isolation when she realizes something has gone terribly wrong in her life on her trip to Paris. While sitting in the car with Miranda in Paris, Miranda looks over to her and tells her she is just like her. Anne Hathaway’s character realizes that she was like Miranda who was isolated from family, friends and even her own children. Andy knew that if she did not want end up like Miranda she must change her ways and chose intimacy as part of her life. She went from having intimacy at home, yet being isolated at work, to being isolated at home with only her career to comfort her. With this new realization and her decision to leave her career behind, she had severed all ties and was isolated at both ends of her life. At the end, she regained her relationships with her boyfriend and her friends. Eventually was able to get back on track and landed a job at a news paper and said goodbye to isolation when she was able to see Miranda and walk away without looking back.

Teacher-Student Interaction In Classrooms

Teacher-Student Interaction In Classrooms The education system in Pakistan depicts an undesirable situation, especially the classroom environment. Teaching learning process in the country at secondary and tertiary level is too weak and our classroom environment is totally based on rote memorization. There is no provision for the development of intellectual and thinking skills among students who are given very less time for active participation and interaction. The teacher seems to be in a very dominant role in the class. Unfortunately, poorly structured classroom quickly deteriorate into a vacuous waste of time. Recent research on teaching effectiveness based on large-scale meta-analysis conducted by Walberg (1986) indicates that the seven factors are key elements of effective teaching: engaged academic learning time, use of positive reinforcement, cooperative learning activities, positive class atmosphere, higher-order questioning, cues and feedback and use of advance organizers. The system of interaction developed by Flander shows how these elements fit together in actual classroom interaction. Role of the teacher in making classroom climate conducive for learning is highly crucial. The classroom climate is built up by the pattern of interaction between teacher and students verbal exchanges, asking questions, responding and reacting. The most important factor in a classroom situation are the interactions and exchanges initiated by the teacher and students. Jackson (1968) reports that teachers are typically involved in more than 1,000 verbal exchanges with their students every day. There is a lot of talking; enough to give even the strongest vocal cords a severe case of laryngitis. Count the number of verbal exchanges teachers have with their students and the count during a classroom scene will give an idea of how much teachers talk. The present study will be designed to investigate the patterns of classroom interaction at Elementary level in the light of Flanders interaction analysis system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The study will be further delimited to cities of Kohat and Peshawar. Statement of the Problem The problem taken up for investigation can be stated in precise term as à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Study of Teacher Student Interaction in Classrooms at Elementary Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwaà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ . Objectives The objectives of the study will be To explore the patterns of classroom interaction at elementary level in the light of Flanders interaction analysis. Hypothesis About two-third of classroom time is devoted to talking at s elementary level. About two-third of the talking time, the person talking is the teacher at elementary level. About two-third of the teachers talk is direct (that is, lecturing, directing and controlling) at elementary level. Review of Related Literature Interaction between teacher and students is essential in the teaching learning process. Teacher and student both are the key elements of this process. Different educationist like Good lad, (1984) Bellack (1965) and Jackson (1968) conducted researches studies. Among these researchers, Flander (1963) conducted research on classroom interaction and developed an instrument called Flanders interaction analysis with which he was able to categorize student and teacher verbal behavior. The system tells a great deal about the nature and quality of classroom verbal interaction. As a result of applying his interaction analysis system in Classroom settings involving teachers, Flanders came up with the rule of two third. lie found that someone is talking during two third of the Classroom time. Approximately two-third of that time, the person doing the talking is the teacher. Two-third of the teachers talk is what Flanders calls direct talk. Flander suggests that this two third pattern has unfortunate consequences in that students are forced into a passive role that eventually results in negatives attitudes, lower achievement, and a general dependency on the teacher. To use the Flanders Interaction Analysis, one codes the verbal interaction in 1 in 10 categories, plots the coded data onto a matrix, and analyses the matrix. Categories for Interaction Analysis: Indirect Teachers Talk Accepts feelings. Acknowledges student-expressed emotions (feelings) in a non threatening manner. Praises or encourages and provides positive reinforcement of student contribution. Accepts or uses ideas of students and clarifies, develops, or refers to student contribution of ten non evaluative. Asks questions, solicits information or opinion (not rhetorically) Lectures, presents information, opinion of orientation; perhaps includes Gives directions supplies direction or suggestion with which a student is expected to comply. Criticizes or justifies authority and offers negative evaluation of student contributions or places emphasis on teachers authoritative position. Student talk-response, gives a response to the teachers question, usually a predictable answer. Student talk-initiation initiates a response that is unpredictable or creative in content. Silence or confusion leaves periods of silence or inaudible verbalization Pedagogical Game Bellack (1965) has analyzed verbal exchanges between teacher and student and likened them to a pedagogical game. The game is so cyclical and occurs so frequently that many teachers and students do not even know that they are playing. There are four moves: The teacher provides information, directions and introduces the topics. The teacher asks a question. The students answers the question, or tries to The teacher reacts to the students answer and provides feedback. These four steps make up a pedagogical cycle. Teachers initiate about 85 percent of the cycles, which are used over and over again in classroom interaction. Although these cycles can be found in a majority of classrooms, the quality and effectiveness of these four steps vary widely. When teachers learn to enhance and rune each of the moves of the pedagogical cycle, student achievement is increased. Doland (1985) asks Have you ever been to a class where the teacher is bombarded with the question? `I dont get what you mean. When such complaints are constant in a class, it is a sure sign that the teacher is not making effective use of an essential teaching skill: clarity and academics structure. A growing body of research makes it clear that these skills are related to student achievement. Students, therefore, need a clear understanding of what they are expected to learn and they need to be motivated to learn it. Effective structuring sets the stage for learning and typically occurs at the beginning of the lesson. Although the length of structure will vary depending on the age, ability and background of the students and difficulty of the subject matter, the following components are usually build in an effective academic structure. a. Objectives. Let the students know the objectives of each lesson. They, like the teacher, need a road map of where they are going and why. Review. Help students review prior learning before presenting new information. If there is confusion, correct each. Motivation. Create an anticipatory set that motivates students to listen to the presentation. This can be done through an intriguing question, an anecdote, a joke or interesting teaching materials. Transition. Relate new information to previously attained knowledge and experience. Provide ties and connections that will help students integrate old and new information. Clarification Break down a large body of information. Do not inundate students with too many facts. Ibis is particularly true for young children and slower learners, although it also applies to older and faster learners. Examples. Give several examples and illustration to explain main points and ideas. Directions. Give directions distinctly and slowly. If students are confused about what they are supposed to do, repeat or break information into small segments. Enthusiasm. Demonstrate personal enthusiasm for the academic content. Make it clear why the information is interesting and important. Closure. Close the lesson with brief review or summary. The majority in academic structuring takes place at the beginning of the lesson, but there may be several points throughout the lesson where sub-structuring or brief presentation of information are also necessary. Substructures initiate new pedagogical cycles and allow the discussion to continue. A clear summary or review is also important at the close of the lesson. Good questioning is at the very core of good teaching. As John Dewey (1933) said. To question well is to teach well. In the skilful use of the questions more than anything else lies the fine art of teaching. Since questioning is a key element iii guiding learning, all students should have equal access to classroom questions and academic interaction. If you want all students, and not just the quickest and most assertive, to answer questions, establish a protocol for participation and interaction. For example, make a rule that students must raise their hands and be called on before they may talk. (Donald, 1985). Although it is important to keep classroom discussion moving at a brisk pace, sometimes teachers push forward too rapidly. Slowing down at two key places during classroom discussion can usually improve the effectiveness and quality of classroom responses. In the research on classroom interaction, this slowing down is called wait time. Mary (1986) research shows that after asking a question, teachers typically wait only one second or less for a student response (wait time 1). If the response is not forthcoming in that time, teachers rephrase the question, asks another student to answer it, or answer it themselves. If teachers can learn to increase their wait time from one second to 3-5 seconds, significant improvements in the quantity and quality of student response usually will take place. There is another point in classroom discussion when wait time can be increased. After students complete an answer, teachers often begin their reaction or their next question before a second has passed (wait time 2). Once again, it is important for teachers to increase their wait time from one second to 3-5 seconds. Based on her research, Mary (1986) has determined that increasing the pause after student gives an answer is equally as important as increasing wait time. Resultantly, classroom interaction is changed in several posit ive ways. Recently, attention has been directed not only at how teachers ask questions, but also at how they respond to student answers. A study analyzing classroom interaction in more than 100 classrooms in five states found that teachers generally use four types of reactions. Praise. Positive comments about student work, such as Excellent, good job. Acceptance. Comments such as Uh-huh and Okay which acknowledge that student answers are acceptable. Remediation. Comments that encourage a more accurate student response or encourage student to think more clearly, creatively, logically. Sample remediation comments include Try again, Sharpen your answer, Check your addition, Criticism. A clear statement that an answer is inaccurate or a behavior paper) as well as comments that simply indicate an answer is not correct (Your answer to the third question is wrong) Good lad (1984) said that a snapshot of classrooms taken at random would in all likelihood show teachers talking and questioning and students listening and responding. Further, observations in 1000 classrooms showed that teachers interact less and less with students as they go through the grades. The elementary classroom is more interactive than the high school one; the high school classroom is more interactive than college. Most students play a more passive role in classroom interaction at the end of the schooling process than at its beginning. Ironically, interviews with students show that they are happiest when they are actively involved in their learning. Communications and Interaction Education with its correlated activities of teaching and learning involves communication as well as reciprocal interaction between the teacher and pupils, as channels of realizing its objectives. Communication is a Latin word, meaning common. Hence communication implies having common experiences with other people. The word communication means a wide variety of things to different people. The following are some of the widely accepted definitions for communication. Communication means sharing of ideas and feelings in a mood of mutuality. Communication involves interaction which encourages give and take. This provides feedback to persons involved in exchanging ideas. Communication is a process of sharing of experiences till it becomes a common possession. Effective communication is a two-way process including feedback and interaction. It is rather difficult, if not increasingly impossible, to provide children with actual first-hand experiences as the world becomes increasingly complex. Obviously, some substitute experience must be evolved and used to enable children to understand and conceptualize their world. This is the essence of communication as an integral part of teaching. Teachers Behavior and Classroom Interaction Teaching behavior is an act of the teacher which occurs in the context of classroom interaction. Teachers behave in different ways and therefore there are different types of classroom interactions. Some teachers are very strict and some are very kind and lenient. Some are witty and humorous and some are dull. There are some who are very stern and serious all the time. Certainly, the teachers behavior pattern sets the pattern of pupil behavior in a classroom. The teachers behavior tends to create an atmosphere which is described as classroom climate. We may classify the teachers classroom behavior into two categories (1) Demonstrative and (2) integrative. When a teacher talks, commands, restricts pupils freedom to talk, he is dominative. When he allows pupils to talk, ask questions, accepts their ideas and stimulates their participation in class activities, he is integrative. It is, therefore, the teachers behavior which sets the pattern for learning atmosphere or climate in the classroom. If he is generally dominant, he promotes such a climate in the class. If he is generally integrative, he aids in integrative climate. Techniques of interaction analysis have been helpful in the analysis of teaching behavior. Although only a small proportion of verbal communication is recorded, it is possible to infer about classroom events. It is possible to estimate the initiation and response on the part of the teacher and pupils and a number of other interesting features of teacher- pupils relationship. (Amidon Hunter, 1967). Interaction Analysis Interaction analysis is a process of encoding and decoding the study pattern of teaching and learning. In the coding process, categories of classifying statements are established, a code symbol is assigned to each category and a trained observer records by jotting down code symbols. In the decoding step, a trained analyst interprets the display of coded data even though he may not have been present when the data were collected. Although there are many systems for coding spontaneous verbal communication in classroom, typical system for interaction analysis will usually include: a. A set of categories, each defined clearly. A procedure for observation and a set of ground rules which govern the coding process, Steps for tabulating data in order to arrange a display, and suggestion which can be followed in some of the more common application. Classroom interaction analysis can be used for in service and pre-service education in order to help teachers improve classroom instniction. This requires some kind of objective feedback to the person who is trying to change his behavior. Classroom Interaction Technique Study of classroom had always deserved the attention of research workers and, as a result, it was in the late 1930s that the analysis of teaching behavior was used by Anderson. He was interested in developing a reliable technique for the measurement of domination and of socially integrative behavior in teachers contact with children. Although classroom observation has been there in training programmes for a long time now, objective and reliable scales of observation is of recent origin. Traditional observation relied on subjective estimates and could not be quantified. The observational techniques have mechanical devices against subjective examination by the observer. Some of the popular observation schedules were developed over the past few years (Amidon and Hough, 1970). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY RESEARCH DESIGN The study will focus on patterns of classroom interaction at Elementary level in the light of Flanders Interaction Analysis. This study will be an observational type of the descriptive method. The following procedure will be adopted for studying patterns of classroom interaction. POPULATION As the purpose of the study will be to explore the patterns of classroom interaction at Elementary level in the light of Flanders Interaction analysis, so the target population comprised all the Elementary level classrooms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. SAMPLE The sample of the study will be consisted of twenty-five classrooms at Elementary level. The number of observed teachers will be twenty five at Elementary level. The number of observed students will be fifteen hundred. All the twenty five classes of the above level will be selected randomly. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS The research instrument will be Flanders Interaction Analysis for observing and measuring classroom interaction patterns. This instrument was developed by Flander (1970)and has been used extensively in various studies regarding classroom interaction. The items in the Flanders interaction analysis will be converted in an observation sheet called coding chart as illustrated by Gay (2000). The Flanders Interaction Analysis system and specimen of observational sheet is given below. FLANDERS INTERACTION ANALYSIS SYSTEM TEACHER TALK DIRECT INDI RECT Accepts Feelings: Accepts and clarifies the tone of feeling of the students in an unthreatening manner. Feelings may be positive or negative. Predicting or recalling feelings are included. Praises or Encourages: Praises or encourages students action or behavior. Jokes that release tension, not at the expenses of another individual; nodding head and saying um hm? or go on are included. Accepts or uses ideas of students: Clarifies, builds, or develops ideas suggested by a student. As teacher brings more of his or her own ideas into play, shift to # 5. Asks Questions: Asks questions about content or procedure with the intent that the student answers. Lecturing: Gives facts or opinions about content or procedure, expresses his or her ideas, asking rhetorical questions. Giving Directions: gives directions, commands, or orders that students are expected to comply with. Criticizing or Justifying Authority: gives statements that are intended to change student behavior from unacceptable to acceptable pattern; bawling someone out; stating why the teacher is doing in the context of what he or she is doing with extreme self-reference. Student talk-response: Talk by students in response to teacher. Teacher initiates the contact or solicits students statement Studentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s talk-initiation: Talk initiated by students. If calling on student is only to indicate who may talk next, observer must decide whether student wanted to talk. Silence or confusion: Pauses, short periods of silence, and periods of confusion in which communication cannot be understood by the observer. Subject: The above observational sheet represents 90 seconds for 10 categories of FIA. Each block in observational sheet represents 3 seconds. PROCEDURE The design of the study will be observational, In order to secure data, Flanders Interaction Analysis procedure will be employed to observe classroom interaction patterns in Elementary level classrooms. The following observation procedure will be adopted: 1. In the each class of 45 minutes duration, 13.50 minutes (810 secs) will be used for observation. 13.50 minutes (810 secs) will be divided in to nine observation session. Each observation session will be for the duration of 1 .30 minutes (90 secs). One observation sheet will be used for each observation session of 90 seconds. Each observation session will constitute 30 observation periods. Each observation period will be of 3 seconds duration. The teachers behaviour in each observation period of 3 seconds will be observed, classified and recorded in the relevant block of the observation sheet till the termination of observation session of 90 seconds. Stopwatch will be used to note initiation and expiry of each observation period of 3 seconds. 9. Total time for observation in a single classroom will be 13.50 minutes DATA COLLECTION The observational session will be an interesting stage for the researcher. He will visit different classrooms, with different subject matter and with different teachers. Twenty five classes (as mentioned in sample) will be observed in a period of 3 months. DATA ANALYSIS Data collected through the above mentioned research instrument will be coded in the observation sheets. Each table will be analysed and interpreted by using percentages. In order to calculate, all the categories from category 1 to 10 will be added and the mean and standard deviation of 10 categories for 25 Elementary classes will be calculated. LITERATURE CITED Amidon E. and N. Flanders. 1967. Interaction Analysis as a Feedback System. Theory: Research, and Application. Addison-Wesley Reading, MA, USA Pp.121-140. Amidon, E. and J. Hough. 1970 Interaction Analysis: Theory, Research, and Application. Addison-wesley Reading, MA. USA Ppl 14-1 18. Amidon, E. and E. Hunter. 1967. Verbal Interaction in the Classroom: The verbal interaction category system. Addison-wesley. Reading, MA: USA P 52. Anderson, L. W. and R. B. Burns. 1989. Research in Classrooms: The study of teachers, Teaching and Instruction. Pergamon Press New York. P.101. Bellack, A. 1965. The language of the Classroom. Teacher college press, New York. Bruner, J. 1966 Towards a theory of Instruction. Cambridge, Mass, Belknap Press, Harvard University. Pp 87-99. Dewey, J. 1933. How we think. D.C.I:leath, Boston.P.266 Donald, E. 1985. Applying Research on Teacher Clarity: Journal of Teacher Education, New York.P.44-48 Flander, N. 1963. Intent, Action and Feed back, A preparation for teaching. Journal of Teacher of Education. New York. Pp25 1-260. Flander, N. 1967 Teacher Influence in the Classroom. Interaction analysis: theory, research, and application Addison-Wesley. Reading, MA:USA. Pp 103-116. Flander, N. 1970 Analyzing Teacher Behavior. Addison-Wesley. Reading, Mass: P.171 Flander, N, and G. Morine. 1973 The Assessment of Proper Control and Suitable learning environment. In N. L. Gage (Ed). Mandated evaluation of educators. Stanford California Center for Research and Development in Teaching. Pp 73-78 Gage, N. L. 1978. The Scientific Basis for the Art of Teaching. Teachers College Press. New York: P-287 Gay,L R. 2000. Competencies for Analysis and Application (5h ed). Educational Research. Florida International University. Pp.448-457. Goodlad, J. 1984. A Place Called Classroom. McGraw Hill Publishing Company, New York. P.387-91. Jackson, W. P. 1968. Life In Classroom. Hold, Rinehart, New YOrk.P.69. Medley and Mitzel. 1963. Observational schedule. Interaction Analysis, University Press, New Delhi P.86. Mark N. 1994. Problem Based Learning, McGraw Hill, New York. p 110.

The Real California Cheese Campaign Marketing Essay

The Real California Cheese Campaign Marketing Essay The Real California Cheese Campaign is a great example of a prosperous, positive promotional campaign. This campaign originated because of a study conducted by the Stanford Research Institute to improve the waning dairy industry in California. The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) is a state agency responsible for promoting California dairy products (Belch 297). The CMAB took the information from the study to develop and implement a highly effective integrated marketing communications plan. In order to have a profitable advertising campaign, there must be an integrated marketing communications plan in place. Our textbook defines integrated marketing communication as, a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate coordinated, measureable, persuasive brand communications programs over time with consumers, customers, prospects, employees, associates and other targeted relevant external and internal audiences. The goal is to generate both short-term financial returns and build long-term brand and shareholder value (Belch 12). The Happy Cows campaign did this for the cheese industry in California. First, there was the planning stage when the CMAB appointed the Stanford Research Institute to conduct a survey. Then the plan was developed and the CMAB decided to put the Real California Cheese seal on all their products for brand identity (Greenwald 1). The integrated marketing communication plan was implemented in 1985. This is when they started promo ting Real California Cheese with advertising on television and the radio, in newspapers and magazines, and outdoors. In 1995, the CMAB decided to have an emotional approach to their advertising campaign. During the years 1995 to 2000, the slogan for California cheese was Its the Cheese. In the year 2000, under the direction of a new advertising agency, Deutsch LA, the slogan Great Cheese comes from Happy Cows. Happy Cows come from California was introduced (Greenwald 2). In the text video, we watched some of these commercials and they are very funny and entertaining. This campaign portrayed a positive image for California cheese that customers will remember. Our textbook mentions this concept by stating, Marketers generally try to create agreeable messages that lead to positive feelings toward the product or service. Humorous messages often put consumers in a good mood and evoke positive feelings that may become associated with the brand being advertised (Belch 178). Our textbook al so points out that, Humorous ads are often the best known and best remembered of all advertising messages (Belch 199). One of the reasons this campaign is so successful is because people of all ages can understand and receive the message they are trying to portray to the customer. Lastly, the process was evaluated to get feedback from customers. During the evaluation process, people were asked if they recognized who the advertiser was in cheese advertisements and where the cheese they buy comes from (Greenwald 16). The integrated marketing communication plan for Real California Cheese is measureable because of the results of these surveys. It is also persuasive because their profits and consumption percentages have rose significantly because of this advertising campaign (Greenwald 7). Another reason this integrated marketing communication plan succeeded so well is that they used so many customer-orientated advertising sales promotional (Belch 23) tools in stores; for example: sampli ng, demonstrations, coupons, flyers, and banners (Greenwald 4). This success has definitely generated both short-term financial returns and build long-term brand and shareholder value (Belch 12) for this company. It initially increased sales, and continues to do so, as proven by the statistics on page 7 (Greenwald). The Real California Cheese seal played an important role in the success of the entire campaign. This universal indicator shows that the milk used to make the cheese is from California cows (Greenwald 1). Our textbook states that Positioning has been defined as the art and science of fitting the product or service to one or more segments of the broad market in such a way as to set it meaningfully apart from competition (Belch 56). The Real California Cheese seal is what differentiates this cheese from other cheeses in the market and is used as the primary symbol of their company. This seal is on every package of cheese made in California, as well as on restaurant menus that use the California cheese, and coupons for California cheese. This is an integral part of their integrated marketing communication plan. The Real California Cheese seal gives it brand identity (Greenwald 1). Our textbook describes brand identity as, a combination of many factors, including the name, logo, symbols, design, packaging, and performance of a product or service as well as the image or type of associations that comes to mind when consumers think about a brand (Belch 56). It made a big difference to the program because buyers of the cheese as well as products made with California cheese are easily recognized (Greenwald 1). The advertising agency was assigned to target women ages 25 to 54. They are the main buyer of cheese, have fairly higher earnings than average, and are most likely to be married with a family. They had a yearly budget of $33 million to spend for developing the campaign (Greenwald 3). The Happy Cows personality that was created can be described as fun and entertaining. They use humor and positive imagery in their advertising campaign. Our textbook points out that, One study found that people who enjoy a commercial are twice as likely as those who are neutral toward it to be convinced that the brand is the best (Belch 167). The pros of the campaign are that they were able to reach out to so many people in different ways. They used many different advertising outlets to reach a wide audience. They use mass marketing to advertise their product on radio and national television, as well as on outside billboards, and transportation shelters. In 2004 and 2005, they used mass marketing during the Super Bowl. They marketed Real California Cheese in stores by giving out coupons and samples. This was all part of their identity-building ad campaign (Greenwald 3). They advertise in retail outlets, in the food service industry, and at various trade shows as well (Greenwald 3-5). They actively advertised their campaign, making sure it was positive, and included the Real California Cheese seal. The con of this advertising approach is that it costs a lot of money to maintain. No advertising approach can be continued indefinitely. As we saw in the text video, they have added different animals in their commercials, such as bulls and sheep, which give the commercials more variety. Since internet advertising is constantly growing, they will need to expand their advertising presence on the internet. They already have their own website, but they should expand to advertising on other websites, such as Google or Facebook, which is very popular these days. There are three main consumer promotion tools used by the CMAB, cross-promotions in-store that utilize instant redeemable coupons, in-store product sampling, and self-liquidating premium offers (Greenwald 5). These tactics allow customers to save money, not only on the cheese, but also with products that go with cheese. It allows potential customers to try before they buy the products. They can also have souvenirs of the Happy Cow campaign with merchandise bought from the website. This way is used to reinforce the advertising by keeping the merchandise fresh in the consumers mind with the primary objective of repeat customers (Greenwald 5). Public relations is used as part of the integrated marketing communications program by having articles in premium food magazines tout their many awards for their advertising as well as recipes that use Real California Cheese. Along with their advertising awards, they have won international cheese competitions that are covered by the press. Stories about how the cheese is made are also part of their public relations program. They use different types of magazines and newspapers depending on the angle of interest of the target audience. Not only magazines centered on food are used, but also travel magazines or travel sections of the newspaper are used to reach different audiences (Greenwald 6). The Real California Cheese website homepage exhibits the certification seal for Real California Cheese. This is one way that the seal reinforces the integrated marketing communications program. Other things on the website are: videos of television ads, Happy Cow merchandise and cheese for sale, coupons, maps, recipes, articles, game section for kids, professional section for chefs and restaurant operators (Greenwald 6). All of these things support the other parts of the integrated marketing communications program by putting their name and logo out there so it stays prominent in the customers mind (Greenwald 5). The CMAB used customer surveys to evaluate their IMC program (Greenwald 16). They have won many awards for their creative Happy Cows campaign, so this is another way it has been evaluated. The companys statistics give a numerical indication of the success of the campaign. The cheese production has significantly increased since the start of the campaign because of the increasing demand for Real California Cheese, even internationally (Greenwald 7). Customer satisfaction is a very big part of the success of any campaign. Therefore, they should continue with the coupons and sampling of the product and focus on that. Customer trends are ever changing and no one really knows what the next trend will be. I came up with a few ideas, and then looked at the Real California Cheese website, and most of them were already on there. The Real California Cheese website is full of useful information and different activities (www.realcaliforniacheese.com). One idea that I am pretty sure they have not done yet is having a Happy Cow jingle about Real California Cheese. The cows could hum the jingle while they are grazing contently in the pasture. Janice and Diane could sing the jingle on radio commercials. This jingle could be made into a ring-tone for cell phones. This would reinforce their message by keeping it prominent in the customers mind (Greenwald 5). Another idea I thought of is to have a Happy Cow costume that an employee could wear at events, such as trade shows. This Happy Cow character could be at a restaurant when they first introduce Real California Cheese on the menu, like a grand opening ceremon y. The Happy Cow character would definitely carry the Real California Cheese seal. The California Milk Advisory Board really got it right when they came up with this integrated marketing communications plan. They went through all the stages of a successful integrated marketing communications plan: plan, develop, execute, and evaluate (Belch 12). It has all the elements of success. It is appropriate for all ages, humorous, creative, positive, and non-offensive. The website contains a wealth of information about Real California Cheese, including recipes, coupons, sustainability, and nutritional information. There are also fun activities, videos, pictures, and contests (www.realcaliforniacheese.com).

Road Rage: The Scourge Of Americas Roadways :: essays research papers fc

Topic: Road RageGeneral Purpose: To convinceSpecific Purpose: To convince the audience to combat "road rage" by increasing driver awarenessThesis Statement: "Road rage" caused by aggressive driving tendencies is a growing epidemic affecting today's roadways, but there is a solution.Ethos: Include myself in my statements.Pathos: Audience should feel horrified at the consequences of road rage.Logos: Cite statistics and research resources.IntroductionI. How many of you have ever been in a motor vehicle? Did you know that "motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among Americans 1-37 years old." With the largest % being our age group. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)II. Many traffic accidents could have been easily prevented if not for the angry menace called road rage. Road rage caused by aggressive driving tendencies is a growing epidemic affecting today's roadways, but there is a solution.Transition 1: As you can see road rage is a serious problem that could potentially affect us all. But many of us have different ideas of the scope of road rage.BodyI. You can better combat "road rage" by understanding what it is...A. Road rage or aggressive driving is defined as behavior behind the wheel in which furious drivers lose their temper and engage in risk-taking behavior or attempt to injure or kill another driver or pedestrian over minor traffic disputes.(Dr. Leon James, Professor of Psychology at the University of Hawaii, further defines road rage by breaking it down into three types)1. Verbal Road Rage is composed of behaviors such as yelling, swearing, gesturing, honking, and insulting.2. Quiet Road Rage includes complaining, rushing, competing, and resisting.3. Epic Road Rage includes cutting off, blocking, chasing, fighting, and shooting.B. You all are thinking that we've all done some of those things, but no one really gets hurt. You can be sure that's exactly what Tracie Alfieri and Narkey Terry also thought.1. According to a June 2, Newsweek article, Tracie Alfieri became enraged by the manner in which Rene Andrews pulled into her lane. Alfieri tried to pass Andrews on the right then cut in front and hit the brakes causing Andrews to swerve into a stopped tractor resulting in the loss of Andrews' 6 month old unborn child. Tracie Alfieri was convicted this May of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison. (Newsweek)2. In the most commonly cited incident of road rage, which ended in three deaths: Narkey Terry and Billy Canipe became involved in a game of cat and mouse because Canipe was moving too slowly in the left lane.

A Short Site Stop :: Halloween Internet Computers Technology Essays

A Site for Mindless Fun Entering the world of the World Wide Web can be an intimidating project to undertake. For those who are not extremely computer savvy this task may seem impossible and many may be scared off by the many options the Internet offers. For someone who intends to surf the Internet to browse the many wonders it presents the Website titled Halloween.com may be a good choice for the casual viewer. Yet, if one is looking for a very informative straightforward website with strictly facts and no fabrication this may be a website one should just pass right by. Halloween.com is lacking some information that may be useful for someone doing research on that topic. Therefore it my be a good idea not to waste one’s time browsing the article presented on this website. The reason being it offers no information on any of the authors who have written the articles leaving no indication on the qualifications of the writers. So with this in mind the information contained in the article should be taken with a grain of salt. In addition, there are also no dates given as to when the essays were published leaving the reader to wonder about the validity of the content. But, some valuable information that is present on the homepage of the website is that of when the site was last updated. This is an important fact to look at because the site was just recently updated so it shows that at least the site is not out of date. The essays the website contains seem to be that of opinion only with no sources cited to back up the information describ ed. So with no sources and no legitimate author it is hard to accept that these essays are credible, although Halloween is a subject where many may have a innate general knowledge. With all this in mind a defense for the website is a variety of subjects are covered about Halloween and for an entertainment purpose only the website could be considered useful. One benefit this site does contain is for the novice browser this Website is user friendly. The information is represented in such a way that it provides easy navigation to the topic of one’s choice.

Edward R. Murrow and Changing the Face of Communication Essay -- Journ

Since the beginning of broadcast journalism, there has been one person credited with revolutionizing the field. This was Edward R. Murrow, also known as Mr. Television. Murrow set the highest standard for the reporting of news on radio and television. He broadcast stories that other journalists of the time would not even touch for fear of blacklisting. His facts were solid, his scope thorough, his analysis on target, and his principles uncompromised (Edwards 7). He was also fearless when it came to challenging leaders who he felt were abusing their power, including Senator Joseph McCarthy. Murrow ushered in the modern age of reporting by basically creating the radio and television journalism medium and by openly using these mediums to challenge the views and principles of powerful politicians. Broadcast journalism is defined as, â€Å"a field of news and journals which are ‘broadcast’, that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters,† (â€Å"Broadcast Journalism†). Edward R. Murrow was one of the first true broadcast journalists. Although newspapers and journalists had been around for quite some time, radio and television were relatively new fields of technology, and a new way of presenting the news had to be adapted. Murrow’s first experience with broadcast journalism came to be when he started reporting from England during World War II. Although the radio was certainly not new when Murrow began reporting from it, it was the first time it was used as a substantial news source (Bernstein). Before this time, average citizens mainly tuned in to hear the headlines or to listen to nightly entertaining radio shows as it provided an escape from the bleakness of the Great Depressi.. . ...pr. 2012. . Cozma, Raluca. "From Murrow To Mediocrity?." Journalism Studies 11.5 (2010): 667-682. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Edwards, Bob. Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2004. Print. "Journalism : Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. . Kendrick, Alexander. Prime Time: The Life of Edward R. Murrow. Boston: Little, Brown, 1969. Print. "The Watergate Story | The Post Investigates (washingtonpost.com)." Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

Ethical Issues in Accounting Essay

â€Å"Accountants and the accountancy profession exist as a means of public service; the distinction which separates a profession from a mere means of livelihood is that the profession is accountable to standards of the public interest, and beyond the compensation paid by clients.† —Robert H. Montgomery, describing ethics in accounting. Accounting ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to accountancy. It is an example of professional ethics. Accounting ethics were first introduced by Luca Pacioli, and later expanded by government groups, professional organizations, and independent companies. Ethics are taught in accounting courses at higher education institutions as well as by companies training accountants and auditors. Due to the diverse range of accounting services and recent corporate collapses, attention has been drawn to ethical standards accepted within the accounting profession. These collapses have resulted in a widespread disregard for the reputation of the accounting profession. To combat the criticism and prevent fraudulent accounting, various accounting organizations and governments have developed regulations and remedies for improved ethics among the accounting profession. Importance of Ethics in Accounting The nature of the work carried out by accountants and auditors requires a high level of ethics. Shareholders, potential shareholders, and other users of the financial statements rely heavily on the yearly financial statements of a company as they can use this information to make an informed decision about investment. They rely on the opinion of the accountants who prepared the statements, as well as the auditors that verified it, to present a true and fair view of the company. Knowledge of ethics can help accountants and auditors to overcome ethical dilemmas, allowing for the right choice that, although it may not benefit the company, will benefit the public who relies on the accountant/auditor’s reporting. History Luca Pacioli, the â€Å"Father of Accounting†, wrote on accounting ethics in his first book Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni, et proportionalita, published in 1494. Ethical standards have since then been developed through government groups, professional organizations, and independent companies. These various groups have led accountants to follow several codes of ethics to perform their duties in a professional work environment. Accountants must follow the code of ethics set out by the professional body of which they are a member. United States accounting societies such as the Association of Government Accountants, Institute of Internal Auditors, and the National Association of Accountants all have codes of ethics, and many accountants are members of one or more of these societies. In 1887, the American Association of Public Accountants (AAPA) was created; it was the first step in developing professionalism in the United States accounting industry. By 1905, the AAPA’s first ethical codes were formulated to educate its members. During its twentieth anniversary meeting in October 1907, ethics was a major topic of the conference among its members. As a result of discussions, a list of professional ethics was incorporated into the organization’s bylaws. However, because membership to the organization was voluntary, the association could not require individuals to conform to the suggested behaviors. Other accounting organizations, such as the Illinois Institute of Accountants, also pursued discussion on the importance of ethics for the field. The AAPA was renamed several times throughout its history, before becoming the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as its named today. The AICPA developed five divisions of ethical principles that its members should follow: â€Å"independence, integrity, and objectivity†; â€Å"competence and technical standards†; â€Å"responsibilities to clients†; â€Å"responsibilities to colleagues†; as well as â€Å"other responsibilities and practices†. Each of these divisions provided guidelines on how a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) should act as a professional. Failure to comply with the guidelines could have caused an accountant to be barred from practicing. When developing the ethical principles, the AICPA also considered how the profession would be viewed by those outside of the accounting industry. Teaching Ethics Universities began teaching business ethics in the 1980s. Courses on this subject have grown significantly in the last couple of decades. Teaching accountants about ethics can involve role playing, lectures, case studies, guest lectures, as well as other mediums. Recent studies indicate that nearly all accounting textbooks touch on ethics in some way. In 1993, the first United States center that focused on the study of ethics in the accounting profession opened at State University of New York at Binghamton. Starting in 1999, several U.S. states began requiring ethics classes prior to taking the CPA exam. Seven goals of accounting ethics education †¢ Relate accounting education to moral issues. †¢ Recognize issues in accounting that have ethical implications. †¢ Develop â€Å"a sense of moral obligation† or responsibility. †¢ Develop the abilities needed to deal with ethical conflicts or dilemmas. †¢ Learn to deal with the uncertainties of the accounting profession. †¢ â€Å"Set the stage for† a change in ethical behavior. †¢ Appreciate and understand the history and composition of all aspects of accounting ethics and their relationship to the general field of ethics. —Stephen E. Loeb In 1988, Stephen E. Loeb proposed that accounting ethics education should include seven goals (adapted from a list by Daniel Callahan). To implement these goals, he pointed out that accounting ethics could be taught throughout accounting curriculum or in an individual class tailored to the subject. Requiring it be taught throughout the curriculum would necessitate all accounting teachers to have knowledge on the subject (which may require training). A single course has issues as to where to include the course in a student’s education (for example, before preliminary accounting classes or near the end of a student’s degree requirements), whether there is enough material to cover in a semester class, and whether most universities have room in a four-year curriculum for a single class on the subject. There has been debate on whether ethics should be taught in a university setting. Supporters point out that ethics are important to the profession, and should be taught to accountants entering the field.[18] In addition, the education would help to reinforce students’ ethical values and inspire them to prevent others from making unethical decisions. Critics argue that an individual is ethical or not, and that teaching an ethics course would serve no purpose. Despite opposition, instruction on accounting ethics by universities and conferences, has been encouraged by professional organizations and accounting firms. The Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) has called for students to â€Å"know and understand the ethics of the profession and be able to make value-based judgments.† Phillip G. Cottel argued that in order to uphold strong ethics, an accountant â€Å"must have a strong sense of values, the ability to reflect on a situation to determine the ethical implications, and a commitment to the well-being of others.† Iris Stuart recommends an ethics model consisting of four steps: the accountant must recognize that an ethical dilemma is occurring; identify the parties that would be interested in the outcome of the dilemma; determine alternatives and evaluate its effect on each alternative on the interested parties; and then select the best alternative. Accounting Scandals Accounting ethics has been deemed difficult to control as accountants and auditors must consider the interest of the public (which relies on the information gathered in audits) while ensuring that they remained employed by the company they are auditing. They must consider how to best apply accounting standards even when faced with issues that could cause a company to face a significant loss or even be discontinued. Due to several accounting scandals within the profession, critics of accountants have stated that when asked by a client â€Å"what does two plus two equal?† the accountant would be likely to respond â€Å"what would you like it to be?† This thought process along with other criticisms of the profession’s issues with conflict of interest, have led to various increased standards of professionalism while stressing ethics in the work environment. The role of accountants is critical to society. Accountants serve as financial reporters and intermediaries in the capital markets and owe their primary obligation to the public interest. The information they provide is crucial in aiding managers, investors and others in making critical economic decisions. Accordingly, ethical improprieties by accountants can be detrimental to society, resulting in distrust by the public and disruption of efficient capital market operations. â€Å"Every company in the country is fiddling its profits. Every set of published accounts is based on books which have been gently cooked or completely roasted. The figures which are fed twice a year to the investing public have all been changed in order to protect the guilty. It is the biggest con trick since the Trojan horse. †¦ In fact this deception is all in perfectly good taste. It is totally legitimate. It is creative accounting.† —Ian Griffiths in 1986, describing creative accounting From the 1980s to the present there have been multiple accounting scandals that were widely reported on by the media and resulted in fraud charges, bankruptcy protection requests, and the closure of companies and accounting firms. The scandals were the result of creative accounting, misleading financial analysis, as well as bribery. Various companies had issues with fraudulent accounting practices, including Nugan Hand Bank, Phar-Mor, WorldCom, and AIG. One of the most widely-reported violation of accounting ethics involved Enron, a multinational company, that for several years had not shown a true or fair view of their financial statements. Their auditor Arthur Andersen, an accounting firm considered one of the â€Å"Big Five†, signed off on the validity of the accounts despite the inaccuracies in the financial statements. When the unethical activities were reported, not only did Enron dissolve but Arthur Andersen also went out of business. Enron’s shareholders lost $25 billion as a result of the company’s bankruptcy. Although only a fraction of Arthur Anderson’s employees were involved with the scandal, the closure of the firm resulted in the loss of 85,000 jobs. Causes Fraudulent accounting can arise from a variety of issues. These problems usually come to light eventually and could ruin not only the company but also the auditors for not discovering or revealing the misstatements. Several studies have proposed that a firm’s corporate culture as well as the values it stresses may negatively alter an accountant’s behavior. This environment could contribute to the degradation of ethical values that were learned from universities. Until 1977, ethics rules prevented accounting and auditing firms from advertising to clients. When the rules were lifted, spending by the largest CPA firms on advertisements rose from US$4 million in the 1980s to more than $100 million in the 2000s. Critics claimed that, by allowing the firms to advertise, the business side overstepped the professional side of the profession, which led to a conflict of interest. This focus allowed for occurrences of fraud, and caused the firms, according to Arthur Bowman, â€Å"†¦ to offer services that made them more consultants and business advisers than auditors.† As accounting firms became less interested in the lower-paying audits due to more focus on higher earning services such as consulting, problems arose. This disregard for the lack of time spent on audits resulted in a lack of attention to catching creative and fraudulent accounting. A 2007 article in Managerial Auditing Journal determined the top nine factors that contributed to ethical failures for accountants based on a survey of 66 members of the International Federation of Accountants. The factors include (in order of most significant): â€Å"self-interest, failure to maintain objectivity and independence, inappropriate professional judgment, lack of ethical sensitivity, improper leadership and ill-culture, failure to withstand advocacy threats, lack of competence, lack of organizational and peer support, and lack of professional body support.† The main factor, self-interest, is the motivation by an accountant to act in his/her best interest or when facing a conflict of interest. For example, if an auditor has an issue with an account he/she is auditing, but is receiving financial incentives to ignore these issues, the auditor may act unethically. Principles- vs. rules-based â€Å"When people need a doctor, or a lawyer, or a certified public accountant, they seek someone whom they can trust to do a good job — not for himself, but for them. They have to trust him, since they cannot appraise the quality of his ‘product’. To trust him they must believe that he is competent, and that his primary motive is to help them.† —John L. Carey, describing ethics in accounting The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are standards and interpretations developed by the International Accounting Standards Board, which are principle-based. IFRS are used by over 115 countries including the European Union, Australia, and Hong Kong. The United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting, is largely rule-based. Critics have stated that the rules-based GAAP is partly responsible for the number of scandals that the United States has suffered. The principles-based approach to monitoring requires more professional judgment than the rules-based approach. There are many stakeholders in many countries such as The United States who report several concerns in the usage of rules-based accounting. According to recent studies, many believe that the principles-based approach in financial reporting would not only improve but would also support an auditor upon dealing with client’s pressure. As a result, financial reports could be viewed with fairness and transparency. When the U.S. switched to International accounting standards, they are composed that this would bring change. However, as a new chairperson of the SEC takes over the system, the transition brings a stronger review about the pros and cons of rules- based accounting. While the move towards international standards progresses, there are small amount of research that examines the effect of principle- based standards in an auditor’s decision- making process. According to 114 auditing experts, most are willing to allow clients to manage their net income based on rules- ba sed standards. These results offers insight to the SEC, IASB and FASB in weighing the arguments in the debate of principles- vs. rules based- accounting. IFRS is based on â€Å"understandability, relevance, materiality, reliability, and comparability†. Since IFRS has not been adopted by all countries, these practices do not make the international standards viable in the world domain. In particular, the United States has not yet conformed and still uses GAAP which makes comparing principles and rules difficult. In August 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed that the United States switch from GAAP to IFRS, starting in 2014. Responses to scandals Since the major accounting scandals, new reforms, regulations, and calls for increased higher education have been introduced to combat the dangers of unethical behavior. By educating accountants on ethics before entering the workforce, such as through higher education or initial training at companies, it is believed it will help to improve the credibility of the accounting profession. Companies and accounting organizations have expanded their assistance with educators by providing education materials to assist professors in educating students. New regulations in response to the scandals include the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program Act 2004 in Australia as well as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, developed by the United States. Sarbanes-Oxley limits the level of work which can be carried out by accounting firms. In addition, the Act put a limit on the fee which a firm can receive from one client as a percentage of their total fees. This ensures that companies are not wholly reliant on one firm for its income, in the hope that they do not need to act unethically to keep a steady income. The act also protects whistleblowers and requires senior management in public companies to sign off on the accuracy of its company’s accounting records. In 2002, the five members of the Public Oversight Board (POB), which oversaw ethics within the accounting profession, resigned after critics deemed the board ineffective and the SEC proposed developing a new panel, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). The PCAOB wa s developed through the Act, and replaced the POB. In 2003, the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) released a report entitled Rebuilding Public Confidence in Financial Reporting: An International Perspective. By studying the international company collapses as a result of accounting issues, it determined areas for improvement within organizations as well as recommendations for companies to develop more effective ethics codes. The report also recommended that companies pursue options that would improve training and support so accountants could better handle ethical dilemmas. A collaborative effort by members of the international financial regulatory community led by Michel Prada, Chairman of the French Financial Markets Authority, resulting in establishment of the Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) on 1 March 2005. The PIOB provides oversight of the IFAC standards-setting boards: the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), the International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB) and the Inter national Ethics Standards Board for Accountants(IESBA). The most recent reform came into effect in July 2010 when President Obama signed â€Å"The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act†. The act covers a broad range of changes. The highlights of the legislation are consumer protections with authority and independence, ends too big to fail bail outs, advance warning system, transparency and accountability for exotic instruments, executive compensation and corporate governance, protects investors, and enforces regulations on the books. The legislation also resulted in the Office of the Whistleblower, which was established to administer the SEC’s whistleblower program. Congress authorized the SEC to provide monetary awards to whistleblowers who come forward with information that results in a minimum of a $1,000,000 sanction. The rewards are between 10% and 30% of the dollar amount collected. Whistleblowers help identify fraud and other unethical behaviors early on. The result is less harm to investors, quick ly holding offenders responsible, and to maintain the integrity of the U.S. markets.

California Pizza Kitchen

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN TUI University Instructor: MGT599 Module 1 Case Study The purpose of this report is to identify and give feedback on the company’s current mission and vision statements as well as its values and goals as stated (or not) by the founders and management. The need to have a clear vision and a real mission statement is fundamental and vital for all businesses. The values that make the company what it is and the end state or goals that it wishes to achieve are equally important. In looking at these factors I will identify the following where possible: What is California Pizza Kitchen’s vision statement and is it relevant? What is CPK’s mission statement and is it effective? What are the values and short and long term goals and what is the company doing to clarify and refine them on a continuous basis? Hildy Gottleib of the Community-Driven Institute has an excellent way of differentiating and explaining what vision and mission statements are. She says the simplest way of doing it is using three little letters and they are â€Å"ARY. Used in this way, Vision and Mission look quite different and are much easier to understand. (Gottleib) She goes on to say that written in this way it is easy to understand that when someone is a visionary they are able to see what it is they want to do and as a missionary they are able to execute their vision. She used the analogy of Jesus. He was the visionary and his disciples were the missionaries. (Gottleib) A good majority of organizations have websites like CPK’s. On these websites most companies will give their mission statement if you will. This statement is important for many reasons. It is stated so that potential clients and or investors can learn what the company is about when it comes to business. This is what helps draw people to the business. When people have a clear understanding as to what a company does or wishes to do in regards to customer service, it causes them to take stock of the company and determine if the company is a right for their consumer needs. My research of the company shows that the company has no mission statement as of publication of this report. The closest mission statement (if one were to call it that) that I could potentially identify was â€Å"CPK’s strong brand awareness has been developed primarily through full service restaurants and through the expansion of our high quality fast-casual, CPK/ASAP concept†. (Smith) I believe another way of saying this is that it is California Pizza Kitchen’s mission to be a â€Å"leader in authentic California-style cuisine† (all the while) being widely known for diverse and innovative menu items. This is no clear mission statement as given by the company but rather this person’s interpretation. If you read their website you will not find much of anything except their personal story. Although this is nice, it tells neither the customer nor the potential investor anything as to what the company is striving towards in clear language. It does nothing to spark or draw interest to the company. California Pizza Kitchen has no clear or discernable mission statement and their vision statement is just as absent. On their company website is stated the founders intent but not their vision â€Å"Having always wanted to get into the restaurant business; they traded in their legal pads to serve hearth-baked pizzas. (California Pizza kithen) Their unspoken business vision was to create pizzas that were an interpretation or a culmination of food with an international flair on a global level. Their pizzas include such creations as a Jamaican Jerk, Thai, and shrimp pizza. This flair has served the company well. Although the company has gone through a rough patch while under the ownership of PepsiCo which nearly ran the business aground due to what some may say was an overly aggressive business model , the company is now back on track with the original founders put back in control of the company. This has allowed CPK to right itself and grow at a more realistic pace. The founders have been allowed to lead the company as they intended at the start and the brand name is flourishing. It is because of this vision that the company is again succeeding. So, it is fair to say that the company has a vision but that vision is shallow and has no clear long term ambition other than serving specialty pizza. I have made numerous inquiries both by email and phone calls to the main office and other places within the company to clearly state their values and goals. I finally received a reply from a Mr. Locksley who is a member of their marketing and relations department. My request to him was simple; tell me what you understand the company’s values and goals to be. He simply regurgitated in an email his company’s web page statement. This is not good. Either he is unable to clearly communicate the company’s values statement as well as their goals or, there are none. It is my findings that the company has no values or goals statements. The company is simply operating on a loose configuration of statements given on a webpage or in an employee handbook. The company touts respect, opportunity, communication, and kindness (R. O. C. K) for all just like all other companies but, there is nothing that I could locate in my search for the employees to get behind other than that. (California Pizza kithen) The company has not given its employees a set of values that all can get on the same page with or real sustenance and purpose. There is an employee handbook but it is more like a generic/vanilla document that covers employee benefits, requirements for uniform standards, and other HR issues. No wonder the employees have no clue. You can’t enforce company standards or values if you don’t ensure that all have access to them in order to read and comply. This is totally unsatisfactory. Goals, the company has no clear or identifiable set of goals in its current state. While under PepsiCo the company had a goal to grow at a stated pace over so many years, while under the current leadership they are focused solely on repairing the damage to the brand name caused by PepsiCo. This could be a goal of sorts but it does or says nothing to the effect of what the company’s future overall end state is. The company must look at its current situation and develop a set of goals that will enable it to better move forward and grow. Although the company will either continue to survive or eventually wither and fail, a good set of goals will enable everyone to work smarter and more effectively toward success. This aspect is of great importance to company shareholders in that it affects their profits. If the company can’t define a clear goal for the company in regards to profits then the stakeholders in the company suffer and will eventually sell out. Stakeholders want to make money as in any organization and if they don’t, they will revolt on management until it responds. Some things that I would recommend to the company in general are: 1. work aggressively to develop a short and long term vision for your company. 2. After you have your vision identified, develop a team of individuals to recognize your mission and then implement it by sending company leadership out to the employees to articulate it. Once everyone knows what it is the company wants it can begin to implement that vision by working to achieve it. . Take a consensus from across the entire work force in what it deems is or is appropriate values that you want the company to follow. This can be done by online employee surveys or management at each store location polling workers on site. You can gather results either way and decide on those values that are important to all workers at every level and exemplify the very best traits and characteristics of your busine ss. This will allow workers to feel good about where they work and give customers a more positive attitude about the business they are frequenting. . Develop a goal for your business. You can have a goal for employees in regards to customer service and one for the future growth and development of CPK franchises. Both will reap huge rewards for you business. I recommend that you place your vision, mission, values, and goals in high visibility locations throughout the organization. This allows everyone to read and understand what it is they are working towards. Place them in the company board room so that the CEO and board of directors can see it every time they meet. Use them as a gauge to see if the senior leaders are using them to make decisions which support your various statements. If their not then either replace them or hold them accountable for their failures by withholding bonuses or other perks. In conclusion, the company has no set vision, mission, or values statements. There are no clear and defined goals for the organization. The company must do the following in order to begin the process of changing: 1. Develop a vision statement in order to allow everyone to understand what it is the company wants or intends to do. 2. Develop a mission statement that supports that vision. Then, with the vision, begin to work aggressively to realize that vision. 3. Access your company as a whole and determine those values that will support your vision and mission from those that are within your employee base. Tweak and revise constantly in order to ensure that your company reflects the very best and important aspects of your employee base and that they genuinely feel like a part of the team effort. Your employees are your business and the most important part at that. Without them you are out of business. Hold management (CEO, Board of Directors) accountable in ensuring that they make decisions based off of various established statements. 4. Lastly, strongly impart to everyone what the overall goal(s) are for the organization and give them the tools and support to achieve it/them. The company must ensure that it effectively incorporates and uses the first three legs of the support (vision, mission, values) to realize the final result or goal. A goal is nothing without the latter three. With these recommendations you will find that the organization will function and flow far more efficiently than before. It will take determination and real effort on the part of California Pizza Kitchen to achieve the recommendations as laid out in this Summary. I thank you for your attention to this assessment summary. Works Cited California Pizza kithen. California Pizza Kitchen. November 2010. 30 November 2010 . Gottleib, Hildy. 3 Statements That Can Change the World: Mission/Vision/Values. 2007. Creating the Future. 28 November 2010 . Smith, Richard M. Rolling In Dough. 25th June 2007. Harmon Newsweek LLC. 30 November 2010 . California Pizza Kitchen CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN TUI University Instructor: MGT599 Module 1 Case Study The purpose of this report is to identify and give feedback on the company’s current mission and vision statements as well as its values and goals as stated (or not) by the founders and management. The need to have a clear vision and a real mission statement is fundamental and vital for all businesses. The values that make the company what it is and the end state or goals that it wishes to achieve are equally important. In looking at these factors I will identify the following where possible: What is California Pizza Kitchen’s vision statement and is it relevant? What is CPK’s mission statement and is it effective? What are the values and short and long term goals and what is the company doing to clarify and refine them on a continuous basis? Hildy Gottleib of the Community-Driven Institute has an excellent way of differentiating and explaining what vision and mission statements are. She says the simplest way of doing it is using three little letters and they are â€Å"ARY. Used in this way, Vision and Mission look quite different and are much easier to understand. (Gottleib) She goes on to say that written in this way it is easy to understand that when someone is a visionary they are able to see what it is they want to do and as a missionary they are able to execute their vision. She used the analogy of Jesus. He was the visionary and his disciples were the missionaries. (Gottleib) A good majority of organizations have websites like CPK’s. On these websites most companies will give their mission statement if you will. This statement is important for many reasons. It is stated so that potential clients and or investors can learn what the company is about when it comes to business. This is what helps draw people to the business. When people have a clear understanding as to what a company does or wishes to do in regards to customer service, it causes them to take stock of the company and determine if the company is a right for their consumer needs. My research of the company shows that the company has no mission statement as of publication of this report. The closest mission statement (if one were to call it that) that I could potentially identify was â€Å"CPK’s strong brand awareness has been developed primarily through full service restaurants and through the expansion of our high quality fast-casual, CPK/ASAP concept†. (Smith) I believe another way of saying this is that it is California Pizza Kitchen’s mission to be a â€Å"leader in authentic California-style cuisine† (all the while) being widely known for diverse and innovative menu items. This is no clear mission statement as given by the company but rather this person’s interpretation. If you read their website you will not find much of anything except their personal story. Although this is nice, it tells neither the customer nor the potential investor anything as to what the company is striving towards in clear language. It does nothing to spark or draw interest to the company. California Pizza Kitchen has no clear or discernable mission statement and their vision statement is just as absent. On their company website is stated the founders intent but not their vision â€Å"Having always wanted to get into the restaurant business; they traded in their legal pads to serve hearth-baked pizzas. (California Pizza kithen) Their unspoken business vision was to create pizzas that were an interpretation or a culmination of food with an international flair on a global level. Their pizzas include such creations as a Jamaican Jerk, Thai, and shrimp pizza. This flair has served the company well. Although the company has gone through a rough patch while under the ownership of PepsiCo which nearly ran the business aground due to what some may say was an overly aggressive business model , the company is now back on track with the original founders put back in control of the company. This has allowed CPK to right itself and grow at a more realistic pace. The founders have been allowed to lead the company as they intended at the start and the brand name is flourishing. It is because of this vision that the company is again succeeding. So, it is fair to say that the company has a vision but that vision is shallow and has no clear long term ambition other than serving specialty pizza. I have made numerous inquiries both by email and phone calls to the main office and other places within the company to clearly state their values and goals. I finally received a reply from a Mr. Locksley who is a member of their marketing and relations department. My request to him was simple; tell me what you understand the company’s values and goals to be. He simply regurgitated in an email his company’s web page statement. This is not good. Either he is unable to clearly communicate the company’s values statement as well as their goals or, there are none. It is my findings that the company has no values or goals statements. The company is simply operating on a loose configuration of statements given on a webpage or in an employee handbook. The company touts respect, opportunity, communication, and kindness (R. O. C. K) for all just like all other companies but, there is nothing that I could locate in my search for the employees to get behind other than that. (California Pizza kithen) The company has not given its employees a set of values that all can get on the same page with or real sustenance and purpose. There is an employee handbook but it is more like a generic/vanilla document that covers employee benefits, requirements for uniform standards, and other HR issues. No wonder the employees have no clue. You can’t enforce company standards or values if you don’t ensure that all have access to them in order to read and comply. This is totally unsatisfactory. Goals, the company has no clear or identifiable set of goals in its current state. While under PepsiCo the company had a goal to grow at a stated pace over so many years, while under the current leadership they are focused solely on repairing the damage to the brand name caused by PepsiCo. This could be a goal of sorts but it does or says nothing to the effect of what the company’s future overall end state is. The company must look at its current situation and develop a set of goals that will enable it to better move forward and grow. Although the company will either continue to survive or eventually wither and fail, a good set of goals will enable everyone to work smarter and more effectively toward success. This aspect is of great importance to company shareholders in that it affects their profits. If the company can’t define a clear goal for the company in regards to profits then the stakeholders in the company suffer and will eventually sell out. Stakeholders want to make money as in any organization and if they don’t, they will revolt on management until it responds. Some things that I would recommend to the company in general are: 1. work aggressively to develop a short and long term vision for your company. 2. After you have your vision identified, develop a team of individuals to recognize your mission and then implement it by sending company leadership out to the employees to articulate it. Once everyone knows what it is the company wants it can begin to implement that vision by working to achieve it. . Take a consensus from across the entire work force in what it deems is or is appropriate values that you want the company to follow. This can be done by online employee surveys or management at each store location polling workers on site. You can gather results either way and decide on those values that are important to all workers at every level and exemplify the very best traits and characteristics of your busine ss. This will allow workers to feel good about where they work and give customers a more positive attitude about the business they are frequenting. . Develop a goal for your business. You can have a goal for employees in regards to customer service and one for the future growth and development of CPK franchises. Both will reap huge rewards for you business. I recommend that you place your vision, mission, values, and goals in high visibility locations throughout the organization. This allows everyone to read and understand what it is they are working towards. Place them in the company board room so that the CEO and board of directors can see it every time they meet. Use them as a gauge to see if the senior leaders are using them to make decisions which support your various statements. If their not then either replace them or hold them accountable for their failures by withholding bonuses or other perks. In conclusion, the company has no set vision, mission, or values statements. There are no clear and defined goals for the organization. The company must do the following in order to begin the process of changing: 1. Develop a vision statement in order to allow everyone to understand what it is the company wants or intends to do. 2. Develop a mission statement that supports that vision. Then, with the vision, begin to work aggressively to realize that vision. 3. Access your company as a whole and determine those values that will support your vision and mission from those that are within your employee base. Tweak and revise constantly in order to ensure that your company reflects the very best and important aspects of your employee base and that they genuinely feel like a part of the team effort. Your employees are your business and the most important part at that. Without them you are out of business. Hold management (CEO, Board of Directors) accountable in ensuring that they make decisions based off of various established statements. 4. Lastly, strongly impart to everyone what the overall goal(s) are for the organization and give them the tools and support to achieve it/them. The company must ensure that it effectively incorporates and uses the first three legs of the support (vision, mission, values) to realize the final result or goal. A goal is nothing without the latter three. With these recommendations you will find that the organization will function and flow far more efficiently than before. It will take determination and real effort on the part of California Pizza Kitchen to achieve the recommendations as laid out in this Summary. I thank you for your attention to this assessment summary. Works Cited California Pizza kithen. California Pizza Kitchen. November 2010. 30 November 2010 . Gottleib, Hildy. 3 Statements That Can Change the World: Mission/Vision/Values. 2007. Creating the Future. 28 November 2010 . Smith, Richard M. Rolling In Dough. 25th June 2007. Harmon Newsweek LLC. 30 November 2010 .