Development of the US economy over the Past 3 Years Essay

The American government has been successful in running its economy for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 as shown in continuing productivity growth, the low level of inflation as well low interest rate. This paper therefore attempts to discuss or dramatize the success of the American Government been in running its Economy over the last three years. Since any success will have to be explained on what actions the American government has, this paper will therefore describe and evaluate the main macro economic policies used by the American government, if there is any, over the last three years. How successful is the American government in running its Economy over the last three years? The American government performed well in terms of GDP and other growth measures for the last three years starting from 2005 up to the third quarter of 2007. GPD growth was recorded to have an average of 3 ? % from 2005 up to first quarter of 2006. This slowed down a little starting from second quarter of 2006 (2 ? %) to first and second quarter of 2007 , but the third quarter of 2007 appeared to started showing higher increases at 3. 9%. In describing the state of the US economy, Poole said â€Å"†¦The U. S. economy is highly productive, profit-making opportunities abound, interest rates and inflation are both relatively low and stable. † The economy is however not without any challenges to face. Said challenge is not the business cycle but how the US economy will adjust on many fronts to the baby boom generation retirement but Poole believes that the U. S. laws and institutions will enable the country to face these challenges with a better deal of buoyancy than in some other countries that is facing or will be facing the demographic challenge sooner. Poole expressed an assurance that the U. S. economy is fundamentally sound. He cited the fact that surveys of business economists over the past few years regularly pointed to key sources of strength of US economy and these include â€Å"a dynamic and flexible labour market and a financial system that rewards innovation and risk-taking by channelling capital to its highest rates of return. † He explained that the US market-based economy will allow companies â€Å"the ability and the incentive to innovate and to adapt quickly to changes in relative demands for goods and services. Thus he observes that present managements responding promptly to various shocks that shock the economy and according to him this is a growing dynamism of the U. S. economy which be believes is satisfactorily illustrated by the rise in the economy’s rate of productivity growth that has began as early as 1995 and there is still no sign of let up even at present. One way to check economic performance is the level of inflation. Poole said, that inflation as measured by the all-items CPI called â€Å"headline CPI inflation† slowed from 3. 4 percent in 2005 to 2. percent in 2006, while the inflation rate measured by the PCE (core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices) price index rose slowed from 2. 9 percent to 2. 3 percent over the same period. The decline of inflation in 2006 could only indicate remarkable effect of the monetary policy. Poole explained that the restraint of headline inflation is undeniably an indication of the sharp decline in energy prices over the second half of 2006. He added that most economists believe that core inflation is a better measure of inflation pressures. He also explained that that slight increase in the core PCE price index from 2. percent in 2005 to 2. 2 percent in 2006, and the core CPI index increase more, from 2. 2 to 2. 6 percent was negative indication. However, the core price pressures have been easing out lately which was an indication of a momentum that is headed to a favourable direction. What are the economic policies used by the American Government in managing the economy? The main macro economic policies used by the American government over the last three years include the use of its monetary policies. The use of monetary policy is evident in Federal Reserve Bank having raised its target for the federal funds rate from 1 percent in 2004 to 5? ercent in June of 2006 and is still maintained at present. It was the US monetary policy actions that have kept inflation largely, although not perfectly in check. Monetary policies involved the actions done by the Federal Reserve Bank to control money supply for purposing of managing inflation and necessarily GDP growth. Thus Poole believes that such monetary policy likely had something to do with the timing of slower GDP growth. He emphasized that the timing of slower GDP growth was the inevitable result of falling margin of underutilized resources. He admits however of other factors that is causing the slowdown starting in second quarter of 2006 which he felt as independent of monetary policy. One was the sharp increase energy prices, which showed improvement in the middle of 2006 while the other was considerable weakness in housing markets, which Poole believed may just now be giving off very tentative signal of the need to stop as has reached the bottom . In relation to the use of monetary policy to the US economy, Poole suggested three remarkable facts that deserve attention. He identified the first by saying that the real GDP growth, though sluggish in prior years has become robust starting in 2003, which may now have contributed a present low unemployment rate of 4. 6 percent. Another is that fact long-term inflation expectations were hardly shifted, while the third is the fact of quarterly average yield on 10-year nominal Treasury securities that was actually slightly lower than it was in mid 2002. Thus Poole is justifying that, â€Å"the economy has performed well despite a near tripling of crude oil prices since December 2001. He also pointed about the issue of present energy price increase. The first one is of course attributing, the increase in price â€Å"a consequence of a booming world economy, which raised energy demand rather than a supply shock; while the second one is attributing to monetary policies in the US and in most other countries have their jobs well of securing inflation expectations. † Despite a decline in growth in 2006 as compared to 2005, Poole found still further proof to the latest data on stable performance of the US economy. Poole, said, â€Å"†¦Particularly noteworthy was the larger-than-expected increase in real GDP during the fourth quarter of 2006. Following relatively anaemic rates of growth in the second and third quarters of 2006, growth of real GDP during the fourth quarter picked up nicely, rising to a 3. 5 percent annual rate. † Will the decline in the some of the measurable variable prove a failure of the monetary policy of the company? Poole cited two other aspects of the GDP report which were less favourable than the overall report. First, there was recorded slight decline in the business fixed investment during the fourth quarter of 2006. He interpreted that that the decline was nothing more than normal variation, as may be perhaps a consequence on the part of firms that were waiting for release of the new Vista operating system from Microsoft. To support his position, he explained that over the four quarters of 2006, a 6. 8 percent in non-residential fixed investment rose was recorded and one could readily appreciate that a healthy and expected increase given that the economy has continued to absorb excess capacity. This he even believe on the positive figures forecast for the economy that will â€Å"perhaps produce better than expected results. He however warned that â€Å"the extension of the fourth quarter weakness in business capital outlays going forward certainly would be a cause for concern. † The second noticeable aspect of the GDP report that was the nearly twenty percent rate of decline in residential fixed investment. He narrated that the decline began in the second quarter and was followed by a greater decline in each of the subsequent quarter. Thus he explained that as a normal result, the sharp decline in private housing starts and sales must have cause a significant pull on real GDP growth in 2006. Thus the second half of 2006, showed the contribution to real GDP growth from real residential fixed investment to have averaged about negative percentage points. This would prompt then the explanation for the slowing down in 2006 on why monetary policy was not applied to address the problem. Poole, explained that the Year 2006 was a hard situation for homebuilders as compared to 2005. He explained that following a record-setting rate of 1. 7 million units that have started in 2005, he noted that single-family started to fall to 1. 5 million units in 2006. He explained that the this average showed a comparatively large number of starts during the first half of the year which was followed by a much lower level of starts during the second half of 2006. This he noted December 2006- single-family starts which were approximately 16. 5 percent below annual average. In comparison, Poole cited the consensus of the Blue Chip forecasters made in December 2005 that real residential fixed investment would decrease by only about 1. 4 percent in 2006, using annual average data, but the actual the decline was about 4 ¼ percent. The rate fourth quarter as of 2006 is therefore obviously steeper, than the fourth quarter of 2005 to the fourth quarter of 2006. It may thus be observed that the slowing down of growth starting in the second quarter of 2006 may be attributed to the continued fall on sale of housing although presently there are already signs of recovery. But since the third quarter of 2007 has even exceeded even the average of growth rate prior to slight decline in second quarter of 2006, it may be argued that the problem of housing has eased out already. It may be concluded that the American government has been successful in running its Economy over the last three years in terms of GDP and controlled level of inflation and the lower interest rate. The main macro economic policies used by the American government over the last three years include mainly the use of its monetary policies through the Federal Reserve Bank of the US by raising interest rate a little in order to control inflation. Since it was able to do its part in controlling prices via inflationary measures the US Government through the Federal Reserve has done well it function of managing the economy.

The Boxer Rebellion

Write a powerful and memorable topic sentence for each side Of the Teacart en for why American involvement was necessary and one for why intervention was deter mental. Topic sentence about why U. S. Involvement was needed in the Boxer Rebellion: Rebellion was a problem: Help on gain their independence. The boxer rebellion was a problem because a war and the U. S did not what to into another war 3. For each topic sentence, write (in complete sentences) three supporting detail s from your chart. Three supporting details about why U. S. Involvement was necessary in the Boxer Rebellion: why U. S. Derivation in the Boxer Rebellion was a problem: Supporting detail #1: Supporting detail #1 : Hetman Movement was an it was a civil war and the U. S did not materialistic uprising which took have to be there place in China Towards the end of the King dynasty between 1898 and 1900. Supporting detail #2: the U. S send 3,125 army troops. 2,500 foreign soldiers die Supporting detail #3: The Boxer Re bellion weakened At first, the Boxers wanted to the Chining dynasty's power and destroy the Chining dynasty and hastened the Republican anted to rid China of all foreign Revolution of 191 1 that overthrew influence. ND the U. S did not got the boy emperor and made China out of the rebellion and got more a republic. That help U. S get more involved into china political power in china business influence. 4. Write a few sentences about whatnot think should have been done about the e Boxer Rebellion had the decision been yours. With which side do you agree, and why? This states .NET could BEA compromise, using elements of both sides, now thou have evaluated bothConclusion the Boxer Rebellion was a Chinese civil war and there have not be other count tries should not have to be involved in this civil war. The Boxer what to destroy the Chining dynasty that was run more than 250 years. It all beginning in 1898, grog ups of peasants in northern China began to band together into a secret soci ety ink as lo chuan Righteous and Harmonious Fists called the boxers by Western press. Write Your Paragraph Now that you've prepared, write a complete paragraph for your journal entry.

Woodstock and hippie culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Woodstock and hippie culture - Essay Example With new lifestyle, new ways of thinking and by going against the tide, young people try to create their own new ‘culture’. In America, the most prominent wave of cultural revolution and rebellion was observed during the 60’s and 70’s. During this period, a revolution was introduced through music, art, fashion, open relationships, physical appearance, thinking etc. The ‘culture’ that brought about this revolution in 60’s and 70’s was the culture of ‘hippie’. However, what really became instrumental in giving a massive exposure to the hippie culture was the Woodstock music festival. In 1969, the Woodstock festival witnessed the largest gathering of human beings in one place in history, with the presence of 500,000 youthful people (â€Å"Woodstock 1969.†). Through Woodstock festival, the whole world witnessed a new wave of cultural revolution in ‘hippies’ and Woodstock became a turning point in the c ultural history of America, and the world (â€Å"Woodstock 1969†). The hippies Hippie culture is known as the counterculture of the 1960’s (Issitt 2009, xi). It was in San Francisco, California, that the hippie movement originated and from there, it spread all over the United States and Europe (Huber, Lemieux and Hollis). The hippies followed and encouraged liberal thinking in politics, lifestyle and culture ( Issitt 2009, xi). Hippie culture gave an outlet to the psychological, emotional and cultural revolution that was felt in the heart of the youth all over the world ( Issitt 2009, xi). Hence, even though hippie way of thinking was practiced in America, it was actually a global phenomenon (Issitt 2009, xi). The hippie culture not only remained limited to the thinking and behavior pattern of the hippies, but it also permeated the mediums of music, literature, art, cinema and fashion scene of the 60’s and 70’s (Issitt 2009, xii). Most importantly, music was one of the major medium in which the ‘hippie’ sentiments and thoughts were expressed strongly. This was the major reason why the hippie culture influenced the Woodstock festival to such a great extend. Woodstock festival The Woodstock festival was a result of hippie people’s desire to live the hippie life openly, freely and without any guilt attached to it. The large hippie population, perfect climate and setting for outdoor concert, and the opportunity to experience every aspect of hippie culture, made the Woodstock festival a carnival and ‘once in a lifetime’ experience for hippies (Issitt 2009, 41). Hence, thousands of hippies flocked to the festival to socialize with like minded people and to enjoy ‘their’ kind of music, dance and lifestyle (Issitt 2009, 41). The Woodstock festival was a carnival for the hippies and they made the most of it by attending it in large number. Moreover, what made the Woodstock festival a paradise for hippies is the environment and opportunities that it guaranteed. The 1969 Woodstock festival was the giant spectrum of potential for hippies (Miller 1991, 82). They considered it an â€Å"epitome of joy and peace† (Miller 1991, 82). The Woodstock became ‘the’ destination for hippies as it offered them everything that they desired for (Miller 1991, 82). In the unrestrained environment of the Woodstock festival, the hippies enjoyed the commune like life, spiritual and religious experience, and total freedom to behave in a typical hippie way (Miller 1991, 82). Most importantly, the Woodstock festival proved to be a free dope territory (Miller 1991, 82) which allowed them an opportunity to experience the ‘spiritual’ high through drugs and LSD, openly(Issitt 2009, 41). Moreover, it also allowed them a space where they got to enjoy the intellectual stimulation by listening to the

Impact of big data on data management functions Essay

Impact of big data on data management functions - Essay Example Distinguishing characteristics of Big Data are its capabilities of circumnavigating data utilization and limitation issues. It deploys highly cohesive methods for data nomenclature and architecture. It also deploys dedicated and powerful processors just for data storage and retrieval functions. While normal range of handling data sets varies from megabytes to gigabytes, Big Data can handle data sets varying in the range of terabytes and pentabytes (Magoulas and Lorica 2009). However, functioning of Big Data at such an enormous scale of database management may have some unwanted impact. It often becomes highly difficult to detect privacy violations or flaws in data capturing methods while operating Big Data (Snijders, Matzat, and Reips 2012). The general paradigm of data management deals with traditionally manageable sizes of mostly similar datasets. For example, DAMA’s Data Management Body of Knowledge or DAMA-DMBOK framework serves as a popular functional paradigm for general data management. There are 10 primary functions in DAMA-DMBOK. According to the DAMA-DMBOK Guide (2010), these 10 functions are: Data Governance serves as the core function, which must be accomplished with the help of the other functions. The framework also explicitly defines all the stakeholders involved in database management and related utilities. (Earley 2011) Big Data has certain positive impacts on a standard database management framework like DAMA-DMBOK. Firstly, it helps in modifying the framework suitably for handling larger datasets. Secondly, it helps in developing a stakeholder-independent database management framework. Thirdly, it helps in generating and storing enormous amounts of data for both storage and processing. (Magoulas and Lorica 2009) However, Big Data is likely to have a negative impact on certain DAMA-DMBOK functions such as Data Security Management and Data Quality Management. The

Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Biology - Essay Example Rigging up the filter in this fashion keeps it from bumping into any trees or other objects outdoors, which would taint the entire experiment. Next, I smear Vaseline on both sides of the filter. The entire filter is practically covered with the Vaseline, which will enable any solid matter in the air to stick to the filter, allowing us to see what is exactly in the air that we breathe every day, as well as have a means for getting a rough measurement. While we will not be able to measure the particles in a numeric sense, we will have a clue as to what is going into our lungs when inhaling in the air outdoors. As it stands right now, the Vaseline covered coffee filter is a very shiny white. It has a very shiny clean appearance, and it feels very slick to the touch. There are no dust particles and other solid matter on it. However, by the end of the experiment, I hypothesize that the entire filter will be covered with dust and other solid matter, being that there are a great deal many p ollutants in the air from the things that we do in our everyday environment. The coffee filter will be covered so much that the solid matter will be caked onto it, and the shininess that is now present will be no more. The filter will have a completely dirty appearance, as well as being gritty to the touch. The filter appears to have very small and gritty looking dirt particles on it, which I can assume are a mixture of dirt and other solid matter in the air that are caused by pollution. The dirt particles and solid matter are trapped by being stuck to the Vaseline. The filter still has a lot of shininess and cleanness left on it; nevertheless, it is beginning to look dirty. The dirt particles are of a brown color, and they appear to be small, such as like that of grains of sand. Dust particles are also mixed in along with the dirt particles, and the dust has a powdery look. The layer of dirt, solid matter

Buffalo Soldiers and the Apache Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Buffalo Soldiers and the Apache - Essay Example Numerous literatures confirmed that subduing the Indians on the Plains and the Southwest, securing the borders, escorting stage coaches and trains as well as policing cattle rustlers and illegal traders who sold guns and liquor to the Indians had all become second nature to them as these were their primary responsibilities-many of which were carried out under some harsh conditions. Many of these African Americans had joined with the force mainly to earn their freedom. They decided they would fight to prove themselves and to be free as well as to keep up their end of the bargain to make an attractive $13 a month. Many of these soldiers were former slaves, freemen and Black Civil War Soldiers. However, they couldn’t read and write, so they were considered less than the whites. For these brave-hearted men, bravery was their fiercest fighting tool, and ambition and perseverance were their ammunition, because everything else that they received for resources were inadequate or not u p to standard such as; the old horses, limited food supplies and limited ammunition. In addition, they were deployed to some of the toughest areas. Quite frankly however, it was the 10th regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers who played a greater role in the campaign against the Apaches in the March 1890 Expedition. After being transferred to Texas, research showed that their primary mission was to protect mail and travel routes, control Indian movements, protect against Mexican revolutionaries and outlaws as well as garner knowledge about the area’s terrain (Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture). Particularly credited for the Westward Expansion, the Buffalo Soldiers’ 10th Cavalry explored miles of unmapped terrains after which they used their experience to open 300 miles of new roads and laid 200 miles of telegraph lines according to literatures from this said source. This knowledge helped the Buffalo Soldiers to create maps of the area showing scarce waterholes, moun tain passes and grazing areas that would later allow for settlements in that area. The mission created some tough soldiers in West Texas who always had to be on alert from raids from the Apaches. However, it was the 10th regiment’s success at detailed mapping that later lead to the demise of the Apache Indians between 1879 and 1880. Col Benjamin Grierson and his cavalry decided to play on the weaknesses of their enemies, whose chief at the time was Chief Victorio and his band of warriors who had allegedly escaped from their New Mexico Reservation creating havoc across the Southwest on their way to Mexico. They decided to intercept where it would hurt most in those harsh regions-the waterholes. The mission called for a big military assembly, as such, different troops were assigned to the waterholes. Engagements were met at the all the waterholes, but the two most notable were the ones at the Tinaja de las Palmas (water hole at South Sierra Blanca) and at Rattlesnake Springs wh ich is north of Van Horn. Grierson and his men devised strategies to trap Victorio.

Summary+Discussion+Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary+Discussion+Question - Essay Example this kind of behavior from any of these countries but the violation of human rights and killings of innocent in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Pakistan. Terrorism should be confronted in a way that justice is given to everyone and no one is deprived of their liberty to live. Innocent should be protected and culprits should be punished. Terrorism should be confronted like the Norwegians did after the attack in Oslo, not by ding arbitrary arrests and all. Confronting terrorism is showing the world and the terrorists that we have a better option for both the parties and we can solve the issues properly by talks but not by fighting and killing innocent people. Many terrorist organizations have recently shown serious interests in using nuclear weapons for their evil purposes and if used the results could be devastating, killing millions of people around the world. Steps need to be taken by the major organizations and super powers of the world as these threats are not at all fictional but pose a real threat to the world. so far these efforts does not seem to be enough but if proper measures are taken the issue can be resolved. Ans. Hostage taking certainly is an act of terror. If we see the effects of this action on the people that have gone through this experience we will see that they have a long lasting mental and psychological effect on them, affecting their personal and social life. Hostages are kept by terrorists than how could it not be an act of terrorism. Terrorists who have done something wrong and are afraid of being captured and punished keep hostages to flee and continue their activities spreading more terrorism proving that hostage taking is an act of terrorism indeed. BRILL, KENNETH C., and KENNETH N. LUONGO. "Nuclear Terrorism - A Clear Danger - NYTimes.com." NY Times Advertisement. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012.

Economic Indicator Forecast Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic Indicator Forecast Paper - Essay Example It has been forecasted that the FED is going to increase the interest rates in late 2009 or early 2010 therefore the expectations are that the prime interest rates will be in the range of 3.50% to 4.00%. Another forecast indicates that until December 2009, the prime interest rates may hit the figure of 4.00% and will continue to move upwards until 4.75% in December 2010. (http://mortgage-x.com, 2009). This forecast is slightly more generous than the earlier projection however, considering the other fact that financial system has to cope with the increasing losses too therefore it is possible that the interest rates may go up to 4.75% in December 2010. The increase in the prime interest rates may decrease the demand for automobiles because the financing cost of such products would increase and consumers may find it difficult to purchase new cars at high increasing interest rates. Further, it may also be possible that the increase in interest rates may further increase the overall cost of doing the business for automobile firms. The forecast up to Oct 2009 indicates that the new housing starts within US would be 683,000. (http://forecasts.org, 2009) however; recent statistics suggest that there is a steep increase in the housing activity in the country. Whereas according to some estimates, the housing starts are going to depress or at least remain within the current limits until 2011. (National Post, 2009). These forecasts indicate somewhat mixed forecasts as it indicates that the housing starts may indicate random patterns on month wise averages however, the overall projections may indicate that the housing starts would remain at the present level at least up to 2010. I believe that later forecast that the housing starts will depress until 2010 are more plausible because interest rates are projected to increase later this year therefore the finance to builders as well as mortgage rates are set to increase too. This may therefore, result into

Power Crisis in Tamilnadu and Remedial Measure Essay Example for Free

Power Crisis in Tamilnadu and Remedial Measure Essay The Power Crisis in Tamil Nadu The power crisis has come to stay in the state of Tamil Nadu. For many months now, power cuts for over six hours in the towns and villages of the state have been the norm. Chennai, which till recently was spared the rigours of power shedding has now been brought into the ambit. This poses a question on the state trying to attract more and more investment, giving assurances of uninterrupted power supply. Load shedding which was originally meant for an hour or so, has now been extended to three hours in many suburbs of the city. While this has affected homes and ommercial establishments, the industries in and around the city (High Tension power consumers) have been hit hard by strict regulations on hours of load shedding, with many units being forced to shut down operations for an entire day each week. Industry sources are also upset over the fact that while manufacturing units consume only 35% of the 9500 MW power consumption in Tamil Nadu, they are being forced to suffer load shedding far more than domestic consumers. Many units have begun operating shifts with the help of diesel generators, but this is proving to be an expensive solution which is affecting the bottom line. There is also a growing feeling among indigenous industries that the state bit off far more than it could chew when it came to inviting large projects to set up base in and around Chennai. The increase in power consumption was not thought through in their opinion and there is also a feeling that multinationals are being given power at the expense of domestic companies. While there may be no basis for such a view, it does indicate that the state government has laid the ground for a potentially explosive situation on the power front. Perhaps it was against this background that the state only made a few eeble noises about bidding for the Nano project which eventually went to Gujarat. There is no short term solution to the power crisis in the city and the state. Interestingly, on paper, the state can still claim to have surplus power for it has around 10500 MW installed capacity. However real time production is less. Poor rains have affected hydro- power and the shortage of fuel has meant that the atomic power plant at Kalpakkam is operating at sub-optimum capacity. Relief to some extent is expected when the Koodamkulam plant is commissioned in about six months from now. Most of the newly approved power units are only in the land dentification stage right now. The losses in transmission and distribution of power are also significant with the state-controlled Electricity Board not performing at expected levels. Industry lobbies have been demanding the unbundling of production, distribution and transmission of power in the state to improve this, but there has been no response. The state government has on the other hand approached HT consumers with a proposal that they share the cost of power during evening hours. This if accepted will ensure that there is some relief given to units that rely on generators for their power during evening and other peak equirements. If at all there is a bright side to the story, it is the increasing focus on non- conventional sources of energy. IT majors who account for at least 500MW of power consumption during peak-hours nave begun discussing the viability ot using solar panels. At least one IT major in the city has begun working with wind energy. The month of September in fact saw the shortfall in power in the state coming down due to a doubling of the wind power generated from 600 MW to 1200 MW. It is to be hoped that such new thrusts will help in pulling the power sector out of its present mess.

Customer relationship management Essay Example for Free

Customer relationship management Essay Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to provide insights into the development and management of a customer community, informing product innovation and engaging customers in co-creation of a consumption experience. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the state of current knowledge about co-production, co-creation and customer communities is followed by discussion of the case study methodology. The case history of a leading player in the UK and international â€Å"sportkiting† market focuses on product innovation and customer-community development. Discussion re? ects in more detail on the lessons from the case for application of the principles in practice. Findings – The case company’s innovative product development strategy provides the catalyst for co-creation of a customer experience. Its marketing actions extend beyond product development and innovation to actively co-creating experiences with customers, fostering a sense of community among users, facilitating communication within that community, acting on the feedback, and continuously developing and maintaining the community relationship. Research limitations/implications – The company’s marketing strategy can be summed up as â€Å"customer community leadership†. This paradigm proposes a new role for businesses in sectors where there is a potential to develop and engage communities. It provides a context for the effective facilitation of customer knowledge management, within which marketing intelligence plays a signi? cant role. The ? ndings offer scope for further research into the nature of this phenomenon and its relevance to co-creation in other industry sectors, and into numerous aspects of the processes and impacts associated with customer communities. Originality/value – The case contributes to the literature of co-creation, demonstrating how it has been achieved through a marketing strategy and marketing mix in a particular customer community. Keywords Customer relations, Innovation, Relationship marketing, Leadership Paper type Case study Marketing Intelligence Planning Vol. 25 No. 2, 2007 pp. 136-146 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0263-4503 DOI 10. 1108/02634500710737924 Introduction. The increased complexity, globalization and knowledge-intensity of marketplaces require all businesses to make better use of their technological, organizational and marketing competences in order to survive. Contemporary organizations in highly competitive and highly innovative markets must be able to build market share quickly, by delivering fast, high quality, innovative solutions. The changing organisational environment has driven interest in organisational learning and knowledge management (Drucker, 1993; Prusak, 1997). Many studies have con? rmed customer knowledge as one of the most important knowledge bases for an organisation (Bennett and Gabriel, 1999; Chase, 1997), and there is a considerable interest in the potential of â€Å"co-production† and â€Å"co-creation† either individually or in community contexts, to enhance innovation and business performance (Gibbert et al. , 2002). Focus on the engagement of customers in organizational learning, innovation and knowledge processes heralds the dawn of a new paradigm of marketing intelligence in  which data and information are not simply gathered into databases and distilled to inform management decision making, but rather marketing intelligence is embedded in dynamic co-creation processes that involve customers as partners rather than subjects. Through a case study analysis and critique of a leading manufacturer of kiteboarding equipment, this paper seeks to provide insights into the engagement and management of a customer community, to inform product innovation and to engage customers in co-creation of a sporting experience. The case contributes to the literature of co-creation and speci?cally to the way in which communities can be enlisted in the co-creation of experiences. It begins with a literature review, outlining the state of current knowledge on co-production and co-creation and on customer communities, followed by a description of the case study methodology. A pro? le of the company, with particular reference to its product development and community development follows leads to re? ection in detail on the contribution from this case. Finally, conclusions and recommendations provide a summary of the issues. The concept of â€Å"customer community leadership† is proposed, and agendas for further research identi? ed. Literature review This section draws together current knowledge on two key themes: co-creation, or co-production, and customer communities. Research on both of these themes ? ts broadly within the paradigm or philosophy of relationship marketing. As the main plank of a marketing strategy, relationship marketing aims to build long term, mutually satisfying relations with customers, suppliers and distributors with the key objective of earning and retaining their long-term preference, loyalty and business (Foss and Stone, 2001; Peck et al., 1999; Buttle, 1996; Massey et al. , 2001). In discussing the absence of a consensus on the term relationship marketing, and on the appropriateness of the term, other authors have suggested that a focus on interactions and networks of interactions between businesses and their customers might be more meaningful (Healy et al. , 2001; Zoliewski, 2004). The concepts of co-production and customer communities both focus on interactions. Communities, in particular, involve networks of interactions. The theme of interaction between customers and organizations in product and service innovation is developed in the literature on co-production. Prahalad and Ramaswamy (2000) suggest that companies have to recognise that the customer is becoming a partner in creating value, and need to learn how to harness customer competences. One aspect of this will be the engagement of customers in co-creating personal experiences. The body of work on co-creation and co-production has grown in recent years. Kristensson et al. (2004) have examined the bene? Ts of involving users in suggesting new product ideas, ? nding that ordinary users created signi? cantly more original and valuable ideas than professional developers, whilst professional developers and advanced users created more easily reliable ideas. At a more modest level of customer engagement, Salomo et al. (2003) found that customer orientation in innovation projects (not necessarily, in this case, customer engagement) had a positive in? uence on NPD success and that the impact increased with the degree of product innovativeness. Similarly, Hsieh and Chen (2005) showed that new product development performance can be enhanced by interacting with users, and capitalising on user-knowledge management competences. Matthing et al. (2004) suggest that the Customer community and co-creation 137 MIP 25,2 138 value of customer involvement in new service development resides in the opportunity to facilitate proactive learning about the customer, and to understand and anticipate latent customer needs. Lilien et al. (2002) suggest that user contribution to the idea generation process is optimised through the careful selection of â€Å"lead users† to participate in the process. Dahlsten (2004) discusses customer involvement in the case of a product development project at Volvo Cars, which allowed the project management team to acquire an understanding of the customer through â€Å"customer presence†. A study comparing the sources of product and process innovation in large and small technology-based ? rms found that product developers in SMEs valued customers, co-workers, marketing and journals more highly, whilst suppliers were particularly valued by large ? rms (Bommer and Jalajas, 2004). Co-creation might be viewed as an aspect of customer-knowledge competence, the processes that generate knowledge about speci? c customers (Campbell, 2003). Gibbert et al. (2002, p. 460) describe customer knowledge management as a process in which organisations seek to â€Å"know what their customers know† and de? ne it as: . . . the strategic process by which cutting-edge companies emancipate their customers from passive recipients of products and services, to empowerment as knowledge partners. CKM is about gaining, sharing, and expanding the knowledge residing in customers, to both customer and corporate bene? It is thus concerned with an understanding of how to elicit and leverage knowledge from customers. Their emphasis on interacting with customers and co-production, extending to co-learning, lifts the focus from collecting data and information in order to learn about customers to learn with customers. They discuss ? ve different styles of customer knowledge management, including â€Å"prosumerism† where the customer acts as co-producer, and â€Å"communities of creation† in which groups of people work together, have shared interests, and want to jointly create and share knowledge. The focus of co-production research is often on product innovation and new product development, with some contributions relating to service development (Matthing et al. , 2004). However, Prahalad and Ramaswamy (2003), suggest a future in which the locus of innovation and co-production will shift from products and services to â€Å"experience environments†. This suggestion aligns with other proposals that the â€Å"experience marketing† era is on the horizon, and that it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to respond to the needs of the experience consumer (Li and Wei, 2004). Co-creation may take place in the context of customer communities. There is a considerable literature on customer clubs (Butscher, 2002; Gustafsson et al. , 2004; Stauss et al. , 2001) and loyalty schemes (Bolton et al. , 2000; Mauri, 2003; Passingham, 1998; Worthington, 2000). Only a small sub-group of such clubs and schemes can properly be described as customer communities, however, which should at the very least exhibit C2C interaction. To convincingly justify the use of â€Å"community† they should furthermore share a culture with norms, values and identity, and mutual interests and objectives. Fan clubs, interest clubs, and software user groups may constitute customer communities. Butscher (2002) identi? es the Kawasaki Riders Club, The Volkswagen Club, and Swatch The Club as examples which might be described as customer communities. On the other hand, loyalty schemes such as Tesco Clubcard, American Express, Airmiles, and Marriot Rewards are focussed on the B2C dimension of relationship marketing, and do little to cultivate or in? uence C2C interactions. Therefore, whilst they may be able to identify a relatively stable group of users, they have not created a community. One context in which there has been more discussion of customer communities is the virtual environment (Armstrong and Hagel, 1996). Some loyalty schemes use this channel to support C2C interaction. Virtual customer communities enable organizations to establish distributed innovation models that involve varied customer roles in new product development (Nambisan, 2002; Pitta and Fowler, 2005). Nambisan (2002) suggests that the design of virtual customer environments needs to consider interaction patterns, knowledge creation, customer motivation, and integration of the virtual customer community with the new product development team. Dholakia et al. (2004) explore the impact of group norms and social identity on participation in consumer communities. The wider literature on virtual communities and their role in learning and knowledge creation is also substantial, and may have perspectives to offer on the role of virtual communities in innovation (Hall and Graham, 2004; Davenport and Hall, 2002; Wenger, 2000). In conclusion, the themes of co-creation and customer communities have been identi? ed as important in the literature, but there remains a scope for considerable further work, speci?  cally relating to: . co-creation of experiences; Customer communities that exist in both physical and virtual space; and . the mechanisms and processes through which organizations can engage customer communities, as opposed to individual members of those communities, in co-creation. Methodology Case studies are a valuable way of looking at the world around us, and asking how or why questions (Yin, 1994). The case study design adopted in this paper may be described as a holistic single case design. Typically, single case designs are appropriate when the exercise has something special to reveal that might act as a point of departure for challenging received wisdom, prior theoretical perspectives and untested assumptions. A specialist in sporting kite technology was chosen as the basis for the case analysis in this paper for four reasons in particular, as follows: (1) The stated mission of Flexifoil International is to: â€Å"provide our customers with the ultimate Kitesports experience† (www.? exifoil. com/company). (2) Flexifoil has been consistently committed to product innovation. (3) Flexifoil works with customers and proactively builds customer communities to support customer engagement in co-creation of the kiting experience. (4) The active and extensive participation of one of the authors in the kiting community formed the basis for an in-depth understanding of the community building and co-creation processes observed. Company pro? le: Flexifoil International Through product innovation, the company seeks to design and develop the highest performance products, with new designs and products that support new kite-based Customer community and co-creation 139 MIP. 25,2 sporting experiences and events. Flexifoil build both their own customer community and the kite boarding community in general through customer service, distribution networks, sponsorship and promotion of the sports for which their products are used. They provide opportunities for the kite sporting community to interact, online and in other ways. Their community is thus built through B2B, C2B and C2C relationships and channels. 140 Product development Until the early 1970s, a kite had for hundreds of years been a piece of fabric controlled with one or two lines, designed to be hand-?own in windy conditions. What is now Flexifoil International started when two English university students effectively â€Å"invented† the two-line power kite by producing the ? rst to be sold commercially. Two larger kites with the evocative names â€Å"Pro Team 8† and â€Å"Super 10† established Flexifoil’s market position, and enabled the company to enter upon a period of innovation and experimentation that explored a range of different potential applications for power kites. Some of their innovations were successful, others less so, such as three-wheeled buggies designed to be pulled by a power kite or traction kite. The successful developments in materials and design technology by Flexifoil and its followers allowed this basic product to support today such diverse activities as kite boarding (water-based), snow kiting, kite land boarding, buggying, recreational power kiting, and sportkiting (â€Å"traditional† kiting). The company’s own product range now comprises: power kites, recreational kites, traction kites, and water re-launchable kites; buggies and boards; lines and control gear; and miscellaneous accessories such as clothing. Following the launch of a web site, with associated forums in which enthusiasts could meet and exchange ideas, Flexifoil’s sales increased by around 25 per cent each year between 1999 and 2004. Innovation continued, with the development of water-based kiting or kitesur? ng, and later kites for land boarding and snow kiting. Over the last thirty years, the company had thus effectively created a market, and maintained leadership in its particular niche, by means not only of product innovation but also engagement with and cultivation of a power-boarding community. Community development Distribution. The community development process begins with the company’s distribution network of authorised retail outlets. Initially, those were mainly windsur? ng and sur? ng shops, but more recently specialised kiting shops have entered the market. Signi? cantly for Flexifoil, some of those have developed into â€Å"kitesports centres† where customers can â€Å"? y before they buy†. At three Premier Kite Sports Centres, the most comprehensive Flexifoil range is available for trial in an environment characterised by knowledgeable staff and extensive facilities in a good location; activity training is also on offer. A smaller range of Flexifoil kites is sold through high street shops. The company also moves the product to market through training schools, academies and university kite clubs, to whom equipment is available at discounted rates or even free of charge if the outlet becomes an of? cial Flexifoil training centre. In addition to these bricks-and-mortar outlets, the company transacts a signi? cant proportion of its retail sales through internet distributors. It also sells spare parts,  branded clothing and a selection of promotional merchandise via Flexifoildirect. com, but restricts distribution of core products to distributors who can offer a full after-sales service. The objective of the company’s distribution strategy is to build, support and maintain an effective customer community. Promotion and marketing communication. The main platform of Flexifoil’s promotional programme is to communicate their commitment to after-sales support, and their ambition to maintain good relationships with both customers and dealer outlets. This strategy, in turn, generates positive word-of-mouth communication, and often act as a channel for customer feedback that can inform future product innovation and development. In pursuit of that objective, Flexifoil make extensive use of specialised advertising media, including every kite magazine in circulation, often running double-page spreads. A branded display stand for Flexifoil product catalogues is distributed to every dealer. To keep the brand at the centre of the kitesporting world, the company sponsors a team of kite boarders who compete around the world. The promotional mix thus embraces advertising, publicity, sales promotion and point-of-sale. Flexifoil furthermore use their web site and its forums proactively to develop the UK kiting community, especially pre-launch. Previews of new kites provoke discussion in the forums, and a level of interest that builds up over months of anticipation and typically generates high sales volumes immediately on the release of the product. This online communication channel brings customers together to exchange experiences, and sell equipment to each other. The company lays claim to the largest online kiting community, of nearly 7,000 members. The variety of forums available to its members specialise in the full range of sportkiting activities. The clear aim of the marketing communications strategy is, like the distribution strategy, to create a community of interest rather than one based simply on transaction. Discussion This discussion will draw out two themes from the case study analysis: co-creation, and customer communities. The study contributes a perspective on the co-creation of experiences, which  is a central element in the emerging paradigm of experience marketing. By continuing engagement with their customer community, the subject company has been able not only to gather feedback on the experiences associated with the use of its products, but also to add to them by offering opportunities, in both the real and virtual environments for customer to enjoy interactions with others who share their interests. It monitors and enhances the experience through the same channels. Whilst product innovation is stepwise, the dialogue and interaction with customers on which that innovation is based is continuous. This is not â€Å"co-production† in the sense that the term is used in new product development contexts, but rather in the service context, where the term refers to the fact that customers have a hand in the development of their own service experience. Nevertheless, experience â€Å"co-creation† in this case, embeds product innovation. The impact of this approach to co-creation is dif? cult to disentangle from the impact of other business and marketing actions. The signi? cant increase in sales in the years since the launch of the web site could be taken as one indicator, but it  Customer community and co-creation 141 MIP 25,2 142 is important to acknowledge the spiral nature of the community creation process. This increase in sales will have expanded the community, and probably also have intensi? ed customers’ engagement with the experiences that community members co-create with the company. The case also contributes some insights on the nature of customer communities. Though the company does ask customers to register their product and thereby collects personal contact details, it does not operate a customer community, club or loyalty scheme. Rather, the innovative and interesting products act as a catalyst for community creation through the medium of the â€Å"experiences† they deliver. The customer community comprises those who have participated in those experiences, enjoyed them, and wish to develop the interaction. Customers work in partnership with the company to build excitement and develop skill, and by sharing the experiences with others, add to the totality of the customer community. The company has taken a number of actions to facilitate this process, including working with distributors, sponsorship, engagement in events, training courses, and an interactive web site. Speci? cally, their approach to communication with their customers is sophisticated. The common view of marketing communications as a one-way transmission is replaced by a marketing communications strategy designed to build and reinforce the company’s position as a leader of a community. Traditional channels such as advertising, sponsorship, and even brand building are only elements in a complex web or network of marketing communications activities, involving C2C and B2B as well as B2C relationships. The company communicates directly with its customers, but also provides contexts which encourage them to â€Å"talk† among themselves. In addition, the marketing communications effort is â€Å"pushed† through distributors, not just in terms of the traditional advertising and branding, but also through the selection of distributors that can offer appropriate support and advice. These actors in the system have a role in welcoming new members into the community. They are supported in doing so by the existing on-line community, and various company-sponsored events at which members are encouraged to gather. The customer community has built gradually as the business has grown. As new products have been added to the product range to support new sports, new sub-communities have formed around them. The process of community development goes hand in hand with product development. Conclusions and recommendations The entrepreneurs behind Flexifoil International have simultaneously created a sport, and an associated sporting community. The company is clear that its mission as not simply to develop and distribute the best products but rather to deliver the most exciting kiting experience. This case study has demonstrates that the entire marketing mix is focussed not on transactions, or even relationship building, but rather on community creation. That community includes both consumers and dealers. Product innovation, distribution and promotion are tightly coupled with community creation. Community building is not just about increasing membership, or even about the engagement of members with the community, but focuses on the creation of a level of mutuality in which there is ongoing dialogue between community members and the company. Flexifoil has neither annexed an existing community, nor do they â€Å"own† one, although they do manage a virtual space through which the community can interact. Rather, their product innovation and the experiences that their product range provides have the potential to act as the catalyst for the community, whilst sponsorship, engagement in events, and the virtual space all facilitate the enhancement of the experience for community members. Other companies compete with Flexifoil for leadership of the power kiting community, both rival manufacturers and others keen to enhance the sportkiting experience. Many of these have web sites through which they seek to capture an online community. For example, one casts itself as â€Å"the kite ? yer’s portal to the internet† offering links to kite manufacturers and kite stores in the USA and Canada, to other power kiting web sites, to other kite ? yer sites, kite teams and clubs, and to magazines and newsgroups. Another claims to be â€Å"the online community that brings ? yers together† and a third promotes itself as â€Å"the internet magazine for kiters†. All offer different services and bene? ts to their customers, but for some, their engagement with the sport kiting community will be restricted to virtual space. Though Flexifoil has a strong brand presence as a manufacturer, it needs to encourage members to participate with it in â€Å"co-creation† if it is to deliver on its mission of providing customers with the ultimate kite sports experience. The approach to marketing strategy described in this case study can aptly be described as customer community leadership. By leading the sport kiting community, but not owning it, Flexifoil has created a community that will buy their products, co-create kiting experiences, provide insights that can inform innovation in the product, the experience and the community innovation, look forward to the next product release, and mutually enhance community members’ experiences of the company’s products and services. Embedded in this approach to community leadership are a number of more traditional marketing actions, such as new product development, advertising, and commitment to after-sales support. The distribution channels are designed to offer the support and training that is likely to enhance sport kiting experiences, but also to build relationships with dealers, and to bring sports kiters together. This is supplemented by opportunities for interaction in virtual space. Community development is achieved through a network of relationship-building actions, at the heart of which are enjoyable and shareable sports kiting experiences. Through community leadership, the company has created a context in which customers are thus from being passive recipients of products and services, and empowered as knowledge partners (Gibbert et al., 2002). In other words, it has thereby created a context that facilitates the processes of customer knowledge management. This is an approach to marketing intelligence and decision making embedded in dynamic co-creation processes that involve customers as partners. It is worth noting that the term â€Å"customer community leadership† can have two different meanings in practice. First, it may mean leadership of a community, in the sense of making it work, setting its direction, and participating in the shaping of experiences of community members. In this context, the focus is on factors such as member engagement, culture, norms, identity and community viability, in terms of the value delivered to all parties. Second, it can describe an avenue to market leadership, in which the business performance of an organisation over the longer term is de? ned and determined by the extent to which its leadership of a community of potential customers, or its power and capacity to lead, is greater than that of its competitors. Customer community and co-creation 143 MIP 25,2 144 In taking the development of the concept of customer community leadership forward, it will be important to explore the different styles and approaches that are and can be adopted by different ? rms and organizations. Given that another essential of successful leadership is followers, an important phenomenon for further study is the nature of â€Å"followership† in this context. This case study has focussed on the actions and strategies adopted by one business to build and bene? t from a customer community and to engage customers in the co-creation of an experience. In addition, it has demonstrated how both online and real-world communities can be enlisted to contribute to building the experience. There is a scope for considerable further study of the processes associated with the co-creation of the experience, and the details of how communities operate. Such research needs both to cover a wider range of organizations and business sectors, and to examine in more detail aspects of communities, co-creation and customer knowledge management. Some potential areas of investigation are: . Perceptions and views of different stakeholders as to the impact of the community and the contributions of different parties in the co-creation of the experience. . The pro? le of such customer communities in terms of loyalty, retention and customer lifetime value, including comparisons between online and real-world communities. . Community processes, including models of key processes of in? uence, knowledge and learning, identi? cation and role of â€Å"node† members, and the role of celebrity voices and endorsement. . The marketing actions that contribute to the cultivation of effective co-creation communities. References Armstrong, A. G. and Hagel, J. (1996), â€Å"The real value of online communities†, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 74, pp. 134-40. Bennett, R. and Gabriel, H. I. (1999), â€Å"Organisational factors and knowledge management within large marketing departments: an empirical study†, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 212-25. Bolton, R. N. , Kannan, P. K. and Bramlett, M. D. (2000), â€Å"Implications of loyalty program membership and services experience for customer retention and value†, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 95-108. Bommer, M. and Jalajas, D. S. (2004), â€Å"Innovation sources of large and small technology-based ? rms†, IEEE Transactions of Engineering Management, Vol. 51 No. 1, pp. 13-18. Butscher, S. A. (2002), Customer Loyalty Programmes and Clubs, 2nd ed. , Gower, Aldershot. Buttle, F. (1996), Relationship Marketing: Theory and Practice, Paul Chapman, London. Campbell, A. J. (2003), â€Å"Creating customer knowledge competence: managing customer relationship management programs strategically†, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 375-83. Chase, R. L. (1997), â€Å"The knowledge-based organization: an international survey†, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 38-49. Dahlsten, F. (2004), â€Å"Hollywood wives revisited: a study of customer involvement in the XC90 project at Volvo Cars†, European Journal of Management, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 141-9. Davenport, E. and Hall, H. (2002), â€Å"Organizational knowledge and communities of practice†, Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Vol. 36, pp. 171-227. Dholakia, U. M. , Bagozzi, R. P. and Pearo, L. K. (2004), â€Å"A social in? uence model of consumer participation in network- and small-group-based virtual communities†, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 21, pp.241-63. Drucker, P. F. (1993), Post-capitalist Society, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Foss, B. and Stone, M. (2001), Successful Customer Relationship Marketing, Kogan Page, London. Gibbert, M. , Leibold, M. and Probst, G. (2002), â€Å"Five styles of customer knowledge management, and how smart companies use them to create value†, European Management Journal, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 459-69. Gustafsson, A. , Roos, I. and Edvardsson, B. (2004), â€Å"Customer clubs in a relationship perspective: a telecom case†, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 14 Nos 2/3, pp. 157-68. Hall, H. and Graham, D.(2004), â€Å"Creation and recreation: motivating collaboration to generate knowledge capital in online communities†, International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 24, pp. 235-46. Healy, M. , Hastings, K. , Brown, L. and Gardiner, M. (2001), â€Å"The old, the new and the complicated – a trilogy of marketing relationships†, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 35 Nos 1/2, pp. 182-93. Hsieh, L. F. and Chen, S. K. (2005), â€Å"Incorporating voice of the consumer: does it really work? †, Industrial Management Data Systems, Vol. 105 Nos 5/6, pp. 769-85. Kristensson, P. , Gustafsson, A. and Archer, T. (2004), â€Å"Harnessing the creative.

Questions and Answers on Employee Motivation

Questions and Answers on Employee Motivation Question.01. How can expectancy theory be used to explain the differences in motivation between Alex and Katrien? What specifics from the case apply to expectancy theory? Answer: Expectancy theory[1] states that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. They are both college students so the expected result would be that they would have similar opportunities and pay. Katrien is given many elements in the job characteristics model such as task identity and autonomy since she is able to create a product at the culinary center and see it to completion while Alex is placed in one area without any other tasks that could be considered motivational. Alex doesnt believe that performing at a certain level will attain a desired outcome like additional pay. The rewards are not consistent with his needs. For example, stocking more produce may only result in a sticker which has no value or little value for Alex while Katrien has the opportunity to make an additional $75.00 for attempting to sell 10 expensiv e bottles of truffle oil that is not only challenging but also adds value by helping her pay the bills.(high expectancy). Question.02. Alex states that he is underpaid for the work he does. What motivational theory does this apply to, and how would it explain Alexs behavior? Answer: Alex is underpaid and thus equity theory[3] could help explain his behavior. Also, the job characteristics theory could be applied since he is stuck in the produce department devoid of the other components of the model like skill variety or task significance. Denise has a shorter term in the market and gets paid more which adds to the inequitable situation. The environment, the repetitive work and the unfair treatment are all disincentives for Alex so his behavior is consistently negative. Question.03. Using concepts from organizational justice, explain why Alex knocks his bosss lunch to the floor. What should Alexs boss do to improve the fairness of his treatment? Answer: Both distributive and procedural justice[5] are components because of his pay and the fact that Jacque is treating Denise more favorably. Distributive justice is the perceived fairness of the outcome and this case he does not believe that he is being rewarded fairly. Alex has an issue with procedural justice in that Jacque has a bias for Denise and therefore Alex believes that the process is unfair. He knocks his lunch to the floor when he perceives a problem with interactional justice when Jacque interrupts his lunch with Katrien and he feels that he is not respected. Although he has 45 minutes for lunch, Jacque always wants him to return within 30 minutes, which is once again unfair treatment as compared to other employees. Question.04. Using concepts from the emotions and moods chapter, explain why Alex retaliates toward his supervisor. Was his behavior driven purely by emotion, or did cognition also play a role? How so? Answer: Alexs emotions are negative. He is exhibiting a negative effect, which is a mood state that is displaying his stress level, anxiety and irritability toward his boss and the climate in which he is employed. His retaliation is an emotional reaction to the poor treatment that he has endured from his boss and the favorable treatment toward Denise. Cognition plays a role since Alex is aware of his environment and has been trying to make sense of the injustices. His ultimate emotional response with Jacques sandwich was a result of an accumulation of perceived inequities. Question.05. Compare and contrast Alex and Katrien in terms of each persons level of work stress. How might stress affect their attitudes and behaviors within their work environment? Answer: Katrien consistently has a smile on her face and her level of job satisfaction is high. She has been given a variety of tasks and her job is fulfilling, therefore her level of work stress is low. In contrast, Alexs stress level is high with many perceived injustices and boring work. His attitude and behavior are poor and negative respectively since their managers have different styles of Theory X for Alex and Theory Y for Katrien. Alex will quit as soon as he finds another job while Katrien is content with her position and present challenges. Question.06. Discuss Alex and Katrien in terms of each persons job attitudes (for example, job satisfaction and organizational commitment). What factors might be responsible for any differences? Answer: Again, the attitudes including job satisfaction and organizational commitment are positive for Katrien and negative for Alex. As mentioned, Alex is looking to leave the organization while Katrien is given more responsibilities and challenges. Her job satisfaction is high while his is low. Many factors mentioned earlier have contributed to this situation from the differences in managers and their respective styles to the biases and injustices including unfair treatment and inequitable pay that all contribute to a poor working environment and a lack of motivation on Alexs part. Robbins/Judge, Organizational Behavior,13th Edition, Pearson Education,2009, Pages 231237 Robbins/Judge, Organizational Behavior,13th Edition, Pearson Education,2009, Pages 233-234 Robbins/Judge, Organizational Behavior,13th Edition, Pearson Education,2009, Pages 234236 Robbins/Judge, Organizational Behavior,13th Edition, Pearson Education,2009, Pages 229236 Robbins/Judge, Organizational Behavior,13th Edition, Pearson Education,2009, Page 229 Robbins/Judge, Organizational Behavior,13th Edition, Pearson Education,2009, Pages 285-293

Portrait of A Hockey Player :: Personal Narrative Writing

Portrait of A Hockey Player The year is 1992. I am ten years old. I am with my brother, Stephen, and my Uncle Seamus. We are in my uncle’s BMW on our way up to his winter home in Pennsylvania. It is around ten o’clock at night and we are starving. We decide to stop at a small restaurant on the corner of this dark road. This stop changes my life. During our meal my uncle mentions he knows Mike Richter. Mike is the goalie for the New York Rangers, a great professional hockey team. I’ve always liked hockey, but I never thought about playing it. I know now is the time to start, considering I have an advantage over other kids. I can meet Mike Richter from time to time and ask him questions. For the rest of our trip all I can think about is starting to play hockey. The year is 1991. Before I began playing hockey, I was the shyest person in my fifth grade class. I was always the one in the corner playing by myself. I had no friends, and more significantly, I had no confidence. Every year before I started playing hockey I was a terrible student. I never got higher than a C in school. The only things I looked forward to were playing video games and hanging out with my Uncle Seamus. I always had a great time with him. I finally get home from Pennsylvania, and I call the only person I know who plays hockey, my best friend Kenny. For the first time I tell him that I want to play hockey. From then on I play hockey every day after school. Until I can afford real goalie pads, I use a pair of couch cushions. I really start to get good. It also gives me the one thing I lack, confidence. In school, I start making friends, and we put a hockey team together. We start playing every day in a vacant parking lot up the block. I really know I am capable of being a good goalie. The year is 1994. I have decided to move from playing hockey in the streets to playing hockey on the ice.

growaw Edna Pontellier’s Search for Self in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

The Search for Self in The Awakening    In The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier is a married woman with children. However many of her actions seem like those of a child. In fact, Edna Pontelliers’ life is an irony, in that her immaturity allows her to mature. Throughout this novel, there are many examples of this because Edna is continuously searching for herself in the novel.       One example of how Edna ¡Ã‚ ¦s immaturity allows her to mature is when she starts to cry when LeÆ’Vonce, her husband, says she is not a good mother.  ¡Ã‚ §He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother ¡Ã‚ ¦s place to look after children, whose on earth was it? ¡Ã‚ ¨(13). Edna, instead of telling her husband that she had taken care of her children, began to cry like a baby after her husband reprimanded her.  ¡Ã‚ §Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake. She began to cry a little ¡Kshe thrust her face, steaming and wet, into the bend of her arm, and she went on crying there, not caring any longer to dry her face, her eyes, her arms, ¡Ã‚ ¨(13,14). These tears made Edna look as if she was still a child and that she is tired of being treated as a child by her husband. These tears also showed her she did not like where she was, a sign of maturity. Her tears symbolize her first awakening.       Although the next morning, after Edna had cried the night before had to go and say good-bye to her husband because he was leaving on a business trip. Edna acted immaturely around him again when he gave her half the money he won the night before.  ¡Ã‚ §Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ¥It will buy a handsome wedding present for Sister Janet! ¡Ã‚ ¦ she exclaimed, smoothing out the bills as she counted them one by one, ¡Ã‚ ¨(15). Edna is spoiled by all of her husbands money.       Another example of how Edna ¡Ã‚ ¦s immaturity allows her to mature is when Edna swam like a baby when she went swimming for the first time, and she had over estimated her power.  ¡Ã‚ §Once she turned and looked toward the shore, toward the people she had left there. She had not gone any great distance ¡Kshe made no mention of her encounter with death and her flash of terror, except to say to her husband,  ¡Ã‚ ¥I thought I should have perished out there alone.

Research Proposal Childhood Obesity Essay

The topic of this research proposal is addressing childhood obesity in the United States. This epidemic has been going on for many years now and has become an issue most recently being addressed by the United States government through their task force, which hopes to end this problem. By reviewing the many factors involved which include economic boundaries for the children’s families, early education in nutrition, and progress made in battling this epidemic thus far, we will be able to determine when it is the best time to introduce good nutritional knowledge and application, as well as physical activity, for children in the United States in hopes of ending this problem overall. In order to determine this answer, the researcher will need to research the changes that have taken place thus far by reviewing articles that show what certain states have been actively promoting healthy eating and physical activity, like in Portland ME who has educational programs for residents. This program also allows for scholarships for these programs for families who cannot afford the classes. The researcher will also have to review articles in the ProQuest database that show what has been studied so far regarding nutrition for young children as well as other sources like the White House website articles related to the task force being led by First Lady Michelle Obama. The researcher will also need to show an overview of the current problem at hand with one in three children in the country qualifying as obese. The researcher will review some of the problems that may be contributing factors like target marketing to children by fast food establishments and limited physical activity by children today, By reviewing all of this information, the researcher should be able to show progress made toward ending this problem and answer when good nutrition and physical activity should be introduced in a child’s life.

Final Paper African Americans Essay

Through out history there has been a struggle for African Americans to be accepted in our society. An African American endures many more disadvantages than most white people. The media and other sources have made blacks to look the same and has portrayed them in a certain light that may not be fitting to all blacks. There are many misconceptions that people have of blacks. Many people and organizations have had a part in bringing equality and fighting for equal rights for black people. African Americans have been at a huge disadvantage in America from the beginning. Unlike many other minority groups in America, African Americans in many cases were brought here by force and not by there own will. (000000) The first African Americans came to America in the seventeenth century and were immediately forced to work for Whites. After much turmoil and even a civil war Blacks were finally given there freedom with the Emancipation proclamation signed and ratified in 1863. Even after the proclamation some blacks were still enslaved and freed blacks had little to no opportunity. The struggle continued into the next century as blacks finally received the right to vote with the ratification in of the 15th amendment. The 20th century contained a world filled by a segregated America between whites and blacks through jim crow laws that existed that restricted blacks from interacting with whites. With a history like that it is no wonder that African Americans still have disadvantages in our modern day. America today is known as the country of opportunity. Although there are many opportunities out there it seems that there are more opportunities for some groups more than others. Many companies and corporations still use race as a indicator for hiring employees. In one study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research, people with common black names were less likely to be called back for an interview based on there application alone then black people with common white sounding names. Job applicants with white sounding names needed to send out ten applications to get one call back while applications with common black names needed to send out about fifteen to get one reply. (Francis, www. nber. org/digest.com). The research was done withe resumes of the same qualifications. It is easy to see that Black people are constantly bombarded by inequality in the work force. If there were inequalities just based on names of applicants just imagine the inequality when employers actually see the race of the applicants. Black Americans have been stereotyped for years and continue to be today. The media is one great source of portraying African Americans in certain roles. African Americans are portrayed as criminals, drug dealers and sex offenders in many instances. Many Africans are outraged at how they are portrayed in the media. Protest groups such as the Young African Americans Against Media Stereotypes have done what they can to show there stance on stereotypical media portrayal. â€Å"Majority of the time you see a young African-American male in the media he is singing, rapping, scoring a touchdown, dunking a basketball or committing a crime†( http://www. yaaams. com/) Many stereotypes about black people are incredibly false. Many people still think that black people are only good at certain things like music and sports. This is a very false belief and black people have contributed heavily to all different sorts of fields. Many vital inventions that we use on an everyday bases were invented by black people. The dust mop, pencil sharpener, typewriter, and elevator were all invented by black people. (http://www. black-network. com) Our society would not be what it is if it were not for Garret Morgan, the young Black man who invented the traffic light. http://www. infoplease. com/spot/bhmcensus1. html.

Evaluation of Three Lesson Plan Templates for ELT

Teaching English as a Second Language (ELT) is a demanding job that is currently experiencing too few teachers to fill the jobs out there.   As more and more foreign students enter United States Schools, experienced teachers will be needed to fill these slots.   Thus, training ELT teachers is of the utmost concern for education departments in colleges and universities throughout the country.   Clearly, tools, strategies and support must be made available to these new teachers so that they can focus their time on teaching the students.   A good lesson plan template will go a long way in easing the burden on the ELT teacher. This essay will focus on the three lesson plan templates submitted for instructing ELT classes.   These templates will be analyzed and evaluated for the following components:   1) identification of lesson and objectives 2) strategies and methods, 3) equipment and materials needed, 4) use of technology, 5) reinforcement and enrichment, 6) structural format, 7) overall efficiency of use. These criteria are important in the development of a viable lesson plan and will aid new ELT teachers in preparing thorough and appropriate lessons.   After that, the lesson plans will be assessed based on their strengths and weaknesses followed by some overall suggestions for improvement for both the individual lesson plan templates and for all three templates together. General Description Visually this lesson plan provides a large writing space with topic indicators down the left hand margin, except for the date and time in the upper right hand corner.   This lesson identifies the basic class/date/time information.   Then it provides a spot for aims and new lexis.   It then provides a spot for needed equipment, materials and preparation before class begins.   Then the plan gives a two columned table for the method of the lesson and the time it will take.   Finally, the plan gives a spot for the homework and comments on the lesson. Strengths The strengths of this lesson include its inclusion of the new words to learn, which is important to the ELT classroom and the initial mention of the aims, which we can assume are the objectives.   The timing out of each part of the lesson on the table is also important.   One of the most valuable parts of the plan is its reflection section at the bottom.   Comments on the lesson are vital to reworking it for the next presentation. Weaknesses This lesson plan is spaced oddly.   It does not provide enough room for the method section.  Ã‚   Organization seems a bit off as well.   The equipment and materials separate the method of the lesson from its aims and new words of study.   It is hard to tell from the methods section what exactly will be happening; this leaves a lot for the teacher to write in on a daily basis. Suggestions for Improvement I would move the Methods section up under the Aims and New Lexis subheadings.   This way, the entire lesson is presented as a unit rather than broken up by the materials and equipment needed.  Ã‚   I would also consider moving the Before the Class heading to the top, so that it can be completed the day before.   After that, the lesson is still linear.   Also consider this – if the lesson always contains a section for, say, oral repetition of new words followed by visual images of the words, these two subheadings could be typed in to save time in writing out the lesson plan. General Description This lesson plan template uses six horizontal boxes. The first contains basic information like class, room number, date, time and length of lesson.   The second box is dedicated to the aims of the ELT process and includes four categories of these aims:   functional, structural, phonological and skills aims.   Then, the third box lists materials; the fourth box lists aids; and the fifth box provides for an evaluation of the procedure. Strengths The physical layout is very attractive and appropriate for showing clear divisions in the plan.   The separation of the lesson aims into categories is important and reminds the teacher that each lesson needs to meet each of these four components in order to make sure the ELT student fully grasps the concept being taught.   Again, a spot to evaluate the lesson, or components of it, is vital for future planning, and ample space is given for the teacher to do so in this particular lesson plan template. Weaknesses This lesson plan seems to misappropriate the use of space.   It seems that the largest amount of space should go to describing the lesson aims and method, but this does not happen here.   In fact, there is not place listed to describe the actual process and procedure of the lesson plan itself.   There is nothing to indicate what will be happening specifically during the class.   I am not sure how the word aids differs from materials, so this might be unnecessarily repetitive and take up space from other necessary information. Suggestions for Improvement This lesson plan must add a section for specifying each activity and the anticipated time for it.   Without that, there is no way to evaluate how well the lesson went and what changes might be made to it.   The first box is way too large.   That can be condensed by half. General Description The third lesson plan template takes the form of five vertical columns. Above the columns are spots for the general data of class, overall aim, date and time.   Beneath the columns are spaces to list homework and an evaluation of the lesson.   The six columns are labeled as follows:   Activity, Materials and Aids, Time Needed, Skills to be Practised, and Problems Anticipated. Strengths The vertical columns suggest a very linear organization.   Each activity listed in the first column can be tracked across each column, leaving no question as to the distinct identity of each separate activity.   This is the only lesson plan to do this.   Also, the spot to anticipate problems is also very insightful, as lessons rarely go as expected.   Once again, the teacher has a place to evaluate his or her lessons. Weaknesses Again, I think the order of the presentation is a little inefficient.   A reordering of the columns is suggested below.   Also, only one spot is given for an overall aim.   However, most lessons have additional, more specific goals and objectives as well. Suggestions for Improvement I would order the columns in the following way:   Time Needed, Activity, Skills, Materials, and Problems.   This seems to flow natural and will keep the teacher from backtracking.   I would also add a spot for more lesson-specific objectives in addition to the larger, overall aim. Overall Evaluation All of the lesson plans present are an excellent start in preparing a template to use in the ELT classroom.   However, a few additions might improve all of the lesson plans.   As a matter of housekeeping, it is a good idea to have a spot for students who are absent.   That way, make up materials can be collected and distributed very easily without the need to cross check the lesson plan with the attendance book. Next, I would suggest that a spot be added to each lesson plan for reinforcement and for enrichment.   It is entirely possible that some students will need additional work on the basic goals and aims while others master them quickly.   Thus, the reinforcement activities can re-teach the lesson to those slower to grasp it while the enrichment activities can give more challenging work to those that picked up the material faster than others.     Everyone will stay busy while the teacher focuses on those that are struggling. Most educators suggest reserving a spot at the beginning of the plan for review of previous material and again at the end of the plan to review the day’s lesson and preview the next day.   It is easy to forget these things; they can be very easily written into the plan.   One blaring omission in all three of the lesson plans was the omission of the use of technology. While this might be listed under materials, I believe that technology use, especially in the ELT classroom, is an integral part in lesson planning. Audio lessons, video lessons, even lessons on PowerPoint or computer programs used by the students are all significant strategies for students learning a second language.   It is a flaw to omit this design in the lesson plan as many teacher evaluation and certification instruments specifically seek them. Finally, it is always best to have as much space available as one can to write in.   I would suggest that the teachers widen the margins on the documents to that more information can be written in the spaces.  Ã‚     While the lesson plan is best kept to one page, the more writing that the teacher can neatly put on that one page, the better.   It is better to have too much information on the page than not enough. Organization is the key to success for all teachers, and especially the teachers of ELT.   Once the children enter the classroom, there is now time to try to make sense of a confusing or poorly written plan.   Not every plan will work for every teacher, so it may take some time to hit upon the very best template. The best advice is to have a space to write in things you do every day, such as review, homework, preview, reflection etc.   That way you will not forget to include that segment in your lesson.   It is important to keep track of time so that the class time will never be wasted.   Finally, the more specific the plan is, the easier it is to teach. Each of these three plans is certainly on track and with a few minor modifications, they will be ready to use in the classroom.                                                

What is the main purpose of prison

What is the main purpose of prison BY assists What is the main purpose of prisons? Although the human society is marching on all the time, a variety of crimes such as cheat, steal and even more serious kidnapping, rape and murder keep happening around us unavoidably. In order to maintain the stability of our countries and punish those people who commit crimes, prisons appear. That is the simplest reason for prison establishing, and in this article I will analyze the purpose of prisons deeply.Generally speaking, despite the punishment action, known as retribution, the purpose of prisons can be divided into another 3 categories. Firstly, incapacitation, it can be expressed as isolating the criminals and depriving their freedom by locking them in a secure place. Secondly, for people who intend to commit crime but have not broken the laws, prisons are deterrence to some extent. In another word, prisons act as a warning in people's mind to prevent future crimes.Finally, rehabilitation mea ns that the prisons have the responsibility to develop prisoners' abilities and integrate them into society after releasing. Those activities may include but not limited in launching educational courses, teaching Job skills, informing current news s well as providing psychotherapy by professional staffs. However, after explaining the functions of prisons thoroughly, there comes a new problem for us, what should be the main purpose of prisons – rehabilitation (positive side) or punishment/societal protection (negative side)?In my opinion, it depends on the crime behavior and the intent behind the crime. If it is not a serious crime such as driving after drinking a bottle of beer, then absolutely yes, this person should be forgiven. And in this case, rehabilitation is the main purpose of prison to get him off of the wrong behavior. But then, if someone commit violate criminals such as murder or rape, the purpose of prison will change to the negative side and most of ordinary pe ople will agree with locking him and punishing him with no hesitation.In this case, it is not necessary to give him another opportunity and the prison's duty is only isolating the prisoner and taking away all the luxury things so that rehabilitation is not that important. In addition, if someone commits crime due to addition and has psychological problems, then rehabilitation should be put as priority, because punishment is useless for reforming addicts.

Kudler Fine Foods Essay

Kudler Fine Foods is a specialty foods store in the San Diego metropolitan area. Like many businesses, Kudler must adapt to the changing needs of the market and the organization itself. The sales department of Kudler Fine Foods faces the need for changes within its operations. These changes will provide important opportunities for the organization. There are four dimensions that will manage this change and apply specifically to these modifications. The project management approach allows for control of the change and support for this proposal comes from expected return on investment. Kudler’s next enterprise is following purchase behavior of individual customers and encouraging large incentives with a loyalty points program (University of Phoenix, 2011). Tracking this information will allow Kudler to better assist its customers and offer products and deals that are best matched to its customer’s needs. Being a specialty store, the Kudler customer is most concerned with the quality of the product and its uniqueness and availability in the local market. To match the tastes of its customers, Kudler’s loyalty program offers its customers with rewards such as high end gift items, airline first-class upgrades, or other specialty foods (University of Phoenix, 2011). In order to adapt to this new incentive program, the sales department at Kudler is going to need change. The sales department must add another program to the repertoire of sales at Kudler Fine Foods. Pushing the loyalty program needs to integrate itself into the everyday sales message. In order for the program to become successful and achieve its goal of increasing revenue, the sales department eeds to be on board with the changes. There is a need for increased training surrounding the loyalty program and its benefits and offers. A bonus program for employees that garner participation by customers in the loyalty program is also a tool that can assist in implementing the change. There are four dimensions of change that leaders must consider when implementing a successful transition or change. Strategy, resources,systems, culture and their interrelated components makeup the key elements of change management as it relates t using the project management approach. Linking the dimensions f change and the project management approach allow the organization to proceed in a systematic and organized manner that ensures performance gals and objectives are met (Leban & Stone, 2008). Assessment of the needs of Kudler Fine Foods reveals a need for increased training in the sales division regarding the loyalty program. The new way of operating in the sales department leads to learning about what the new organizational objectives really are and what they will demand as far as attitudes, behaviors, and skills. This learning process and interaction between dimensions of change eventually align the organization’s culture and strategy (Leban & Stone, 2008). The project management approach slows control over the development of the changes and adds flexibility for the plan to evolve as the organization sees fit. Constant monitoring of the plan can keep alignment between time, costs, and quality objectives. The comp,any is also interested in the return on investment and an deviation from this expected result. Kudler Fine Foods expects to increase revenue from its loyalty program. Tis may only occur f the entire organization is aligned on the objeives and proper training is given to employees in the sales department. Investing in the training for sales as well as offering bonus incentives aims at motivating employees to see how the loyalty program can improve customer satisfaction and also benefit employees. By taking the time to invest in employee knowledge and skill level, they can feel the support from upper management. Tips program is being rolled t with the support ad backing of the organization with the intent to help employees excel and succeed. The loyalty program itself has an outlined expected revenue lift. Quarter one to include employee training expects an initial revenue lift of . 25%, followed by . 50% in quarter two, 1. 75% in quarter three, and 2. 25% for the fourth quarter (University of Phoenix, 2011). The expected revenue lift totals 4. 75%. This return is expected to come directly from the frequent shopper loyalty program, a direct result of the motivated sales people behind it. Today’s global economy and business world is changing rapidly due the redesigning of systems to reduce costs, the need to develop products faster, and the focus on increasing customer satisfaction.. These types of changes support the use of project management as a way to introduce change to an organization. Kudler Fine Foods may utilize this approach for transitioning its sales department into an increasingly customer-oriented fashion. Not only will the company seek higher quality products better matched to its customer’s needs, but it will provide the necessary training for its employees to be successful. Sales will be trained on these loyalty programs, including in-depth training on data analysis. The management of this change is an integral component to the future success of Kudler Fine Foods.

Enterprise information systems For Microsoft Assignment

Enterprise information systems For Microsoft - Assignment Example Rolls-Royce is a motor and energy producing company, which resumed its operations in the private sector in 1987. The company grew and acquired new other firms (Rolls-Royce 43). Today the company is global business enterprise offering solutions in power and motor supplies. Economic growth and internationalization of the enterprise’s operations necessitated an installation of ERP. The company chose to use an ERP software package called SAP R/3 (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 251). Such a move by the company targeted to internalize its operations and manage data flow for efficient operations. The firm also attained corporate management of its operations and integrated individual functional units in the finance and manufacturing sectors (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 252). The business had used more than 1500 systems before it installed the EPR project, most of which the firm developed internally (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 255). The initial units were expensive in terms of operations as well as difficult to maintain and improve. The systems did not provide consistent, accurate, and accessible information needed for timely decision-making. The old systems were also not suitable for modern operations in the corporate world. As a result, the business unit sold some of the aging systems and replaced it with a new one. Implementation of the project required an intervention of a team of experts outsourced from EDS. During the process, the team met with a number of challenges, which may fall into three categories. The first was cultural, which meant that the firm was to overhaul the whole old system with a new one considerably because they could not suit each other. Some departments within the company did not find it easy and consequently, they needed training (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 256). The next problem related to corporate operations. The new system required a rigid plan of business for a successful working. It means that the workers had to adjust their modes of working to