Guidelines for Writing a Lab Report Essay

Writing a good lab report is an important goal of your science education, and gives you the opportunity to enhance your writing skills and to communicate your understanding of the scientific process to others. Your lab report for this semester will be a write up of your independent research project. This will follow the standard format for a lab report and should include the following sections: Title Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussion Conclusion References For this course we are giving extra emphasis to the materials and methods section. This section should include sufficient detail to allow others to reproduce your experiments, without being overly descriptive. A guide to writing each section is as follows: TITLE Name the experiment. The title should be descriptive of what you did or what your data showed. A reader should be able to obtain some understanding of the content of your report from the title. In the research world, scientists scan the table of contents of journals to determine if there are any papers relevant to their research that they should read. Therefore the title is important for getting your work recognized. INTRODUCTION Explain why you choose this project, and what you hoped to learn from it. You will be required to research the background information for your project, and present the current state of knowledge for the topic of your research. In addition, you must explain your rationale for choosing this project, clearly state the objective or hypothesis, and predict the outcome of the experiments if the hypothesis holds true. Example: if an independent research project investigated the effect of hand sanitizers on the growth of E. coli, then the introduction should include background information on hand sanitizers (what they are, how they are used, the ingredients that kill bacteria), and background information on E. coli (what it is, why it is a problem). It would also include the experimental hypothesis, e.g. â€Å"Hand sanitizers will be more effective at killing E. coli than soap.† MATERIALS AND METHODS Describe how you conducted your experiments in sufficient detail that someone else could repeat them, WITHOUT excess detail. First and foremost, this section is NOT simply a list of materials and a step-by-step accounting of what you did. You should write your materials and methods in descriptive form, using past tense (describe what you did). Do not include reasoning in your methods – this belongs in the discussion section. You should describe what you did in enough detail that someone could repeat the experiment if he or she wanted to, but do not use excessive details. As you are doing your experiment, be sure you keep track of what you actually did in your lab notebook, especially any details which vary from the instructions in the lab manual. What you do could have important implications for the results you get, and your interpretation of those results. The Materials and Methods in your lab report should be what you actually did, and not just what the lab manual told you to do. Points to remember: * Organize this section carefully and logically, place the methods in the order in which you ran them. * Use subheadings that break the text into distinct sections (if warranted). Do not use subheadings such as â€Å"Lab 4.† Use a descriptive subheading, such as â€Å"Agarose Gel Electrophoresis† and make use of bold text to distinguish subheadings. * Provide enough information to allow others to repeat the same experiment * Use specific, informative language (quantify whenever possible) * Omit unnecessary information. You do not need to include every possible detail of the time you spent in the lab. Include only those procedures directly pertaining to the results you plan to present in the paper. * Include complete mathematical formulas if appropriate. * Do not make the common error of mixing some of the Results in this section RESULTS Present your data in such a way that someone could go directly to the results section and understand the results of your experiments. The results section will have a text portion and a portion that contains figures, tables, photographs, graphs, etc., depending on what kind of data you have. In the text of your results section, describe the trends and important points of your data. Point out what it is that you want your reader to come away with. Be sure you refer to the relevant figures and/or tables when you are writing your text. Refer to them as if you were citing them. For example: The purity of the enzyme improved with each step of the purification scheme (Table 1). For the data portion (i.e., figures and tables), there are many ways to present your results, and you should think very carefully about which is the best way. Is it a line graph, a bar graph or histogram, a pie chart, a table, a picture or diagram, or is it some combination of these? Whatever you choose, be sure it clearly shows your results. You want your reader to be able to look at your tables, charts, figures, etc. and know exactly what experiment was done for each one. You also want the reader to be able to understand what the results actually are. ALL of your data that relates to the report should be presented (even negative data). Points to remember: * Organize your data carefully and logically. If possible, present results in the same order as the methods. * Use subheadings that break the data into distinct sections (if warranted) * Summarize the data and emphasize important patterns or trends * Do not interpret your data; do not draw conclusions; do not speculate.in the results section (save these issues for the Discussion) * Graphs, drawings, and photos are considered figures. Each figure and table must have a title and be numbered sequentially as they are introduced in the text. (figure 1, figure2, table 1, table2) * Specify units on the axes of graphs and label all columns and rows of tables. * Computer programs, such as Excel, can help you draw graphs and diagrams. If the graphs are hand drawn they must be neat and accurate. * Examples of some of the ways that you can present your data are illustrated at the end of this handout. DISCUSSION Relate your results back to the introduction. Did you add to the current state of knowledge? What did you learn from your experiments? Were there any sources of error? What future experiments might you conduct? Was your hypothesis supported by your data? This section is for an interpretation of your results, e.g. what do your results mean? Why did you think that you obtained these results? What can be learned from this experiment.? Connect your results to the concepts behind the experiments and your hypothesesAre there any questions the experimental design leaves unanswered (related to your hypothesis or not)? How would you improve this experiment in the future? What other experiments would you do now to extend or confirm your results (what is the next step)? You should also indicate if there are any inherent flaws or sources of error in the experimental design. Do not use â€Å"human error† as an explanation. Only discuss experimental errors that you think actually occurred during your experiment. You should also avoid saying that taking more samples or doing more repetitions of the experiment would improve the data. That is almost always true of any experiment, and goes without saying. Points to remember: * Interpret your results; draw attention to your major findings. * Support your conclusions with evidence; convince the reader that your interpretations are sound and that your work represents a valid contribution to the field. * Recognize the importance of â€Å"negative† results. * Address both the advantages and limitations of your methods; What causes may be responsible for your findings? Suggest explanations if you have conflicting or unexpected results. * Go from specific to general; Start with a discussion of your specific results and end with more far-reaching conclusions or predictions; Can you make generalizations? What would the next questions be? * Be aware of phrasing used in scientific discourse, e.g. verbs like suggest, indicate, show, demonstrate; adverbs like possibly, probably, presumably, very likely; auxiliary verbs like may, might, would, could, etc. (â€Å"qualifiers†) CONCLUSIONS Summarize the meaning of your results in two or three sentences. REFERENCES List all of the information sources used for your introduction. Any references that you use should be cited in the text and listed in alphabetical order in a reference section at the end of your report. Use the APA citation style: For citations in the text: (Author, year) goes after the material from a particular source. For references section: Last name, First name. Year. Title of article. Journal. Volume. Page Numbers.

Trade Issues Between Developed and Developing Nations

Trade Problems 1 Trade Issues between Developed and Developing Nations Friday, January 22, 2010 Trade Problems 2 There are trade problems that exist for a less developed nation when trading with a more developed nation. These trade problems can prevent the less developed nations from maximizing possible gains from international trade. Some of these problems are temporary and resolved in time, while others are more stubborn and unable to be resolved. I will discuss the type of issues developing nations come across when trading with developed nations. Developing countries participating in trade lack an organized and strong monetary policy. Developing nations have problems forecasting money demand. Central banks have problems keeping records for managing monetary policy because the banks are not independent of the government. Some developing countries adopt policies such as dollarization, which allows for financial stability and lower inflation. Inventory problems in developing nations are another issue. In developing countries, inventory may be agricultural products instead of industrial products. Most of the inventory problems have to do with the food security and livelihood of the people. Developing nations have to stabilize food prices and production. They also have to balance the domestic and imported supply of agricultural products. In Mexico, pollution has increased since NAFTA was signed into law and trade between the U. S. and Mexico began. Despite its governments initial attention to Trade Problems 3 environmental issues associated with economic growth, the government did not follow through on its intentions to take care of the environment. In 1994, â€Å"real spending on environmental protection†¦declined 45%† (Gallagher, 2004). Further, inspections fell by â€Å"45% over the same period† (Gallagher, 2004). Ten years later, in 2004, there is nothing to suggest that pollution has decreased. If Mexico does not act on protecting its environment, further â€Å"environmental degradation† will continue. With Mexico’s comparative advantage of â€Å"an abundance of unskilled labor†, most firms will stay close to their â€Å"production markets† and pay the costs of environmental regulation, which are small, compared to relocating their businesses elsewhere (Gallagher, 2004). Knowing implementing regulations and enforcing them will not jeopardize â€Å"direct foreign investment† is one of the most important reasons why Mexico can and should reduce pollution and other â€Å"environmental degradation† within its borders (Gallagher, 2004). Trade Problems 4 References Bigman, D, (1986, February). The Journal of the Operational Research Society, Research on Inventory Problems in Developing Countries. Retrieved Friday, January 22, 2010 from http://www. jstor. org/pss/2582717 Gallagher, K (2004, September). Free Trade and the Environment: Mexico, NAFTA, and Beyond. Retrieved Friday, January 22, 2010 from http://ase. tufts. edu/gdae/Pubs/rp/NAFTAEnviroKGAmerProgSep04. pdf Wikipedia, (2010, January). Monetary Policy, Developing Countries. Retrieved Friday, January 22, 2010 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Monetary_policy

Drinking and driving Essay

On Jan.8, 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that became the education-reform bill. The No Child Left Behind is most sweeping education-reform bill since 1965 that made changes to the the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The No Child Left Behind plays a big part in the life’s of students, parents, teachers, and the future of the educational system. â€Å"No longer content to provide access to education for traditionally extended students populations, we are now demanding that these students receive equally good educations.† In other words, administrations are now demanding equality of quality. President Bush thinks that all students are title to high quality education, treated equal, fair, and to be safe while at school. The No Child Left Behind places significant responsibilities on state educational agencies, school districts, principals, and the teachers. â€Å"In 2002 the federal government returned to the force front in potentially historic fashion.† With the passage of No Child Left Behind, supported by bipartism majorities in Congress, the nation committed itself to the achievement of every student in America. The No Child Left Behind in the federal system the United States for every education state and school districts fail to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind Act that will be held accountable, with the opportunity to improve their down fall. Each state makes their own standards for what a child should know and learn for grades, for math and reading the standards should be developed first. Every student should be tested by the standards. All school districts should make adequate yearly progress toward meeting their state standards. Schools that fail need all the support they can get to improve their progress. The school or District shall come up with an idea that’s going to meet all necessary to make higher goals. The No Child Left Behind has a standardize by making sure that all teachers were high. The No CLB Act has In the article (Teacher’s Views on No child left behind) teachers was the no child left behind law â€Å"The federal legislation provides considerable discretion to states that can develop their own academic content standards, choose the tests they will administer, and specify the minimum scores students must obtain to be declared â€Å"proficient†. The no child left behind law increased the attention to many schools that pay to academic achievement and to disadvantage children that make it better. â€Å"As a result, the skills, and knowledge of the subgroups of children that historically have not increased as rapidly under many state tests would suggest. Second, no child left behind has increased the efforts of schools scores, third, adequate yearly progress rules; some states increased the migration of experienced teachers out of school serving high concentrations of low – performing students. No child left behind represents that parents of students who are attending title I schools are given the option to transfer their students to another school in the district for improvement status, If a student requested to be transferred shall be allowed to transfer. The No Child Left Behind, has two new educational options, -supplemental educational services and school choice for title I schools for restricting, improvement, and corrective action by the options depends on parental decisions. Parents will know their student assessments. If the school needs improvement the parent will be informed. Conclusion: The No Child Left Behind Act is great. Every child should have the right to receive an education, and be safe while in school. There so many jobs and opportunities will be required to have a college degree in order for a student to have success in life they need an education. The No Child Left Behind Act helps and gives students the impossible they did not have. The No  Child Left Behind made school districts accountability achievement. ON January 8, 2002 President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Act the reform bill improves student’s goals on the state- wide testing, and The No Child Left Behind has admirable goal of improvement in the educational system. President Bush thinks that no child should be left behind and that all children are entitled to education, treated fair and to be safe. No matter what the student is, their race, where they live, they should be entitled to an equal education. References’ Abernathy, S. (2007). No child left behind and the public schools {electronic resource} / Scott Franklin Abernathy. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, c2007. Michigan Press. In 2001 the author researcher at Ann Arbor: University of President George W. Bush’s education reform legislation, the no child left behind act (H.R. 1). Testing and accotability provisions Chubb, J.E. (2009). Learning from no child left behind {electronic resource}: how and why the nation’s most important but The Author research stand ford, California. : hoover institution Murnane, R., Papay, J. (2010). Teacher’s views on no child left behind: support for the principles, concerns about the practices. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(3), 151- 166 Programs, all other Miscellaneous Schools Believes that the school should not be accountable for teaching all children well. The No child left behind is to improve all students’ performance. Put students’ performance in data gives the parents opportunity to see the child’s performance. Students that attend low-performing schools start to develop discipline issues, their want to be transferred to a better – performing school. School that doesn’t need their goals will offer including free tutoring, and after school instruction. Randolph, K., & Wilson – Younger, D. (2012). †Is No Child Left Behind Effective For All Students?† Parents don’t think so. Online submission. The author’s researchers Database: ERIC. Since the No child left behind is to discuss the advantage of the core requirements for its implementation. Parents have concerns whether the children are really learning. Zimmer, R., Gill, B., Raquin, Booker, K., Lockwood, J., & Department of education, w.c (2007). State and Local Implementation of the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† (Nls-â€Å"nclb†). The author researchers us department of  education. The key component the no child left behind for the parent children that were attending title I school options for corrective action, improvement, failure achieve toward meeting state standards.

Social Policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Policy - Assignment Example 65). World Wars I and II brought many changes in Britain. During the war, societal roles had to change. Women had to take up the roles that were previously played by men because most men were at war. The course of the war is also characterized by the industrial revolution. The revolution was a radical change in industrial activities that saw the improvement of production processes. The Industrial revolution was strategic for the war because Britain depended greatly on the industrial manufacture ammunition like war aircrafts and wars ships. The war changed the social setting in Britain. A good example is the fact that lot of men died, some others injured, and this changed the status of women, as they rose to be family heads. Politically, Britain remained a monarchy but many people were pushing for the establishment of a democratic government. Economically, the immense capital invested in the war led to an increase in tax after the war. It changed from 6 percent in 1914 to 25 percent in 1918. The industrial revolution was also a major boost for industrial activities. Social democracy is a politically based ideology that aims at establishing democratic socialism through the formulation of reforms and gradual methods. Therefore, Social democracy is a system of governance based on an economic and socialist theory with the aim of establishing equality among all people in terms of wealth and opportunities. The equality is achievable through collective or public ownership of national endowments such as local resources. Liberalism is a political ideology whose main ideas are liberty and equality. Liberty refers to freedom for example to express political views. It is founded on the concept of classical liberalism, which pushes for political, and civil liberties to be respected and granted by the presiding authority. Classical liberalism also emphasises on the need for a democratic system with a well-established representation

Article Abstract 03 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article Abstract 03 - Essay Example Selecting margin of victory as a determinant in deciphering fan satisfaction is considered as an important factor of the study which revealed negative value. The negative shows increase in the fan rating. The study had been focused upon measuring post-game fan satisfaction through ratings which is considered as an informal procedure in conducting the study. Many fans have different views regarding a match and these views can change if their team wins or loses a match. A match that has been won by a team which is supported by a fan would give highest ratings, whereas, the ratings from an opposite team fan would give alternate ratings which will create biasness. Therefore, a more precise and accurate procedure must have been adopted. The most important factor that has been missed out by authors is the inclusion of big players playing in the team at the time. After all, fans come out to watch their favorite players in the team and if those players are not included then it will engage less audience and create low

Electronic Health Record, Information Site Paper Essay

Electronic Health Record, Information Site Paper - Essay Example With the urban hospitals more keen and committed in the adoption of EHR, it is of great essence that the rural hospitals take over the same trend. In as much the costs of upgrading the health records in the health facilities are considerably higher; all the concerned parties must be geared towards improvement of the same. The electronic health records systems (EHR) have been credited for their ability to address the most tasking aspects that affect the healthcare system amongst them being the quality of services being offered to the citizens. The Healthcare Financial Management Association (2006) emphasizes that, a modernized health record system makes it easy for the concerned parties to plan on the endowment of the hospitals. It is imperative that hospitals embrace the novel technology on electronic health records systems (EHR) into their systems. Part 1 The electronic health records system (EHR) is entwined with copious challenges in the quest to promote continuum healthcare. The Healthcare Financial Management Association (2006) indicates that it is tremendously tasking to make all documents electronic in particular, integrating the older documents into the new system. This interprets that there will be a niche in the homogeny of the system. The concerned parties, in this case, are forced to have these information as images in their catalog, but not as original documents of the previous files. In this context, therefore, the eventual result has been to have an inclusive database in the electronic records. It becomes intricate if the clinician used poor handwriting to fill certain forms though the scanned documents can be included electronically. It, as a result, becomes complicated to interpret the documents as well as deduce their meanings. This can be dealt with by having a duplication of feebly written copies then scanning of the same. This will create a form of equivalence in the electronic system. Lack of knowledge on the safeguarding and storage of do cuments is a barrier to EHR. The concerned parties are not fully aware on the accessibility of retrieval of electronic data. Lack of the knowledge on the creation, editing and use of electronic data negatively implicates the implementation of EHR. Inability to store data interprets that medical practitioners are unable t enjoy new data systems. This can be eliminated by conducting a matriculation program on the concerned health facilities on the need to have electronic data systems and the need to upgrade the existing systems. Security and privacy issues also surround the electronic health records. Â  According to the research conducted by Healthcare Financial Management Association (2006), privacy of patients’ documents is a responsibility of the health practitioners. The EHR has led to the accessibility of patient documents on-line, a subject to security and privacy of patient information. It is important that all health facilities come up with stringent restrains on the E HR so as to maintain the standards of keeping records in the facility. Privacy and security are of great essence in terms of patient confidentiality. Having no standard language is yet another barrier to EHR implementation. This leads to poor synchronization of data and coordination. It is important that a standardized language and program is put in place, and distributed to all medical facilities. Record synchronization will make it easier for the educators on EHR to have a uniform

COMMERCIAL LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

COMMERCIAL LAW - Essay Example However, in protecting the interests of consumers, the Act does not go to the other extreme of compromising the interests of lenders. Since one of the requirements of the Act is that lenders and businesses offering credit are to seek a license before they can enter the business of credit, therefore the Act also protects the interests of genuine lenders by enforcing the repayment of debts that consumers may incur, which cannot be easily escaped. One of the notable provisions of the Consumer Credit Act of 1974 which has often been questioned is Section 127(3) which allows for certain agreements t be completed nullified if they are considered extortionate. This is one of the radical reform measures being undertaken through the new Consumer Credit Act of 2006, which does away with this provisions and introduces some fresh measures for the protection of lenders, such as allowing a wider range of small businesses to also enjoy the protection afforded to individuals. However, the scrutiny and screening of lenders and donors of credit has also increased considerably through the enhanced powers that are provided to the OFT under the new Act of 2006. The Consumer Credit Act of 1974 is specifically formulated to regulate all consumer credit and consumer hire arrangements that deal with amounts that are less than 25,000 pounds (www.dti.gov.uk). Therefore at the outset, by regulating such low cost transactions, it works to the benefit of average low and middle income consumers rather than targeting the rich and wealthy who are few in number. The Act also lays out a definition of the range of individuals who are to be protected by the Act . One of the ways in which the Act protects consumers is by laying down the form and contents which agreements are to be composed of, providing redressal procedures that must be adopted in case there is a default or a termination of the credit arrangement by either party and by disallowing extortionate credit bargains. For

The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq Personal Statement

The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq - Personal Statement Example Each of the wars had a level of analysis. These levels were individual state, and system. The levels of war analysis form a hierarchy. The responsibilities of the hierarchy rely on the scale and nature of the operation. The individual level of analysis in war includes a basic idea of how human traits cause many of the social outcomes in historical instances, including war and peace. There are variations of this idea as listed in a paper written by Wade L. Huntley, Ph.D. titled Causes of War and Paths to Peace written in May of 2004. Those variations include: basic human nature, varying features of human nature and both perception and misperception. His considerations behind this would include that in factoring basic human nature, people are basically aggressive, loving, greedy and fearful and so forth. People would be of all sorts of types, some aggressive, others peaceful, greedy or generous. Perception and misperception can result as bad decisions are made, especially in times of stress, which continually exemplifies the limits of human understanding of more than just human nature. Now, the question is, why does this series of considerations explain how war can manage coming about' According to t he text written by Wade L. Huntley, Ph.D. ... Wars or conflicts that would figure into this particular style of analysis would include, the Kurds, Bosnia, and Afghanistan in the grand scheme of war analysis because it would be individual conflicts of interest and security involved. The state level of war analysis includes a basic idea that the key factor is not necessarily based on human factors, but governmental ones in organization and such. The constraints that are created as a result of the basic infrastructure of the country can become a root cause of war. There are two variations to this idea. One is the state's nature; because each state wants certain things just because they would happen to be states and things like security and unity or nationalism would be inclusive within that. Also, included within this perspective is, like individuals, every state would be different. There would be differences that include purposeful, ideological and structural differences to consider. Much like the man vs. man consideration, this would be, in order revolutionary vs. status quo, capitalism vs. communism and democracy vs. totalitarianism. So, how can we understand such things, well we examine one of the wars on a state level. This would be, in essence, the Vietnam C onflict in which half the country believed strongly in democratic process and the other half would believe strongly in the communist construct. The same could be said for the Korean War. Understanding the underlying reasons would hardly gain knowledge as to how the individual level of war interpretations would inevitably cause war. Nor, would this actually explain the impetus of war in the fact that uncertainty of the human condition exists. In the State level of war, you have states that control the military, so

Small group communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small group communication - Essay Example That first group meeting allowed some frank discussions where we talked about what we wanted to achieve as a group, how we would achieve our goals and objectives, and what things we could put into place to ensure that we remained on track. Also, one thing that we did to loosen the tension in our group was to go on a fun outing so that we could get to know one another in an informal situation. We decided to go out to a bowling alley and get to know each other a little better. We did not even talk about the project that we had to do; the whole focus was on bonding with one another. I would say that the norms developing in my group are a good thing. We have a certain amount of respect for each other yet we can also get on really well too. I think that we are in the norming stage now because everyone is the group knows their role and what they need to do to contribute towards the groups success. My typical role in any group is to act more like a motivator. I am not really a leadership type person so I prefer to take a backseat role and let others dictate the agenda of the group. I will use my friendly personality to encourage others to remain upbeat and do what is required of them for the groups sake. My behavior is very much influenced by others in my group for this class. Because they are focused and driven to succeed, this has also rubbed off on me and know I share the same feelings. I have noticed that my work ethic has picked up as I see my fellow team members working as hard as they can to help the group. My behavior has influenced my group members because I have really tried to help them to relax. When we first started working together I noticed that some of my team members were really stressed. I wanted to get them to relax and be calm because a team can work better if they can laugh once in a while and joke

Ikea Invades America Essay Example for Free

Ikea Invades America Essay Founded in 1943 by a poor Swedish farmer named Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA is now one of the largest furniture retailers in the world. From its inception, Kamprad wanted to create cheap, quality furniture that everyone could afford. That formula led to IKEA’s early success in Sweden and has carried over until today. To its customers, IKEA is not just a store but a way of life, which may be evident through the cult-like following the company has achieved. When talking about the four P’s of marketing (product, price, place, promotion), there are few companies in the world that have mastered this concept better than IKEA. IKEA has been able to recognize the demands of its shoppers and create compelling products that meet those demands at a reasonable price. Its products are sold at unique stores that serve strategically important, geographic markets. This paper examines the factors that have made IKEA such a big success and offers some recommendations for future growth in the United States. Today, IKEA has over 240 stores in 35 countries and has revenues of over $26 billion. Its revenues double every 5-6 years and the company is now expanding to growing markets like China, Japan, and Brazil. The future of IKEA looks brighter than ever. For a brief snapshot of IKEA’s current sales around the world see Appendix 1. In 1985, IKEA decided to invade America. Faced with this early failure, IKEA retooled its furniture to fit American tastes. IKEA soon became the fastest growing furniture retailer and the 14th largest furniture retailer overall in the United States. IKEA executives needed to find a balance of how to create new furniture offerings without losing its unique design and corporate soul. By examining IKEA’s marketing strategy and answering a series of four questions, we have developed recommendations (see Appendix 2) that we think will lead to IKEA’s continued growth and success. 1) What are some of the ways that furniture retailers have sought to overcome these purchase obstacles? : a) identifying a product that consumers like, b) visualizing the product in the consumer’s home, and c) getting the product in the consumer’s home? In furniture sales, there are two general strategies: the low-end and the high-end. The low-end offers cheap, utilitarian furniture that is dreary looking. Cheap furniture is marketed to people such as college students who have a small budget. The cheap furniture is also displayed in poorly lit showrooms that offer little to no customer service. High-end furniture stores compete on quality and service. The high-end offers a large selection in each style and sub-style of furniture, which results in the showroom having a large inventory. The broad, variety strategy virtually guarantees that a customer’s preferred style will be available. The high-end stores also have high touch sales associates to help customers with product selection and furniture measurement. Sales associates are trained to educate their customers; such as explaining the life spans of different materials. They also reassure customers that their furniture will last a life time. Visualizing a piece of furniture in a person’s home can be very difficult. The high-end furniture stores have beautiful showrooms that are elaborately decorated to help the customer visualize where they can place new furniture or how they can redecorate their home. High-end stores also offer interior design services. Most retailers offer credit to make high-end furniture more affordable. All retailers offer home delivery, sometimes free, to make the transition as painless as possible for the customer. As an added bonus, retailers offer to assemble the furniture in the customer’s home. Sometimes, delivering the furniture also involves rearranging furniture, as well as removing and discarding old furniture. Providing these services makes the purchase of new furniture an easy and worry-free process. 2) Explain IKEA’s reverse positioning strategy. IKEA created a matrix used to prioritize product lineup and price. (See Appendix 3) Primarily the matrix is used to set a target retail price and select a product style. With the matrix system, IKEA is able to identify product line opportunities and gaps; creating a well rounded store. IKEA has avoided the image of the low end furniture store by displaying furniture in brightly lit showrooms. These showrooms help customers envision how the furniture interacts with the allotted space. Plus color coordinated cards provide design tips and information kiosks are on hand to help customers. All of these features reinforce IKEA’s self service ethos without making the customer feel abandoned. In IKEA’s case, the firm rejected the standard business models for both high-end and low-end furniture stores. IKEA’s furniture is composed of cheaper parts that are not visible and are not under high stress through use and a higher quality material is used for the visible parts or parts under high stress. This gives IKEA’s furniture a higher end look while keeping their costs low. IKEA’s reverse positioning kept prices low, while eliminating many services thought essential to a higher-end store. The company replaced them with unique services for its category: a bright, inviting showroom, furniture that was attractively designed, a child care center, a restaurant serving Swedish meatballs, and brightly colored house wares and clever toys. As a result, IKEA successfully avoided the feel of the low-end retailers, and customers â€Å"find the IKEA shopping experience to be immensely appealing (Moon, â€Å"IKEA Invades America,† 5). 3) What are some of the various product/service attributes that IKEA has chosen to withhold from its customers? IKEA seems to incorporate a hybrid strategy focusing on both cost and differentiation. IKEA attempts to price in the low to midrange category. IKEA does not build its furniture to last a lifetime, which in-fact flows well with its ad campaigns focused on letting go of the semimetal value Americans often place on furniture. IKEA products are known for falling apart after a few years; however, its customers are typically satisfied with the look, functionality, and affordability of IKEA products (Moon, 2004, p. 5). Its focus is on cost-efficiency, so the company uses higher-quality materials on visible surfaces and lower-quality materials elsewhere. High-end stores compete on quality and â€Å"high touch† experience and selection. Nearly all types of furniture stores offer delivery services. However, IKEA successfully eliminated many of these attributes. IKEA products are designed to be transported unassembled in flat boxes, which keeps shipping costs low and prevents IKEA from having to deliver/assemble furniture for customers (Moon, 2004, p. ). Customers are responsible for transportation of their furniture and assembly of their furniture. Although this step may seem like its decreasing the consumer experience/perceived product value; it’s actually keeping the customer involvement level high. Moreover, the competitive pricing offered at IKEA is attributed to letting customer build their own furniture, which keeps costs to a minimum. Formerly, IKEA only produced a few different designs; however, this has changed in recent years. In order to be consistent with IKEA’s self-service ethos and to keep costs low, the ratio of sales assistants to customers is kept low. The low number of sales associates can have a negative effect on the consumer experience. To handle furniture questions, customers are provided with product descriptions and measuring tape so they can make their own measurements. 4) What are some of the areas that IKEA has managed to achieve cost efficiency by implementing a number of firm-specific operation processes? A number of cost effective operating processes have been implemented by IKEA. In furniture design, IKEA engineers often select cheaper/low quality materials for less visible areas that experience minimal stress and expensive materials for visible areas that undergo stress. This aids IKEA in producing durable, good-quality products at low costs. IKEA has worked with over 1,800 suppliers in over 50 countries and often uses suppliers from developing countries. To keep costs down, IKEA usually purchases in bulk and often orders various components of a given product from different suppliers. IKEA is strict with employees about waste; it enforces minimal travel budgets and requires them to save electricity. IKEA keeps a small staff in stores and provides self-serve trolleys to aid consumers in loading their vehicles. Typical furniture retailers require a larger staff and/or incur shipping costs for delivery of their bulky, already assembled products. Flat packaging allows IKEA customers to transport their purchases home and eliminates the expense of home delivery. IKEA’s flat packaging strategy is another firm specific operating process. The strategy was inspired by an employee who, in 1955, removed the legs off a table to fit it into a customer’s car. This strategy requires designers to keep in mind the amount of space their products take up in their unassembled form. Flat packaging also helps prevent damage to the products during the shipping process. IKEA will often redesign their products multiple times to achieve space optimization and reduce shipping costs. Space optimization typically lowers prices for consumers; however, it may lengthen the assembly process. IKEA should continue to incorporate cost cutting activities across the board so long as the consumer experience remains positive.

Analysing The Performance Of Aegon Group Business Essay

Analysing The Performance Of Aegon Group Business Essay AEGON Group is world leader in financial services business which provides life insurance, pensions, long term savings funds and investment services and products. AEGON Group has 30000 employees and serving over 40 million customers globally. AEGON Group provides services and products over twenty five countries globally United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. By 1994 AEGON started relationship with Scottish Equitable, which was very popular and well known name in the United Kingdom as a financial service industry. Scottish Equitable founded in 1831. By 1998 AEGON had taken complete control of Scottish Equitable and Scottish Equitable was rebranded as AEGON Scottish Equitable in 2006. After two years the Group extended its businesses in the United Kingdom and bought life insurance operations of Guardian Royal Exchange. AEGON main customers are United States, United Kingdom and Netherland. AEGON withdrew some business from Belgium and Greece, also general insurance from the Unit ed Kingdom market and healthcare sector from Netherland. The Group also sold its stake in FGH Bank and merchant bank Labouchere. The result was a more efficient and better concentrated organization. AEGON playing very important role in its markets just not in United Sates, Netherlands and United Kingdom but also in new markets of Asia, and central part of the Eastern Europe as well. AEGON is listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, London, New York and Tokyo. Task -1: Explore the background to change affecting the current organization. P -1.1 Discuss the background to change that exists in today economy. Change is a powerful force or an engine that drives many segments of our economy. Mostly forces of change provide us as contractors with new projects to build and older buildings to modify or amend. Changing is truly the lifeblood of our businesses and our economy. The forces of change are also more subtle and pervasive as its affect our economy, our businesses, our jobs and even our daily lives as well. We might easily recognize changes as progress in physical world of production, but maybe we fail to recognize other forces in our economy, our businesses, our jobs and even our personal lives. Failure to recognize force of change can only lead in downward spiral to lower efficiency, lower profitability, lower productivity and lower personal in-effectiveness. Change is continuous adoption of organization strategies and structures to changing external environment. Today change is ongoing process in our economies, our businesses, and our lives. Change that exists in todays economy The competitive pressure forced the changes bring into our economy. There are several major forces for changes that exist in today economy and financial sectors. These forces are: Bureaucracy Environment changes Climate change Economics changes Political changes Technological changes Personal behaviours changes Changes in turn started the industry globalization We can see incidents in past changes the businesses and economic environment which is responsible for changes exist in current economy. Bureaucracy effect in our organization and economy because management were use resources to person needs rather than organization goals. Max Weber saw bureaucracy as the most rational and effective mode of organizing the activities of large numbers of people because it ensured decision-making according to general rules rather than the whims of officials, cultivated trained experts, and reduced the possibilities of corruption and nepotism. Weber, M., (1979): Economy and Society, in: Journal of an Outline of Interpretive Sociology, Volume 2 The global economic crisis that started in the US in 2007 and spread around the world in 2008 was preceded by large imbalances in global capital flows. The economic crisis has changed world economy during the past year alone, slowdowns economic growth. The IMF says this represents By far the deepest post-World War II recession with an actual decline in output in countries making up 75% of the world economy BBC News. (April22, 2009): (Online). Available at: www.bcc.co.uk The evidence shows that ignoring climate change will eventually damage economic growth. Our actions over the coming few decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century. And it will be difficult or impossible to reverse these changes. Tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy for the longer term, and it can be done in a way that does not cap the aspirations for growth of rich or poor countries. The earlier effective action is taken, the less costly it will be. NICHOLAS STERN, STERN REVIEW: THE ECONOMICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE LONG EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ii (2006) Economy growth slowdown, unemployment is up, house price fall down and these changes, changed people mindsets and their spending habits in order to survive this difficult time. Managers across the UK, meanwhile, have accepted their own redundancy as inevitable, according to the Chartered Management Institute. Those factors are cause to a lot of stress for us all our society and individually. There also In near past the world economy was not good even before September 11.Synchronized growth slowdowns and in the case of recession in Japan were already under Way in the US, Europe and Japan, while developing countries were facing weaker export demand and increasingly difficult financing conditions. After the shock of September 11 have changed the picture, increasing the already significant downside risks to world growth Fischer, S., October 18, 2001: International Monetary Fund. 32nd IAFEI World Congress, Cancun, Mexico The Changes in the political environment is also one factor to change in today economy. It is difficult to say that these changes are simply short-term reactions to a major shock or amount to new and worrisome trends. At the very least, the balance between political and economic forces has been significantly altered. Because political support for globalization was at best shallow while the global economy was in a buoyant state, this suggests the pendulum is now swinging in the opposite direction. Against this background, two lessons from history are worth keeping in mind. One, dismantling protections takes time. It took several decades for many of the trade barriers erected during the interwar period to be brought down. Second, even if a important part of the progress in liberalizing trade in recent times has been institutionalized and strong reversals à   la 1930s are not likely, the downward spiral of protectionism acts fast. Ferry.P.J Santos.I, (March2009). FD: Volume46, Number1 The technology is posing major challenge to todays economy that is information technology. The information technology of the computer and internet services has and will continue to changes the economy. In the world of economics, globalization is reflected in the increasing the acceptance of free markets and private enterprise as the principal mechanisms for promoting economic activities. Its growing importance is captured in such indices as trade in goods and services, private capital flows in different forms, foreign investment, information technology transfers, operations of transnational enterprises, business travel and communication, and migration and remittances Dunning, J. H. (1993): The Globalisation of Business. Routledge, London. As Labovitz Rosansky point out personal behaviour Psychologists have long recognized that human beings like people who are like themselves and tend to reject people who are different from them. So far organizations continue to create changes between people interest of efficiency. Line versus staff, management versus labour, field versus corporate, internal versus domestic, East versus West, accounting versus sales- the list goes on. No wonder it so hard to focus people around familiar goals when they are so different from each other simply by virtue of what they do and where they do it. Specialization and knowledge can be a wedge that drives people future apart and makes it difficult for them to work together Price, A., (2007): Human Resource Management. 3rd Ed, p281 Several commentators have drawn attention to the analogy with the effects of natural disasters like the Kobe earthquake in Japan that barely show up in the national accounts. It is the indirect effects that will matter most, in particular, in the short-term much depends on the effects on consumer and investor confidence and spending, which were already under strain and have been strained further by the attacks Fischer, S., October 18, 2001: IMF, 32nd IAFEI World Congress, Mexico. AEGON UK chief executive Otto Thoresen says The economic environment is challenging but we have a strong team to take us forward through the next phase of our development Many changes affected the AEGON, UK environment in recent years. These are few changes; External factors In the UK, life expectancy has increased in recent years hence people can expect to be retired for longer. In many cases, individuals have not planned properly for retirement and there may be a shortfall in the amount of money available. AEGON UK have introduced new less expensive pension schemes or insisted on employee pension contributions where they did not in the past. In an economy closed to external equity investors, such as the UK before 1979, the decline of defined benefit pensions would have been a disaster. The cost and availability of equity capital would have reflected the reduced flow of funds into the equity market. This potential concern became irrelevant as a consequence of the lifting of exchange controls and the globalisation of capital flows, which made the market more efficient while putting downward pressure on the cost of capital. Plender, J., (2010): The pensions shake-up heralds equity demand change. The Financial Times Private pensions The government pensions were very small and also government want to decrease the dependency on the state in old age. The government also have introduced private pension schemes to deceased the dependency on the state. Pension funds are increasingly being asked by politicians, non-governmental organizations, campaigners, and pressure groups to mobilize their financial clout more actively and to take their responsibilities as corporate owners more seriously. The chances are it could change from being asked to being required. Fraser, I., (2010): Pension funds search for climate change risks and opportunities Falling vales of shares The current economic downturn situation affected the company shares values, which reduce the returns on the customers investment. Customers getting less than they were expected for their investment, also people had a negative impact on pensions as well. Competition AEGON is in competition with other organisations which are selling directly to customers and those competitors also well known in United Kingdom. Also AEGON has had very poor reputation in the insurance and pensions industry in recent years. P -1.2 Evaluate the strengths and weakness of the organization. Strengths The strengths of an organization are those things that it does particularly well, especially when viewed against the operations of its competitors and also its weakness areas in which it is less strong than the competition.  ¨ AEGON had historically been successful AEGON had historically been successful but government imposed price controls had reduced profitability. Compared to its competitors, AEGON was not well known by consumers. It had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of Scottish Equitable.  ¨ Developed good products/services AEGON developed a range of products and services to individuals, corporations and institutions. Most of these products and services fall into one of the following three categories: Life insurance Pensions Long-term savings and investments products  ¨ Good reputation with distributors Compared to its competitors, AEGON is well known and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of Scottish Equitable.  ¨ Customer focused organisation AEGON UK is a customer focused organization as AEGON CEO (Otto Thoresen, 2009) pointed out that We work to help keep customers needs /wants at the heart of all developments and to make sure that financial service industry works with customers to give them what they want/need and we offer the best products and services from their point of view.  ¨ Reflecting local knowledge and global power Scottish Equitable is now AEGON Scottish Equitable reflecting both local knowledge and global power. All the brands now bring a new common look which is refreshing and different.  ¨ AEGON provide the levels of return promised AEGON UK Ltd is also providing the levels of return promised and being responsible for any risks associated with doing so.  ¨ Provide products/services different levels of income for the consumers AEGON Ltd have contractual measures in place to help those customers who find themselves on low incomes and, often through no fault of their own, are unable to maintain premium payments. These measures include introducing lower premium payments, grace periods and loans or, in some cases, reducing the coverage offered by a particular policy. Weaknesses The weaknesses of the organisation are matched to the opportunities and threats that may affect the organisation and which come from the external environment.  ¨ Not well known by consumers in the UK AEGON was not well known by consumers. It had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions but not well known directly by consumers.  ¨ Had poor reputation in life insurance and pensions industry The insurance and pensions industry, in which AEGON operates, has had very poor reputation in recent years.  ¨ Not providing consumers with best products for their needs The AEGON Ltd is not providing the products and services in a way that genuinely meets consumer needs/wants, and also not regulator by government.  ¨ Difficult to understand financial services products Financial services/products are hardly to understand. People do not always feel which range of financial products/services they need and also are not sure where to seek support and advice.  ¨ Wide problems to remain competitive The insurance and pensions industry have been characterised by intense competition. AEGON is in competition with other organisations which are selling directly to consumers and which are also better known in the UK.  ¨ Not selling directly to customers AEGON Ltd not sells product direct to consumers, they sells products/services via salesmen, agents or brokers which sometime involves mis-selling of its products/services. P -1.3 Compare alternative forms of organizational development. When we promote the idea of making consumer aware of the organizational change, it becomes organizational development. Generally, the organizational development is considered as a method of arrangement, suitable with the contemporary requirements of the organization and also being able to fulfil the future requirements that cannot be distinguish. After reading the case study of the AEGON Ltd, The plan appears to be the organizational efficiency and effectiveness from top to bottom level. The company led by its new CEO has new objectives such as: Defining the view of where company stand. Defining how the company will stand in the future. Defining the policies and standards to reach the future goals and objectives. The purpose of the company was self analysis by defining goals, targets and objectives, how to reach them and what the management is doing to achieve these goals and objectives. AEGON took a brand audit to find out the answers of these questions and the result of the audit reveals two steps How was the company positioned? How was the competitor of the company positioned? By the audit, the new CEO came to know that there is a need for formation of the new approach (play in the market). The staffs were adopted with the innovation and well organized communication system. Additionally, self analysis has helped new CEO to position a fresh plan to craft progress. The new plans resulted for the organization to involve in the following strategy steps: Simplify financial service and provide more focus. It was important that consumers understood more precisely what they were buying as well as the benefits and services they received. By making products and services clear to the consumers, to many of goal organization achieved and too many very important stakeholders introduced to the change. Both of the stakeholders (government and consumers) are aware and happy, because of services provided by AEGON, these steps were taken for the customer to make them aware and solve problems. Develop the workforce. The objective was to develop the skills, needed within the business and to involve the stakeholders in process of change, by providing them training and skills. Therefore, AEGON also created new opportunities for stakeholder to progress from one job to another job by developing and promoting the careers of work force. This helps AEGON to attract more customers and have competition. Organizational culture may include such things as, confidence to innovation, decisions and trust for production and quality. The model, implemented by new CEO of the AEGON, brought positive change in the organization and gave new direction to the company. Fundamentally, representation of simplify system with regard to the AEGON can be evaluated as follows; Analysing the factor affect the organization Organizational performance and future plans are constantly affected by the external and internal environmental factors. For success in the present world, one need to consider not only the internal environment of the organization consisting of its resources and employees, but needs to consider the external factors as well. These facts cannot be stopped but can adjust accordingly as per the changes in the political, economical or social pressures. These are the external aspects which consist of: Competitors or Opponents The change in the economic structure The Impact of the society/culture Financial agreements Political or Legal system Impact of the environment Analysing the weakness and strength of the organization A range of organization functions which determine an organization strength and weaknesses include production function, management function, Research and Development, marketing function, sales function, HR function, procurement function, logistics function, and various other departments within the organization. For example, organization strength can be derived from the excellence human resource in the organization which might not be present in some of the competitors in the insurance and pensions industry. One more example includes marketing function i.e. if an organization is not effective in marketing efforts, competitors may take advantage of the firms weakness. So AEGON Ltd need highly competent in achieving competences in all these areas of business in order to be successful in the business environment. Determine the goals and objectives of the organization It aims to boost organizational performance by aligning goals and objectives throughout the organization. Ideally, employees get key input to identify their objectives, time lines for completion etc. Management by objectives to be effective, individual managers must understand the specific objectives of their job and how those objectives fit in with the overall organizational objectives set by the board of directors. Involving the stakeholder to process of change Involving the stakeholder, how well does the organization Involve stakeholders in problem solving? Keep stakeholders informed of status towards organizational objectives? Act on feedback from stakeholders? Mobilize the right resources at the right time to adopt the implementation initiative? Create a critical mass of effort by impacted groups to propel the change? Strength Risk Dr. Baba, M., (2005): Change Management. The Defence Logistics Enterprise. Transforming Organizations in the Information Era. Enterprise Integration Group Creating new culture in organization Changing culture in organization helps to improvement organizational objects. Changing culture involves changing the basic values, beliefs, norms, etc., with the individuals of the organization in order to improve overall organization performance. Whether or not it is possible to fully manage change, we believe that being very clear about what changes are required and being very intentional about building a culture that supports the new mission, goals, strategies and practices increases the probability of success exponentially. This necessarily involves a large cross section of the organization in assessing the current system of norms and beliefs, determining what changes are needed, and designing an implementation plan ( Shorb, J.K and Jones, M.D. 2009 ). The result of the change was increase in the efficiency and effectiveness, the company improve its strengths and over comes its weaknesses, the pattern of the behaviours and business culture was developed in the organization and base of the organization to learn from its experiences was forms. Task -2 Develop systems for understanding and involving others in the process of change. P-2.1 Identify systems to involved appropriate stakeholders in the introduction of change. Stakeholder is someone who has some stake or interest in the changes and development of the organization, such as share holders, employees, government and customers. The new CEO consulted with different stakeholders of the company and then formulates a plan of action which includes following aspects: Simplify to financial services and customer focus It was important that consumers understood more specifically what they were buying, as well as the benefits and services they received. The new CEO make understandable to customers, what were company services and products, and what we going to invest and also what will possible to investment returns. Both of the stakeholders and government were unhappy because services and products were not good but after this step taken by new CEO to clarify methods and they become more aware to this regard and problem has been solved. Developing the workforce The purpose was to develop the  skills  needed within the company to help it change. AEGON also created opportunities for progression from one job to another job and usually one service to another service. Creating a distinct market place for the organization Create a more different presence within the marketplace. This involved refreshing the AEGON  brand in a means that made it more distinctive from its competitors and more attractive to his  consumers. The new CEO has taken some steps in following ways. External promotional: External promotional campaigns emphasised the relationship between Scottish Equitable and AEGON. This helped to support the local familiarity and the global power of the Organization in UK. The CEO talked to media: The new CEO talked to media about the refreshing of the brand internally and externally resulted in strong positive response. AEGON has launched new and innovative products: AEGON has launched new product e.g. the five for life pension has helped to change the way in which consumers can look at their retirement income. AEGON provide more certainty about the levels of income for customer, with providing the levels of return promised. P-2.2 Analyse and evaluate these systems. The change in the system of the organization brought positive influence internally and externally. The big challenge was to convince the stakeholders, the importance of the change in the organization. For the achievement of this objective, new CEO manoeuvre from improving skills of the workforce, he linked this growth to certain behaviours: These eight behaviours are; Think customer Embrace change Encourage excellence Act with integrity Decisive action Work together Learn and grow Relate and communicate Customers less awareness is one another reason of the change in the organization, this was also reason of the government increased tax impositions. As result of this, the company was losing customers. Knowledge of the service and product was made available through AEGON information system. Training and retraining of the employees was another aspect of the change. Finally, the company has to regain its reputation and built a brand name for its stakeholders, and the CEO responded to this challenge by bringing well known brand shares which recognise AEGON in front of its stakeholders. Furthermore, AEGON moreover revive its brand name to hold its market position though merger with Scottish Equitable (now known as AEGON Scottish Equitable), which gave company a new look. Task- 3 What were the models implemented for ensuring ongoing change. P-3.1 Adapt an appropriate model for change. The model, implemented by new CEO, brought positive and contrastive change and gave company new direction. The CEO already mentioned the performance of company through reforms in culture. As mentioned previously, both of the stakeholders (government and consumers) are aware and happy because of services provided by AEGON. These steps were taken for the customer to make them aware and solve problems. With regard to AEGON model, implementation will bring some changes which can be categorised: Analysing the factor affecting the organization. Analysing the weaknesses and strengths of the organization. Determine the goals and objectives of the organization. Involving the stakeholder to process of change. Creating new culture in organization. As Kotter, (1995) describe in Leading Change helpful model outlines an eight step process with suggestions to help organizations transform. Kotter model is useful in understanding that the change process takes time and is not something that happens immediately. It is important for program leaders and communications staff to understand that the steps needed to support any transformation plan takes place during all stages of project. Each step acknowledges a key principle identified and people can see changes, feel the changes. These eight steps: Increase Urgency AEGON pensions provider has suggested that the issue of the government helping public to put money away for retirement is of greater urgency now than it ever has been. (AEGON UK chief executive Otto Thoresen. 2010) Build the Guiding Team Get the guiding team to create the right vision and strategies to guide action in all of the remaining stages of change. This is a difficult and increasingly complex market in which AEGON Ltd is committed to offering adviser partners the ongoing help they require. We are confident that we have developed an investment proposition that meets the needs of advisers and their clients now and in a post RDR world. (Andy Marchant., 2009. Life and Pensions Marketing Director at AEGON) Get the Vision Right A shared sense of urgency for change may push people into action, but it is the vision that taking them in the right direction. A good vision offers a compelling, motivating the picture of the future and serves several important purposes. Communicate for Buy In Communicate changing vision and strategies to create understanding and buy-in Keeping communication uncomplicated and heartfelt not complex and technical Know what your individuals are feeling Speak to anxieties, confusion, anger, fear Empower Action Empower action mean is a deal effectively with obstacles that block action, especially disempowering bosses, the wrong performance measurement and reward systems, lack of information, and lack of self confidence. Create Short Term wins A short term win boosts employees confidence in the process, helping to make their efforts seem worthwhile, and gives the people responsible a chance to relax and enjoy their achievements and also link achievements back to the original vision, quieten the cynics and resisters and strengthen support from organization. Consolidating achievements and progressing Continuing with wave after wave of change, not stopping until the clear vision is a reality no matter how big the obstacles. Make Change Stick Change simply sticks when the people it affects are involved. All change is either rejected or embraced by the employees who have to live with its outcome. So its always better to involve those people in the process of change and pay close attention to their hopes and fears. P -3.2 How was the plan implemented, its process and outcomes. For successfully manage change processes, it is required to analyze the phases of the process. Managers want to know in which phase they have to anticipate and what types of problems. Most successful organizations are able to adjust themselves to new conditions quickly. This needs to learn planning processes that lead to improved organizational values. Consumers were confused before the model implemented what AEGON was. The outcome of model implement for change was extremely positive and successful. It helps to recognise the company strength and weakness and its also shows that global scale was important and local brand expertise as well. AEGON brand was not promoted alongside the Scottish Equitable and not well known in financial service industry. With a new Chief Executive of UK in place 2005 of AEGON put a new plan (model). The purpose of this model implement was to meet the CEO objectives and goals. Before implement to change AEGON was unknown in the United Kingdom, much less popular in consumers and product or services offer by the company not good enough. But after the implementation of changes AEGON became very popular brand in the United Kingdom and business started growing as well. Now the alliance with AEGON is much stronger. E.g. Scottish Equitable is now AEGON Scottish Equitable thus reflecting local knowledge and also global power. In order

Differences Between E Commerce And E Business Information Technology Essay

Differences Between E Commerce And E Business Information Technology Essay Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transactions lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well. A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide Web. Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses is referred to as business-to-business or B2B. B2B can be open to all interested parties (e.g. commodity exchange) or limited to specific, pre-qualified participants (private electronic market). Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses and consumers, on the other hand, is referred to as business-to-consumer or B2C. This is the type of electronic commerce conducted by companies such as Amazon.com. Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce where the buyer is directly online to the sellers computer usually via the internet. There is no intermediary service. The sale and purchase transaction is completed electronically and interactively in real-time such as Amazon.com for new books. If an intermediary is present, then the sale and purchase transaction is called electronic commerce such as eBay.com. Electronic commerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. It also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions. TechEncyclopedia Electronic-commerce means selling products online via the Web. Also called e-business, e-tailing and I-commerce. Although in most cases e-commerce and e-business are synonymous, e-commerce implies that goods can be purchased online, whereas e-business might be used as an umbrella term for a total presence on the Web, which would include the e-commerce shopping component. E-commerce may also refer to electronic data interchange (EDI), in which one companys computer queries the inventory and transmits purchase orders to another companys computer. Investopedia Financial Dictionary Electronic Commerce à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ ecommerce is a type of business model, or segment of a larger business model, that enables a firm or individual  to conduct business over an electronic network, typically the internet. Electronic commerce operates in all four of the major market segments: business to business, business to consumer, consumer to consumer and consumer to business. Also sometimes written as e-commerce or eCommerce. Columbia Encyclopedia E-commerce conducted over the Internet, most often via the World Wide Web. E-commerce can apply to purchases made through the Web or to business-to-business activities such as inventory transfers. A customer can order items from a vendors Web site, paying with a credit card (the customer enters account information via the computer) or with a previously established cybercash account. The transaction information is transmitted (usually by modem) to a financial institution for payment clearance and to the vendor for order fulfillment. Personal and account information is kept confidential through the use of secured transactions that use encryption technology Impact of e-commerce Studies in the developed economies have shown that e-commerce will eventually have a far-reaching effect on the world economy because it will revolutionize the way businesses and consumers conduct their business transactions. Some have argued that e-commerce will deepen disintermediation process as producers can sell direct to consumers. For example, Christensen and Tedlow published in Harvard Business Review (January-February 2000) suggest that e-commerce will change the structure of retailing in the US in favour of fewer number of traditional intermediaries. The wide-spread impact of e-commerce is due to lower transaction costs. Using the transaction costs theory, studies have shown that e-commerce will reduce transaction costs of firms and hence final product prices. According to the transaction costs theory, price of a product has three elements: production costs, coordination costs, and profit margin. As firms find better ways to coordinate their activities through electronic channels, their transaction costs will fall. As the industry better manages real time information based on e-commerce, firms can also improve their inventory management and thus reduce inventory costs. Reduced transaction costs benefit both consumer and producer. While consumers will gain access to a broad-based selection of lower priced goods, producers are likely to see higher demand for their products. Furthermore, in the Internet age, people and firms will be connected with highly capable interactive capacity. Through the information highway, consumers will have free market choices, and firms will have almost unrestricted market access. This offers opportunities as well as poses threats to businesses. The impact of e-commerce can be traced at the industry and consumer levels. It can also be traced at the macroeconomy level. It is however important to note that the full impact of e-commerce on an economy depends on several factors such as the rate at which the economy (i.e. firms and the population) adopts e-commerce. This in turn is determined by other factors such as the cost of computers and software, computer and telephone penetration rates, security, manpower, and telecommunication infrastructure. At the industry level, e-commerce will result in some rationalization of activities. Firms will need to undertake investment in an appropriate computer system to implement e-commerce. They will undertake new activities which are knowledge-intensive. Through the adoption of e-commerce, firms will demand for a new kind of workforce, particularly those with a higher level of computer literacy. This new demand will have an immediate and far-reaching implication on the provision of training in the country. Firms will be pre-occupied with technology selection and investment. This task is quite demanding, particularly when the telecommunications and computer technologies are changing at a rapid pace. To keep up with modern technologies, firms cannot ignore continuous investment in human resource. E-commerce will further shorten product cycles of the industry. Through e-commerce, firms will have fast knowledge of what customers want. Firms can use this knowledge to guide the development of their product lines and to identify new growth areas at their earlier stages. With customer information in hand, firms can promote both up-selling and cross-selling. It is expected that e-commerce will also help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMIs) to gain greater market reach for their products and services. In fact, e-commerce can be an efficient and economical way for many SMIs to enter an export market. E-commerce offers consumers a wide range of new opportunities to do direct shopping and banking using the convenience of a home computer or other communication devices. Consumers will also benefit in terms of lower final prices due to lower transaction costs as described above. Looking ahead, e-commerce will lead to some fundamental changes in the way firms relate to consumers and the way firms compete with each other. This is because, through e-commerce consumers will have a wider and direct access to producers of goods and services without intermediaries. With a wider choice of products and services offered to them, they can cast their preferences by describing what they want. In this environment, e-commerce will hasten the shift of market power of consumers, from a product taker to a product maker. As a result, this process will lead to greater competition among firms to protect their market share. For the economy as a whole, e-commerce will result in higher investment by the Government, firms and consumers. Coupled with higher investment in IT, e-commerce will result in higher efficiency and productivity of the economy. In this light, e-commerce will contribute to higher total factor productivity of the Malaysian economy which is needed to sustain economic growth in the long term. E-commerce will create new activities and a variety of new industries which utilize IT. This will lead to the creation of new job opportunities. The increased investment mentioned above and the emergence of new IT-based industries will lead to a higher level of economic activity to support economic expansion and growth. Following the reduction in the transaction costs, e-commerce will also improve the level of efficiency and productivity in the economy. Industries will re-organize their activities to conform with the emergence of a new industrial structure of the country. Definitions and differences of e-commerce and e-business E-commerce describes the process of buying, selling, transferring or exchanging products, services or information via computer networks, including the Internet. E-business is somewhat broader concept. In addition to the buying and selling of goods and services, e-business also refers to servicing customers, collaborating with business partners and performing electronic transactions within an organization. In my opinion, the differences between two of them are not obvious. E-commerce refers to all transactions of business that being made through Internet. It involved money transaction between organizations and customers in a buying and selling process using the Internet. Meanwhile, e-business refers to all of type of businesses entity such as company, enterprise and others which are doing business using the Internet. Business entity use the Internet and other electronic network in all of their operations and daily processes involved. E-business becoming e-commerce when a transaction happens between two organizations. There is no e-commerce without e-business and e-business need e-commerce to survive. Issues, problems and threats in e-commerce and e-business In e-commerce, it is difficult to apply law that usually done in physical world. Many cyber crimes made cannot be justified in court because of lacking the law itself, geographical factors that separate different countries with different laws, and others. People are free to do whatever they like in the Internet including pornography and drugs selling without even caught or sued just because the physical law cannot be applied in Internet. Besides that, there are many frauds that we can find in e-commerce. Sometimes the company is not even exist but still it offer something to sell and people realized after a transaction was made, the product is still do not reach to them. Some business offer product that cost you price that unacceptable high compare to others even if the quality and features are same. Frauds can happen in many ways especially when it involving cyber product. In Internet, there is too much information that hard for us to filter and absorb. An information overload is one of the problems that e-commerce face nowadays. People find it difficult when it has too many websites that offer same product even they have right to choose but it also take time to filter all the related websites. In addition, certain areas do not have Internet coverage so e-commerce cannot reach the people in there. This happen due to certain geographical factors like people live in the mountains, desert, rural areas and others. They must go to nearest city to get Internet coverage and this is difficult to done if it will cost them effort, time and money to do that. Threats in e-commerce must be tackled seriously because in Internet, people can do anything without having fear to be caught or sued. Such threats like human trafficking, drugs selling firearms smuggle, child pornography and others are serious crime in physical world. Yet there are happening and still growing due to Internet usage in e-commerce and this is why we cannot let it done freely without observation and law practice on the threats. Opportunities, advantages and benefits in e-commerce and e-business The importance of both is to catch up with globalization that require IT as medium to doing business as the world has no border anymore with the Internet application. People nowadays are connecting with each other around the world easier than decades ago with Internet and other electronic networks. The world has no boundaries anymore and it offer very much opportunities to businesses around the world to develop. The benefits that we can get is we can have as many customer as we can if we are the organization that doing business using Internet. People all around the world are using Internet as their new medium of shopping and searching for something new. Companies took advantages on it and try hard to sell their products and services although there are companies that fail to achieve their target on e-commerce. Besides that, consumers now have bigger power to choose products. They can easily online and choose their favourite products from different companies which usually undone in physical world. We usually find it difficult to choose from one product to another or from one company to another, but Internet make it simpler and easier for customers so they donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t even go to shop by shop to buy what they like. They just click. The advantage of e-commerce and e-business to organization is we can make the transactions easier between customers and our organization by simply clicking the computer and do it online. We can also buy certain product that is difficult to find in certain area such as Kashmir fabrics in East Asia or a product that doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t offered in physical world such as e-book. In addition, the transactions done become faster and require no attendance to the outlet itself by customers. People who using Internet to shop realize that it become useful to them as the Internet is free, and you can shop at anytime, anywhere and at any situation, The opportunity of both is we can spread our business and market worldwide to increase profit and maximum the knowledge of customers about our company/ organization/ business. Many ordinary people or small business makes huge profit in e-commerce such as the founder of Amazon.com. New medium of marketing is created and organizations all around the world are taking advantages in e-commerce and e-business. Whether they set up a new business or upgrading the existing one, they are all realize that this is the time to grab big opportunity to gain high profit including customer satisfaction.

Love :: essays research papers

Euthanasia is the act of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment. This is a topic with many opinions and much controversy as to whether or not it should be a legal practice. I have never known anyone close to me with an incurable disease, but if a loved one or I were diagnosed, I would like the option to end the suffering to be available. Therefore, I am pro euthanasia, and furthermore, pro individual choice. There are two essays I have recently read on the subject, each gives two different viewpoints on the topic of euthanasia. In Sidney Hook’s In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia, he believes that â€Å"each one should be permitted to make his own choice-especially when no one else is harmed by it.†(404) Hook is pro euthanasia, contrary to Rand Richards Cooper, the author of The Dignity of Helplessness: What Sort of Society Would Euthanasia Create?† Cooper says â€Å"I’m looking for an argument with Jack Kevorkian; or rather, one against him.†(411) He believes that euthanasia should not be a practice used in society today. Sidney Hook begins his essay by giving a personal, first-hand experience of his own sufferings in his battle with congestive heart failure followed by a massive stroke. He says, â€Å"†¦I asked my physician to discontinue all life-supporting services or show me how to do it.†(403) His doctor refused and after months of rehabilitation, finally regained most of his motor skills. He admits that this argument sounds like it is pro euthanasia, however, he gives two major reasons for the right to choose. By using his own personal experience and knowledge, he gives the reader insight to his defense in his opinion. Rand Richards Cooper takes an informal approach in his argument, not giving any cut and dry facts. He uses two indirect experiences through his mother’s friend and children in Kenya to convey his ideas. Sidney Hook expresses his ideas using his own personal terminal illness. He makes his statement using reader sympathy, hoping to impact the reader on a personal level. Rand Richards Cooper uses a similar approach, recognizing the usefulness of informal, but personable persuasions. Hook writes about his own first-hand experience and is thought to be more factual. Cooper on the other hand uses the same technique, but he gives second-hand experiences through children in Kenya and also through his mother’s best friend.

Creedence Clearwater and the Vietnam War :: Music Musical History Essays

For those of us born at the end of the Vietnam War, much of the music from that time period can remain hidden unless we make a point of seeking it out. Radio is replete with â€Å"classic rock† format stations, but like all other forms of mass media, listeners are relegated to a passive role, with little means of changing play lists that more-often-than-not overstate the effect of the British Invasion to the detriment of American rockers. For every Led Zeppelin garnering large amounts of airplay, there is a Creedence Clearwater Revival that is overlooked. The problem with British rockers from the era of the Vietnam War is one of credibility: any British musician (such as John Lennon) who tried to protest the Vietnam War sounded contrived at best. How could a British group object to a war in which they had no direct stake? These attempts at protest by foreign bands against the Vietnam War have the appearance of an orchestrated effort to â€Å"get on the bandwagon† and se ll albums by using the charged feelings of the citizenry toward an unpopular military action. While this is a cynical view, it is one that nevertheless deserves consideration. To the persistent individual, though, there is a body of music in existence that merits regard. It is powerful music written by the youth of America, youngsters who did have a stake in the Vietnam War. There can be little question about the origins of the power which American protest music conveyed: those who wrote such music lived each day with the real knowledge that they were losing friends in, and could possibly be forced themselves to go to, Vietnam. One such group, Creedence Clearwater Revival, made its contribution to this genre near the end of the Vietnam War. CCR sprang up in the San Francisco Bay area, the product of a music scene that was rife with talent. Creedence, however, never particularly sounded like that scene; indeed, the early efforts of the band caused many to question the group’s origin, believing that the foursome was a product of the â€Å"bayou regions of Louisiana†1 The musicians who made up the band - John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford - had been working on their style since the late 1950s under several different monikers. Primarily responsible for the Creedence sound was John Fogerty, the major creative force in the band, with vocals that â€Å"were to Creedence what Jim Morrison’s were to the Doors,†2 and a musical approach Fogerty himself described as a swamp thing:

Inflation: Definitions Essay

Inflation: A persistent increase in the price level, measures how much more expensive a set of goods and services has become over a certain period, usually a year. Consumers believe that low stable and predictable inflation is best for economy, too high and too low are not good. Measuring Inflation: To measure the average consumers cost of living, government agencies conduct household surveys to identify a basket of commonly purchase items and then track the cost of purchasing this basket over time. Consumer Price Index: (CPI) The cost of the basket when measuring inflation at a given time expressed relative to a base year. Consumer Price Inflation: The percentage change in the CPI over a certain period, most widely used measure of inflation. Ex: base year CPI is 100 and the current CPI is 110 inflation is 10 percent over the period. Core Consumer Inflation: Excludes prices set by the government and the more volatile prices of products such as food and energy that are most affected by seasonal factors or temporary supply conditions focuses on the underlying and persistent trends in inflation and is also watched closely by policymakers. Deflation: A persistent decline in the price level GDP Deflator: A measure comparing the prices of all goods and services produced in the economy during a given year to the prices of those goods and services purchased in a base year. Gross Domestic Product Deflator: (GDP) The overall inflation rate for not just consumption good but all goods produced in an economy, more broader coverage than the CPI. Inflation Rate: The percentage increase in the price level from one year to the next. Inflation Targeting: A policy used to maintain low and stable inflation used by many central bankers. Introduction of New Goods: Increase variety, allows consumers to find products that more closely meet their needs. In effect, dollars become more valuable, which lowers the cost of, maintain the same level of economic well-being. The CPI misses this effect because it uses a fixed basket of goods, thus the CPI overstates increases in the cost of living. Nominal GDP: Values output using current prices. It is not corrected for inflation. GDP measured in terms of current market prices, value of all final goods and services produced in the economy during a given  year, calculated using the prices current in the year in which the output is produced. Price Indices: Are designed to remove the effect of price changes. Price Level: A measure of the average prices of goods and services in the economy. Quantity Theory of Money: The relationship between money supply and the size of the economy. Real GDP: Values output using the prices of a base year. Real GDP is correct for inflation. GDP measured using constant base year prices. It is the total value of the final goods and services produced in the economy during a given year, calculated using the prices of a selected base year. Real Income: A proxy for the standard of living, when real incomes are rising, so is the standard of living and vice versa. Real Interest Rate: The nominal rate minus the inflation rate. Substitution Bias: Over time some prices rise faster than others, consumers substitute towards goods that become relatively cheaper, the CPI misses the substitution because it uses a fixed basket of goods. Thus, the CPI overstate increase in the cost of living. Supply shocks: Disrupt production, such as natural disasters or raise production costs such as high oil prices. Can reduce overall supply and lead to cost push inflation in which the impetus for price increases comes from disruption in supply. Unmeasured Quality Change: Improvements in the quality of goods in the basket also increase the value of a dollar. The BLS tires to account for quality changes but probably misses some, as quality is hard to measure. Thus, the CPI overstates increases in the cost of living.

Evaluating a protocal budget Essay

â€Å"One of the overall primary challenges organizations conducting clinical research is lack of information about the overall clinical research enterprise† says CITATION KCl96 l 1033 (K Claxton, 1996)Matthew in a recent issue of medical research laws and policy report. Hence developing a quality budget proposal outline gives a better scrutiny and analysis of the funds flow.in a clinical trial conduct, in order to acquire better financial outcomes and pass out successful audits, there is needed to be more vigilant and careful in the financial management. â€Å"Establishing guidelines to streamline and aid the management of a clinical trial program will make managing less challenging† as CITATION kel p 1999 y l 1033 (Willenberg, p. 1999). This is being emphasized in order to meet the allocated budget for a given organization. Many hospitals and academic centers lack the trained personnel for them to review the study proposals and funds which consequently lead to incorre ct billing for research. CITATION MBa04 l 1033 (M Barnes, 2004) â€Å"In order to evaluate the protocol requirement, you need to determine exactly what is going to be done as part of the protocol. Once that is completed, you should be able to determine what resources the site will need in order to implement the protocol† Preparation for a budget clinical trial is done maybe when you want to obtain funds from a granter for your research or you have been paid to conduct a certain protocol by a pharmaceutical company.in such a case you develop a budget for your research, putting into considerations things like: laboratory tests, hospital admissions, patient visits, surgical procedures and fees for the above services. These are considered as the resource requirements for you to develop a comprehensive budget. Below is a template example for a budget proposal outline I developed for a certain request for application. (RFA) Below is our application budgetCITATION kel p 2001 y l 1033 (Willenberg, p. 2001) RFA Title: Host- directed TB Therapy new approaches (UH2/UH3) RFA Number: RFA-A1-14-058 Purpose of the RFA: The main purpose for filling this request of application is to curb the adverse effects of TB brought about by Negligence and lack of follow up to these victims. This research is centered to direct TB therapies to the host individuals where each victim is screened and followed up for their healing process ensuring they take the right medication and avoid chances of infecting others. Reason for selecting this RFA – I chose this particular RFA following the upcoming of new technologies and new machines especially the gene expert machine, which processes sputum, analysis it and determines the multidrug resistance individuals, enabling their follow up. Budget (Time) Period: This clinical trial is programmed to take 2 years. Budget Categories Budget Category Description Cost $ Subtotal $ Personnel Principal investigator Graduate research assistant (lab scientist) Undergraduate research assistant (Nurse) Data staff These relates to costs incurred by the staff involved in the research process. Different types of personnel are paid according to their experience and expertise. Rates of these personnel are charged either according to rate per study visit, hourly rate or full time. The budget also included costs for new recruitment of personnel and training. CITATION MBa04 l 1033 (M Barnes, 2004)78,200 24,000 12,000 8,000 122,200 Services Screening Administrative work Costs incurred in offering services to the subject individual through evaluation, screening and costs for transport of specimen, batching and storage. 1100 270 1370 Facilities Laboratory Clinical These are the cost needed to come up with facilities where the subject individuals are taken their specimen in this case sputum for analysis and how often they visit the clinics for checkup. These facilities are needed to offer these services. 30,000 20,000 50,000 Data capturing -report forms -questionnaires -Computers -printers Collected on case report forms and questionnaires thus need to be included in the budget. Costs also incurred in obtaining and developing these data. Computers, photocopiers and printers also included in the budget. Travel Domestic trips Domestic trips Airfare This accounts for cost of all the trips made for training and meetings associated with the clinical trial, visiting other sites, scientific presentations and going to the research areas. 6400 2200 4000 12600 Equipment and suppliers -gene expert machine Cost incurred for purchasing all the related equipment needed and paying the suppliers who bring the equipment and machines to do the case study (gene expert machine for sputum processing and analysis.) CITATION KCl96 l 1033 (K Claxton, 1996)20,000 20,000 Total Expenses 206,170 Indirect Costs The research incurred extra expenses on utilities (phone and internet), cleaning and rent at an overhead rate of 8%. CITATION Fra l 1033 (Stromberg)400 400 TOTAL REQUEST 206,570 References K Claxton, J. P. (1996). Health Economics.M Barnes, J. K. (2004). Journal of health law.Ognibene, G. a. (n.d.). Evaluating a protocal budget.Stromberg, F. (n.d.). Instruments for clinical health care research. 2004. W.Staman, m. (n.d.). medical research laws and policy report. Willenberg, k. M. (n.d.). managing clinical trials-frustrations. Health economics†, (1996) – Wiley Online Library by K Claxton, J Posnnett.Look AHEAD research Group-controlled clinical trials†, (2003†- Elsevier. Instruments for clinical health-care research† by M Frank-Stromberg, SJ Olsen (2004) Practical clinical trials: increasing the value of clinical research for decision making in clinical and health policy† by SR Tunis, DB Stryer, CM Clancy-jama (2003) Source document