Saturday, November 30, 2019

Inflation Essays (619 words) - Inflation, Hyperinflation

Inflation Hyperinflation The term hyperinflation refers to a very rapid, very large increase in the price level. Measurement problems will be too minor to notice on this scale. There is no strict formal definition for the term, but cases of hyperinflation tend to be expressed in terms of multiples rather than percentages. For example, in Germany between January 1922 and November 1923 (less than two years!) the average price level increased by a factor of about 20 billion. Some representative examples of hyperinflation include Hyperinflation 1922 Germany 5,000% 1985 Bolivia *10,000% 1989 Argentina 3,100% 1990 Peru 7,500% 1993 Brazil 2,100% 1993 Ukraine 5,000% These quotations from other web pages are given mainly as examples of what people have in mind when they talk about hyperinflation, and I cannot say just how accurate the figures are. In any case, figures for the purchasing power lost in hyperinflations can only be rough estimates. Numismatics (coin and currency collecting) gives some examples of just how far hyperinflations can go: an information page for currency collectors tells us that, in the Hungarian hyperinflation after World War II, bills for one hundred million trillion pengos were issued (the pengo was the Hungarian currency unit) and bills for one billion trillion pengos were printed but never issued. (I'm using American terms here -- the British express big numbers differently). The story behind the German hyperinflation illustrates how all hyperinflations have come about, and is of particular interest in itself. After World War I, Germany had a democratic government, but little stability. A general named Kapp decided to make himself dictator, and marched his troops and militias into Berlin in an attempted coup d'etat known as the Kapp Putsch. However, the German people resisted this attempt at dictatorship with nonviolent noncooperation. The workers went out in a general strike and the civil servants simply refused to obey the orders of Kapp and his men. Unable to take command of the country, Kapp retreated and ultimately gave up his attempt. However, the German economy, never very sound, was further disrupted by the conflict surrounding Kapp's putsch and by the strike against it; and production fell and prices rose. The rise in prices destroyed the purchasing power of wages and government revenues, and the government responded to this by printing money to replace the lost revenues. This was the beginning of a vicious circle. Each increase in the quantity of money in circulation brought about a further inflation of prices, reducing the purchasing power of incomes and revenues, and leading to more printing of money. In the extreme, the monetary system simply collapses. In Germany, people would rush out to spend the day's wages as fast as possible, knowing that only a few hours' inflation would deprive today's wages of most of their purchasing power. One source says that people might buy a bottle of wine in the expectation that on the following morning, the empty bottle could be sold for more than it had cost when full. Those with goods to barter resorted to barter to get food; those with nothing to barter suffered. This is the way that hyperinflations happen: by a self-reinforcing vicious cycle of printing money, leading to inflation, leading to printing money, and so on. This is one reason why inflation is feared. There is always the concern that even a little inflation this year will lead to more next year, and so on. But some countries have experienced very great inflations -- 50 to 100% per year -- without ever falling into the cycle of hyperinflation, and there has never been a hyperinflation that could not have been avoided by a simple government determination to stop the expansion of the money supply. The key point is this: the monetary system can function reasonably well as long as the value of the monetary unit is reasonably stable and predictable, and the high standards of living of modern societies cannot exist without a functioning monetary system. The Problem of Stagnation Copyright Economics

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Decision Making Essays - Ethics, Ethical Decision, Conscience

Decision Making Essays - Ethics, Ethical Decision, Conscience Decision Making Any decision affecting people has ethical ramifications and virtually all important decisions reflect the decision- maker?s mindfulness and resolution to ethical behavior. This is why it is important to know for yourself how you go about making ethical decisions, or decisions of any kind. Finding out how one goes about making decisions can be a rather hard task as I found out while I was researching my mind to ?decide? exactly how I do go about making the decisions I make. The first thing I decided was that most of the decisions I make in my life are made with much thought about anything that might be affected by the decision. The most important thing, to me, is to make a decision and have reasons. I have to know why one choice is better than another. I feel compelled to look at every angle to assess what will be the outcome. I, personally, have a hard time making ?spur-of-the-moment? decisions especially if it involves something rather important to me. Many things! go through my mind and trust in my practical intuition (notice I didn?t say ?blind? intuition) also plays an important part. I make decisions based on different things depending on what kind of decision I am having to make, but there is always one ultimate source for my decision making that supersedes all other ?sub-categories? that influence my decision making, and that does not change, regardless of the situation ? and that is God. To me, God is the supreme ethical teacher and giver of wisdom, and if this is true then when searching for wisdom, why shouldn?t I look to the originator of wisdom. God is my number one influence in any decision that I make. My love for Him and faith in His power causes me to adhere to His will and actively search out the text of the Bible in order to learn more about the way He wants me to live and the things He wants me to have in my heart and in my mind as a guide for myself when making decisions. It is through this searching that I have discovered which ethical principles are important to me and how to adopt them as my own. One does not have to be a Christian to have ?values?. Everyone has a primary source from which they draw to make decisions and it is often their values. The important thing is how or where you obtained your values. Are they yours or did someone else just pass them down to you. I have values, but the values I hold in my heart are not merely of tradition passed down to me, but spring from a diligent study of the Bible, which again comes from my love of the Father (which by-the-way, exists because of His great love for me). So, in this light, for me as a Christian or a non- Christian, values provide the very motivation for decision-making in the first place. I therefore decide to make decisions for myself because I want my life to adhere to the values that encompass my heart. I want to live my life constantly aware of the presence of God, and therefore, train my thoughts to become value-focused, and since the values in my heart are an extension of the Father, then I ough! t always to ask myself ?What have I done that is as God wills and what have I left undone of that which He does not will. Another word that has a similar connotation as the values that I am discussing is virtues. Virtues are ideal character traits that people should incorporate into their lives such as: honesty, loyalty, respect, etc. For myself, this also is primarily obtained from my study of the Bible. I need to address the fact that in growing up in a family that held strongly to the values or virtues it was taught by their parents, that it is, in fact, nearly impossible not to be influenced by these things that were taught in the family, whether they were bad or good, and say that all values and virtues are entirely my own and have originated within me. That

Friday, November 22, 2019

Dispose Objects in Visual Basic

Dispose Objects in Visual Basic In the article, Coding New Instances of Objects, I wrote about the various ways that New instances of objects can be created. The opposite problem, disposing an object, is something that you wont have to worry about in VB.NET very often. .NET includes a technology called Garbage Collector (GC) that usually takes care of everything behind the scenes silently and efficiently. But occasionally, usually when using file streams, sql objects or graphics (GDI) objects (that is, unmanaged resources), you may need to take control of disposing objects in your own code. First, Some Background Just as a constructor (the New keyword) creates a new object, a destructor is a method that is called when an object is destroyed. But theres a catch. The people who created .NET realized that it was a formula for bugs if two different pieces of code could actually destroy an object. So the .NET GC is actually in control and its usually the only code that can destroy the instance of the object. The GC destroys an object when it decides to and not before. Normally, after an object leaves scope, it is released by the common language runtime (CLR). The GC destroys objects when the CLR needs more free memory. So the bottom line is that you cant predict when GC will actually destroy the object. (Welllll ... Thats true nearly all of the time. You can call GC.Collect and force a garbage collection cycle, but authorities universally say its a bad idea and totally unnecessary.) For example, if your code has created a Customer object, it may seem that this code will destroy it again. Customer = Nothing But it doesnt. (Setting a an object to Nothing is commonly called, dereferencing the object.) Actually, it just means that the variable isnt associated with an object anymore. At some time later, the GC will notice that the object is available for destruction. By the way, for managed objects, none of this is really necessary. Although an object like a Button will offer a Dispose method, its not necessary to use it and few people do. Windows Forms components, for example, are added to a container object named components. When you close a form, its Dispose method is called automatically. Usually, you only have to worry about any of this when using unmanaged objects, and even then just to optomize your program. The recommended way to release any resources that might be held by an object is to call the Dispose method for the object (if one is available) and then dereference the object. Customer.Dispose() Customer Nothing Because GC will destroy an orphaned object, whether or not you set the object variable to Nothing, its not really necessary. Another recommended way to make sure that objects are destroyed when theyre not needed anymore is to put the code that uses an object into a Using block. A Using block guarantees the disposal of one or more such resources when your code is finished with them. In the GDI series, the Using block is put to use quite frequently to manage those pesky graphics objects. For example ... Using myBrush As LinearGradientBrush _ New LinearGradientBrush( _ Me.ClientRectangle, _ Color.Blue, Color.Red, _ LinearGradientMode.Horizontal) ... more code ... End Using myBrush is disposed of automagically when the end of the block is executed. The GC approach to managing memory is a big change from the way VB6 did it. COM objects (used by VB6) were destroyed when an internal counter of references reached zero. But it was too easy to make a mistake so the internal counter was off. (Because memory was tied up and not available to other objects when this happened, this was called a memory leak.) Instead, GC actually checks to see whether anything is referencing an object and destroys it when there are no more references. The GC approach has a good history in languages like Java and is one of the big improvements in .NET. On the next page, we look into the IDisposable interface... the interface to use when you need to Dispose unmanaged objects in your own code. If you code your own object that uses unmanaged resources, you should use the IDisposable interface for the object. Microsoft makes this easy by including a code snippet that creates the right pattern for you. Click Here to display the illustrationClick the Back button on your browser to return The code that is added looks like this (VB.NET 2008): Class ResourceClass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Implements IDisposable   Ã‚  Ã‚   To detect redundant calls   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private disposed As Boolean False   Ã‚  Ã‚   IDisposable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Protected Overridable Sub Dispose( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal disposing As Boolean)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If Not Me.disposed Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free other state (managed objects).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free your own state (unmanaged objects).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set large fields to null.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Me.disposed True   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub #Region IDisposable Support   Ã‚  Ã‚   This code added by Visual Basic to   Ã‚  Ã‚   correctly implement the disposable pattern.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not change this code.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put cleanup code in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispose(True)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GC.SuppressFinalize(Me)   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub   Ã‚  Ã‚  Protected Overrides Sub Finalize()   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not change this code.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put cleanup code in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispose(False)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.Finalize()   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub #End Region End Class Dispose is almost an enforced developer design pattern in .NET. Theres really only one correct way to do it and this is it. You might think this code does something magic. It doesnt. First note that the internal flag disposed simply short-circuits the whole thing so you can call Dispose(disposing) as often as you like. The code ... GC.SuppressFinalize(Me) ... makes your code more efficient by telling the GC that the object has already been disposed (an expensive operation in terms of execution cycles). Finalize is Protected because GC calls it automatically when an object is destroyed. You should never call Finalize. The Boolean disposing tells the code whether your code initiated the objects disposal (True) or whether the GC did it (as part of the Finalize sub. Note that the only code that uses the Boolean disposing is: If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚   Free other state (managed objects). End If When you dispose of an object, all of its resources must be disposed of. When the CLR garbage collector disposes of an object only the unmanaged resources must be disposed of because the garbage collector automatically takes care of the managed resources. The idea behind this code snippet is that you add code to take care of managed and unmanaged objects in the indicated locations. When you derive a class from a base class that implements IDisposable, you dont have to override any of the base methods unless you use other resources that also need to be disposed. If that happens, the derived class should override the base classs Dispose(disposing) method to dispose of the derived classs resources. But remember to call the base classs Dispose(disposing) method. Protected Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)   Ã‚  Ã‚  If Not Me.disposed Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Add your code to free managed resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Add your code to free unmanaged resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.Dispose(disposing) End Sub The subject can be slightly overwhelming. The purpose of the explanation here is to demystify whats actually happening because most of the information you can find doesnt tell you!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Exploiting the Native Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exploiting the Native Americans - Essay Example s of Native Americans, the colonists necessitated having to consult pertinent documents substantiating the expeditions of Columbus as well as hearsays from fishermen and traders which detailed personal encounters with the indigenous Americans. Perhaps through the stories relayed by Spanish visitors of the land, they found out that the latter often appeared to match emblematic descriptions as ‘savage’, ‘beastlike’, ‘flesh-eating’, or any such term near ‘hostile’. On the other hand though, there existed locals as the Indian tribes that exhibited character of earnest openness and received the Europeans well, notwithstanding mixed emotions and motives.  While many of them fell into the assumption that foreign invaders arrived for a good cause inclusive of the will to form allies to aid them in combating native adversaries, gradually, they discovered that the people from the West were scheming to exploit their resources. As an indirect manner of exploiting the native Americans, Europeans generally acknowledged trade with the latter from whom they obtained animal skins and hides and a wampum of polished shell beads in exchange of technology-based weaponry, liquors, and even religion and disease type which bore negative impact upon the sense of independence and natural system of the local people. Initially, this relation enabled the natives to trust the settlers with their properties and resources, understanding the risk measures the foreigners had to undergo in order to survive the New World that originally belonged to the indigenous inhabitants. Eventually though, the stealthy nature of the colonizers’ primary aim was revealed and the natives realized that their course of action reflected a hidden goal of securing lands and trading for the purpose of acquiring tools to exploit the indigenous Americans. Despite the Puritan attitude, it became clear that land acquisition by the western intruder s meant complete exclusion of the natives from the huge

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Company Law - Essay Example The House of Lords also held that once a company is incorporated, it acquires a legal status or personality that gives it the capacity to sue or be sued under its own name5. This implies that a company can file civil or legal proceedings against any person including the members who form it in its own name as noted by Talbot6. At the same time, the shareholders of the company can sue the company in its own name in case of breach. The House of Lords further noted that a legal entity in the form of a company exists perpetually; it is only when a company is liquidated or wound up that it stops to exist legally. This implies that the death of members of a company does not affect the existence of the company. Since the company is a separate entity, it will continue to operate even if all the members who formed it are dead7. This is attributable to the fact that the company will acquire other members such as through the issuance of shares or debentures to ensure its continuity8. The company can also employ workers in its own name to ensure its effective and efficient operation. Based on the precedence set by the House of Lords in Salomon v Salomon (1897) it is enshrined in English law that when an entity is incorporated, it is considered to be a separate legal personality. In this respect, the entity becomes separate from the individuals or organizations who take part in it. In other words, the owners and directors of the company or members of the company considered to be separate from the company. For a company that is limited by shares, the law assumes that it exists perpetually irrespective of the changes that may occur with respect to its constitution and membership. Furthermore, an incorporated entity can own any kind of property and hence has... This paper approves that the court further considered whether the subsidiaries were agents of the parent or not and analysed the situation from the corporate veil point. The Court of Appeal rejected the notion of treating the corporations as a single economic entity and held that the interest of justice did not feature as criteria for lifting the veil. The Court further held that that agency did not apply in the case much as sham and fraud did not apply in the same case. In making a ruling, the court noted that only three circumstances warranted the unveiling of a company; where a company is merely a facade, where a court is making interpretation of a statute, and when the subsidiary is an agent of the parent. This report makes a conclusion that a company is accorded equal treatment to that that may be given to any other independent individual. If for example, a sole trader incorporates his or her business and engages in contracts through the company as opposed to using his or her own name, then the company by law is not considered a trustee or agent of the sole proprietor. The existence of the new â€Å"person† that is the company survives its members, directors, shareholders, and employees for as long as it has not been liquidated or wound up. In as much as the Salomon case upholds the notion of separate legal personality, courts sometimes go to the extent of lifting the veil of corporation to establish the human faces behind the companies.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

A Passage to India Essay Example for Free

A Passage to India Essay In E. M. Forsters A Passage to India, identities and the labels placed on identities create a vicious environment in which little can be achieved. The English colonists and their Indian subjects are on polar sides of the struggle. The Indians acknowledge that labels are subject to limitation and can blind one to critical differences. The English, however, insist on assigning a label to all components of their lives. A tiny and unidentifiable green bird symbolizes this struggle between these two groups, as they are embroiled in the muddle of India. The indeterminate green bird hints at the irreconcilability of the two cultures. Indias mystery, just as the birds, cannot be explained when approached from two wholly different methodologies. Miss Adela Quested and Ronny Heaslop argue over the green bird, and in doing so, illustrate how the English handle identity. Foremost, it is imperative to the two that they identify what kind of bird it is. Forster admits that although the bird was of no importance, (91) the two, and therefore the English whom they represent, feel a need to assign a name to the bird. His narration is certain that identifying the bird would somehow have solaced their hearts. (91) Critically, the two have just agreed to call off the wedding plans for which Adela had journeyed to India. The two ex-lovers are surprisingly mechanical when discussing this new course of action. The two agree that had they quarreled (90) about this change of plans, it would have been too absurd. (90) Emotions do not seem to hold an important part in English interpersonal relationships. Adela describes their apparent detachment as being awfully British. (90) In fact, although Ronny felt angry and bruised (90) by his dismissal, he refuses to show his pain because of pride, furthering the message of English emotional detachment. From a modern perspective, if Ronny loves Adela deeply, it would be unthinkable that he could let his pride keep him from pursuing her. Instead of addressing their emotional problems, the two pursue the green bird and try to force it to have some degree of English order. The small green bird symbolizes India; it defies English labeling, it is constantly changing and it is far more complex than a single name could communicate. Adela does her best to describe the bird by noting its physical characteristics and location. She hopes that Ronny can explain this bird to her once he knows that it is green and in the tree above them. Similarly, Adela hopes she will understand India once Aziz lists a few characteristics. Yet, she is unable to determine between fact and opinion as she accepted everything Aziz said as verbally true. (76) Just as Ronny is unable to name the bird, Aziz will be unable to explain India. Adela makes the mistake that a label will suffice to create understanding. However, nothing in India is identifiable (91) and by asking the very question Adela has already started a ripple that will cavitate through picture which she asks to see. For example, one cannot study water in any detail without placing oneself into the water. However, by entering the water, one will have created a ripple and the water has forever changed. It is an unreasonable hope to observe an experiene without concurrently changing or interacting with it. Studying birds is much the same; one cannot study the bird if it is unaccustomed to ones presence and while one appears foreign to the environment the bird will not act as it would naturally. Therefore, as long as the English neither assimilate into their environment nor attempt any reconciliation with it, they will be unable to appreciate it. Ronny Heaslop is unable to visualize the problem he faces; he does not begin to imagine that his presence in an environment changes it and therefore requires some adjustment on his own part. An example of this problem is when Ronny encroaches Fieldings luncheon and is rude to the Indian guests. While it is possible to imagine the guests might normally ignore such behavior and assume it was merely English, for the past few hours they have been attending an unconventional party (71) in which they were treated as equals and with respect by all parties. Yet Ronny brings the party back to the reality where [s]uch affabilitiy is seldom seen. (77) When Ronny deals with Indians as private individuals he [forgets] them. (81) As Fielding finally confronts Ronny with the results of his actions, Ronny responds, Well its nothing Ive said I never even spoke to [Aziz. ] (83) He is completely unaware that ignoring Aziz is exactly what has infuriated him. Ronny ignores Aziz because he has labeled him. In the standard English colonists mind there are three types of people in India. There are the British, the Indians in professional environments and the natives. To the colonists, only the first group requires any acknowledgement otherwise Ronny would obviously have greeted Aziz or Godbole. The last and overwhelmingly largest group includes everyone who does not come under the first two headings. The natives are unworthy of respect, should not be trusted and certainly are not gentlemen. As Aziz is therefore unworthy of respect, in Ronnys mind, Ronny simply could not be rude to him. It is physically impossible to offend a native. In Ronnys logic, if he were told he had been rude to one of the British he would be ashamed and apologetic; with regard to Indians, he simply does not see his transgressions. In the same capacity, because he is British he is unable to vary in his treatment of Indians; the man who doesnt tow the line is lost. (190) The English do not understand there is a problem with the way the two cultures interact. From the English perspective, the natives are brutish and almost worthless. From the Indian perspective, the English are rude and unaccommodating. It is unfortunate that the two groups cannot find a middle ground. Nevertheless, Forsters description of these troubled dealings is practically flawless. If the English and the Indians are able to find a common ground and communicate with each other, it is likely that the two cultures could co-exist in Forsters world. The green bird will remain indecipherable to the English and Indian to the Indians. India requires the acceptance and embracing of variation; when the English realize this, their interaction will improve, not before. Works Cited: Forster, E. M.. A Passage to India. New York: Harcourt Brace Company, 1989.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The History and Future of Computers :: Technology

The History and Future of Computers Computers have been around for many decades, doing tasks such as counting much faster than any human could ever do. The first computers were so inefficient compared to the computers we have today, they couldn’t do half of what computers can do today. Some say that computers aren’t the way of the future, while others say that computers will bring civilization to a new era, a more complex, and magnificent place, where our wildest dreams will become a reality. The first computers ever built were so big that they took up many classroom size rooms. The only thing that these computers could do, were count numbers and do simple calculations. One of the major problems with these computers was the fact that the vacuum tubes inside of them would always need replacing. The vacuum tubes would burn up due to the tremendous amount of heat that these computers gave off. In today’s world, the computers that are on the market today are a million times faster than the computers that were first invented many decades ago. The computers that we use can perform many complex applications in seconds. Computers run factories, keep our planes up in the sky, and educate our young ones. Computers today, are much smaller than previous computers to come on the market. As the years go by and technology improves, scientists have been able to find ways to make smaller components to build computers with. It is said that the transistors count of computers doubles every eighteen months. [1] If this is the case, than there is no telling what the future may hold for computers, all I can say is that computers will continue to get smaller and smaller, and faster and faster with no signs of stopping. Some people believe that computers are taking over society, others think that America would be a better place, if we didn’t relay on computers as much as we do. Some time ago when computers were still new, people said that there wouldn’t be that much need for them on the market, experts said that people wouldn’t have enough time, to sit down and use a computer, while others said that computers will never ever be small enough for families to own. Popular Mechanics magazine states â€Å"Where . . The History and Future of Computers :: Technology The History and Future of Computers Computers have been around for many decades, doing tasks such as counting much faster than any human could ever do. The first computers were so inefficient compared to the computers we have today, they couldn’t do half of what computers can do today. Some say that computers aren’t the way of the future, while others say that computers will bring civilization to a new era, a more complex, and magnificent place, where our wildest dreams will become a reality. The first computers ever built were so big that they took up many classroom size rooms. The only thing that these computers could do, were count numbers and do simple calculations. One of the major problems with these computers was the fact that the vacuum tubes inside of them would always need replacing. The vacuum tubes would burn up due to the tremendous amount of heat that these computers gave off. In today’s world, the computers that are on the market today are a million times faster than the computers that were first invented many decades ago. The computers that we use can perform many complex applications in seconds. Computers run factories, keep our planes up in the sky, and educate our young ones. Computers today, are much smaller than previous computers to come on the market. As the years go by and technology improves, scientists have been able to find ways to make smaller components to build computers with. It is said that the transistors count of computers doubles every eighteen months. [1] If this is the case, than there is no telling what the future may hold for computers, all I can say is that computers will continue to get smaller and smaller, and faster and faster with no signs of stopping. Some people believe that computers are taking over society, others think that America would be a better place, if we didn’t relay on computers as much as we do. Some time ago when computers were still new, people said that there wouldn’t be that much need for them on the market, experts said that people wouldn’t have enough time, to sit down and use a computer, while others said that computers will never ever be small enough for families to own. Popular Mechanics magazine states â€Å"Where . .

Monday, November 11, 2019

Discuss the importance of children making choices Essay

Issues that could be considered might be that the children are young and can’t make up their mind enough, even though it’s good to let children make choices the adults are to support the child helping and reassuring the child. Some children are more confident playing in a set activity; any child who is not as confident has to be helped and giving motivation to help their development. â€Å"Children like to feel the same as others; living with a medical condition may make a child feel different† Tassoni p, (2007) childcare and education 3rd edition page 60. When giving children the opportunities to make choices you make them feel in control and help to build up their self-esteem, children need to make choices to develop their understanding of the world and know how to handle their self, not encouraging them to make choices might lead them to misbehave or rebel. Choices enhance their imagination; play can consist of amusing or imaginative activity for independent play or with others. The rites of play are evident throughout nature; it helps in their social development. In a classroom it’s important for the children to choose what activities they would like to do, according to Piaget’s constructivist principles if they can make their own decision they will be self-motivated and they will not feel the need to break rules behind the teachers back. â€Å"Play often entertains props, tools, animals, or toys in the context of learning and recreation. Some play has clearly defined goals and when structured with rules is called a game. Whereas, some play exhibits no such goals, nor rules and is considered to be â€Å"unstructured† in the literature. † http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Play_(activity) A1 – Describe how practitioners can encourage children to direct their own play. â€Å"For play to be empowering children must be allowed to take control of their own play rather than follow what adults want them to do† Tassoni p, (2007) childcare and education 3rd edition pg. 318 Practitioners would have to provide activities that would encourage children to play independently, letting the children choose what activates and equipment they want to use can help. When the children are playing on equipment a practitioner could ask the child â€Å"how are you supposed to use it† this will make the child show you, it’s good for a quieter child, encouraging them to take part in the play. When laying out activities or equipment it’s important that you are aware of spaces around, the children will not be encourage to play when an activity is not appealing to them. Make sure that there is enough room for the children to play around it. When choosing the equipment get the children involved let them choose what they would like to play. A practitioner should intervene when the children are choosing numerous activities let one child at a time get a say then the practitioner can make the final decision making sure you explain to other children why they could not have done that activity then. Creative play D1 – describe the activity You will need; 2 medium sized containers 2 different coloured paints Paint brushes (different sizes) Pasta (different shapes) Different colour sting Scissors Coloured paper Beads Glue Pour the pasta into the separate containers. Allow the children to paint the pasta. Use the different colour paint for each container. When they have finished painting, leave the pasta to dry. When they have dried the children can choose whether to make jewellery or use the pasta to decorate their drawings. D2 – what is the purpose or aim of the activity? Include the age of the children. This activity is for children aged 3 or 4. It will help to develop their hand and eye co – ordination skills, whilst making their jewellery, threading the string through the pasta. It helps develop their fine motor skills. It helps with their social development because they are working with other children and learning how to take turns. â€Å"Children need to feel secure, valued and loved without this emotional support; they find it hard to show co – operative behaviour. Attention seeking behaviour can be assign that a child needs more support† Tassoni p, (2007) childcare education 3rd edition page 44 This activity will also support their language and communication skills because they are talking to other children, telling each other what they’re making and who they’re doing it for. D3 – describe how the activity is set up to promote the children the children’s interest. Get the children’s attention firstly and tell them to come and help you set up the activity. When you’re choosing the paint ask the children what colours they want to use. Choose a child to pour the pasta into the containers, give all the children paint brushes to paint the pasta, supervise them to make sure they are all playing together and encourage all the children to take part in the activity. Once all the pasta has been painted take the trays and put them away to dry, explaining to them the next step of the activity. When the pasta has dried put them onto a table, (still in the containers) get out any beads that may be around and ask the children† who wants to make a necklace or bracelet†. You give the children the choice of what they want to make, while they are doing so interact with them, ask them questions about what they are making, keeping an eye out for the children that are struggling. â€Å"Play may also serve as a pretext, allowing people to explore reactions of others by engaging in playful interaction. † http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Play_(activity) D4 – health and safety considerations Consider any skin allergies of the children. They may not be able to use the paint. Make sure the children are supervised at all times when making the jewellery because the small beads are choking hazards. D5 – the adult’s role in stimulating play in this activity. During this activity the practitioner will play the role of the facilitator. The practitioner will be talking to the children asking them questions; â€Å"what are you making†, â€Å"who are you making it for† and helping the children if they need it. He/she will try and encourage the children who are having trouble and motivating them giving each child praise and acknowledging their efforts. D6 – explain how this activity provided for children’s choices This activity allows the children to make choices and be independent with their play when they’re making their jewellery they can choose whether to make a necklace or a bracelet and they will be able to choose what colour string they would like to use. They can also choose what shape pasta there are. C1 – description of a resource that supports spontaneity and choice The beads support the children’s element of choice because there are different beads of shapes and size a colour; it supports their spontaneity because each child’s jewellery will be different and unique. D7 – how does this activity meet the individual needs of the children? This activity can be for all children. Children with allergies may not be able to do the painting part of the activity. Children with learning needs can take part with the help and supervision of an adult because they might not fully understand what to do so the adult can support and encourage them. B1 – explain how the activity can be extended to meet individual play needs. To extend this activity you could use the pasta for different things. Getting a box and gluing the pasta onto it. Making pictures with the pasta. The children could use the left over pasta as food in a food tray. This activity is suitable for a child with learning needs because it’s supervised by an adult, the child will get help.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Spc2608 Exam Two Study Guide

Chapter 24: Persuasive Speaking Goal: reach desired ends through an honest means I. Persuasion ‘the art’ –faculty of observing in a given case the available means of persuasion. Persuasion is symbolic, non-coercive (not forced) influence 3 factors: Context—social, cultural, political climate Agent—persuader Receiver—audience **Equal opp. To persuade, Complete revelation of agendas—let audience know complete list of goals and how you intend to get audience there, Critical receivers—have to understand what’s being said Responsible agent—takes communication seriouslyTake responsibility for what is said and deal with consequencesFosters informed choice—gives all sidesAppeals to the best in people—not the worstConsider receiverAware of attempts to influence—be aware of motivesInformed about important topicsKnow their own biases—know what predisposes us—careful not to engage in defensive listeningAware of methods of persuasionInfluence the beliefs, attitude, and acts of others Focus on motivation: What motivates listeners? Make your message personally relevant Demonstrate the benefit of change Set modest goalsTarget issues the audience feels strongly about Establish credibilityII. Speeches built upon argument, 3 forms of appeals: Logos, Ethos, PathosLogos—appeal to reason or logic, *Aristotle wished that all appealing done through LOGOS *Our ability to articulate rationality, appealing to logic and using reasoning to persuadeEthos—credibility, moral character. To establish speaker credibility: * Present topics honestly, establish identification, commonality, and goodwill, use personal knowledgePathos—emotional states of audience.Pride, love, anger etc. rive our actions–Done through vivid imagery **Aristotle said: Two main sources of immediate emotion= LOVE AND FEAR Syllogism— Major premise obvious statement Minor premiseextension of major premises logic Conclusionderived from above two MAIN ONE: All humans are mortal Socr ates is human Socrates is mortal RHETORICAL SYLLOGISM=Enthymeme * Created by Aristotle * He claims that this communicates without saying EVERYTHING—audience can fill in blanks * Idea is that we can fill in the blank ourselves—that process is powerful—us persuading ourselves 3 cornerstones of ethical fitness:Credibility-confidence, character, ETHOS (as speaker)—worthy of trust *Makes people want to listen to us, tend to it with care Integrity—a state of incorruptibility—should signal that we are willing to avoid compromising the truth for the sake of personal expediency Stability—respect for others, cooperation, self-sacrifice Being audience centered—to whom and for whom, worthy, honored, and respected as individualsIII. Target listener needsMaslow’s hierarchy of needs—each of us has a basic set of needs that range from crucial to self-improving. Ex. To convince one to use seatbelts, appeal to ones need for safety. basic needs: Physiological, Safety, Social, Self-esteem, and Self-actualizationIV. Mental EngagementCentral processing: seriously consider your message, more likely to act Peripheral processing: Lack motivation to judge argument based on merits—most likely won’t experience meaningful change **For Central processing Link argument to practical concerns, present message at appropriate level of understanding, demonstrate common bond, stress credibilityV. Sound arguments—offer conclusion, evidence, link to reasoningClaim: states conclusion w/ evidence. A line of reasoning is called a warrant. Fact: Focus on truth/lie, what will/won’t happen—address issue with 2+ sides Value: Address judgment issues, right VS wrong Policy: recommend specific course of action—propose specific outcome Deductive reasoning: begin with general principle, use specifics, lead to conclusion Inductive: from specific to generalizations supported—evidence pointing to conclusionVI. Logical fallacy: false statement leading to invalid reasoningBegging the question—argument stated so that it cannot help but be true, even without evidenceBandwagoning—uses unsubstantiated opinion as false evidenceEither-or—gives only two alternatives Ad hominem argument—targets a person and not the argumentRed herring—relies on irrelevant premise for conclusionHasty generalization—argument where, in an isolated incidence, it proves true and is used to make an unwarranted general conclusionNon sequitur—â€Å"does not follow† conclusion doesn’t = reasoningSlippery slope—fault assumption that one case will lead to events or actionsAppeal to tradition—Suggest audience should agree b/c its â€Å"the way its always been†Addressing core values: Cultural norms, cultural premises, emotions **BE SENSITIVEVII. Monroe’sMotivated sequence: 5 step process, arouse listener attention + end wit h call of action—effective when you want audience to do somethingStep 1 attention, addresses core concerns, relevance, credibility, etc.Step 2 Need, describes issue at hand, shows importance of needStep 3 Satisfaction, identify solution—proposalStep 4 Visualization, vision of anticipated outcomeStep 5 Action, ask audience to act in accordance to acceptance of message 4 pillars of character:Trustworthiness—being honest, revealing the true purpose. Honest and dependableRespect–recognize audience members are unique—NO PERSONAL ATTACKS, allow audience power of rational choiceResponsibility—accountability for what we say and do—offering appropriate appealsFairness—acknowledge all sides of issue—giving the audience enough information to make a decision**In addition—Caring and Citizenship Caring—being kind and compassionate Citizenship—doing our part as citizens Chapter 16: Using LanguageI. Style * Simplici ty—translate jargon into common terms * Be concise—use fewer words, use repetition * Personal pronouns—Draw audience in, encourage involvement Concrete language VS Abstract Concrete: conveys specific and tangible meanings * Abstract: general, leaves meaning to interpretation Imagery—concrete language that paints pictures * Figures of speech: metaphors, similes, and analogies where words are used in nonliteral fashion to achieve rhetorical effect Code switching: selective use of dialect that can give your speech friendliness, humor, earthiness, nostalgia, etc. AVOID: * Malapropisms—incorrect uses of word where it sounds like it fits * Biased language * Unnecessary JargonII. Voice—active, indicates subject relation to action Use culturally sensitive and gender-neutral language, shows respect for beliefs, norms, and traditions Repetition to create rhythm—repeating key words or phrases to create distinctive rhythm and enforce idea into mi nds of listeners * Anaphora: Repeated phrase at beginning of successive phrases/clauses/sent. Ex. I Have A Dream-MLK Alliteration for poetic quality—Repetition of same sounds in 2+ neighboring words * Ex. â€Å"Down with dope, up with hope†-Jesse Jackson Parallelism—arrangement of words/phrases in similar form Helps to emphasize important ideas of the speech, creates rhythm* Ex. Orally numbering points Device of antithesis (One small step for man, one giant leap for man kind) * Repeating a key word in intro, body, and conclusion Chapter 25: Speaking on special occasions Speech that is prepared for a purpose dictated by the occasion, can be informative or persuasive **Commemorative speech—pays tribute with fundamental purpose to inspire audience Employ imagery—stylistic devices, varied rhythm * Antithesis, alliteration, assonance * Hyperbole—deliberately overstating in a fanciful way * Analogy Use fresh language—avoid overused phrases, select words that capture the thought * Avoid monotony, vary rhythm, use humorWhen using humor: * Familiarize self with devices of humor—exaggeration, iron, anti-statement, joke telling * Analyze our own talents when delivering humorous speeches—focus on what other people think is funny about you, not what YOU think is funny * Avoid humor pitfalls—steer clear of anything offensive * Use humorous everyday experiences—relatable Consider audience—To whom/for whom we speak * Address audience in ways that will resonate with them * Use mood to craft an appropriate message ** Meaning is created in the nexus between speaker and audienceI.Special Occasion Speech function To entertain, celebrate, commemorate, inspire or set social agenda * Entertain—listeners expect light-hearted, amusing speech. Speaker offers degree of insight on topic * Celebrate—Speaker praises subject of celebration—a degree of ceremony in accordance with norms of the occasion * Commemorate—offer tribute and memories * Inspire—ex. Inaugural address, key note speech, commencement—motivate by examples of achievement * Set social agenda—articulation of goal/group’s values, ex. Fundraisers, banquets, cause oriented gatheringsII.Speech of Introduction: Warms up the audience for main speaker, heighten interest, and build credibility FOUR ELEMENTS background, subject of message, occasion, audience * Speaker background—achievements and facts showing why speaker is relevant * Subject, Preview topic—sense of why subject is of interest, does NOT evaluate speech or comment on it * Ask for audience welcome * Be brief—2 minute max.III. Speech of Acceptance—response to an award. Purpose: express gratitude for honor * Prepared in advance * Express what the award means to you, convey its value * Show gratitude, thank people by nameIV. Speech of Presentation— (1) communicate meaning of the a ward and (2) Explain why recipient is receiving it Convey award’s meaning: what it is for and represents, mention sponsors and their link to the award Explain why recipient is receiving it: Highlight achievements, qualifying attributes, and why he deserves it Plan physical presentation: Consider logistics beforehandV. Roast/Toast, roast—humorous tribute that pokes fun, toast—short celebrating speech focused on achievement * Prepare: draft, rehearse, etc. but appear impromptu * Highlight traits: Limit to 1-2 best attributes that convey qualities hat make the person a focus of celebration * Be positive: have a positive tone as it pays tribute to honoree * Be briefVI. Eulogy/other, Eulogy derived from Greek words â€Å"to praise† Usually done by a close friend or family member of deceased Celebrates a person’s life, commemorating while consoling those left behind * Balance delivery and emotion—Audience is seeking guidance dealing with the loss, give them closure. * Refer to family of deceased—Show respect and mention names, as the funeral is primarily to benefit them * Be positive, but realistic: Emphasize deceased’s positive qualities, but avoid excess praiseVII. After Dinner Speech—light hearted and entertaining; listeners are to gain insight into topic. Usually given at some time during a civil, business, or professional meeting as it is to follow a formal dinner * Recognize occasion—speech should be on topic to avoid appearing canned or used over and over in diff. settings. Keep remarks low key to be considerate to those eatingVIII. Inspiration Speech—motivate listener to positively consider, reflect on, or act according to speaker’s words. Use emotional force; urge us towards purer motives reminding us of a common good. Appeal to emotions—(1) vivid description and (2) emotionally charged words * Use real stories—Examples of REAL people accomplishing goals and tr iumphing adversities * Be dynamic—inspire through delivery * Have clear goals * Distinctive organization device—help audience remember message Ex. Acronyms * Dramatic ending—inspires audience to feel or act Persuasion Aristotle, called persuasion â€Å"rhetoric† or â€Å"the art. †Defined as: â€Å"the faculty of observing in a given case the available means of persuasion. † Kenneth Burke: persuasionâ€Å"artful use of the resources of ambiguity. †¦Stay away from specifics; find ways to have the audience identify with the action or side that we want—much like advertising! **Think of â€Å"persuasion as enlightenment—as an opportunity to view a different perspective. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œA chance to create something from nothing by establishing new relationships by sharing experiences, and creating understanding in contentious issues. Ethical Persuasion: Ethical communication and persuasion are an ideal—our communication improves exponentially the closer we get to this ideal. The goal is to reach the desired ends through an honest means. **Persuasion is symbolic, non-coercive influence.Symbolic communication – language is our symbolic representation of reality–Non coercive=not forced, we have a choice. In order for persuasion to occur ethically the target of the persuasive message must have the perception of choice, they must understand that they have a choice whether or not to accept the persuasive appeal. In order for this perception of choice to be a reality, several conditions must be met, if these conditions are not met, then the communicative act is coercion not persuasion. Checklist for responsible persuasion–should do before we engage—ethically, we should aim to ensure certain characteristics/qualities exist.The three factors:I. Context – where, the climate—cultural, politicalII. Agent – the persuaderIII. Receiver – audienceI. Context (three conditions that must be met for ethical persuasion) 1. Both/All sides should have equal opportunity to persuade (if we only hear one side we have no choice! ) and ALL sides should have equal access to communication media (but in most cases one needs money for this).2. There should be complete revelation of agendas—each side must notify the audience of its true aims and goals and say how it intends to go about achieving them. This means that you must tell the audience where you want to take them eventually, not just steps along the way—they should know your ultimate aim, so you should divulge aim.3. The third condition, and most important, is that there must be critical receivers, receivers who test the assertions and evidence available. To be ethical communication there must be people who can evaluate what is being said—an informed public with tools to analyze, or the speaker/agent should provide them tools. It is both the speaker and audiences fault beca use no one wants to take the time to learn, work, critically evaluate, etc.II. Agent 1. The responsible agent takes communication seriously and is prepared to take responsibility for what is said and to deal with the consequences.2. Responsible communication fosters informed choice. We should aim to give the audience both sides of the issues we are advocating—to give them all the information that is available and then inform them why our side is better.3.The responsible agent appeals to the best in people, not the worst. We must be careful not to take advantage of an audience’s fears, ignorance, or biases—if people are coerced they’ll jump ship later.III. Receiver (four things to consider)1. Responsible receivers are aware of attempts to influence. We must be alert, critical, and constantly aware of the motives of the messages around us and attempts to persuade.2. Responsible receivers stay informed about important topics. Issues affecting us must be inve stigated so that we are ready when persuasive messages hit us.  We are the engines of democracy; we must be critical and involved3. Responsible receivers know their own biases. We must avoid defending against messages simply because a message is unpleasant and or challenges what we believe. We must know what predisposes us to look at things in a certain way, and be careful not to engage in selective listening, etc. This helps us to keep from immediately discounting information.4. Responsible receivers are aware of methods of persuasion—so we should study and learn methods of persuasion (which you are doing now! ).

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on Daycare

There are many advantages and disadvantages when parents are considering daycare for their child, also the alternatives to daycare. Parents have a lot to consider when they are looking for a daycare specific to there needs and the child’s need. They must consider how old the child is, whether they should be in a daycare that tends to specifically the needs of infants and toddlers or the needs of older children. They must know the time of the daycare, when they should drop the child off and then pick them up. They need to have arrangements encase the daycare is closed due to whether or holidays. In Edward Zigler’s testimony, Early Education. He states that literacy involves the alphabet, phonemes, and other word skills. Literacy begins at age four, they begin to understand everything at the age of 4. â€Å"A child’s curiosity and belief that he or she can succeed are just as important as reading like knowing the alphabet† Zigler said. Also the children do not learn when they suffer from hunger, abuse or a sense of fear. The child is too worried about being abused or wondering where are they going to find their next meal than learning how to count or how to say the alphabet and learn to read just the basic(â€Å"Early Education†). There are many advantages when considering daycare. There is a daycare for every child, for example children with disabilities, sicknesses, social problems, etc. There are clear cute rules in daycare. For instance, the pickup times and the drop-off times. The parents have to always be there at a specific time. Parents and children both make friends. When the parents drop there children off they meet the other parents. Also the children make friends with the other children in the daycare. They are in the daycare usually all day with other children, so of course they are going to become friends. Daycare is always there, regardless if a teacher is sick, if they are tardy, or if they go on... Free Essays on Daycare Free Essays on Daycare There are many advantages and disadvantages when parents are considering daycare for their child, also the alternatives to daycare. Parents have a lot to consider when they are looking for a daycare specific to there needs and the child’s need. They must consider how old the child is, whether they should be in a daycare that tends to specifically the needs of infants and toddlers or the needs of older children. They must know the time of the daycare, when they should drop the child off and then pick them up. They need to have arrangements encase the daycare is closed due to whether or holidays. In Edward Zigler’s testimony, Early Education. He states that literacy involves the alphabet, phonemes, and other word skills. Literacy begins at age four, they begin to understand everything at the age of 4. â€Å"A child’s curiosity and belief that he or she can succeed are just as important as reading like knowing the alphabet† Zigler said. Also the children do not learn when they suffer from hunger, abuse or a sense of fear. The child is too worried about being abused or wondering where are they going to find their next meal than learning how to count or how to say the alphabet and learn to read just the basic(â€Å"Early Education†). There are many advantages when considering daycare. There is a daycare for every child, for example children with disabilities, sicknesses, social problems, etc. There are clear cute rules in daycare. For instance, the pickup times and the drop-off times. The parents have to always be there at a specific time. Parents and children both make friends. When the parents drop there children off they meet the other parents. Also the children make friends with the other children in the daycare. They are in the daycare usually all day with other children, so of course they are going to become friends. Daycare is always there, regardless if a teacher is sick, if they are tardy, or if they go on...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

5 Ways to Stay Focused and Stop Procrastinating

5 Ways to Stay Focused and Stop Procrastinating Procrastination, whether at work or home, is common to human nature. Sometimes, it might be procrastinating about small things such as taking your favorite suit to the dry cleaners. Sometimes, it may be something more important such as being late to turn a report in at work. There are tips that might help you to alter your mindset and remain focused. In the end, these small changes can break your procrastination habit as you find yourself getting much more accomplished.   Looking at the Big PictureWhen faced with a large project, it is sometimes simpler to break it up into sections so you can focus on one part at a time. By doing this, the task seems less overwhelming. Start with the hardest part first, and the rest will be easier to complete.  Set a Personal DeadlineMaybe you actually do have an office or home deadline to meet. For example, that big project for your boss is due on a certain date. At home, maybe your child needs help with a science project. By setting your own pe rsonal deadline ahead of the actual due dates, you will not be rushed to finish the project. Gather things together first, keep it organized and set yourself a schedule to do the work.  Schedule Your TimeTo avoid being overwhelmed, you can schedule ten-minute breaks each hour. It gives you time to get something to drink, stretch your legs a bit and collect your thoughts. Write down what you want to accomplish each day and stick to the schedule. Once you are able to see the progress you are making, you’ll be encouraged to keep going. Eventually, you may no longer need those short breaks.  Remove DistractionsIt can be difficult to keep your mind on what you are doing when you are faced with distractions. When you work at a part-time computer job, the Internet is a big distraction. You have to learn to ignore it, and save the Internet for when you have reached your goal for the day. Your mobile phone letting you know that you have messages or calls is one of them. Place your cell phone a few feet away or, better yet, in another room while working and try to resist the temptation to pick it up. An extended texting session or repeated phone calls can eat up your work time.  Plan Ahead for the DayYou’ve been working for a while and get the munchies. Trips to the pantry for a snack can cut into your productivity, especially since that trip to the kitchen can take several minutes. It might be a good idea to prepare snacks for the following day, and place them beside you while you work.  Procrastinating can keep you from finding that ideal job, but TheJobNetwork can do the job searching for you, which leaves your time free to do other things. By entering your job interests and qualifications, you will receive matches for jobs as soon as those jobs become available. TheJobNetwork works around the clock to see that you don’t miss any opportunities to find a great position. All you have to do is enter the types of jobs you are interested in, a nd list your qualifications to get alerts when jobs pop up.When you sign up for job match alert you won’t miss any opportunities.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Business Plan for Longines Watches Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Plan for Longines Watches - Case Study Example It is proposed to start an excusive dealership of the world famous luxury brand of the company Longines in the city of New York. Longines is an internationally famous Swiss brand that has been in the business of manufacturing quality watches since the year 1832. The company is also well known as time-keepers in many international sporting events across the world. The dealership will be situated in the address given above and will be having an area of 2000 sq feet. The interiors will be according to the specifications given by the company and will be similar to other dealers across the world. The store will be temperature controlled with pleasant and well trained staff including a doorman. The venture will be in the form of a sole proprietorship. Advertising in the media will be the main strategy to be followed. Other marketing efforts will include appointment of marketing representatives and internet business. There are several aspects of the business that researcher presented in the case study that needs immediate attention. Firstly, financial planning and management and approaching banks for financial assistance for setting up business. Secondly, the researcher prepared the SWOT analysis for knowing areas of strengths and weaknesses and described the budgeting and financial forecasting for future years. Thirdly, the researcher demonstrated human resources management and personnel management in the case study and other areas which may be of concern for start up trading companies. ... Ten sales persons will be appointed to serve customers. They will be given proper training in technicalities and etiquette. Luxury watch brand market: The luxury branded watch market in the United Sates is dominated only by a few well known international companies. They include apart from Longines, Accutron, Bulova, Citizen, Colibri, ESQ, Movado, Pulsar and Seiko. All these brands, especially Citizen, Longines and Seiko are well known and need no introduction to the market. Growth Rate: It is estimated that the venture will have a growth rate of 10% per year. Outlook: Growing affluence and the need for exclusivity among customers are advantages in this type of industry. The outlook is that the venture will be able to maintain a growth rate of 10% for the next five years. Mission statement: To be the most preferred luxury watch outlet in the city of New York Uniqueness: The dealership of one of the most respected and oldest watch brands in the world. Being an exclusive outlet will allow us to give a better pricing to our customers when compared to sub-dealers of the same brand. Key factors: Quality and name of the brand, high quality customer service and after sales service. Market analysis: Our customers come from up-market backgrounds, occasional purchase by the middle income group, organizations who use our products as gifts. There is no special off season or lean season for this segment and business is expected to be steady throughout the year. It is expected that sales will be higher during festive seasons like Christmas and New Year. It is estimated that there will at least 500,000 potential customers in the city. Distributed among our competitors, we estimate that we have 75,000 potential