Apple Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Apple - Case Study Example free sharing and downloading found application in the way P2P services functioned. This raised the popularity of such services where it was possible for users to share their favorite albums free of cost. When compared to subscription services that charged a fee for their services, the P2P services provided the users with flexibility as well as a range of choice. Q3) I feel that P2P services would grow in popularity though companies like Apple can minimize the impact using iTunes by flexible licensing, stricter control over sharing by encoding the iTunes music etc. My prediction for iTunes is that it is better equipped to deal with the threat of piracy and free downloads because of the way it is marketed as well as the concept itself. Q4) The greatest threat to Apple is from the â€Å"me-too† clones that can usurp its market share and derail its sales in the way it is marketed. As happened in its software venture, Apple faces the real possibility of its unique approach towards its products being copied by rivals and marketed at a lower price as well as in a generic manner (as opposed to the niche way in which Apple markets its

Profile of A Place of Work or Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Profile of A Place of Work or Community - Essay Example Our neighbourhood is a small part of not more than 10,000 residents. Compared to the overall city, the locality that I live in a quiet borough with mostly residential complexes making up for the most part of the area. The locality has a post office and a police station of its own along with a hospital. Thus it is a self-sufficient neighbourhood with the necessary facilities for provisions and the like. The locality is ethnically diverse with a liberal mix of different communities and races. It also has places of worship for the different communities and there are enough facilities for all the residents. In the next section, we look at the ethnic mix of the population along with the demographic characteristics. Further, we will also look at the social and economic characteristics of the population in the locality. The locality is made up of a diverse mix of ethnic races. It counts Christians, Muslims and Hindus among its populace and the relative compositions of the three races are ro ughly in the proportion of 40%, 40% and 20%. Both Muslims and Christians are equal in number and the Hindus make up the rest. It is noteworthy that despite the locality being ethnically diverse, the communities live in relative peace with each other. Despite the daily gatherings of the communities in the places of economic activity, it is by and large a peaceful co-existence of the people with their neighbours. Recently, there have been some attempts to disturb the peace of the area by disgruntled elements and this was successfully thwarted due to the timely action of the citizen committees set up by the people in the neighbourhood. The presence of community elders in the neighbourhood adds to the sense of peace and calm and the youth who otherwise might be tempted to take up activities inimical to the peace of the community are counselled to not to do anything harmful to the locality.

Environmental Scan Of The Airline Industry Tourism Essay

Environmental Scan Of The Airline Industry Tourism Essay We have defined our relevant market for Flydubai as a low cost carrier within the product form level. Being positioned as a low cost national airline carrier, its facing a high competition from other national airlines which force the relevant market to be within the product form. (For more information on the relevant market please refer to appendix 2). This paper will focus on presenting an environmental scan of the airline industry within the Middle East region during the time frame of 3 years (2009-2012). In order to do so, we will identify the significant trends and their consequent implications on Flydubai relevant market. This report will include an in depth review of the macro, micro analysis and its implications of Flydubai relevant market in the next three years. Body: In identifying the major key trends in the macro environment of Flydubai, we have addressed several issues that include the political, social and economical trends. Flydubai was established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai orders in march 2008 and started its operation in its first flight to Lebanon on June 1st 2009.Being fully owned by Dubai government and enjoy the full facilities offered in terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, the company is having a competitive advantage compared to its rivals in the market as it enjoy the full government support and airport services. Furthermore, the current government trend in the labor force is towards emiratization and protecting labors rights. Being a part of the Fly Emirates Group, the organization will face no problem in emiratization as it will follow Fly Emirates emiratization strategy. The major challenge that Flydubai will face is being able to offer high paid jobs and reduce its operational costs as it is considered a low cost airline company. Living in the current financial crises era, Flydubai was established in one of the most difficult time the country economy had faced in the last 25 years. Falling oil prices, cooling real estate and construction markets, together with a slowdown in the tourism sector, especially in Dubai, means the UAE is expected to post low or possibly negative GDP growth in 2009, according to analysts (Arabian Business, 2009). This information may be considered negative to many airline companies but it may be positive to a low cost airline like Flydubai as people are now focusing more in reducing their expenses as the incomes are reduced. This means their tendency of consumers focusing more on prices is increasing. Furthermore, consumer behavior is changing towards low cost airlines especially in the Middle East region as consumers are persuaded by low prices and a better service offered by low cost airlines. According to a study done by Arabian Business website, it was found that 83 percent of the respondents would switch their preferred airline carrier, for a cheaper price, while 17.6 percent believed they would consider alternatives and trade off between the discount and lost air miles. It can thus be inferred that pricing plays a significant role in consumer behaviour and the decision making process especially in the current economic downturn era (Glass, 2008). According to Dubai department of Tourism and commerce marketing 3.85 million tourists had visited the emirate in the first half of 2009, a five percent increase on the same period of 2008. This figure strongly shows the current tourism industry market and how attractive it became even though of the current economical downturn. Other figures expect that the number of tourists will fall compared to 2008 figures but most figures have stated that there will be a positive growth in 2010. This figure shows that Flydubai will see a future growth rates in the coming 3 years as terrorism sector restore its high figures after overcoming the current downturn. As observed by Andrew Cowen, CEO of SAMA Airlines, the market is shifting from the traditional major airlines business travel towards low cost carriers for trips within the GCC. Business travelers are changing their perception of low cost carriers, supported by the current economic downturn and the increase number of foreign businesses within GCC countries entering the UAE. This shows a trend of an increasing demand for low cost carriers in the next three years (High time for low cost carriers, 2008). (For in depth information on the analysis of the macro environment of the airline industry please refer to Appendix 3) In identifying the major key trends in the micro environment the following aspects that includes, Customers, Employees, media, shareholders, competitors and suppliers. Customers who are price conscious are concerned with low cost airlines. Flydubai has focused on pricing strategy and flexibility because these two factors play a big role in determining the customers decision process on which airlines they choose to travel with. Moreover, the number of tourist from around the world including the region will grow more than 40% in the next 3 years in Dubai (www.realtyna.com). This shows that there will be increased number of customers who will use Flydubai airlines within the next three years due its successful use of pricing strategy and flexibility. The Employees of Flydubai have good experiences and they were carefully selected from twelve different nationalities. According to Kenneth Gile, chief operating officer of Flydubai said: We are extremely pleased with the talent of the pilots we have on board. On average, they each have more than 4,000 hours serving as captain in similar aircraft and a total experience of more than 8,000 flying hours this is impressive by any standard (Sambidge, 2009). Flydubai is fully owned by the government of Dubai and its considered as a part of its mother company the Emirates Group. The main strategy that Flydubai is willing to use for their marketing strategy is through word of mouth (buzz). This is because Flydubai is a low cost airline; they tend to set low budgets for their advertisements to keep their prices low. The direct competitors of Flydubai are Air Arabia and Al Jazeerah airlines because these two airlines are also low cost airlines in the same country as Flydubai. However, the major competitor of Flydubai is Air Arabia because, first of all, they are the first to claim about low cost airlines in the Middle East region. Moreover, they hold the highest market share in the relevant market as identified before. Our market share comparing to those two carries are low because Flydubai just recently launched to the market. But, within the next three years we expect rapid growth in the market share because Dubai is a destination for tourists. The major indirect competitor is Fly Emirates which stands as the leader in airline industry in the relevant market and it will keep its performance in the next three years. The second indirect competitor is Etihad Airlines which is growing fast because of the unlimited support from Abu Dhabi government. In addition, those airline carriers make low price offers for the same destination that we have flight lines to. The supplier of Flydubai is Boeing. Flydubai announced an order of 50 next generation 737 aircraft from Boeing. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum said: The Boeing Next-Generation 737 is ideally suited to our mission to bring some two billion regional inhabitants affordable, efficient and flexible travel options to and from Dubai.(For more information on the micro environment analysis, please refer to Appendix 4). Implications: Primary demand: Low cost airlines are focusing on customers who are price conscious. The number of customers using the LCC airlines is increasing and it will continue growing in the next three years (www.gulf-daily-news.com). This is because, first of all, the percentage of tourists will increase by 40% within the next three years which shows that the market share of LCC will increase as well. Secondly, because of the economic condition, many people tend to save money and spend it on low cost airlines to travel more to the desired destinations. Users of Low cost airlines contain all different ages and nationalities. Moreover, cost is one of the main factors that affect customers ability to buy. The costs of these carriers are low and will continue to remain low in the next three years. This will increase customers ability and willingness to buy. Selective demand We can define the consumer decision making process as an extensive problem solving level, where they are introduced to a complete new brand with low brand knowledge. So, Flydubai should infusive more on their brand identity through the media and other communication types in order to enrich consumers knowledge. Once Flydubai had increased the level of consumer knowledge, we expect huge increase in market share in the next three years because the decision making process is going to shift from extensive problem solving to routine which is low information search about the company. Therefore, we expect major change within the next three year upon the factors we mentioned above. Segmentation: As for segmentation we expect to see a rise in the population of the UAE in the following 3 years. According to the electronic portal of Gulf News the population of UAE is approaching six million as of now and it is expected to escalate even further by the end of this year. An increase in construction in the coming years requires more labor to be imported from foreign countries, thus increasing the number of potential customers (low income and middle-class lifestyles) who might want to use our services. Moreover, economic boom can also be a factor for businessmen to travel to and from Dubai more frequently. In addition, the number of students travelling to the UAE for education is expected to increase in the near future; this implies that they will most probably select Flydubai as their primary mode of transport to travel to and from the UAE, since the economic condition shows very little signs of improvement in the near future. More tourists are expected to arrive in the UAE within the near future out of which a section of them are extremely price sensitive travelers. Another scenario would be that the current economic downturn continues to effect economies world-wide within the coming three years increasing the number of price-sensitive customers in the eight markets we operate in. To keep up with the projected demand, Flydubai is planning to increase its fleet size from 5 (currently) to 54 aircrafts in the coming years. An increase in fleet size would allow Flydubai not only to accommodate a large number of clients but also expand its reach in terms of destinations. Conversely, the announcement of the new GCC rail network which is the new transportation class in our relevant market is expected to have a slight negative effect on Flydubais operations in terms of loosing clients that fall in our target segmentation. The GCC rail network and Flydubai have one common destination which is Qatar. Once the GCC rail network begins its operations there is a high possibility of losing out on our current and potential clients. (For more information on segmentation please refer to appendix 5). Competitor analysis Our major competitive in our relative market is Air Arabia and then Al Jazeera Airlines. Air Arabia is holding major market share because they are the first to claim about launching first low cost airlines in Middle East region. However, Flydubai can compete with those two direct competitors when we focus on our competitive advantage which is price leadership. Also, location is another important factor due the number of travelers that are using Dubai Airport comparing to Sharjah Airport. In addition, being part of the Emirates Group will add more value to Flydubai brand equity which will make it easier to make customers shift toward our company within the next three years. (For more information on competitor analysis, please refer to Appendix 6) Conclusion: In conclusion after analyzing the environmental micro and macro trend for Flydubai, we observed that there are two major changes in our relevant market. First, the increase of the tourism level in Dubai as we expect the current economic downturn era to change its direction towards positive figures in the next three years. Also, the companies holders and businessmen attitude towards low cost airlines is changing by using it as these airlines are providing business men services aboard such a business class and wireless internet connection. The number of competitors within the low cost airline industry is going to increase in the coming years as new airlines such as Bahrain Airlines starts its operation this year. Secondly, full service airlines are expanding their market towards low cost airline by introducing low price tickets that attract price sensitive consumers. We expect that within the next ten years a new class level will enter the market in the GCC region which is trains trans portation. Also, a new form level will emerge in the relevant market which is a combination between full services and low cost carriers. Finally, within the next three years we expect those changes in the relevant market to be reshaped affecting the primary and selective demand. Bibliography (2009, October 18). Flydubai airline. Retrieved from http://www.dubaifaqs.com/Flydubai.php McKechnie, D, Grant, J, Katsioloudes, M. (2008). Positions and positioning: strategy simply stated. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 9(5), Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/3300090502.html doi: 1751-5637 (2009). Environmental scanning. Wikipedia. Retrieved (2009, October 17) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_scanning (2009). Flydubai. Wikipedia. Retrieved (2009, October 17) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flydubai (n.d.). flydubai, who we are. Retrieved from http://www.Flydubai.com/whoweare/fleet.aspx (2009, June 8). Two more tough years for the airlines. Retrieved from http://www.eturbonews.com/9675/two-more-tough-years-airlines Nagraj, A. (2009, September 16). Gloomy skies for the airline industry. Retrieved from http://www.kippreport.com/2009/09/gloomy-skies-for-the-airline-industry/ Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Initials. (2009, October 15). Middle East LCC wrap: Air Arabia, Jazeera, Flydubai, nasair, sama and Bahrain Air. Retrieved from http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/2009/10/15/middle-east-lcc-wrap-air-arabia-jazeera-Flydubai-nasair-sama-and-bahrain-air/page1 Riaz, D, Kapadia, S. (2007). Air Arabia, Priced so that you can fly [5-14]. (Adobe Digital Edition Version), Retrieved from http://ae.zawya.com/researchreports/efg/20070701_efg_110604.pdf Schewe, , Charles, D, Hiam, A. (n.d.). market segmentation. Retrieved from http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/market-segmentation/ (2009, 10 07). UAE population reaches six million. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j24H1v8s1BWuNXEwptqRIiB_-OOA (2009, 10 07). Expat numbers rise rapidly as UAE population touches 6m. Retrieved from http://uaeinteract.com/docs/Expat_numbers_rise_rapidly_as_UAE_population_touches_6m/37883.htm (2009, April 7). FlyDubai opens for business with flights to Beirut and Amman. Retrieved from http://www.ameinfo.com/191649.html (2009, October 8). Number of tourists in Dubai set to grow by 40 per cent . Retrieved from http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:EPQhPUeolAEJ:www.realtyna.com/dubai_real_estate/dubai-rss-news/number-of-tourists-in-dubai-set-to-grow-by-40-per-cent.html+http://www.realtyna.com/dubai_real_estate/dubai-rss-news/number-of-tourists-in-dubai-set-to-grow-by-40-per-cent.htmlcd=1hl=arct=clnkgl=ae Sambidge, Initials. (2009, March 18). flydubai appoints pilots, cabin crew. Retrieved from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/549994-Flydubai-appoints-pilots-cabin-crew Sambidge, A. (2009, August 11). Dubai tourists up 5% in H1 official. Retrieved from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/564508-dubai-tourists-up-5-in-h1official (2009, 10 07). UAE population. Retrieved from http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/10/07/10355378.html Redpath, H. (2009, June 16). Dubais First Low Cost Airline Takes Off. Retrieved from http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/Flydubai/38830/ Redpath, H. (2009, June 16). Dubais First Low Cost Airline Takes Off. Retrieved from http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090616081711 Appendix 1 Back Ground information on Flydubai: Flydubai is the UAE second low cost airline that was established in March ,3rd 2008 on the orders of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai. The company first flight was in June 1,2009 to Beirut in Lebanon followed by flights to Amman, Jordan, on June 2, Damascus, Syria, on June 8 and Alexandria, Egypt, on June 9, giving the new airline a total of four destinations in just nine days. (Redpath, 2009). The company had ordered 50 Boeing 737 and is going to receive 10 airplanes each year for the next five years. (Flydubai,2009) Currently the company runs its operations in Dubai International Airport terminal 2 that was redesigned for the new airline. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Flydubai said: This region is very dependent on air transport. It is a great credit to the vision and leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that this airline has now taken off, thereby ensuring residents and visitors alike will be able to travel to more places more often. (Redpath, 2009). The Flydubai model is simple, with customers only paying for the services they want. The ticket price includes all taxes and one piece of hand baggage, weighing up to 10kg, per passenger. Passengers have the option to purchase checked-in baggage in advance at just 40AED for the first piece and 100AED for the second, weighing up to 32kgs, subject to availability. Checked baggage is strictly subject to availability and passengers are advised to book early to secure the space, as only pre-purchased baggage can be guaranteed. (Redpath, 2009) Flydubai aims to make travel a little less complex, a little less stressful and a little less expensive, explained Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith. Our passengers have the option to customize their travel experience depending on what services they want and how much they want to pay. (Redpath, 2009) We plan to stimulate the markets in which we operate and encourage people to travel to more places more often. Flydubai aim is not to drive traffic away from the other carriers but to help grow these markets. When you consider that low cost travel in this region could be as little as 2% of all air travel, as opposed to more than 20% in Europe and America, it is clear that there is a lot of untapped potential in these markets. (Redpath, 2009) In addition, Flydubai will fly to airports that are currently underserved by the traditional carriers. In a region which is so dependent on air transport, we are looking forward to providing the reality of accessible, low cost, uncomplicated travel (Redpath, 2009). Appendix 2: Product Market Structure: The above market structure was used to identify Flydubai relevant market within the airline industry in the Middle East region. We started the structure with the most basic need which is the need to travel in the region. This provided us with three alternatives that include airplanes, buses and cars. The product form is divided between full service carriers and low cost carriers as they differentiate in prices and services being offered to customers. From this structure we can identify Flydubai relevant market within the product form level. This is because the degree of competition and substitutability within the brand suppliers are high, as they all offer low prices with similar routes within the region. This push the relevant market upwards towards the product form level. Furthermore, Flydubai indirect competitors include Fly Emirates, Etihad airlines and Saudi airlines. These full service airlines are competing with Flydubai indirectly by providing low prices with full services. O n the other hand our direct competitors include Air Arabia and Al Jazerra airlines that are both low cost airlines that perform within the region. Further explanation on competition will be provided in the Micro analysis in the competitors section. Appendix 3 Macro Environment: In studying the external environment of Flydubai in the next three years we will focus on the Macro and Micro environment. This study will help us in finding out the effect of these external factors on the company in the next few years. The Macro environment factors will include Political, economical, social and technological aspects under which Flydubai will be affected by. 1) Political Analysis: A) Government Regulations: Flydubai was established with orders of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai. Being owned by the Dubai government the company faces no difficulties in laws and regulations as the airline industry in the Emirates is booming through the process of liberalization the airline industry that the United Arab Emirates is adapting. B) Political Analysis: In studying the overall political environment of the United Arab Emirates, we find it one of the most stable countries within the region. Such political approach of peace seeking had made the country a trading hub in the region. This will certainly have its positive effect on flydubai operations as to perform in stable political environment. C) Employment Laws: Protecting labors rights and Emiratization is considered the main aspect that the UAE government is taking into consideration now a days. Companies are now forced to have a certain percentage that of emirates locals that will increase in the following years as there is more emphasis on employing locals in the private sector. Being a part of Emirates Airlines Group, Flydubai will certainly adapt its mother company in hiring and training locals in suitable jobs. The challenge that Flydubai will going to face is to decrease costs in one hand and provide well paid jobs in the same time . 2) Economical Analysis: A) Inflation Rate: The inflation rate in the UAE is predicted to fall from last years 11.1 percent level to seven percent in 2010, according to a new report. (Sambidge, 2009). This is considered a positive aspect for Flydubai as it will have its positive effects in reducing the company costs in oil and ground operations. High inflation rates reaching to 11 percent last year was a threat to low cost airlines such as Air Arabia and Al Jazerra Airlines that faced a problem of high oil prices. This good news will make Flydubai compete even stronger on prices as inflation rates goes down. B) Economical Analysis: Falling oil prices, cooling real estate and construction markets, together with a slowdown in the tourism sector, especially in Dubai, means the UAE is expected to post low or possibly negative GDP growth in 2009, according to analysts. (Sambidge, 2009). Living in the current World Financial Economic Crises the UAE economy in general and Dubai in specific faced a hard time in 2009 but analysts forecast that there will be more positive figures in 2010. This information is considered a negative too many airline companies but may be positive to Flydubai as people are now more focus in reducing their expenses as the incomes are reduced. This means their tendency of consumers focusing more on prices which is a positive thing for a low cost airline. Additionally, analysts forecast that the economy will grow in 2010 again and this will certainly have its effect on the company growth. 3) Social Analysis: A) Demographics: More than 300,000 people will be added to the UAE population this year to record the highest growth of 6.3 per cent in five years and Dubai would likely emerge as the fastest growing emirate, official figures show. The rise rebuffs reports that the global financial turbulence has triggered a mass exodus of expatriates out of the country, mainly Dubai. From 4.75 million in mid 2008, the UAEs population is projected to increase to 5.066 million in mid 2009, showed the figures by the Ministry of Economy. This figure are going to increase in the next few years which will certainly have its positive effects on the airline industry in UAE considering that expatriates make an approximate percentage of 80.1 of the above figure in 2009 according to the ministry of economy. Furthermore, the figures show that the 25-29 year age group was the largest in the UAE in mid 2008, standing at 777,186. It was followed by the 30-34 age groups, which was estimated at 754,289 and 35-39 groups of 588,505. This clearly indicates that most of the population is young and is going to shape the tourism and aviation market in the next couple of years. B) Consumer Behavior: According to a study done by Arabian Business website, it was found that 83 percent of the respondents would switch their preferred airline carrier, for a cheaper price, while 17.6 percent believed they would consider alternatives and trade off between the discount and lost air miles. It can thus be inferred that pricing plays a significant role in consumer behaviour and the decision making process especially in the current economic downturn era. Furthermore, customer loyalty in the low cost carriers is low as its directly related to price. Flydubai should consider this into account and introduce customer loyalty programs in order to maintain a higher level of customer loyalty. (Glass, 2008). C) Leisure Interests: 3.85 million tourists had visited the emirate in the first half of 2009, a five percent increase on the same period of 2008 According to Dubai department of Tourism and commerce marketing . This figure strongly shows the current tourism industry market and how attractive it became even though of the current economical downturn. Other figures expect that the number of tourists will fall compared to 2008 figures but most figures have stated that there will be a positive growth in 2010. D) Career Attitude: Business travelers are changing their perception of low cost carriers. As observed by Andrew Cowen, CEO of Same, the market is shifting from the traditional major airlines business travel towards low cost carriers for trips within the GCC. This changing attitude, supported by the current economic downturn and the increase number of foreign businesses within GCC countries entering the UAE, shows a trend of an increasing demand for low cost carriers in the next three years. (High time for low cost carriers, 2008). E) Technological Development Analysis: Following its mother company Emirates Airlines, we expect that Flydubai become a market leader in providing advanced technological solutions to its passengers by using the large experience that emirates airline have. If such direction was adapted, it will certainly provide the needed strength that Flydubai need in competing with its direct and indirect competitors. Appendix 4 Micro Environment: Stakeholder Analysis: This means to analyze the micro environment which includes the following factors: the customers, employees, shareholders, media, and the competitors. A) Customers: Customers who are price conscious are concerned with low cost airlines. Flydubai has focused on pricing strategy and flexibility because these two factors play a big role in determining the customers decision process on which airlines they choose to travel with. Price strategy and flexibility of Flydubai include low pricing strategy and easy booking with increased choices. As Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Flydubai said: As a true low cost airline we are geared towards providing our passengers with the best price and increased choice. We will operate efficiently and continually evolve to deliver the best possible product to our customers. (Flydubai opens for, 2009). The cost of Flydubai from Dubai airport to Doha airport would cost 200DHS, whereas other major airlines such as; Emirates or Qatar airlines would cost approximately 1000 or more for a one way ticket (Flydubai home page, 2009). This shows that Flydubai is much cheaper and has managed to keep prices low due to the successful use of their pricing strategy. Moreover, the number of tourist from around the world including the region will grow more than 40% in the next 3 years in Dubai (Number of tourists, 2009) .This shows that there will be increased number of customers who will use Flydubai airlines within the next three years due its successful use of pricing strategy and flexibility. B) Employees: Flydubai airline has received more than 11,500 applications from flight and cabin crew. There are 18 first officers, 61 captains, and almost more than 8000 candidates for pilots were selected from twelve different nationalities (Sambidge, 2009). The staff has good experiences and was carefully selected. According to Kenneth Gile, chief operating officer of Flydubai said: We are extremely pleased with the talent of the pilots we have on board. On average, they each have more than 4,000 hours serving as captain in similar aircraft and a total experience of more than 8,000 flying hours this is impressive by any standard (Sambidge, 2009). Furthermore, employee and staff hospitality is very important. This is because the employees and staff were selected from twelve different nationalities and they need to feel comfortable with the new culture they are facing in order to work efficiently. D) Shareholders: Flydubai is fully owned by the government of Dubai and its considered as a part of its mother company the Emirates Group. The company has no other shareholders currently as there its 250 million dirhams capital is completely raised by the government. E) The media: Obviously, through observations, Flydubai has made many advertisements through publicity such as; Newspapers (e.g. gulf news) and internet websites. However, the main strategy they used or willing to use for their marketing strategy is through word of mouth (buzz). Since Flydubai is a low cost airline, they tend to set low budgets for their advertisements to keep their prices low. So the best way to conduct an advertisement method for low cost carriers is through word of mouth. (This information is based on analysis due to facts and observations). Appendix 5 Primary demand: After making the environment analysis for the next three years and studying the current market conditions, we identified Flydubai relevant market at the product form level. This is because there is a high competition within the brand supply level forcing it towards the product form level as they all offer low prices with similar destinations. After the financial crisis, we noticed a shift toward low cost airlines as incomes had decreased. This had its effects on the following primary demand elements that include: Buyer Identification: The number of customers using the LCC airlines is recently increasing (www.gulf-daily-news.com). Users of LCC

Indian trade liberation :: essays research papers fc

The International Trade Liberalization of India According to many global economic studies the key to peace is through the promotion of free trade and the institution of democratic principles, this theory also known as liberal international relations theory. In late 1991, with the transfer of the Indian Parliament into the hands of political and economic reformers, despite much opposition, India began its quest towards liberalization. The reform implemented freer trade in the largest democracy in the world. Facets of the Reformed Policy since India's independence from British control in 1947 until India’s Prime Minister Narasimha Rao took office, have characterized Indian’s foreign policy as fairly isolationist. During the Cold War period India retained a policy of nonalignment. It was uncommitted to either the West or the East and stuck to an "Swadeshi" ideology. This Swadeshi ideology simply meaning "India first," and was an extremely nationalistic ideology that advocates self-sufficiency. Just under a decade ago, Indian foreign policy has taken significant strides towards liberalization. Since Prime Minister Narasimha Rao assumed his position as the head of this state in economic shambles, India has undergone significant reform in its domestic and foreign economic policy. Rao's administration implemented major changes in international banking, interest rates, and the ability to fully convert rupees (India's currency) into international tradable transactions. But most importantly, towards the end of 1991, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao opened India's doors to international foreign investment. Many global economic studies stated the reforms in 1991 were simply necessary. As Clive Crook reported in The Economist at the time, the new government attempted to restructure the "ever-proliferating bureaucracy" and the "license raj". This reshaping dismantled the barriers for international foreigners to enter into the Indian markets. Such barriers included ser ies of permits and licenses granted only by members of the Indian Parliament or high-ranking bureaucrats. These complicated and inefficient policies turned away potential foreign investors and, therefore, hurt the Indian economy. As part of the reform plan, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao implemented revolutionary changes. According to the Asian Survey by Nalini Kant Jha, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao limited the equity participation to 40% and removed the provision for the necessity of local control of industry. India also turned into favoring export-led growth; therefore, it removed restrictions on foreign trade and significantly reduced customs duties and tariffs on imports. Since the advancement towards liberalism and the legitimacy of its government, India has strongly remained the largest democracy in the international environment.

Planning And Threat Assesment Essay

Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     When one is determining the credibility and seriousness of a threat, then he is engaged in the process known as Threat assessment. A threat may be individual security threat, a group security threat, a bombing threat or even a fire setting threat. Threat assessment also investigates the probability of the   peril being carried out. Once a potential threat has been assessed and is seen as serious, prevention and mitigation steps are carried out. The context of threat is very important when interpreting risks (Feher, 45).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to evaluate threat, some questions should be addressed. Some of the question is the character of the threat, what is the objective of the threatener, what does the threatener want to put across, the victim’s sensitivity to the threat, how credible is the threat, the threatener’s aim, is   there a secondary gain targeted by the threatener? When addressed the questions will help in evaluating the threat; the threat’s credibility and chances of its occurring (Dietz, 129).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In threat assessment, planning is imperative because it reduces the chances of the threat occurring. It also mitigates the effects of the threat, resolve their implications, and insulate the fallout and builds confidence of the parties involved. Threat assessment is not solely about security concerns although it is its primary concern (Borum, 335).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A general framework of threat assessment should incorporate the identification of threat or emergency, estimate of probability, development of prevention and mitigation strategies and resource allocation of which should be based on evaluation of likelihood of occurrence and impact.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Planning should be dynamic and contextual since one strategy will not fit all the threats that may concern an individual detail, planning must reckon with the context. Planning also needs continued evaluation of likelihood of occurrence and effect of prevention and mitigation of the effects and of changing context. Planning is a fact (Boon, 77). Planning and threat assessment: Case study of a white supremacist principal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When planning the detail of security for the principal, it is imperative to identify the threat at hand. My principal is a white supremacist and has many enemies. He cannot defend himself when confronted with a threat since is confined to a wheelchair 24 hours a day. His security detail must also be inclusive of a nurse who may not know how to handle precarious situations and may be under threat herself. She must be protected from harm at all cost because the principal is dependent on her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being a white supremacist, he is under threat of other races especially the blacks and Latinos. They both have a history of violence especially when racially discriminated against. The have access to sophisticated weapons and they are capable of planning an ambush on the highways. There have been rumors circulating around Los Angeles that black supremacists have put a figure on the principal’s head. They are known to possess a lot of money and influence in the Los Angeles Ghettos.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apart from the Blacks and Latinos, the principal has other enemies as well. Apart from other races that would have all the motivation to eliminate him, he also has white enemies as well. Some of them are said to be connected to the mafia and so they could attack anywhere and anytime. They can also use the government officials to accomplish their desires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the other threats is that a rival white supremacist group is suspected of being behind a series of murders and the recent brutal beating of the principal’s assistant chief. The media has already speculated that they are fighting for political power in the State of California among the white supremacists movement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main threat is outside the courthouse. He is to defendant to charges of murder and civil rights violation, especially to the non-whites races. This is because the many of the rival groups and extremists will be attending the hearing. These include fundamentalist’s religious groups, civil rights activists, and other white supremacist groups among others. It is anticipated that the hearing will be very emotional and might spark off anger that could turn out to be violent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One concern that the security detail of the principal has is the withdrawal of police from his security detail. The chief of police has said that his men will not be responsible for the principal’s security. It is a concern because the principal want to make a grand entry to the court and also want to talk to the press. This is a major threat because the principal might spark off anger before entering the court, plus putting his numerous enemies on the picture, his life would be at a threat of gunning down by a sharp shooter placed anywhere in the surrounding court environment. It is particularly hazardous because the court is surrounded by skyscraper buildings. Mitigation of threat   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to mitigate the chance of the threat that is currently facing the principal, it is important to note what could be done to avoid the threat from occurring at all. It is also important to note that at our disposal we have only eight security men covering the principal, and this against the very large force of enemies is a very little number of security details.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First we have to avoid the highways whenever possible. This is because the Blacks and Latinos have the tendency to lay an ambush on the highways and this may also be an incentive for other rivals to Lay ambush on the principal’s motorcade. An alternative means of transportation is paramount to evade the risk of the highways. It would be prudent to hire a helicopter for the principal, the nurse another security man and to oversee that the principal travel from home to the courthouse grounds without the necessity to go through the highways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since it is not practical for all the security detail to go with the helicopter, prior arrangement must be done so that the rest of the security detail get to court on time. It must be before the principal’s helicopter reaches court. They will be responsible for determining the threat that will be facing the principal and organizing for the general security of the principal when he arrives in court.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There will also be the need for acquiring vehicles for the rest of the security detail. There will need to be enough vehicles for the transport of the entire security detail so a minimum of three vehicles will be needed. The vehicles should be parked in strategic places for the immediate departure should a necessity occur after the hearing. The same should apply to the helicopter. These vehicles will need to be unmarked and cannot by any chance be linked to the principal as this may compromise the security detail. If possible the vehicles should be new.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Communication should be of high quality so that the security detail on the ground monitoring the situation should in contact with helicopter at all time. The communication gadgets should be free off interference from outside parties and should be very alert of outside parties listening in. State of the art communication systems will be employed when   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to minimize the occurrence of threat, the security detail should be very particular on timing. Regardless of the principal wanting to make a grand entrance to the court, little contact should be encourage between the principal and outside parties particularly the press. More time being afforded to the principal and the outside parties increases the occurrence of threat. The timing should be that the time of arrival of the principal will minimize the time of contact with the outside parties. After hearing all the security detail should be on hand to ensure the minimal contact of the principal to the outside parties. I being the head of the security detail will explain the importance of this to the principal should he need any explanations as to why he was not allowed maximum contact with the outside parties and press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More security details need to be hired to help the strained security details. There will be need to look for capable men of handling this assignment and so as to enhance the security of the principal.   Resource Allocation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After threat assessment, it is necessary to allocate some resources so that they can be used to avoid the threat from happening.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In our case of the principal, there will be need to hire a helicopter but it would be more economical to buy one because the principal will need to be traveling so more after the trip to the court. This will reduce the risk of being ambushed by the enemies on the highways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also the need to invest on new vehicles for the security detail. This is because the vehicles will need not to be linked to the principal as this could jeopardize the safety of the principal and the security detail as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also the need for the investment in state of the art communication devices. This will enhance the effective security monitoring and the communication of possible threat from the ground to the helicopter.   Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Considering all the threats that face individuals and given the concern for public safety, there is a public wish to establish a threat assessment program for the pubic as well as individuals. Most prone to these threats are public figures, celebrities, leaders of all sorts including fundamentalists and supremacists and witnesses among many more members of the public (Baxter, 194).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Such programs require preparation, knowledge and deverness in order to be capable of identifying serious threats as well as intervening and addressing them in public. These should be done in such a manner as not to inappropriately heighten public fears and thus causing overreacting of the public. References Baxter, V. Margavio, A. (1996). Assaultive violence in the U.S. post office. Work and Occupation, 177 – 196 Boon, J.C.W. Sheridan, L (2001). Stalker typologies: A law enforcement perspective. Journal of Threat Assessment. 75 – 79 Borum, R, Fein R, Vossekuil, B Berglund, J. (1999). Threat Assessment: Defining an approach for evaluating risk of target violence. Behavioral Sciences and the Law. 323 – 337 Dietz, P. E., Martell, D. A. (1989), â€Å"Mentally Disordered Offenders in Pursuit of Celebrities and Politicians.† National Institute of Justice: Washington D.C. 125 – 150 Feher, B. A., et al.(2002). Studies of U.S./ Navy Air Defense Threat Assessment: Cue, Information Order, and Impact of Conflicting Data. San Diego, U.S. Navy Air Defense. 32 – 57

Chapter01: Defining Marketing for the 21st Century

vKT: 601 Chapter01: Defining Marketing for the 21st Century Importance of marketing The scope of marketing Services, Events, Experiences, Persons, Places, Properties, Organizations, In formations, Ideas Markets and prospects 1. Negative demand- Consumers dislike the product and may even pay a price to avoid it. 2. Nonexistent demand – Consumers may be unaware or uninterested in the product. 3. Latent demand – Consumers may share a strong need that cannot be satisfied by an existing product. 4. Declining demand – Consumers begin to buy the product less frequently or not at all. 5.Irregular demand – Consumer purchases vary on a seasonal, monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly basis. 6. Full demand – Consumers are adequately buying all products put into the marketplace. 7. Overfull demand – More consumers would like to buy the product than can be satisfied. 8. Unwholesome demand – Consumers may be attracted to products that have undesirab le social consequences. Markets Key customer markets ?Consumer Markets ?Business Markets ?Global Markets ?Nonprofit and Governmental Markets ?Marketplaces, Market spaces and Metamarkets (search for product) Needs, Wants and DemandsTarget markets, Positioning and Segmentation Offerings and brands Value and satisfactions Marketing channels Supply chain Competition Marketing environment The New marketing realities Major Societal forces ?Network information technology ?Globalization ?Deregulation ?Privatization ?Heightened Competition ?Industry convergence (Combining, home theater) ?Consumer resistance ?Retail transformation (Direct mail) ?Disintermediation/reintermediation The New Economy: Consumer benefits ?Substantial increase in buying power: More disposable income and inclination to spend ?A greater variety of goods and services: Brand proliferation, can purchase from Internet also ? A greater amount of information about practically anything: Mass media and other sources availabili ty ? A greater ease in interacting and placing and receiving orders: Places order from home, office or can shop traditionally ? An ability to compare notes on products and services: One can use Internet to compare prices and other attributes of various brands The New Economy: Companies’ benefits ?Websites provide powerful information and sales channels. Can collect fuller and richer information about markets, customers, prospects and competitors. ?Can speed up communications among employees. ?Can have 2-way communication with customers and prospects ? Can send ads, coupons, samples, information to targeted customers. ?Can customize offerings and services to individual customers. ?Internet can be used as a communication channel for purchasing, training, and recruiting. ?Can improve logistics and operations for cost savings while improving accuracy and service quality.Company orientation towards the marketplace ?The production concept ?The Product concept ?The selling concept ? The marketing concept ?The Holistic Marketing concept ?Relationship marketing ?Performance Marketing ?Financial accountability ?Social responsibility Marketing management tasks ?Developing Marketing strategies and plans ?Capturing Marketing insights ?Connecting with customers ?Building strong brands ?Shaping the market offerings ?Delivering values ?Communicating values ?Creating long term growth

Outer Circle - Definition and Examples - World English

Outer Circle s - World English The outer circle is made up of post-colonial countries in which English, though not the mother tongue, has for a significant period of time played an important role in education, governance, and popular culture. Countries in the outer circle include India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, and more than 50 other nations. Low Ee  Ling  and Adam Brown describe the outer circle as those countries in the earlier phases of the spread of English in non-native settings[,] . . . where English has become institutionalized or has become part of the countrys chief institutions (English in Singapore, 2005).   The outer circle is one of the three concentric circles of World English described by linguist Braj Kachru in Standards, Codification and Sociolinguistic Realism: The English Language in the Outer Circle (1985).   The labels inner, outer, and expanding  circles represent the type of spread, the patterns of acquisition, and the functional allocation of the English language in diverse cultural contexts.  As discussed below, these labels remain controversial. Explanations of Outer Circle English In the Inner Circle, English spread largely because of a migration of English speakers. In time each settlement developed its own national variety. On the other hand, the spread of English in the Outer Circle has occurred largely as a result of colonization by English-speaking nations. Here, two major types of linguistic development occurred. In some countries like Nigeria and India, where under colonial powers it developed as an elite second language, only a minority of the society acquired English. However, in other countries like Barbados and Jamaica, the slave trade had a significant impact on the variety of English spoken, resulting in the development of English-based pidgins and creoles.(Sandra Lee McKay, Teaching English as an International Language: Rethinking Goals and Approaches. Oxford University Press, 2002)The Outer Circle may be thought of as country contexts where English was first introduced as a colonial language for administrative purposes. . . . English is used in these countries for intra-country purposes. In addition to Outer Circle, terms frequently used to describe the manner in which English has evolved in these settings include institutionalized and nativized. In these countries, a variety of English has evolved which possesses the common core characteristics of Inner Circle varieties of English, but in addition can be distinguished from them by particular lexical, phonological, pragmatic, and morphosyntactic innovations.(Kimberly Brown, World Englishes:  To Teach or Not to Teach. World Englishes, ed. by   Kingsley Bolton and Braj B. Kachru. Routledge, 2006) Problems With the World Englishes Model Considering the history of the emancipation of various Englishes around the globe, it is obvious that the groundbreaking work emanated from and has been essentially focused on the Outer Circle. But it has been an uphill struggle. Even today, what is often termed international by Inner Circle scholars, publishers, etc. is often simply interpreted as the international spread of native-speaker Standard English (a minority variety in itself) rather than the way English has changed to meet international needs.(Barbara Seidlhofer, World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca: Two Frameworks or One? World EnglishesProblems, Properties and Prospects, ed. by Thomas Hoffmann and Lucia Siebers. John Benjamins, 2009)As a large number speakers from the Outer-Circle and Expanding-Circle countries now live in the Inner-Circle countries, even native speakers of English are increasingly exposed to World Englishes. This means revising the notion of proficiency even for the English of native speakers . Canagarajah (2006: 233) maintains that, in a context where we have to constantly shuffle between different varieties [of English] and communities, proficiency becomes complex . . . one needs the capacity to negotiate diverse varieties to facilitate communication.(Farzad Sharifian, English as an International Language: An Overview. English as an International Language: Perspectives and Pedagogical Issues, ed. by F. Sharifian. Multilingual Matters, 2009) Also Known As: extended circle

How to Write a Devotional The Ultimate Guide

How to Write a Devotional The Ultimate Guide How to Write a Devotional: The Definitive Guide Do you enjoy writing? Are you passionate about helping others grow in their spiritual lives? If you answered yes and yes, then you’ll enjoy learning the art of writing thought-provoking devotionals. There are many, many ways to write a devotional. But the principles that tie them together? Mostly the same. And in this guide, I’ll lay out some of the most popular and effective methods- as well as show you some strategies for coming up with great devotional ideas. Ready? Let’s start with the basics: Need help fine-tuning your devotional?Click here to download my free self-editing checklist. Devotional books are released thematically for: Teens Men Women Grandparents College students Veterans Teachers Athletes And just about any other people group you can think of Devotionals are used by a wide variety of media, including large-circulation daily devotional guides, such as The Quiet Hour, The Upper Room, The Secret Place, The Word in Season, Devozine,Pathways to God, and Wesleyan Church(These links will take youto their submission guidelines.) More than 25 devotional quarterlies each publish 365 new entries each year. Naturally, these need fresh material annually. Publishers of vacation Bible school and Sunday school materials often include devotionals for teachers and students. Many independent and denominational magazines (such as The War Cry and The Baptist Bulletin) run devotionals in each of their issues. Some publishing houses produce not only devotional books, but also devotional desk calendars and greeting cards. Again, this market must be replenished annually. Publications can’t just recycle devotionals they ran the previous year. They depend on freelance writers to provide hundreds upon hundreds of fresh, insightful new ones. What You Should Bring to the Table Writers of devotionals should have a pure heart (James 3:8-11). With humility, graciousness, and spiritual sensitivity, you can create somethingthat can alter a reader’s thinking and behavior. You also need a focused mind (Ps. 1:1-3; 73:28). A succinct and powerful message must be distilled to 150-175 words. This demands clarity. And you must have a burning desire (Jeremiah 20:9). Ask for God’s guidance to say the right words to someone who may be reading a devotional published a year after you write it. God is the Alpha, but He is also the Omega. He knows what hurts and needs people will have in the future, and He can use you to prepare materials today to help people during hard times tomorrow. You won’t get rich writing devotionals. In fact, you may have to write a half dozen to see more than $100. That’s why it’s important to write them in batches to make it worth your while- not that you’re doing it solely for the money. You can revise and resell your print devotionals as radio devotionals for about the same rate of pay. And you can collect your devotionals and publish them as a book, receiving an advance and royalties. But beyond payment, you may also enjoy the deep gratification of readers telling you your words changed a mind about an abortion, a suicide, or a divorce. Meeting Readers Where They Are People turn to devotionals to meet deep needs. Some have lost friendships, been divorced, suffered from criticism, betrayal, or the death of a loved one. They need the balm of God’s comfort. Others seek intimacy with God. Their prayer lives are lax, their testimonies weak, and their church attendance sporadic. They need to find their way back to Jesus. Some just want to grow spiritually or to discover a better way to share their faith. Your devotional may be their only connection to the Bible all day. A harried mom may read one just before bed. A busy teacher may read one during lunch. An executive may read oneduring breakfast. The Writing Method When you settle on a passage of Scripture as your anchor text, read it in different translations. Pray and meditate over it until you’re certain you thoroughly understand the verse in context. Stay current by offering an illustration today’s reader can relate to. Link modern challenges and questions to longstanding solutions from God’s Word- and make the connections obvious and logical. Need help fine-tuning your devotional?Click here to download my free self-editing checklist. The Makings of a Good Devotional Your reader is giving you a few minutes, and in exchange you must provide an engaging piece of writing that offers new insights. Be genuine and honest, not grandiose or admonishing. Good devotional writing says, â€Å"Walk with me a few minutes. Examine something with me.† Keep your style appropriate to your audience. Writing devotionals for teens is not the same as writing for seniors. Although your anecdotes and illustrations should be drawn from your life, the lesson should always be drawn from Scripture. Present God’s wisdom in a package your reader can relate to. Stick with tangible images, things readers can see, touch, smell, hear, and taste. Be specific, yet precise. Make each word count. Use visual nouns, punchy verbs, short sentences, and the active voice. Five Basic Patterns Learn these and you can begin using them immediately: 1. The Self-examination Draw on personal experiences and use anecdotes to teach valuable lessons. Often such devotionals begin with: â€Å"When I was in high school †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"When I was fishing alone one morning †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"During my first year at camp †¦ .† The recollection always has a moral or application that ties in with the selected Scripture. 2. An Outside Observer Reports Here you’re telling what happened to someone else. Real names may be used with permission, or changed, as long as the story is true. Often these devotionals begin with a phrase such as: â€Å"When my great-grandmother first came to America †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"My best friend had just gotten his driver’s license †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Most people are unaware that George Washington †¦ .† 3. You Interact with Other People Report on something you learned from a friend, coworker, or family member. Begin with a phrase such as: â€Å"My son taught me a lesson one day when I was walking him to school †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"My friend could always make me laugh †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"One day my college history professor was explaining †¦ .† 4. The Object Lesson Use a tangible object to parallel an event or circumstance. Jesus often used this format, employing such things as a mustard seed, a Roman coin, a lamp and a bushel, or a tower as metaphors. Object lesson devotionals quickly make readers see the parallel between the object and the lesson. â€Å"Trees killed by saltwater brought in by a tsunami will still stand upright and take up space, but they will bear no fruit. People who come to church each Sunday and occupy a pew but do nothing all week to share their faith are like these trees.† 5. The Double Meaning Phrase Take a well-known line from advertising, history, a song, or a poem and convert it to a Christian message, as in â€Å"A day without Sonshine is a gloomy day.† One devotional writer compared the rigid discipline of being a United States Marine to the discipline Christians should adhere to, calling the devotional, â€Å"Corps Values vs. Core Values.† Developing a Devotional Journal Because much of what we observe and say has potential to become material for a devotional, keep a journal for ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Begin today by answering: Did God use a specific verse of Scripture to change your life? Hows did it affect your outlook? Has God brought a person into your life to alter your direction? Like Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch, how did someone suddenly enter your life as a teacher, friend, mentor, or accountability partner? When did God make Himself known to you in a dramatic way? Did you receive an answer to prayer regarding a health issue, financial need, or spiritual awakening that proved He was working in your life? Record the details. Had God ever reprimanded and brought you back in line when you were spiritually wayward? Explain how you felt God’s chastening and corrective hand. Did God use a deep hurt in your life to make you sensitive to others or to show you new ways to be effective to those you serve? In answering these questions, you’ll discover your life is a source of great lessons you can pass along. Brainstorming More Devotional Topics As you make entries in your devotional journal each day, try to recall: A sad or funny experience you’ve had in the past year Things you’ve learned while traveling Challenging relationships with people at work, home, or school Something you are an expert on An item in a newspaper or magazine that fascinated you An editorial or column you strongly disagreed with An unusual experience or new challenge you’ve recently faced An opinion based on years of experience Something startling or insightful you recently learned from TV or a book A new perspective you gained from a sermon Societal trends that concern you An event that restored your faith in mankind Something related to science, nature, weather, or time that stunned you A trip to a museum that awakened a new appreciation for nature A new job assignment that has stretched you A family picnic or class reunion that gave you a special perspective Letters or diaries you recently discovered A poem or song that keeps coming to mind Volunteer work that helped you see the suffering of others A friend’s sickness or accident that alarmed you Avoiding Blind Spots Although certain publications use devotionals targeted to teens, working women, or seniors, most devotionals you will write will be read by a broad spectrum. So keep in mind: People live in many different financial and social conditions. The distinctive beliefs of many denominations and theological traditions are precious to people and must be respected. Some readers have limited education. So keep things simple but not condescending. People in other countries may not understand your slang and pop culture references. It is usually better not to write devotionals that stir controversy. So avoid topics such as infant baptism, female ordination, or speaking in tongues. The Basic Format Before submitting a devotional, obtain a publication’s writers guidelines and copies of the publication itself. Follow the guidelines exactly. Your name, address, and phone number should appear on each page. But some publications also ask for your email address. The basic format calls for a suggested passage of Scripture (usually 5 to 12 verses), a title, one printed-out specific verse from the suggested reading, and an anecdote or story that shows how that biblical lesson applies today. The writer’s byline usually appears at the end. Some publications ask that you begin or end with a prayer or thought for the day. Length varies, from as short as 75 words to as long as 225. The guidelines will state the preferred method of submission. Some editors like printouts mailed to the publication’s office. Some like email submissions. Some accept either. Most publications buy first rights, important because you can then re-use your devotionals in books. Summary Writing devotionals is a good way to enter nonfiction writing, earn money, and make a positive impact on thousands of readers. Your experiences and those of others are rich sources for ideas. How to Get Started 1) List 20 emotional hurts people are dealing with (loneliness, depression, guilt, shame, abandonment, grief, prejudice, etc.). Then list what aspects of spiritual growth could come out of each such experience (learning to pray more effectively, learning to bring the Good News to others, cultivating humility, etc.). 2) Start a devotional journal. 3) Try writing a one-page devotional and submit it to one of the devotional markets listed in The Christian Writer’s Market Guide. You’re on your way! In the comments section, answer this: What will your next devotional be about? Need help fine-tuning your devotional?Click here to download my free self-editing checklist.

Using the JSON Gem in Ruby

Using the JSON Gem in Ruby Its easy to jump into parsing and generating JSON in Ruby with the json gem. It provides an API for parsing JSON from text as well as generating JSON text from arbitrary Ruby objects. Its easily the most used JSON library in Ruby. Installing the JSON Gem On Ruby 1.8.7, youll need to install a gem. However, in Ruby 1.9.2, the json gem is bundled with the core Ruby distribution. So, if youre using 1.9.2, youre probably all set. If youre on 1.8.7, youll need to install a gem. Before you install the JSON gem, first realize that this gem is distributed in two variants. Simply installing this gem with gem install json will install the C extension variant. This requires a C compiler to install, and may not be available or appropriate on all systems. Though if you can install this version, you should. If you cant install the C extension version, you should gem install json_pure instead. This is the same gem implemented in pure Ruby. It should run everywhere that Ruby code runs, on all platforms and on a variety of interpreters. However, its considerably slower than the C extension version. Once installed, there are a few ways to require this gem. A require json (after a prerequisite require rubygems if needed) will require whichever variant is available and will prefer the C extension variant if both are installed. A require json/pure will explicitly require the pure variant, and a require json/ext will explicitly require the C extension variant. Parsing JSON Before we start, lets define some simple JSON to parse. JSON is typically generated by web applications and can be quite daunting, with deep hierarchies that are difficult to navigate. Well start with something simple. The top level of this document is a hash, the first two keys hold strings and the last two keys hold arrays of strings. { CEO: William Hummel, CFO: Carlos Work, Human Resources: [ Inez Rockwell, Kay Mcginn, Larry Conn, Bessie Wolfe ], Research and Development: [ Norman Reece, Betty Prosser, Jeffrey Barclay ]} So parsing this is quite simple. Assuming this JSON is stored in a file called employees.json, you can parse this into a Ruby object like so. require rubygemsrequire jsonrequire ppjson File.read(employees.json)empls JSON.parse(json)pp empls And this programs output. Note that if youre running this program on Ruby 1.8.7, the order the keys are retrieved from the hash is not necessarily the same order theyre inserted. So your output may appear out of order. {CEOWilliam Hummel, CFOCarlos Work, Human Resources [Inez Rockwell, Kay Mcginn, Larry Conn, Bessie Wolfe], Research and Development [Norman Reece, Betty Prosser, Jeffrey Barclay]} The empls object itself is just a hash. Nothing special about it. It has 4 keys, just as the JSON document had. Two of the keys are strings, and two are arrays of strings. No surprises, the JSON was faithfully transcribed in Ruby objects for your perusal. And thats about all you need to know about parsing JSON. There are some issues that come up, but those will be covered in a later article. For just about every case, you simply read a JSON document from a file or over HTTP and feed it to JSON.parse.

History essay- Reading and comprehension of the book Taken Hostage by Essay

History - Reading and comprehension of the book Taken Hostage by David Farber - Essay Example 4, 1979 which turned it into a revolutionary day which is, and will be remembered for a long time; maybe forever. This paper will clarify the reasons behind the hostage crisis in Iran along with its impacts on the US government and its economy. We will also see the facts this event exposed about US government and about the President of that time. Numerous words will be added from the book ‘Taken Hostage’ to justify the claims and to clarify all the details with substantiations. Taken Hostage- Background & Causes of the 1979 hostage crisis After reading the book taken hostage: the Iran hostage crisis and America's first encounter with radical Islam, I have become a big fan of David Farber. Every word of the book holds a clear background of the story that revolves around the historic hostage situation that continued for 444 days. The story, on which the book is based, holds enormous depth within. David Farber’s analysis is based on a narrative point of view which lo oks beyond the day-to-day circumstances of the predicament with the interpretation of the lessons for America’s contemporary war on terrorism.... The reason behind the hostage situation was the anger that many Iranians felt over Jimmy Carter, the US president of that time. Iranians were angry on the US president for allowing Shah Reza Pahlavi, who was the deposed ex ruler of Iran to enter the US for a medical treatment. Broadly, the United States had helped to establish the Shah Reza Pahlavi in the 1950's, and had powerfully backed his regime, despite the fact that Shah's government was dishonest and its human rights record was terrible. It was believed in Iran that this was just the aperture move leading up and American-backed return to the power by the Shah Reza Pahlavi. This became a state that was nothing less than a war, and as a result; Jimmy Carter’s presidency was broke. It was the Ayatollah Khomeini, who after Shah's entrance into the U.S., called for anti-American street demonstrations. The situation got this worst because Americans were not prepared for the crisis which came suddenly and made it the most diff icult decade for America in their entire history (Farber, 12). As stated by Farber (2005), â€Å"A furious mob rallied outside the American embassy in Tehran. There were thousands of people who appeared to be students, mostly men but, woman too. The women were in black, shrouded in chador. A small group cut the thick chain that secured the main gates and filed into the twenty seven acre embassy compound†¦ the embassy personnel were blindfolded with hands tied behind. Now, the 444 days of captivity had begun† (p. 12). At this moment the environment of serious hostility began between America and Iran and is still intact on the present day. This hostage crisis showed entire world the inability of the Carter

The Characteristics and Benefits of a Great System Programmer Essay

The Characteristics and Benefits of a Great System Programmer - Essay Example The role model of leadership will be Steve Jobs who was the former CEO of Apple Inc. I selected this field of study because of my interest in designing computer systems. I want to solve business problems using efficient computer information systems and that is only possible if I get a complete understanding of all issues related to this field of study. The expected year of completion of my graduation is 2015. I have selected Steve Jobs for the study because he has proved to be a great leader in the field of computer information systems. He is the person whose core ideas and leadership skills brought great success to Apple Inc. Do what you love to do, start small and think big, and entrepreneurial approach were such rules of Steve Jobs which made him extremely successful as the CEO of Apple Inc. (Hollands, 2009). A good leader is one who works for the continuous improvement in the system of the organization while keeping in view the concerns and benefits of the employees. Some of the main features of an effective leader include belief in the abilities, ability to energize and motivate the employees, high level of self-confidence, ability to create and sell the vision, and ability to transform the organization’s culture in order to ensure high levels of productivity and profitability. â€Å"A good leader will both inspire confidence and give a strong example of what we should aim for† (Pettinger, 2007). Steve Jobs had a number of effective leadership traits. Some of the positive leadership traits of Steve Jobs included clear vision, motivation, humility, thinking big, and entrepreneurial approach towards business (Hollands, 2009). Some of my personal strengths include perfectionism, responsible, applicable, ability to learn from mistakes, and visualization. Roles of critical thinking, leadership, and accountability are very

Schoolbased HIV Prevention Programs Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Schoolbased HIV Prevention Programs - Article Example The objectives of the curriculum are that students will be able to set a personal sexual limit, describe their reasons for maintaining their sexual limit, identify problems that may arise in maintaining their sexual limit and describe how they will address those problems and maintain their limit. The classroom curriculum was developed over a two year period. The researchers used theories about what students needed to postpone sexual activity, we developed activities and then tested them in the classroom. Student reactions to the lessons were observed and they were asked for comments at the end of each lesson. The Healthy Oakland Teens Project (HOT) established by the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies began providing innovative HIV prevention education in Oakland, CA in 1989. The project's goal was to reduce adolescents' risk for HIV infection by using peer role models to advocate for responsible decision making, healthy values and norms, and improved communication skills. The HOT program educated ninth grade students during a one semester, daily class to become HIV peer helpers for seventh grade students. After extensive training, the ninth grade peer helpers delivered weekly interactive sessions in seventh grade science classes, focusing on values, decision-making, communication, and prevention skills. The program trained 30 ninth grade peer helpers who in turn taught 300 seventh graders each year.A parent education program was also implemented for AIDS prevention. Saving Sex for Later is an audio CD program that educates parents about helping their sons and daughters navigate normal p ubertal changes and the challenges of becoming a teenager and supporting them in staying abstinent during the critical early adolescent years. Developed with extensive input from parents and youth, Saving Sex for Later used engaging and dramatic stories to model how parents can communicate effectively with their children. The results showed that listening to the Saving Sex for Later CDs helped parents talk to their children about puberty, romantic relationships, and delaying sexual activity. Youth whose parents received the CDs reported more family rules, greater family support, and less risky behavior.Some interventions to reduce the risk of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) that target youths have resulted in short-term increases in self-reported condom use. BF Stanton et. al (1997) carried out a randomized, controlled trial of a community-based intervention delivered in eight weekly sessions which involved 76 naturally formed peer groups consisting of 383 (206 interve ntion and 177 control) African-American youths 9 to 15 years of age. A theory-based, culturally and developmentally tailored instrument that assessed perceptions, intentions, and self-reported sexual behaviors was administered to all subjects at baseline and 6 and 12 months later. At baseline, 36% of youths were sexually experienced, and by 12 months of follow-up, 49% were sexually experienced. Self-reported condom use rates were significantly higher among intervention than control youths (85% vs 61%; P

Does God Exist Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Does God Exist - Term Paper Example Arguments Scientists have an assertion that the universe was developed through a massive explosion of energy accompanied with light, and this process was termed as the Big Bang (Adamson, 2013). In fact, they contend this incidence led to the beginning of everything that exists. This refers to the beginning of the universe, space and the beginning of time. Nevertheless, this theory does not explain the beginning of the living creatures in the Universe, given that this cannot be associated with the motion, which was caused by this cosmic explosion. Therefore, the universe did not just flash into being, and there is no chance of explaining all this things through the cosmic explosion. In this case, the best explanation that can give a credible explanation is the creation theory, which is described in the Bible. In fact, this offered a relevant explanation regarding existence of God, whereby he is regarded as the creator of all living things. Another proof that God exist relate to the ar gument derived from design, which is referred to as â€Å"the teleological argument† (Adamson, 2013). In fact, this argument is based on the ideas of design that seeks to justify existence of God on the order of the universe. Moreover, if there were no God, the universe would not have been different in the way it is now. Instead, it could have had various laws of physics that would lead to different arrangement of planets and stars. Therefore, the creation of the universe could have been more powerful or weaker compared to the narration of the Big Bang. In addition, existence of God offers a vast majority of the possible universes, which offer existence of life, thereby making people fortunate in their lives. In this case, the perception towards the world has no way of giving an explanation to the good fortunes; thus, the atheists are expected to put the notion down to chance. Another proof indicates that there is a moral argument that can be derived in justification of exist ence of God. In fact, this moral argument focuses on proving the existence of God based on the moral laws, which are in form of commands. In fact, these moral commands are able to direct people to do the things they are expected to accomplish. Nevertheless, there are no commands without a commander, who is charged with the responsibility of commanding people to live morally. Therefore, this can be based on the idea of authoritative nature of morality, whereby commands are authoritative. In this case, authority goes beyond human authority, thereby giving rise for a need of a commander, who has authority that transcends human authority.

Choose a specific commodity, idea, or institution and evaluate its Essay

Choose a specific commodity, idea, or institution and evaluate its impact on history at any point prior to 1815 - Essay Example It gives brief information about the impact of gunpowder on history and also explains how it created gunpowder empires. This paper also focuses on the most famous Gunpowder Empires in the early modern period. The creation of gunpowder empires was considered to be a giant leap for Islamic countries towards stabilizing the politics and identifying themselves as territories. All these empires impacted politics and cultures of various parts of the world. Invention of Fireworks, which is led by Gunpowder in the 9th century by Chinese Alchemists as an elixir of immortality has largely impacted the entire world (Sivin, Nathan, 1994). Initially gunpowder was used in fireworks and pill-making process in the 9th century. When the formulae of gunpowder came to the strategists, they made it as a substance, which was explosive in nature. According to the Chinese formulae in the 10th and 11th centuries, Gunpowder was made with 27 to 50 percent of nitrate. But as time passed, the nitrate levels in Gunpowder was increased to large extent so that it could become an explosive bomb such as grenade bomb. When you read the book â€Å"Huolongjing† written by Jiao Yu, you can clearly understand that the nitrate levels in the 14th century were increased to 90 percent (Needham, Joseph, 1986) Most of the Islamic countries were also impacted due to the Gunpowder. By the mid of the 12th century most of the Arab scientists also acquired the knowledge on gunpowder. During the wars against Transoxania in 1219 and 1240, Genghis Khan used a Chinese catapult unit to invade Caucasus. It is not a surprise to say that the invention or introduction of Gunpowder had changed the destiny of many wars in the world (Khan, Iqtidar Alam, 1994). With the introduction of Gunpowder to Medieval Army, the facets of medieval warfare have been changed. The use of Gunpowder had been continued in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries in

Marchs Analysis of Organizational Decision for Siemens Essay

Marchs Analysis of Organizational Decision for Siemens - Essay Example Power segment deals with power generation, transmission, and distribution. Transportation segment covers transportation automotive and systems. The medical segment provides products, solution, and services for healthcare department. Lighting segment produces high tech electronics, financing, and real estate offers corporate financing and risk management. Â  It is very vital to understand the business nature, its products, and procedures for better analysis of the company’s existing strategy and its outcomes. First, we will analyze the company’s position using the Cyert and March’s decision-making theory. Â  Problems that a company faces induce goals. When a company is faced by issues, the management of the company set some goals so that it can come over the issues and achieves the benchmarks it has set for itself in light of its past experience and performance. After the crisis in 2000 in The United States of America that followed Europe in 2001, the company’s main goal has been to try to stabilize its position. The various sectors of the organization were affected by the crisis. The level of budgets that should be invested was radically cut down. The main focus of the company had been to restore its sales and market share since after the crisis. As shown in the case study, the net income of the company fell down to 2,088 million Euros from 8,860 million Euros. Economic Value Added to the company went into negative from 7,095 to (743) million Euros. Company’s stock performance fell, so did its stock price. The market capitalization of the company was deeply affected a s well. So the company’s major goal had been to restore its market share, increasing the efficiency of its business so that the same level of income should be restored by taking proper measures to minimize the threat of any potential economic crisis.

Choose a specific commodity, idea, or institution and evaluate its Essay

Choose a specific commodity, idea, or institution and evaluate its impact on history at any point prior to 1815 - Essay Example It gives brief information about the impact of gunpowder on history and also explains how it created gunpowder empires. This paper also focuses on the most famous Gunpowder Empires in the early modern period. The creation of gunpowder empires was considered to be a giant leap for Islamic countries towards stabilizing the politics and identifying themselves as territories. All these empires impacted politics and cultures of various parts of the world. Invention of Fireworks, which is led by Gunpowder in the 9th century by Chinese Alchemists as an elixir of immortality has largely impacted the entire world (Sivin, Nathan, 1994). Initially gunpowder was used in fireworks and pill-making process in the 9th century. When the formulae of gunpowder came to the strategists, they made it as a substance, which was explosive in nature. According to the Chinese formulae in the 10th and 11th centuries, Gunpowder was made with 27 to 50 percent of nitrate. But as time passed, the nitrate levels in Gunpowder was increased to large extent so that it could become an explosive bomb such as grenade bomb. When you read the book â€Å"Huolongjing† written by Jiao Yu, you can clearly understand that the nitrate levels in the 14th century were increased to 90 percent (Needham, Joseph, 1986) Most of the Islamic countries were also impacted due to the Gunpowder. By the mid of the 12th century most of the Arab scientists also acquired the knowledge on gunpowder. During the wars against Transoxania in 1219 and 1240, Genghis Khan used a Chinese catapult unit to invade Caucasus. It is not a surprise to say that the invention or introduction of Gunpowder had changed the destiny of many wars in the world (Khan, Iqtidar Alam, 1994). With the introduction of Gunpowder to Medieval Army, the facets of medieval warfare have been changed. The use of Gunpowder had been continued in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries in

Leadership Versus Management Essay Example for Free

Leadership Versus Management Essay Introduction: Management versus Leadership Leadership can take on many meanings, be viewed in many different ways and is often misconstrued with management. To understand leadership and management a clear definition has to exist and the person(s) involved in leading or managing must have clear insight of what expectations are required to reach a specific goal. Therefore, this research paper as identified by this author will define leadership and management as they are defined in the Websters Dictionary and other scholarly approved references. In addition, this paper will state a personal philosophy of eadership and management and will unpack and explain the language used in each definition. Second, this paper will identify success in leadership for becoming a great leader, and then compare and contrast leadership and management. Finally, the conclusion will summarize the entire paper by stating what is essentially more important, leadership or management. A Personal Philosophy of Leadership In order to understand leadership, the definition ofa leader must be stated. As indicated in the dictionary, a leader is someone who leads, is in front or who takes charge. The word lead means to guide (The Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2004). As stated by an author, Leaders take the lead. That is, they initiate ideas and plans. Leaders move people to follow them by showing them consideration! (Ford 1991 , 25) This author understands a leader to be one who influences and encourages another to follow in doing something great. This author defines leadership as the process of, through the power and direction of God, learning how to build relationships with others, allowing them an opportunity to expound on different ideas and thoughts, growing together in knowledge and working together in harmony to accomplish a mutual goal (Sharp 2007). Leadership is the ability to be responsible, ethical, and have impeccable moral qualities. It is not Just being responsible, ethical, and moral while working within or on a Job, but it is maintaining that standard and continuing to live that lifestyle at all times. It is not the leader saying do what I say, but not as I do. Rather, it is dedicating life to God allowing Him to enhance the character required for being that great leader. An extremely profound definition of Christian Leadership was stated this way: Christian leadership is a relationship based on Gods Love which is imitated by the participants, the leader(s) and follower(s). They both work together in a mutual, accountable, dynamic relationship of duel influence with one another and the whole of the organization, for the purpose of accomplishing shared, God given, visions, purposes and goals (Sharp 2007). This definitions center is the love of God. As understood by this author, the love flows through both the leader(s) and follower(s). This love will allow both the ability to work together creating a powerful relationship whereby both will not only be able to influence each other, but will be able to influence others as well, until ultimately they ave completed and accomplish that mutual goal. Another author defined leadership this way: Christian leadership is a dynamic relational process in which people, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, partner to achieve a common goal it is serving others by leading and leading others by serving

New century health clinic

New century health clinic Background Five years ago, cardiologists Timothy Jones and Dolores Garcia decided to combine their individual practices in Fullerton, California, to form the New Century Health Clinic. They wanted to concentrate on preventive medicine by helping patients maintain health and fitness and by providing traditional medical care. Dr. Jones recently asked you to work with him as an IT consultant. He wants you to help New Century develop an information system that will support the clinics operations and future growth. During an initial meeting, he provided you with some background information and asked for your suggestions about how to get started. At your desk, you begin to review New Centurys situation. The clinic is located near a new shopping mall in a busy section of the city. New Centurys staff includes four doctors, three registered nurses, four physical therapists, and six office staff workers. The clinic currently has a patient base of 3,500 patients from 275 different employers, many of which provide insurance coverage for employee wellness and health maintenance. Currently, New Century accepts 34 different insurance policies. Anita Davenport, who has been with New Century since its inception, is the office manager. She supervises the staff, including Fred Brown, Susan Gifford, Tom Capaletti, Lisa Sung, and Carla Herrera. Fred Brown handles office payroll, tax reporting, and profit distribution among the associates. Susan Gifford is responsible for the maintenance of patient records. Tom Capaletti handles most of the paperwork concerning insurance reporting and accounting. Lisa Sung has the primary responsibility for the appointment book, and her duties include making reminder calls to patients and preparing daily appointment lists. Carla Herrera primarily is concerned with ordering and organizing office and clinic supplies. Each of the six office staff people has one or more primary responsibilities; however, all members of the staff help out whenever necessary with patient records, insurance processing, and appointment processing. In addition to their regular responsibilities, all six office workers are involved in the preparation of patient statements at the end of each month. New Century Health Clinics office manager, Anita Davenport, recently asked permission to hire an additional office clerk because she feels the current staff can no longer handle the growing workload. The associates discussed Anitas request during a recent meeting. They were not surprised that the office staff was feeling overwhelmed by the constantly growing workload. Because the clinic was busier and more profitable than ever, they all agreed that New Century could afford to hire another office worker. Dr. Jones then came up with another idea. He suggested that they investigate the possibility of computerizing New Centurys office systems. Dr. Jones said that a computerized system could keep track of patients, appointments, charges, and insurance claim processing and reduce paperwork. All the associates were enthusiastic about the possibilities and voted to follow up on the suggestion. Dr. Jones agreed to direct the project. Because no member of the staff had computer experience, Dr. Jones decided to hire a consultant to study the current office systems and recommend a course of action. Several friends recommended you as a person who has considerable experience with computerized business Based on the given scenario above, what kinds of questions would you ask to assess the initial feasibility of this project information, does the project seem feasible? [25 marks] Describe what will be the plan of action if New Century Health Clinic management decided to contract your services to perform a preliminary investigation? [25 marks] What types of information is needed when you begin the preliminary investigation? From whom will you obtain it? What techniques will you use in your fact-finding? INTRODUCTION The New century health clinic is a fitness and health centre which is well-known and recognized in Fullerton, Carlifornia. The major priority of the listed clinic earlier on, is to concentrate on preventive medicine by giving helping hands to patients in maintaining and monitoring their health, keeping their fitness level and medical status balanced. But it has now become a necessity and a must look into situation concerning the work load and over stressful working conditions which the staffs have to face because, they cant run from their responsibilities. In such circumstances like this, the clinic needs to change its total official system of operation from manual administration /managerial form to computerized management form that will enhance the efficiency and services of the clinic and also save work time. In the mentioned scenario above , an IT consultant is been required to develop the new computerized information system.Whereby the given system will be easier to manipulate and also user friendly in supporting the clinics entire management scheme and functions including the future growth of the clinic. First of all in order to develop the clinics new system, the IT consultant should be able to analyse the issue or problem been faced before taking essential steps in producing a final system that meets the requirements of all end-users. Based on the given scenario above, what kinds of questions would you ask to assess the initial feasibility of this project information, does the project seem feasible? RESPONSE Feasibility study, as we all know, is simply referred to as series of test been performed to the system request/ requirements to check and determine whether it is suitable and convenient to carry on or proceed further on with the development of the given system. Therefore, to carry on with such initial feasible study, the system analyst (SA) or IT consultant needs to interview the end-user by asking important and relevant questions which will make a great impact or effect on the operational, technical and economic feasibilities to be known by urging the IT consultant to take decisions which the system project will follow the next steps to develop or improve successfully. Else, the total work will be ended. Cases like this been faced by New century clinic, this are valuable questions to be asked in order to evaluate the initial feasibility of the proposed new systems development: What are the problems being faced using the current manual system? How does the clinic manage all official works using the manual system? How will the clinic manage all official works if the new system is not implemented? Are the staffs/ end-users of new computerized system in your clinic computer literates? Dose the new computerized system contribute to all depts. And objectives of the clinic? How would the new computerized system enhance or solve problems occurring with the manual system? Does the new system have direct contribution to the clinics business objectives? By asking questions like this, the necessity of implementing or developing new system can be evaluated or measured. However, to be more broad and fluent in the total feasibility of the proposed project, more questions need to be asked concerning the operational, technical and economical feasibility. Operational feasibility: This simply means that the system will be used efficiently after the development and implementation as the user demands because if the system develops defects or become ineffective the end-users face difficulties to work with the system, that means the expected benefit will be tarnished and the new system becomes unproductive. To make sure none of such incidents occur, these are questions that need to be asked concerning its operational feasibility: Do the whole management and users of the new system support the project? Do the users notice the need for change of current manual system? Will the new system reduce workforce? Is the manual system interactive and also being practised effectively by the users? What will be the next step for affected employees if workforce reduction occurs? Technical Feasibility This simply means that the given organisation for which the system will be developed, has enough resources of hardware and software technology to develop, install and operate the new system. In order to operate such new systems adequately, the appropriate technology should be put in effect; even if it requires additional up-to-date and advanced technology. Therefore to evaluate the technical feasibility for New Century Health Clinic, these are relevant questions needed to be asked: Can the clinic manage the needed hardware, software, and network resources to implement the computerized system? Does the clinic have the necessary technical knowledge? How can the clinic acquire the technical knowledge if they do not have? Economical Feasibility This refers to the total benefit of the new system being outweighed than the total estimated cost for implementing the system. Whereby the estimated cost can either be increased or decreased any time while doing the project development and implementation. While doing all this there is something the organisation need to bear in mind; Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) including its continuous support and maintenance Costs with acquisition costs. To verify such Economical feasibility of the clinic, these are relevant questions needed to be asked: Is the benefit of the new system outweighing the estimated costs? What are the probable savings and costs for acquiring, installing and finally operating the new system? Does the current problem have any significance? Are there any intangible factors like patient satisfaction, clinic image etc.? Will the system requirements outcome be a sound business investment? Does the project seem feasible? From the question being asked above, due to relevant aspects, the initial feasibility of the project been detailed can be assessed easily and effectively. It is expected that the above questions regarding the feasibilities are well-answered that enhance to develop the new computerized system for the clinic. Therefore, from the answers to the already asked questions as well as the given information in the scenario, it is understood that the project of new system development for the New Century Health Clinic is quite feasible. Describe what will be the plan of action if New Century health Clinic management decided to contract your services to perform a preliminary investigation? RESPONSE The system requirements from the New Century Health Clinic is totally feasible. In order to continue the project some investigations have to be carried out for studying the system request and for suggesting the specific action. This is called preliminary investigation. To execute the preliminary investigation, the steps given below will be followed: but, before starting the investigation, interaction with Managers and users are prompted: in this particular phase, it needs to meet with the clinic doctors, Managers, Staffs and users to describe the detailed responsibilities, answer questions and request comments of the project. The project will bring a significant change in the clinic after development. The users, staffs and doctors might be curious, concerning the changes or they might even resist it. The primary interaction will be of a good help because the opinion, thoughts and reaction of every member/staff of the clinic is very important to know more about constraints and difficulties in the clinic. These are the main six steps to carry out during such investigation: UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY: In the first approach, the business profile and business model will be developed where the business process and functions will be described. That is where the main problem or operations of the clinic may be understood. In the process carrying out this approach the new system request may not reveal the basic problems of the clinic or may be, the proposed system can affect the total clinics operation and system. To eliminate these problems, it must need to understand the systems request and its opportunity of the project at hand. Define the project scope and constraints: This is actually the defining of boundaries or extent of the project where the irrelevant expenses of time and money are been avoided and only the main problem is focused. Constraints are the conditions or requirements that the system must meet and the end results of that constrains and it must be a recorded success. Also, project scopes are described in system constrains. There are characteristics needed to be identified in the proposed system while checking for constrains such as: Internal vs. external constrains Present vs. Future Constrains Mandatory vs. Desirable Constrains etc. in order to avoid misunderstanding and future problems I would lay down a piece of advice insisting that the project scope and constrains are been identified earlier. Performing fact-finding: This is a technique used to find out necessary information from companies and organisations which comprises of various approaches and steps to carry out. We are going to implement these approaches in the clinics doctors, staffs and users for investigating the system request. In this case, the following fact-finding techniques can be used: Interviews Questionnaires and surveys Review current documentation Analyse organization chart Observe operation Estimate time and cost to continue development: The detailed time and cost estimation for the further development phase and the overall project will be developed with some important issues, so that the clinics doctor and manager can understand the total cost and time which will be effective for economic feasibility. Determine Feasibility: Following the previous four step of preliminary investigation, the total feasibility of the project been carried out will be determined in this particular stage. Present results and recommendations to management: in the final stage, a preliminary investigation report will be prepared to management which includes the assessment of the system requirements, the estimation of the total cost and benefits including the recommendation of processing to next phase named system analysis. What types of information is needed when you begin the preliminary investigation? From whom will you obtain it? What techniques will you use in your fact-finding? [20 marks] Response Before starting the preliminary investigations, there are some essential Information to be known about the clinic, its current and proposed system, etc. It can be clearly acquired from the feasibility study consisting of the three main users approaches stated as follows: Operational Feasibility Technical Feasibility Economical Feasibility Some more information like- Clinics background and overview Information about the Doctors, nurses, manager and staffs The projects priority Benefits of the new computerized system Effect of the new system in the clinic etc. Form the chart, it can be measured that the total manpower of the clinic is 17. They are: 4 doctors (with 2 founders) 3 nurses 4 physical Therapists 1 office manager 5 office staff To gain the required information for beginning the preliminary investigations, it required that you meet with these 17 manpower i.e. the clinics doctors, nurses, physical therapists, manager, and staffs of the clinic. In the meeting, by asking questions and collecting some documents, related to the required information or further investigation (if need arises), whereby the essential or wanted information can be gathered. In the preliminary investigation stage, fact-finding is a very important step. From the various fact-finding techniques, any one or more techniques can be used for fact-finding. With appropriate and suitable technique, the needed information for system request investigation can be gathered. In the case of New Century Health Clinic, I would rather say Interview is the best fact-finding technique. An Interview is a planned meeting with any person during which the required information can be obtained in-depth from that person. This is the primary method of acquiring information during preliminary investigation stage where the purpose of interview is to uncover facts of the proposed project. These are the reasons for choosing interview as a fact-finding technique for the clinic: The number of manpower of the clinic is very small (17 people only). That is why, it will not be time consuming and cost effective. It will be possible here to ask necessary and effective questions to person by person as well as listen carefully the answers. It can also be possible to achieve every persons own opinion about the current and new system proposed. It has chance to do open-ended questions as well as a set of questionnaires on a same topic to the every person, so that personal opinion(s) on the same topic also with their own idea can be verified. The reliability of the systems request can be measured appropriately from the interviewing of the people personally. It would be the most effective technique for acquiring all the required information from the personnel of the clinic. However, in this preliminary stage, to save time and cost, it should take interview of the two founder doctors, the managers and the five staffs first. Most importantly, interviews can be carried out on the remaining personnel if need arises. Conclusions: The New Century Health Clinic is suffering from problems to use the manual system for their office works. As an efficient and user-friendly replacement, the clinic management likes to use computerized system. As an IT consultant, a new computerized system for this clinic will be developed in this project by performing all the primary steps like evaluation and understanding the project, feasibility study, preliminary investigation, fact-finding etc. It is expected that the proposed new computerized system project, finally, will perform adequately and successfully for the New Century Health Clinic that will help the clinics management system to do their regular work properly with more efficiency References: [WIK08] Wikipedia (2008), Feasibility study Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feasibility_study [BLU07] Blurtit (2007), What are the basic questions for feasibility study?- The key questions for feasibility study? http://www.blurtit.com/q393090.html [McG97] Mcgraw-Hill (1997), Avison, D.E. and Shah, H.U., The Information Systems Development Life Cycle: A First Course in Information Systems, McGraw-Hill International Editions, 1997, Pages 72 and 92-99. Appendix: As the fact finding techniques for the New Century Health Clinic project, another two approaches can be used with the interviewing. These two techniques are Current documentation Review and Observe Current Operations. Review Current Documentation: It is a process where the current system documentation of the organization is reviewed to understand how the current system is working. For the clinics documentation, it can be out of date. So, at the documentation receiving time, it should check with the clinics persons that it is accurate and complete of information. Observe Current Operations: In this process, the typical working procedure of the worker can be viewed. The staffs of the clinic is currently doing the all the official work manually. In this case, their working procedure, input and output of the work, working time and effort etc should observe. These two techniques are not time consuming and cost effective. Nevertheless, by performing these two, the fact-finding stage will be more resourceful as well as it will be helpful to understand the system requests reliability.