The Supply Chain of the Video-entertainment Industry Essay

The Supply Chain of the Video-entertainment Industry - Essay Example With revolutionized digital technology, now movies and other shows can be watched on various devices including the traditional television set and even mobile phones. All of this has been made possible due to the fast speed of internet connection through optical fiber cables (â€Å"Fiber to Home†, n.pag.). Television subscribers like Comcast Corp. even offered live TV streaming on mobile phones although they were not able to provide as many shows (Nakashima, n.pag.). The concept of mobile television started even earlier in Japan (â€Å"Desperate Housewives on the Phone†, n.pag.). While the supply chain of the video-entertainment industry is not entirely digital, the development of online video services for television such as that by Intel (Ramachandran & Sharma, n.pag.) shows proves to be a threat for television subscribers as this development may provide faster digital delivery. What segment of the supply chain has the largest sunk costs? It could be said that the HDTV (high definition television) segment of the video-entertainment industry has incurred a great sunk cost due to the arrival of high internet speeds and mobile television in the recent years. The demand for video on-demand via Netflix, Hulu.com, and other providers is increasing slowly but steadily. Even Intel has arrived on the scene with an online television streaming service. The television pay services have ranked in the bottom having an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) of 68 (Donner, n.pag.). Therefore, as internet connections keep getting faster due to gigabit-per-second connections (â€Å"Fiber to Home†, n.pag.), it is likely that demands for online television streaming may increase. Had the FTC not stepped in the IE-Netscape case, would have Window’s market power ?been challenged by Netscape? Why or why not? Indeed, Window’s market power would have been challenged by Netscape Communications of its monopolistic practices that promote a non-compet itive economic environment. The investigation done by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allowed the legal workers of the Justice Department to find out evidence regarding Netscape’s claims of Windows trying to dominate the market by distributing its web browser Internet Explorer as part of the operating system (â€Å"Play nicely, or not at all†, n.pag.). The FTC intervened with a legal investigation that might allow other Windows competitors like Sun Microsystems and others to file antitrust lawsuits claiming that Windows has monopolized the market. It could also be that If you are AT&T, how do you become the most dominant player in the industry? Although television sets are popular among Americans, television pay subscribing companies like AT&T rank really low in the ACSI. In order to become a key player in the industry, AT&T should positively take up opportunities present in the external environment. Also, it should come up with new ideas that cater to the needs and demands of its consumers rather than ignoring them. It should focus on improving the quality of its services so as to retain its customers. Also, more options should be considered as the environment provides various opportunities to counter its competitors, mainly online video streaming companies like Netflix and Hulu.com, so as to build its market shares and have satisfied customers. If you are Hulu, how do you become the most dominant player in the industry? Hulu could improve its position in the market and be a dominant player by increasing its database of movies and shows to provide streaming of television programs so that its customers can have a similar show-watching experience as that provided by a traditional pay subscription. The

The Birlings and Gerald Essay Example for Free

The Birlings and Gerald Essay An Inspector Calls is located in the made up city of Brumley in 1912 when business in Britain was doing well. The play concentrates on a wealthy industrial family called the Birlings who are holding a dinner party to celebrate the engagement of their daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft, the son of a wealthy businessman. The party is going rather well until it is interrupted by a man claiming to be an Inspector who is investigating the suicide of a young working class women called Eva Smith who later goes by the name of Daisy Renton. He questions all of the Birlings and Gerald Croft and then exits rather abruptly leaving the question of who is responsible for the death of this girl. The Birlings and Gerald find the Inspectors behaviour rather peculiar and begin to suspect he was not genuine. They investigate their theory and find that there is no girl in mortuary who has committed suicide. This news delights Mr. and Mrs. Birling and they look back at the evening with laughter for them all being so naive to have been taken in by a man claiming to be an inspector. The celebrations are short lived though as the phone rings and they hear that a girl has just died on the way to the infirmary and a police inspector is coming round to question them. This ends the play and leaves the imagination of the audience to decide who is responsible for Eva Smiths suicide, if it is in fact Eva Smith who has just died. Mr. Birling is a successful factory owner, ex-Lord Mayor of Brumley and a local magistrate. He is blind to the concerns of his workers, his own actions and the world outside of Britain. He is obsessed with himself and his search to make more money, he says that industry is prospering and cant see why anyone would wont to interrupt it by starting a War. He does not take into account that other people might value different things more highly than money. The only thing he worries about when he finds that someone has died is that whether he will loose the chance of his knighthood and that a public scandal might occur. Mrs. Birling is very arrogant, judging people by their social position. She expects others below her social class to naturally respect her and never to question her opinion. She is generally unaware of what is going on around her and deliberately blind to what she does not wish to see. When she finds that Eva Smith committed suicide Mrs. Birling cannot see how it has anything to do with her as Eva is lower class. Mrs. Birling feels that the lower classs are totally different breed of animal from her own class. Eric is the youngest of the group. He is a drunk, robber and a humiliation. In the eyes of his father he is a failure, as he will never make as much money as his father has done which is the only important thing to his father. Eric particularly disagrees with his father over the reason for not giving workers more money. Mr. Birling points out that the reason why Eric thinks workers should average more than 22 and 6 a week is why he is not commanding the Birling empire. Eric finds his father distant and particularly heartless. Gerald is a businessman and a member of a family with higher social class than the Birlings. He is in many ways like Mr. Birling straight away trying to conceal his involvement with Eva. The difference is that Gerald unlike Mr. Birling feels remorse for what he has done. He is least to blame for Evas suicide as he genuinely made her happy for the time he knew her. Sheila is very suggestible; she respects the Inspector and does what he asks. Sheila is honest and this helps her to realize what she has done to Eva. Her parents do not like her honesty and see her as being disloyal to them. Sheila sees the gruelling interview as a learning curve and even when she finds that Inspector Goole was not a real Inspector unlike the others she still cannot let go of the guilt, which she carries for being partly responsible for Evas death. Inspector Goole is a strong persuasive man. He can also be seen as some one sent from the future to try and convince people to change before its to late. In the book it shows us that the Inspector intimidates the person he is interviewing by looking hard at the person before speaking. This tactic works to the extent that no one dares to challenge him while he is in the room.

Antigone (creon As The Tragic :: essays research papers

Creon as the Tragic Hero   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Antigone† written by Sophocles, Creon is the tragic hero. Creon is the tragic hero because of his error in judgement, stubborn way of ruling Thebes, his change, and all the tragedy brought on by his actions. Although Creon changed only when a messenger told him there would be a tragic ending because of all his actions, he did try to correct what he had done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creon ordered that Polyneices’ body be left out to be eaten by vultures andwhile dogs because Polyneices rebelled against his brother Esteocles’ rule in Thebes. In this incident, both Polyneices and Esteocles (the ruler of Thebes) were killed. Creon’s stubborn way of ruling influenced everything that occurred because of him giving Esteocles a formal burial and leaving Polyneices’ body out to be eaten. Antigone, the sister of Polyneices and Esteocles, thought it was wrong that Esteocles had a formal burial and Polyneices was left out to be eaten by wild dogs and vultures. Antigone then decided it was her duty to bury Polyneices, so she disobeyed Creon’s decree and covered Polyneices’ body with dirt and wine. Unfortunately, Antigone was caught in the act of burying Polyneices so, Creon sentenced her (his own sons finance) to be put into a stone vault, to die of starvation and for Polyneices’ body to be uncovered. Then a messenger came and told Creon that there would be a tragic ending because of his error in judgement. Creon then quickly ordered Antigone to be freed and Polyneices to be buried, but he was too late. In the meantime, a messenger told Eurydice (Creon’s wife) that her son Haimon was dead and that his death was caused by Creon’s actions. Eurydice killed herself because the son she loved most was dead. In the meantime, Creon discovered that Polyneices’ body had been eaten by vultures and wild dogs so he quickly went to the vault Antigone was put in. WhenCreon arrived at the vault, he found Antigone had hung herself with her wedding dressand his son Haimon had killed himself because of the death of Antigone. Creon returned home to tell his wife Eurydice of all the tragedy caused by his own error in judgement, only to find Eurydice dead too.

The Symbolic Meaning of the Radio in The Enormous Radio Essay -- Enorm

The Symbolic Meaning of the Radio in The Enormous Radio  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Many authors use the personification of inanimate objects to symbolize the feelings and expressions of their characters. One example of this is in John Cheever’s short story, "The Enormous Radio." Although critics argue that the characteristics of the radio are the opposite of those of Jim and Irene Westcott, the radio actually reflects the couple’s life. Even though in the beginning of the story the Westcotts’ old radio is outdated and constantly malfunctioning, it has the same innocence and simplicity as the couple. The radio, being "an old instrument" (817), and the couple, resembling "statistical reports in college alumni bulletins" (817), are both average and uncomplicated. Neither Jim nor Irene "understood the mechanics of the radio" (817), just as the radio, a machine, did not understand the human music and language it transmitted. Eventually the couple’s life begins to fall apart. This happens as the old radio get worse and finally "the music [from the radio] faded away all together" (817). When the ...

Organizational Behavior Essay

This paper will describe what are believed to be the important elements of organizational behavior and how these elements challenge the effectiveness of a private security agency. Organizational Behavior (OB) is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. The purpose of the behavior is to build a better relationship and have objectives in the business. In both private security agencies and the criminal justice system it will establish important matter with an effective organizational behavior to operate their job duties correctly. The primary objective and the goals of private security agencies were to make sure that the safety of the customers were met. This mean to satisfy the needs, wants and demands of the customer in a successful manner. The private security sectors have the elements and combine them to build a great model and be able to organize the business and operate from that model. Managers in private security use the details in the organizational behavior policy to help make the decisions that will affect the company. This policy will help direct the employees and their attitudes as well as the performance of those very employees. The OB will also allow the managers to better understand the best way to allocate resources for the betterment of the company. In the private security agency and through the use of the organizational behavior plan and policy communication is going to be the key in achieving the goals that are set for the company. Management needs to focus on the employees and be able to predict which employees are productive, dedicated employees and the ones that lack those qualities. Preventing adverse actions against the company and the employees from happening is the primary job and goal of the private security manager. The manager’s main responsibility at a private security agency is to have an impact on the performance of the employees. This is often done through the  monitoring of the behavior skills as a team and productivity. Every company will have a diversity with peop le they hire, as they will all come from different backgrounds and cultural values. The other issue that a company will have when dealing with diversity is a variety of views on personalities and the way that things need to be done. In most cases there will be some that will be extremely hard working and take their duties very serious, and then another may do a little as possible to simply get the job done or appear to be busy. The work ethics of the employees are not factors that should play a role in the environment that the employees are expected to work, and it is not unfair for the employer to expect the employee to complete the duties of the job with effectiveness and efficiency. There are challenges that a private security agency will face, and hopefully handle to the best of their ability. The management needs to be ready to step in and be persistent and be able to work to lower the employee turnover rate. There are also going to be some employee turnover when there is a management change because of a conflict in personalities. The last thing that a manager wants to happen is the loss of employees due to changes in policy. As a manager one should be able to motivate the employees and have growth in job performance, satisfaction which will lead to less absenteeism, human resource issues and improve the trust between the employees and the management. Conclusion In conclusion the behavior of the people is based on what is important to themselves. Management teams need to be observers of their employees and their behaviors, the managers are going to see things differently than the employees. The last thing that management will want to do is down play the employee’s feelings on any given situation. As with any company a group of employees are going to act differently in the same situation, because they are all different. The manager must be aware of the differences and develop a platform that will be the same for all employees and the situations that may transpire. The organization behavior will help managers see the employee’s behavior and reform them or to simply remove them and their behavior. Organization behavior is something that should be in place in all areas of the criminal justice system as well as private security agency to have a safe work place, and behavior environment with employees and the  customers. References Manager-Solve-Practical-Problems-at-The Pervez, Organizational Behavior Retrieved from: http://wikieducator.org/Organizational_Behavior Ashraf, T. (n.d) Organizational Behavior Retrieved from: http://www.unesco.org/education/aladin/paldin/pdf/course02/unit_14.pdf Google, 2013 Leadership and Organizational Behavior Retrieved from: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadob.html References This is a hanging indent. To keep the hanging indent format, triple click your mouse on this line of text and replace the information with your reference entry. You can use the Reference and Citation Examples (Center for Writing Excellence>Tutorials and Guides>Reference and Citation Examples) to help format your source information into a reference entry. The reference page always begins on the top of the next page after the conclusion.

Free Essays on Columbian Exchange - Sugarcane

Sugarcane was an important element of the Columbian Exchange and unfortunately resulted in stimulating the American slave trade. â€Å"Sugar cane is native to Polynesia, where†¦small pieces were often found washed up on foreign shores where they were said to flourish. This was the ‘explanation’ of its movement to China, India, and elsewhere† (Hobhouse 44). Refined sugar originated (1432) near modern Funchal, Portugal. Vineyards eventually would replace the sugar crops because the Europeans had destroyed most of the island’s woodlands necessary to grow sugar cane. Sugar was introduced into the Caribbean soon after the arrival of Columbus in 1492 (51). â€Å"By 1530, there may have been more than a dozen sugar plantations in the West Indies, using imported animal, imported machinery, imported workers in an agricultural development in a new continent an ocean away from the market† (52). The reason for this new agricultural growth was because the tropical climate was perfect for growing sugar cane and this would justify the high cost of settlement. The Caribbean settlers planted every kind of tropical plant. â€Å"Sugar crops are salable while other crops were riskier. Sugar is extremely addictive so the demand for it grew over a period of time (52). â€Å"Before Columbus carried a few pieces of sugar cane to the Caribbean, sugar was a luxury. Most European got it from their apothecaries to help make medicine taste better. But by the middle of the 16th century, tropical American forests were giving way to vast colonies of cane-growing plantations. Europe was hooked on sugar† (Columbian 27). In 1514, Bartolome Las Casas was given a piece of land in the Spanish colony of Cuba. The natives that were conquered would rather die than be a slave. Las Casas suggested using African slaves instead of the natives since they were known to work willingly, and this was the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade (Hobhouse 57). ... Free Essays on Columbian Exchange - Sugarcane Free Essays on Columbian Exchange - Sugarcane Sugarcane was an important element of the Columbian Exchange and unfortunately resulted in stimulating the American slave trade. â€Å"Sugar cane is native to Polynesia, where†¦small pieces were often found washed up on foreign shores where they were said to flourish. This was the ‘explanation’ of its movement to China, India, and elsewhere† (Hobhouse 44). Refined sugar originated (1432) near modern Funchal, Portugal. Vineyards eventually would replace the sugar crops because the Europeans had destroyed most of the island’s woodlands necessary to grow sugar cane. Sugar was introduced into the Caribbean soon after the arrival of Columbus in 1492 (51). â€Å"By 1530, there may have been more than a dozen sugar plantations in the West Indies, using imported animal, imported machinery, imported workers in an agricultural development in a new continent an ocean away from the market† (52). The reason for this new agricultural growth was because the tropical climate was perfect for growing sugar cane and this would justify the high cost of settlement. The Caribbean settlers planted every kind of tropical plant. â€Å"Sugar crops are salable while other crops were riskier. Sugar is extremely addictive so the demand for it grew over a period of time (52). â€Å"Before Columbus carried a few pieces of sugar cane to the Caribbean, sugar was a luxury. Most European got it from their apothecaries to help make medicine taste better. But by the middle of the 16th century, tropical American forests were giving way to vast colonies of cane-growing plantations. Europe was hooked on sugar† (Columbian 27). In 1514, Bartolome Las Casas was given a piece of land in the Spanish colony of Cuba. The natives that were conquered would rather die than be a slave. Las Casas suggested using African slaves instead of the natives since they were known to work willingly, and this was the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade (Hobhouse 57). ...

Wireless sensor network and its Applications The WritePass Journal

Wireless sensor network and its Applications Introduction Wireless sensor network and its Applications IntroductionA mote is consisted of four major components:Applications:Military ApplicationsTraffic surveillanceMedical Applications:WSN vs. Mobile Adhoc NetoworksOverview of 802.15.4Physical LayerMac LayerNetwork TopologiesEnergy Conservation and measurement:Related Introduction Wireless sensor networks use sensing techniques to gather information about a phenomenon and react to the events in a specified environment by the means of Sensors. These small, inexpensive, smart devices, which are connected through wireless links, provide unique opportunities for controlling and monitoring environments. Technically, a sensor translates the information from the physical world into signals and prepares them for analysis and processing. The terms, Wireless Nodes, Sensor nodes and motes can be used interchangeably in different contexts. Here we refer to them as motes. Motes are typically produced in large quantities and are usually densely distributed in the network. Their size(or their components size) varies from macroscopic- scale to microscopic or even sometimes nanoscopic-scale. â€Å"Micro-sensors with on-board processing and wireless interfaces can be utilized to study and monitor a variety of phenomena and environments at close proximity.† A mote is consisted of four major components: Processing Unit: For data processing and â€Å"managing the procedures that make the motes collaborate with other nodes to carry out the assigned sensing tasks.† Sensing Unit: To sense the physical world and convert the data into digital signal ready for processing. Transceiver Unit: To provide the connection of nodes in the network. Power Unit:   To supply energy for the device components.   Based on the application, motes may have some additional components such as location finding system, mobilizer and power generator. These components should be put together in a way to fit in a small size module, be adaptive to different environments and consume as little power as possible. The components of a mote Figure is a representation of data acquisition about a phenomena (Process) in the real world which can be sensed by a sensor. The sensed signal needs often needs some changing in order to be processed (Signal Conditioning). For example in order to make the signal range appropriate for conversion some changes on signal magnitude is needed through signal amplification.   Unwanted noise can also be removed through this stage. The analog signal is then transformed to digital signal by using ADC and is ready for further processing or storage. Data acquisition and actuation Applications: Wireless sensor networks can be used in places where wired systems cannot be deployed (e.g., a remote or dangerous area). It can also be used in commercial products to improve the performance or quality of them or provide convenience for their users. Sensor can sense many different variables such as: temperature, humidity, pressure and movement. They can sense an environment continuously or they can be event driven and sense an event when it occurs. Wireless sensor networks can support a wide range of applications. Battlefield surveillance, Bridge and highway monitoring, Earthquake detection, Habitat Monitoring, Health care, Industrial monitoring and control, Tracking wildfires, Traffic flow and surveillance, Video surveillance and Weather monitoring are few examples of its applications. Military Applications One of the first applications of sensor network was military sensing. WSN could be used for monitoring the critical equipment, vehicle or weapons to make sure they are in a proper condition. Terrains, paths and roads could be monitored to sense the presence of opposing forces. They also can be used to enhance the targeting system of ammunitions.   Human teams can be replaced by sensor networks in places affected by biological and chemical warfare or incidents in order to perform nuclear reconnaissance and prevent humans to be exposed to radiations. Traffic surveillance Traffic surveillance is another example of WSN applications. Sensors are placed in predefined places to gather data and send it via wireless links to data centres for further processing. This data can be beneficial for statistical purposes such as vehicle count per day, the number of cars per lane and the average speed of vehicles. It can also be useful for real time applications such as traffic flow monitoring, incident reporting and managing the traffic lights in order to prevent heavy traffics. Real-time traffic flow control Medical Applications: Wireless sensor network benefits are being explored by many hospitals and medical centres around the world. As it can be seen in Figure ? sensors can be implanted in patient body or connected to him in order to collect information about his vital signs such as heart beat, blood pressure and oxygen level in blood. This information can be transferred patient’s medical record for future examinations and long-term inspections. It also can be displayed in real-time or alert physicians based on the sensor program in case of any sudden change in under-care patient condition. infotech.oulu.fi/Annual/2007/opme.html Realization of these various applications requires wireless ad hoc networking techniques. However they are not suitably designed for special features and applications of sensor networks. WSN vs. Mobile Adhoc Netoworks [12] Although there are lots of similarities between Mobile ad networks (MANET) and WSN for instance their lack of network infrastructure, use of multi-hop routing and wireless channel, there are some major differences to point out. Nodes in MANET are designed for human interaction such as laptop and PDAs, whereas in WSN motes are usually left unattended in remote or dangerous locations with the least possible interactions. In WSN â€Å"the topology of the network may change dynamically† due to node failure. It can happen because sometimes motes in some specific areas may be damaged and fail. In some network topologies motes have a sleep/awake cycle in order to save energy, so the topology needs to change when a mote is not available at a specific time. In WSN unlike MANETs the source of energy is limited and the nodes are sometimes left unattended in places where there is no access to them to change or recharge their batteries. â€Å"The range of communications is typically within a few meters and at low rates (some kilobits per second); there are typically a few kilobytes of memory and the processor may operate at speeds of only some megahertz.† Mote design and communication aspect of WSN is totally application dependent and changes based on different application requirements. Motes in some wireless sensor applications remain sleep for the most of their lifetime and transfer their information in a timely basis in order to save energy. So the traffic flow in the network is almost infrequent and delay time is usually higher than MANET networks. Overview of 802.15.4 1-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ieee802.org/15/pub/TG4.html   - IEEE 802.15 WPANâ„ ¢Ã‚  Task Group 4 (TG4) 2-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   zigbee.org/Specifications.aspx   ZigBee Alliance the Official Website 3-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=173600329 - EE Times:  The global electronics engineering community The IEEE 802.15.4 and the Zigbee alliance have been working together in order to improve WSN efficiency, safety, security, reliability and convenience of this technology.   IEEE 802.15.4 focuses on physical layer and MAC layer  at the 868MHz (Europe), 915MHz (US) and 2.4GHz (worldwide) ISM bands whereas Zigbee alliances work on higher level protocols. â€Å"The IEEE 802.15 was chartered to investigate a low data rate solution with multi-month to multi-year battery life and very low complexity. It is operating in an unlicensed, international frequency band.† â€Å"Some of the characteristics of IEEE 802.15.4 include: Data rates of 250 kbps, 40 kbps, and 20 kbps CSMA-CA(Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance) channel access Fully handshaked protocol for transfer reliability Power management to ensure low power consumption 16 channels in the 2.4GHz ISM band, 10 channels in the 915MHz I and one channel in the 868MHz band.† â€Å"The ZigBee specification enhances the IEEE 802.15.4 standard by adding network and security layers and an application framework. From this foundation, Alliance developed standards, technically referred to as public application profiles, can be used to create a multi-vendor interoperable solutions. For custom application where interoperability is not required, manufacturers can create their own manufacturer specific profiles.† [2]Some of the characteristics of ZigBee include: Global operation in the 2.4GHz frequency band according to IEEE 802.15.4 Regional operation in the 915Mhz (Americas) and 868Mhz (Europe). Frequency agile solution operating over 16 channels in the 2.4GHz frequency Incorporates power saving mechanisms for all device classes [802]IEEE 802.15.4 standard defines PHY (physical layer) and MAC (medium access control) layer for the purpose of low data rate wireless communications which consume very low power. Physical Layer Some of the main characteristics of the PHY are the processes of sensing the environment, turning on/off the transceiver, estimating the receiver power/link quality indication and transmitting/receiving the information between two nodes. It finally sends the result of channel assessment to the MAC layer. The PHY is responsible for providing two services: PHY Data Service:   â€Å"Enables the transmission and reception of PHY protocol data units (PPDUs) across the physical radio channel. PHY management service There are different frequency bands and data rates which a device should be able to operate with which are summarized in Table ?.   Table ? – Frequency bands and data rates Mac Layer MAC layer provides access to the physical radio channel to transmit MAC frames. Some of the main characteristics of MAC sublayer are network beaconing, frame validation, Guarantees time slots (GTS) and handles node associations. The MAC layer is responsible for providing two services: MAC Data Service: â€Å"Enables the transmission and reception of MAC protocol data units (MPDUs) across the PHY data service.† MAC Management Service IEEE 802.15.4 MAC can work with both beacon enabled and non-beacon models. When it is on non-beacon model it is a simple CSMA/CA protocol but in beacon enable mode it works with super frame structure, shown in Fig? . The frame starts with a Beacon which is sent by coordinator periodically. The frame also contains inactive period and active period. During the inactive period the device switches to low power mode and communicate with others during active period. The Beacon Interval is calculated based different attributes. In Active period the portion is divided into 16 slots which consist of three parts: Connection Access Period (CAP), Collision Free Period (CFP) (the GTS sections within it is for specific nodes) and the beacon. Fig ? Superframe structure Network Topologies ZigBee supports 3 types of topologies: Star, Mesh(peer-to-peer) and Cluster tree as shown in Fig ? .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Star topology: In this topology the communication is only between the single central controller called Personal Area Network (PAN) coordinator and other devices in the network which is mostly suitable for small networks such as single hop networks. A PAN coordinator usually has a unique identifier which is only used by this specific coordinator and allows different star networks to operate separately in the same area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mesh topology: This topology also has a PAN coordinator like Star topology but with the difference of having communication not only between coordinator and devices but between devices as well when they are in the range of one another. Although it makes the network structure more complex, but as a result of allowing multi-hop routing it is suitable for large networks. It also can be an adhoc network with self-healing and self-organizing characteristics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cluster tree topology: Cluster tree network is a form of peer-to-peer network. One coordinator operates as a PAN coordinator which has the responsibility of defining Cluster Heads (CH). The CH is a kind of Full Function Device (FFD) which can act as a coordinator. Each Reduced Function Device (RFD) then can selects its CH and joins that cluster. This kind of structure has a great impact on energy saving in the network which will be discussed later.   Fig ? Topology Model Energy Conservation and measurement: [24]A wireless sensor network is created with hundreds or thousands of sensor motes, distributed independently in a remote area with the responsibility of sensing the environment, processing information and communicating with other motes in the network for years with a limited source of energy provided by a small battery which is almost impossible to be changed or recharged during motes life time. Therefore the concept of energy consumption management in the network has become one of the most important aspects of wireless sensor network design and implementation. The power saving approach has affected the mote design, power management strategies, communication and routing protocols of the WSN. Generally energy saving methods are divided in two major categories: Energy saving at Mote level; aims to selects the most energy efficient components of the device and trade off unnecessary operations in order to save energy based on the application requirements. Energy saving at Communication level; selecting the most efficient communication methods and protocols to conserve energy at this level. Power saving at mote level: The first step in saving energy at mote level is to find out where the energy is consumed in the mote. As it was mentioned before, a mote consists of 4 components: Processing Unit, Sensor, Transceiver and a Power supply to provide energy for the mentioned parts. Based on the experimental measurements in [40] data transmission is more energy consuming that data processing. Passive sensors such as temperature sensors on the other hand consume a small amount of power compared to other components which is almost usually negligible. Table ? shows a power model of a Mica2 mote in different states.

Homelessness in America

Homelessness in America Free Online Research Papers Homelessness in America S.L. Smith Homelessness in America is a serious problem. I believe that our government does not take this problem as serious as it should. When I moved to Florida 15 years ago I noticed a few homeless people here and there. It is an every day occurrence for me now on my way to work. There should be more funding for these people to live like the rest of us. It irritates me to see all of the money that we supply the space program with and we have homeless and starving people here on Earth. I think that most people are appalled by the sight of homeless and ignore them. It seems to me that most people think that being homeless is the homeless persons fault. Recently, I noticed two men sitting on a curb holding sign saying that they would work for food. I stopped at a fast food restaurant and bought them something to eat. I don’t have any work to give them, but offered them some advice as to where the local social service office was. In my conversation with them I learned that the help that they could receive was limited as they lived in the woods and had no legal address. I was also informed that there was a very small list of homeless shelters and that they were at capacity. It seems so wrong that these people have to live this way. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were 754,000 homeless people across America and for almost half of these people there were not enough beds to go around. Of these homeless people, nearly h alf were single adult men. Eitzen, D.S., Zinn, M.B., Smith, K. E. (2009). Social Problems (11th Edition). United States: Pearson Education. For the homeless, the consequences are many. Most of the homeless do not have jobs, although a study in 2007 performed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that 17.4% of homeless adults in families were employed while 13% of homeless single adults or unaccompanied youth were employed. National Coalition for the Homeless. (2007, August) Health Care and Homeless. Program and Policy Issues. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/health.html Without employment people go without food and medicine. Although there are some programs in place to help with these issues, it is hard for them to receive help without a valid address. Homeless children experience many health difficulties. Nine million children in the United States don’t have health insurance. U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2007). Health Insurance Coverage. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from census.gov Children without insurance, compared with children who do, are more likely to go without proper medical attention when needed and are more likely to go without much needed prescriptions. I think that our government should come up with some type of bill that makes sure that every person in the United States has some type of health coverage. The easier it is for people to get medical attention the healthier we are as a society and the stronger some may be to work and pay rent. Along with that, I think it is necessary for our government to make sure that there is affordable housing all over for the poorest of people and some sort of financial assistance to help them get on their feet. In some states General Assistance is available for the poorest of single people, but it has been cut from several states because of cut backs our government has made despite the evidence that receiving General Assistance reduces homelessness. National Coalit ion for the Homeless. (2007, August) Health Care and Homeless. Program and Policy Issues. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/health.html I think it is wrong to cut this when so many people need it. Our government officials are the ones holding the bag of money, so to speak, so I think that they should find a solution to this ever growing problem. If I were to try to solve this problem, I would first cut some programs out of the budget or at least put them on hold for a few years so the problem of homelessness could be taken better care of. I would first try to figure out a way to make sure that there were enough shelters and half way houses for these people coming off the streets. I think that I would try to figure out a way to teach these people how to take care of themselves and be productive in society if they needed a little bit of guidance. The General Assistance grant would have to be available in every state. I think that this is so important for people that have no other means of supporting themselves, until they get back on their feet. Our government helps people coming from other countries coming here to live, and I think that it should help the ones that already live here. Since I started this research paper, I have talked to several people in my circle of friends about the topic. I think that it is interesting that we all feel very compassionate about getting these people help, but don’t know exactly what to do and how to go about it. Sure, a soup kitchen here and there is great. And donating money to charity to help the homeless is a start, but we all agree that there has to be more government involvement. As stated by my friend, Debbie, â€Å"We are so quick to tell other countries how to run their governments and how to treat their citizens. In the past, we have sent so much money to other countries to help them rebuild and take care of their homeless, displaced citizens. What we should be doing is cleaning up our own back yard and minding to our own citizens†. In my opinion, I could have not said it better. References Eitzen, D.S., Zinn, M.B., Smith, K.E. (2009). Social Problems (11th Edition). United States: Pearson Education National Coalition for the Homeless. (2007, August) Health Care and Homeless. Program and Policy Issues. Retrieved March 16,2009, from nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/health.html U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2007). Health Insurance Coverage. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from census.gov Research Papers on Homelessness in AmericaTwilight of the UAWThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UsePETSTEL analysis of IndiaBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Change Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Change Model - Essay Example The best short-term change model for the company is Kotter's 8 Step change model created by John Kotter, a Harvard University Professor. In this case, he argues that employees accept change when their leaders convince them of the urgency for change. The process involves eight stages, the first stage is increasing the urgency for change that aims at motivating employees. The next step is building a team that will be dedicated to change and who will build momentum around the need to change. The next step is creating the vision of change that people can understand. Communicating the need for change is also a crucial step. Communication needs to be frequent and powerful. Empowering workers with the ability to change and creating short-term goals are also crucial. For change to succeed the next steps are being persistent and it should be made permanent. The model is best for the organization because of its advantages including the fact that it is easy and is a step-by-step model. The proc ess also focuses on the preparation and acceptance of change among employees and not the actual change. The method also makes the transition to be easier. However, it also has its disadvantages that include the fact that the company cannot skip a step. It means that all the steps need to be followed for the model to be successful. There is also the risk that it would take a great deal of time to implement the model. It is critical to note that the company intends to make major changes on how it reaches its customers.

New Product Development Accounting Project Math Problem

New Product Development Accounting Project - Math Problem Example Operating Profit $152,124,000 $2,112.83 *COMPUTATIONS FOR INCOME STATEMENT Sales = Total sales units * Total per unit sale = 72000 * 14,500 = $1,044,000,000 Total Variable Expenses = Variable cost per unit * Total sales units = 8,770.5* 72000 = $631,476,000 BREAK EVEN ANALYSIS Number of Sales Units for Break Even: Break Even Sales Units = Fixed Cost Price - Variable Cost per unit = 260,400,000 5729.5 = 45,449 units. Sales Volume In Dollars for Break Even Total Sales = Total break even units * Total sales units = 45,449 * 14,500 = $659,010,500 Profit if the Sales is 6000 Units Per Month Sales per year = 6000*12 = 72000 units Profit per month = $152,124,000 Sales per month = 6000 units Profit per month = 152,124,000 / 12 = $12,677,000 Required 3: Based on the contribution income statement, the operating leverage ratio and margin of safety are calculated below: OPERATING LEVERAGE RATIO: The formula to compute the operating leverage ratio is: Operating Leverage = Contribution Margin/Net Income = $412,524,000/152,124,000 = 2.71 Operating leverage indicates what change in net income can be expected from a change in sales volume. An operating leverage of 2.7 implies that the change in net income will be 2.7 times as large as the change in sales volume. Therefore, for the projected profitability of Water Play Inc. that if sales increased by 10%, net income should increase by 27%. The net income of Water Play Inc. would be 2.7 times greater than its sales volume. MARGIN OF SAFETY: The margin of safety is measured in either dollars or units. It measures... This would be a discretionary cost for the company as the cost on research and development arises form management decision to spend a particular amount and management can reduce it in the short term if it is needed. The management can minimize this cost by delaying for short term, the unnecessary maintenance and repair expenses in the office. Reduction in these costs does not cause an irreparable loss to the company's operations. Operating leverage indicates what change in net income can be expected from a change in sales volume. An operating leverage of 2.7 implies that the change in net income will be 2.7 times as large as the change in sales volume. Therefore, for the projected profitability of Water Play Inc. that if sales increased by 10%, net income should increase by 27%. The net income of Water Play Inc. would be 2.7 times greater than its sales volume. Margin of safety reveals the amount by which actual sales can drop before a firm will incur Loss. The larger the margin: the lesser the risk. (Sales can fall by a larger percentage before the company will show a loss.). The Margin of safety or Safety stock of Water Play Inc. is 26,551 units. It means that the company should maintain 26,551 units as safety stock in order to avoid the risk.

Chronic Kidney Disease Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Chronic Kidney Disease - Term Paper Example For these reasons, chronic kidney disease is considered a disease because it affects the health of an individual. Chronic kidney disease is a chief health concern problem because the prevalence of the disease grows at a yearly rate of 8%, and expends 2% of the worldwide health spending (Là ³pez-Novoa, Martà ­nez-Salgado, Rodrà ­guez-Peà ±a, & Là ³pez-Hernà ¡ndez, 2010). In the United States, about 13% of the populace suffers from this condition. As the prevalence of chronic renal disease rises, health care providers are tasked with the management of the multifaceted medical complications that patients with CKD face. This paper takes a detailed look at the pathophysiology, causes, symptoms and management of chronic kidney disease. The central role of the kidney is to sift nitrogenous wastes from ingested food and metabolic activities, as well as surplus fluids from the blood. The kidneys, therefore, play an important role in fluid and electrolyte balance. The nephron is the elementary working component of the kidney. A normal kidney has about one million nephrons. Each nephron possesses a clump of glomerular capillaries called the glomerulus where the filtration of blood takes place. The nephron also has a lengthy tubule where the filtered fluid is transformed into urine as it is transported into the pelvis (Guyton & Hall, 2006). The renal arteries branch into interlobar arteries and two other arteries and finally into afferent arterioles that supply the glomerulus in the nephron through the glomerular arterioles, which join together to form the efferent arterioles that exit the glomerulus. Urine, which carries the waste products filtered by the kidney is produced in three main phases namely ultrafiltration, reabsorption and secretion. The kidneys also excrete strange chemicals, drug substances and metabolites produced from hormones. Such substances include urea from the metabolism of amino acids and creatinine

Definitions of Evaluation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definitions of Evaluation - Coursework Example nt and development of the best workforce that will, in turn, enable both the employees and the organizations to efficiently accomplish their set goals. The opportunities that an organization’s HRD provides to its employees can be in or beyond their workplaces. The HRD could be formal as in the training programs that are offered within learning institutions (Heathfield, 2012). Alternatively, it could also be informal where managers within an organization are responsible for coaching their employees on various aspects concerning their organizations. HRD has also been defined as the departments that are found within organizations that have been charged with the duty of organizing their employees and reporting on their working relationships. This is done while ensuring the behavior best conforms to their organizational goals. A department of human resource that is forward thinking has been described as one that is concerned with the provision of effective policies, guidelines and procedures that are friendly. This department is responsible for ensuring that an organization’s mission and values along with visions that enable the company to focus on success are usually optimized. The department is generally responsible for compensating, ensuring safety, anddeveloping the human resources within an organization (Heathfield, 2012). Evaluation, on the other hand, has been defined as involving the activities assessing or judging the worth of some work that has been done within an organization or a service provision institution. The major purpose of carrying out the evaluation process is that it helps an organization in reflecting on what it intends to achieve in the course of its operations and assessing its success rate in the achievement of their set goals. It additionally helps in the identification of the required changes within the organization to ensure the set goals are achieved within the budget and cost constraints that have been set (Tufo, 2002). Evaluating a

Portfolio on my communication adequacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Portfolio on my communication adequacy - Essay Example Portfolio on my communication adequacy Towards the beginning of the task, we chose as a gathering that every colleague would be in charge of one piece of the presentation. My part was to incorporate the distinctive parts into one firm presentation. To comprehend why this critical incident happened and how comparable circumstances can perhaps be kept away from later on, I will utilize the media richness hypothesis (taking into account Lengel & Daft (1988). As indicated by this hypothesis, diverse structures or "mediums" of correspondence have distinctive abilities to convey and transmit data. The hypothesis contends that convoluted messages, or messages that convey a great deal of data, ought to be transmitted utilizing rich mediums, for example, video conferencing or face to face, while simpler messages can be viably be conveyed utilizing more straightforward mediums, for example, email and pamphlets. Case in point, a basic message in regards to the area of a meeting can be sufficiently conveyed utilizing an email or pamphlet, while a more unpredictable message, for example, the justification for a departmental rebuild ought to be conveyed up close and personal. The hypothesis additionally contends that none- routine messages o ught to be conveyed utilizing media-rich channels. As depicted in Table 1, my message determined an assignment due date for my fellow team members. Figure 1 demonstrates that my message was not suitably set on the media l richness model, clarifying why my colleagues did not precisely decode it.

Definitions of Evaluation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definitions of Evaluation - Coursework Example nt and development of the best workforce that will, in turn, enable both the employees and the organizations to efficiently accomplish their set goals. The opportunities that an organization’s HRD provides to its employees can be in or beyond their workplaces. The HRD could be formal as in the training programs that are offered within learning institutions (Heathfield, 2012). Alternatively, it could also be informal where managers within an organization are responsible for coaching their employees on various aspects concerning their organizations. HRD has also been defined as the departments that are found within organizations that have been charged with the duty of organizing their employees and reporting on their working relationships. This is done while ensuring the behavior best conforms to their organizational goals. A department of human resource that is forward thinking has been described as one that is concerned with the provision of effective policies, guidelines and procedures that are friendly. This department is responsible for ensuring that an organization’s mission and values along with visions that enable the company to focus on success are usually optimized. The department is generally responsible for compensating, ensuring safety, anddeveloping the human resources within an organization (Heathfield, 2012). Evaluation, on the other hand, has been defined as involving the activities assessing or judging the worth of some work that has been done within an organization or a service provision institution. The major purpose of carrying out the evaluation process is that it helps an organization in reflecting on what it intends to achieve in the course of its operations and assessing its success rate in the achievement of their set goals. It additionally helps in the identification of the required changes within the organization to ensure the set goals are achieved within the budget and cost constraints that have been set (Tufo, 2002). Evaluating a

The concepts of constructivism and speech communities beyond language Essay

The concepts of constructivism and speech communities beyond language - Essay Example tilize socially loaded linguistic resources to construct the interactions that they are engaged in, as well as their own identities, or social objects. The paper explores how non-linguistic aspect of the social world should be understood about socially inscribed meanings, and also outlines how a group’s system of meanings can be imposed on another group. Non-linguistic elements encompass features such as gestures and written symbols that do not constitute language, unless when they manifest within the language framework. Non-linguistic features of the social worlds manifest in the form of action, identification, and representation. Non-linguistic features of the social world may be a way of interacting within social events. Spoken words often employ non-linguistic cues such as gestures, gaze, and facial expressions. Non-linguistic form of meaning can be derived instances in which a set sign is linked to another event naturally devoid of requirement for a conventional association between the two such as a natural association between clouds and rain. In some cases, the meaning of an expression is considered to lie within its consequences. Some of the non-linguistic meanings derive from natural history such as the connection between predator and prey, which manifest powerful intrinsic (life and death) meaning for people (GonzaÃŒ lez & Bovone, 2012). Meaning can be applied to describe the internal workings of the mind, separately from any linguistic activity. Such a meaning is highly psychological, whereby some communication by body language may emanate from bodily signals, which draw form human instinct as highlighted by examples such as tears, blushing, erections, and startle reaction. Language has been shown to interface with non-linguistic aspects of mental representation (Eller, 2009). Language can impact on non-linguistic cognition, which draws from the understanding that language does not only mirror conceptual representation, but rather can impacts and

Mockingjay Written by Suzanne Collins Essay Example for Free

Mockingjay Written by Suzanne Collins Essay B.Mockingjay, written by Suzanne Collins, is the third and final book to the hit series, The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen has ventured through the Hunger Games and the third Quarter Quell, and has been rescued by the rebels in District 13 and has been convinced to become â€Å"the Mockingjay,† which happens to be the symbol of the rebellion in Panem. As she takes lead of the rebellion Katniss demands that the leader of the district, President Coin, allow freedom to all Quarter Quell participants, including Peeta who has been manipulated and brain- washed by the Capitol. Katniss also demands that only she has the right to kill President Snow, leader of Panem. Aggravated and annoyed Katniss is kept in the dark from battles and works to create propaganda for the rebellion. Peetas brainwashing deeply effects and disturbs Katniss, but he slowly begins to improve after much treatment and therapy which had included major cake decorating. His friend from his childhood, Delly Cartwright, helps with his recovery by bringing up lost fond memories of their past lives. Not long after Peeta has become well enough to train with Katniss and her propaganda unit, in which they are then sent off on a mission to the Capitol. The rebels gain and convince and gain control of the districts and are able to begin an ambush on the Capitol. A propaganda filming in a safe Capitol neighborhood goes wrong, and Katniss and her team go deeper into the city with the hope of finding and killing President Snow. Many members of Katnisss team are killed, and Katniss is left alone and pushes toward Snow’s mansion, which has supposedly been opened to shelter Capitol children, but is actually intended to trap the kids and use them as human shields for President Snow. As she reaches the mansion, a hover plane with markings of the Capitol drops supply parachutes to the children which then explode, killing many of the children. A medical team ma de up of rebels, which also involves her younger sister Primrose, attempt to care for the wounded children but more parachutes are dropped and kill the rest of the children along with the medics. Katniss more raged than ever is determined to find Snow in order to avenge not only the District’s, but also her sister. After the victory of the rebels it has been decided that a Hunger Games will be held for the children in the Capitol. While recovering from the same explosion that killed her sister, Katniss accidentally runs into President Snow who is under house arrest. Snow tells her that he did not order the assault that killed Prim, saying he would have escaped if he had access to a hover plane. Katniss assumes it was Gale, but as he denies it she cannot help but face her doubt and finally comes up with the conclusion that President Coin had ordered the assault. At Snow’s execution, Katniss becomes aggravated and shoots Coin instead. The watchers of the execution become angry and begin to run around aimlessly stomping on President Snow until he is dead. Katniss is ordered back to District 12 after trying to commit suicide and after many months Peeta comes to join her and they both fall in love again with eachother and with Haymitch’s help write a book about the Hunger Games and tributes to keep their memory. C.Themes: 1.Bravery, a majorly used trait in the novel. Katniss along with the rest of the rebellion must stand up to the Capitol and take back their lives. Katniss must be brave in order to make the rebellion successful and to create a stronger world. 2. Loyalty, is a major themed used in Mockingjay. Katniss shows her loyalty to her family and all her loved ones. She expresses her loyalty to Peeta by showing her hope towards him to get better and wishing for him to become better. 3. Determination, is highly needed to be a character in the entire series of The Hunger Games. Katniss was determined to avenge not only her sister and the rest of her family, but the entire world. All of the districts depended on her as the lead of the rebellion to stop President Snow. D.Katniss was faced with the problem of leading the rebellion against the Capitol. â€Å"Yeah, so this is the deal. I’ll be you Mockingjay.† (Collins 38) Katniss takes up the role as the â€Å"Mockingjay† and becomes the face of the rebellion. Katniss changes from the beginning of not only Mockingjay, but also throughout the entire series of The Hunger Games. Katniss not only has become the face of the rebellion, but she has led all of Panem against the Capitol and had defeated it. â€Å"I’ll tell them how I survive it. I’ll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in anything because I’m afraid it could be taken away.† (Collins 390) Suzanne Collins used very specific wording to describe the characters and setting in the book Mockingjay. â€Å"My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Collins 4) Though Collins doesn’t go too much into detail to describe characters or setting she does explain events and characters in an very succinct manner. A major symbol in Mockingjay is the â€Å"Mockingjay.† Katniss represents the Mockingjay, which symbolizes the rebellion against the Capitol. The jabberjay was a bird that was used by the Capitol as spies but was compromised by rebels. The Capitol had realized they were being fed false information by the rebels and were left alone in the wild where they mated with mockingbirds hence the name Mockingjay. â€Å"I take a deep breath. My arms rise slightly as if recalling the black-and-white wings Cinna gave me then come to rest at my sides†¦ â€Å"Im going to be the Mockingjay.† (Collins 31) E.The book Mockingjay was a very entertaining book and was also a part of a very entertaining series. This book was recommended by a family member and the dialogue and the descriptions were captivating. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the genre and tell them that his series was a great one. The book was very absorbing and seemed to end too fast.

Does Palliative Care provide a peacefull death

Does Palliative Care provide a peacefull death Palliative care was traditionally considered something done just for the dying patient and patients with cancer, but times have changed. Today it is a form of care that can be administered to not just someone facing the end of life, but also to people with terminal illnesses. At the end of life many patients will receive palliative care and comfort measures which are intended to keep the patient comfortable with pain medications, turning, suctioning, oral care, etc. Comfort is something all nurses want to achieve for their patients. Comfort also means different things to different people; therefore it is difficult to gauge and deciphering concrete ways to provide comfort is not easy. In the acute care setting, researchers have focused solely on physical comfort care interventions for end of life, but research for interventions for overall holistic comfort care measures are lacking. This paper demonstrates that because comfort is the top priority for a dying patient receiving palliative care, holistic comfort measures that take care of the body as a whole should be achieved to ensure maximum comfort. The purpose of this evidence-based literature review was to explore health care providers and patients views on palliative and comfort care at end of life, examine current comfort care and palliative care practices and evaluate whether palliative and comfort care measures allow the patient to have a peaceful dying experience. Research indicated that the patients care needs to be individualized, that patients should be assessed, and personalized interventions implemented to ensure a holistic comforting dying experience. Palliative care order sets are helpful, but they are just a guideline or tool to help provide consistently good quality care. Hospice has been known for their excellent holistic comfort care for the dying patients, hospitals would benefit from learning some of their interventions and modifying them for use in the hospital. Some comfort interventions include music therapy, hand massage, utilization of visual analog scales such as the faces, and guided imagery to measure comfort. These methods are some of the ways hospitals can utilize the findings from the research into daily practice to ensure quality holistic patient comfort is achieved. Research Question Does the use of Palliative Care and comfort measures during End-of-Life provide the patient a more peaceful death experience? Relevance to Nursing Practice Research supports the need for providing holistic comfort measures using palliative care during end-of-life care. Registered nurses working in the acute care hospital setting along with Advanced practice nurses (APNs) and palliative care physicians should utilize the many other specialties such as integrative medicine to ensure holistic patient comfort. Palliative order sets are a great tool to help manage pain and anxiety levels but each patients comfort care needs to be individualized to fulfill their needs. Registered nurses need to make sure the patients comfort needs are addressed, so that the patient may have a peaceful dying experience. This Literature review advocates that holistic patient comfort during end-of-life is achieved by attending to its many physical, mental, and social states. Therefore, a nursing definition of comfort can be described as the physical and/or mental state of relief or contentment achieved as a result of holistic nursing interventions, which ensure a satisfying, peaceful, good dying experience. Review of Literature In Comfort Measures: A Qualitative Study of Nursing Home-Based End-of-Life Care, Waldrop and Kirkendall (2009) used a qualitative study method to survey employees from a 120-bed suburban, nonprofit nursing home. The researchers goals were to explore how their staff recognized a dying patient and to identify applicable standards of palliative care. The sample consisted of 42 employees, including nurses, chaplains, social workers, nursing assistants, housekeepers, and administrators. Employees in various roles were interviewed to provide multiple perspectives on the dying experience. The survey was a 30-minute interview conducted in a quiet location of the nursing home away from the nursing unit (Waldrop Kirkensall, 2009). An affiliated research assistant or investigator who has had training in conducting interviews and qualitative data analysis conducted the interviews. The interviewer asked the employees open-ended and objective questions about frequency and standards of care for dying patients and their families. All interviews were audio taped, transcribed by a professional transcriptionist, and labeled with a letter number combination (e.g., N[urse]-1). The transcripts were entered into Atlas ti software for data organization and management (Waldrop Kirkensall, 2009, p.720). The survey identified physical, behavioral, and social factors as the three main indicators of impending death. Physical indicators included altered breathing patterns (including apnea), anorexia, or increase in pain; behavioral indicators included mood changes and diminished activity level. Social indicators sometimes included withdrawal from interaction with staff or family (Waldrop Kirkendall, 2009). During the survey, the staff explained that comfort care is initiated when patients began to exhibit these signs. At this nursing home, standard order sets were not used and comfort care measures were described as being very patient-individualized and holistic. Comfort care includes an interrelationship of symptom management, family care, interpersonal relationships, and interdisciplinary cooperation in which each member of the healthcare team participates in the care of the patient, according to their scope of practice (Waldrop Kirkendall, 2009). The survey revealed that health care employees deliver comfort care in different ways. The study has several limitations including that it was conducted in only one nursing home, lacked direct physician perspectives, lacked family and resident opinions, and a possible response bias. This studys findings identified the need for more comparison studies to explore standards of care in other facilities. It also raised the questions whether or not palliative care includes comfort measures and how palliative care is defined across the healthcare settings (Waldrop Kirkendall, 2009). By further comparing nursing homes that use different models of care, comfort care standards and/or improvements can be made. This survey was conducted in a nursing home setting, but its results reflect on hospital end-of-life care. At the present time, the standard of care for dying patients in hospital settings usually consists of pre-printed order sets that are not individualized to the specific needs of the patient. This study promotes use of the holistic, individualized care approach to ensure a more satisfying and comforting dying experience. Jarabek, Cha, Ruegg, Moynihan, and McDonald, (2008) began a study within the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The researchers hypothesized that standard palliative order sets within a hospital setting would enhance physician comfort with managing 4 aspects of end-of-life care, pain, secretions, agitation, and dyspnea. A 5-question, pre-intervention web-based survey regarding physician comfort in diverse aspects of palliative care was given to 144 internal medicine resident physicians before the release of the palliative order set, which would later be used within the hospital. Each question included a 5-item Likert response scale, ranging from 1, very comfortable to 5, very uncomfortable(Jarabek et al., 2008). Three months later, an educational e-mail was sent to all house staff and faculty addressing end-of life-care along with the initiation of the order set, which consisted of physical ailment provisions. Another 3 months was spent allowi ng staff to use and or work with the order sets at which point a post-intervention survey was performed. Results of the post-intervention survey were that 88% had utilized the palliative order sets and 63% stated that they felt increasingly comfortable with palliative care (Jarabek et al., 2008). There was an overall 10% increase in resident comfort regarding the 4 aspects of palliative care with the initiation of order sets, but no change in social or communication-related comfort (Jarabek et al., 2008). One weakness of the General comfort Questionnaire (GCQ) is that each item is scored on a scale of 1 to 6 and not weighted based on importance to the patient. Some items are more significant than others in determining overall comfort level and the patients score on the GCQ as a whole may not be an adequate indicator of their overall comfort level. For example, if a patient answers 1, strongly disagree to the statement my body is relaxed right now, the patient will get 1 point for th e question, but if they score high on the rest of the GCQ, the results could show an overall high comfort level even though the patient is really uncomfortable and in pain. The GCQ is a very useful tool because it can be given to patients verbally if they are weak or lack dexterity. Because the survey addresses all aspects and levels of comfort it is a valid tool for nurses to use to make interventions to provide holistic patient care. The survey concluded that palliative order sets can increase physician comfort in providing care to patients during end-of-life, but it also revealed that the order sets do not address the psychosocial needs of the patient when providing comfort care. Although physicians find comfort in having order sets as guidelines for end-of-life care, they are only guidelines and open communication needs to be initiated between the health care team and the patient to ensure all the comfort care needs of the patient and family are met in a holistic way so that the y may have a peaceful dying experience. Teno et al., (2004) evaluated 1578 adult patients with different, chronic illnesses end of life experiences by surveying the decedents loved ones and determining whether their perspectives on quality end-of-life care were influenced by the environment where the patient spent their last 48 hours of life. A survey was devised from a conceptual model for patient-focused, family-centered medical care and the calculation of scores and psychometrics of the measures were taken from an online tool formulated by Brown University. Within 9 to 15 months from the time of death a close family member or informant whom was listed on the death certificate was surveyed and was asked about the quality of care their loved one received during their last 48 hours of life. Five different domains were used in the survey, including whether healthcare workers provided patient physical comfort and emotional support, supported collaborative decision-making with the physician, treated the patient with respect, attended to family needs, and provided coordinated care with other healthcare workers or facilities (Teno et al., 2004). Teno et al., (2004) concluded that 69% of the decedents site of death and last place to receive care was in a hospital or nursing home setting, 31% home, 36% without nursing service, 12% home nursing, and 52% home hospice. The survey showed that family perceptions of the quality of care were different according to where their loved one last received care. Families of patients who were in nursing homes or had home health had a higher rate of unmet needs for pain (Teno et al., 2004). Over half of the families in hospital or nursing home settings reported unmet emotional needs. In addition, 70% of families receiving home health care reported inadequate emotional support in comparison to 35% in families who utilized home hospice care. Patient and family respect was also a concern to families and varied in different settings. Only 68% of nursing home residents families felt they had been treated with respect and consideration compared to the 96% of families receiving hospice care (Teno et al., 2004). Survey participants felt that physical symptom management was adequately managed so it was comparably equal throughout all patient settings. Although families did not experience a difference in pain or dyspnea management in comparison to other nursing services families who used hospice services overall, 71% reported excellent care (Teno et al., 2004). The survey suggests that although patient care settings such as hospitals, home health, nursing homes all try to provide comfort care during end-of-life that it can be inadequate in meeting the emotional needs of the patient who is dying and their families. The survey supports the hypothesis that hospitals and other care settings need to start utilizing holistic comfort measures similar to the measures hospice incorporates to achieve psychosocial and emotional patient satisfaction and a comfortable dying experience. Kolcaba, Dowd, Steiner, and Mitzel (2004) identified the need for comforting interventions for patients at end of life that are simple, easy to learn and administer, and require minimal effort on behalf of the patient. Bilateral hand massage is a good intervention because it is noninvasive, easy to do, does not take long, and relies on caring/healing touch (Kolcaba et al., 2004). The purpose of their study was to determine empirically if a bilateral hand massage provided to patients near end of life twice per week for 3 weeks was associated with higher levels of comfort and less symptom distress. Thirty-one adult hospice patients from 2 hospice agencies participated in the study. Each patient was English-speaking and expected to remain alert and oriented for the duration of the trial, 13 months. Data collectors who were unknown to the patients called the homes of the patients, explained the study, and then scheduled an appointment for a research visit. Data was collected at the patients homes and at the hospice centers(Kolcaba et al., 2004). After informed consent, participants were randomly divided into the treatment group (with 16 patients) and the comparison group (with 15 patients). All participants were asked to complete a modified General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ), tailored for end-of-life patients, once a week for 3 weeks. After completing the questionnaire each week, the treatment group then received the hand massage intervention twice a week for 3 weeks. The comparison group received the intervention once at the end of the study period. The researchers concluded that there was no significant difference between the treatment and comparison groups in regard to enhanced comfort or decreased symptom distress over time (Kolcaba et al., 2004). However, comfort did increase some in the treatment group even as the patient approached death. The study also revealed that the hand massage seemed to allow more time for therapeutic or face to face communication allowing the patients to talk about how they feel and their feelings on transitioning to death, and patients receiving the intervention reported it to be a personalized experience something they could engage in that feels good, and family members were appreciative of the care and attention their loved one was getting (Kolcaba et al., 2004). Because this intervention is easy to learn and requires minimal time for the caregiver to do and minimal effort for the patient it is an excellent intervention that can even be taught to the family. This study identifies interventions t hat can be used within the hospital setting and any other setting to enhance comfort during end-of-life. Nurses and family members can use this intervention to increase communication by using caring touch, which provide psychosocial care and therefore holistic comfort for the patient. Bakitas et al., (2009) using project ENABLE {[Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends]} combined with a nurse-led intervention with ongoing assessment, coaching, symptom management, crisis prevention, and timely referral to palliative care and hospices hypothesize that patients newly diagnosed with advanced cancer if exposed to this intervention right away would become informed, active participants in their care, and would experience an improved quality of life, mood, and have better symptom relief. The study protocol and data and safety monitoring board plan were approved by the institutional review boards of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Dartmouth College in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and the Veterans Administration (VA) medical center in White River Junction, Vermont. All patient and caregiver participants signed a document confirming their informed consent.(Bakitas et al., 2009). Participants completed baseline questionnaires when they were enrolled and then completed a fol low-up one month later. Using a stratified randomization scheme patients and their caregivers were randomly assigned to the interventions or usual care group. One of 2 advanced practice nurses with palliative care experience conducted 4 structured educational problem solving sessions first one lasting 41 minutes and sessions 2 through 4 approx 30 minutes each and at least monthly telephone follow-up sessions until the participant died or the study ended (Bakitas et al., 2009) The advanced practice nurse began all contacts with an initial assessment by administering the Distress Thermometer, an 11-point rating scale recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. It identifies sources of distress in the 5 areas of practical problems physical problems, family problems, spiritual, emotional problems or religious concerns. If distress intensity was higher than 3, the advanced practice nurses then identifies the sources of distress and checks to see if the participan t would like to problem/solve to take care of their issue. The nurse then covers the assigned module for that session. The participants clinical teams are responsible for all medical decisions and inpatient care management, however the advanced practice nurse was readily available by telephone for the participants and they could also facilitate ancillary resources. The participants also were able to participate in group shared medical appointments (SMAs), which are led by certified palliative care physicians. The usual care participants were allowed to use all oncology and supportive services without restriction. Follow-up questionnaires were mailed every 3 months until the patient died or study completion in December 31, 2007. Quality of Life was measured with a 46-item tool called the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy for Palliative Care. It measures the participants physical, social, emotional, and functional well being along with the concerns of a person whom has a life-threatening illness. Of 1222 screened, 681 were eligible and were approached and 322 were enrolled (47% participation rate). There were a total of 134 participants in the usual care group and 145 participants in the intervention group. A systematic review of specialized palliative care identified 22 trials (16 from the United States) between 1984-2007 with a median sample size of 204, half exclusively with cancer patients. There was lack of evidence due to contamination, adherence, and recruitment etc. The trial addressed these issues and contributed to the increasing evidence that palliative care may improve quality of life and mood at the end of life. In our study, intervention participants higher quality of life and lower depressed mood may be attributed to improved psychosocial and emotional well being. Mood is a determinant of the experience of quality of life and suffering despite a mounting burden of physical symptoms(Bakitas et al., 2009). However, while patients in the intervention group had improvement in these outcomes, we conservatively planned our original target trial enrollment of 400 based on a significance level of .01. Statistical inferences based on this stringent critical value would lead to the conclusion that there were no statistically significant differences between groups in quality of life or mood(Bakitas et al., 2009). A number of limitations were found in the study, first there was limited racial and ethical representation in the study, which recognizes the need for duplicate studies with more diverse populations. Second, the interviews were conducted by telephone, in-person interactions (such as those seen in another successful outpatient palliative care intervention study may have produced a more robust effect, particularly in reducing symptom intensity(Bakitas et al., 2009). In person consultation was not often feasible for the debilitated population whom usually live more than an hour away from the cancer center. More re search is needed on optimal care delivery systems for this population(Bakitas et al., 2009). The researchers concluded that compared with participants receiving usual oncology care those receiving a nurse-led, palliative care-focused interventions that takes care of the patient holistically provided at the same time with oncology care had higher scores for quality of life and mood, but did not have improvements in symptom intensity scores or reduced days in the hospital (Bakitas et al., 2009). Characteristics of Comfort Even though nursing scholars have extensively researched and described various aspects of comfort, perceptions of the characteristics of comfort vary from personal perspectives and situations. After reviewing literature and research relevant to achieving comfort, it is clear that its characteristics extend beyond its physical attributes and are indeed a state of ease, relief, and transcendence (Kolcaba Kolcaba, 1991). To achieve holistic comfort at end-of-life there needs to be patient participation to enhance comfort with the use of comforting interventions. Kolcaba et al. (2004) described a peace of mind with a reduction in undesirable dying symptoms as important indicators of comfort while researching the efficacy of hand massage in hospice patients. Nursing interventions at end-of-life should be individualized to the patient to meet their comfort needs, as comfort is vital in palliative care. Novak et al. (2001) postulated that comfort consist of holistic properties which includ e a soothing environment, social support, conflict resolution, and spiritual harmony. Waldrop et al. (2009) also proposed similar qualities he studied comfort measures in a nursing home setting and described comfort care as the combination of the integration of symptom management, family care, interpersonal relationships, and interdisciplinary cooperation. Comfort in this study was a result of holistic interventions focused on achieving enhanced patient comfort, thereby allowing a good death (Waldrop et al., 2009). Application of the Literature to Practice Findings from the literature and research support the need for providing holistic comfort measures using palliative care during end-of-life care. Registered nurses working in the acute care hospital setting along with Advanced practice nurses (APNs) and palliative care physicians should utilize the many other specialties to ensure holistic patient comfort. Palliative care nurses (PCRNs) are an excellent resource to consult for any questions regarding end-of-life care. Registered nurses need to make sure the patients comfort needs are addressed; they need to talk with the patient and their families to get a better understanding of their comfort level expectations. Palliative order sets are a wonderful tool with which to help manage physical discomfort, but Registered Nurses should assess the environmental, psychospiritual, and social comfort needs in order to create adequate interventions to help achieve enhanced holistic comfort. To achieve the physical aspect of comfort during end-of-life care pain medication can be prescribed, and to help relieve anxiety, ativan may also be given. Music is also a relaxation therapy that may also have a calming effect and can be encouraged to help bring relaxation, peaceful environment, and help the patient to forget their illness for a short time. To facilitate the psychospiritual aspect of comfort care the Registered nurse can consult a chaplain, social work, or a family therapist who can help the family and patient address the feelings of grief, fear, anxiety, and help promote resolving of family issues, which ultimately assists the patient in overcoming any negative feelings to gain closure and to achieve peace. The hospital room can be stressful, room lighting, dà ©cor, and music can be modified to help provide a more peaceful and soothing environment to relax and reflect during their last hours. The social aspect of comfort may be fulfilled by consulting social servic es to help provide support by addressing any communication issues within the family and helping the patient and their family fined courage and strength in times of need and despair. Using feedback from all the aspects of holistic comfort care is important in promoting consistent and continuous comfort during the patients dying experience. Registered nurses must determine the wishes of the patients for achieving comfort and using the many interventions the nurses should evaluate ad make adjustments accordingly. Providing holistic comfort care is an integral part of palliative medicine and it is continuously being changed to fit the needs of the patient and their families, and therefore is an excellent way to approach end-of-life care in the acute care setting of a hospital. Conclusions The research presented reveals while palliative care order sets provide a helpful guideline or tool which reassures health care providers in giving consistent good quality care, patients care needs should be assessed and individualized orders and interventions should be implemented to ensure a peaceful and comforting dying experience. Hospice care settings have been shown to provide excellent holistic care for dying patients and they have also been shown to show compassion to the family as well. The comfort interventions from these facilities can be modified for application in the hospital for use in the acute care setting. Holistic comfort care interventions include hand massage, music therapy, or the utilization of a visual analog scale the faces to measure comfort. These are some of the ways hospitals can utilize the findings from this research into daily practice to ensure quality holistic patient comfort is achieved and ultimately a peaceful death.

Herman Wouks The Winds of War How Should One Read A Book? :: Winds of War Essays

Herman Wouk's   The Winds of War  - How Should One Read A Book?      Ã‚  Ã‚   While reading Herman Wouk's classic tale, The Winds of War, I came across several passages describing a young man's vision of Germany. Although the author supplies me with his ideas, his desire and his provocative details on how this young Major views Germany at the time of the second world war, I still find myself wondering and questioning aspects of the written text before me. Apart from being drawn from my sub-conscious state to a more subtle and unconscious condition, several questions begin to from within my mind. Have I ever seen Germany before? What were the political conditions? What did the SS Stormtroopers look like? What did a concentration camp reveal? By triggering these sensors and somewhat emotional queries within me, the author has already caused a clockwork cycle to commence which will enlighten my reading and eventually create enjoyment and furthering interests with his novel. This is what Virginia Woolf focuses her composition about and emphasizes so very clearly      Ã‚  Ã‚   After reading her essay, I came to grasp and understand her theory that one is best not to accept advice from another on how to read literature, since the best advice is no advice at all. Woolf expresses the conception that when one begins to read literature he begins to enter different stages of interpretation that will ultimately improve his pleasure and satisfaction. It was obvious to me that I had in fact indulged in forms of interpretation when reading literature, but it had never dawned on me until reading Woolf's essay. Whenever I am subjected to something in literature that is not fully comprehensive, I begin to engage in several different forms of interpretation. The first stage would reflect much of the philosophy composed in the essay 'Against Interpretation' whereas I, the reader, would observe the content and then translate the form. Literature induces the reader to use his experience and memories to comprehend what a person, place or thing is and then interpret it. Th econd stage would involve translating where one begins a comparison sequence trying to link their past knowledge with the subject introduced by the author.

Male and Female Travelers Essay -- Compare Contrast Gender Writing Na

Male and Female Travelers While reading Helen Maria Williams' "A Tour in Switzerland" and William Coxe's "Sketches of the Natural, Civil, and Political State of Swisserland," I find myself captivated by Williams' description of the Rhine Falls, while feeling indifferent by Coxe's account of the same landscape. It strikes me how much the Rhine Falls influences Williams' emotions and her avid imagination, yet it seems to have a subtle effect on Coxe. In her introduction, Williams mentions that "the descriptive parts of this journal were rapidly traced with the ardour of a fond imagination, eager to seize the vivid colouring of the moment ere it fled, and give permanence to the emotions of admiration, while the solemn enthusiasm beat high in [her] bosom" (vol. I, i). Coxe, on the other hand, seems to approach all that he sees with a detached attitude - he is simply there to observe the scenery, not dwell emotionally and spiritually within it. The obvious differences between Williams' and Coxe's approach towards the Rhine Falls show the contrast between what female and male writers value the most in their travels. Williams easily immerses herself into the magic of the moment in front of the Rhine Falls, while Coxe shows a more aloof reaction towards the Rhine Falls, preferring, instead, to observe the Rhine Falls and its surrounding areas as a whole. Both Williams and Coxe approach Switzerland differently. Before traveling to the Rhine Falls, Williams already has preconceived expectations and fantasies about what Switzerland is like: "I [am] going to contemplate that interesting country, of which I have never heard without emotion! - I am going to gaze upon images of nature, images of which the idea has so often swelled my ... ...s more on how the landscape will benefit them intellectually. For example, William' encounter with the Rhine Falls results in her developing an attachment to the majestic grandeur of the cataract, and she feels the cataract possesses a power that is far beyond the comprehension of mankind. Coxe, on the other hand, maintains a detached attitude towards the Rhine Falls. To Coxe, the Rhine Falls is only one of the objects that make up the sublimity of the landscape. Works Cited Coxe, William. Sketches of the Natural, Civil, and Political State of Swisserland. A Series of Letters to William Melmoth, Esq. London: J. Dodsley, 1779. Williams, Helen Maria. A Tour in Switzerland. A View of the Present State of the Government and Manners of Those Cantons: With Comparative Sketches of the Present State of Paris, 2 vols. London: G. G. and J. Robinson, 1798.

Grades Encourage Students to Learn

GRADES ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO LEARN There are many ways to encourage students in school such as prizes, and compliments . In fact, by giving motivations and inspiration, grades are always the most important and highly effective methods in assessing students’studying archivement . First, grades give students motivations in studying. Some students might study better when they are appreciated by his teachers and classmates. Therefore , they try to be a role-model in class and make other student to attempt to be like them.In addition, some campus student are motivated by rewards from school or even from their parents. They may give their children a good vacation or some money as a gift . Schools also reward good grades students with scholarships which are helpful in financial issue . Moreover, high grades are always an important purpose for student in their study. Grades are not only important in study but also ensure their future. Many companies choose people with high grades cert ificates.In short , people’s appreciation, valuable reward and a good career are some reasons that give students purposes in studying . Another reason for encouraging students to learn is that grades inspire students in studying. In university, they play an important role in stimulating students' passion for learning. Subjects with high grades will make students happier and more passionate so that they put a lot of effort in the search for innovative learning. In addition, the more grades you get, the more knowledge you have.Good grades earned by the reasons that a learner has to study hard, does more research, consolidates his knowledge to achieve good grades. At the end, learners will have both knowledge and good grades. In short, grades make students learn with inspiration because of the passion and knowledge which come along with good grades. In conclusion , grades encourage students to study . This is because grades give students motivation and inspire them to learn. How ever,students should learn honestly, cheating does not help them and even brings troubles to them.

Sustainable Customer Relationships

Running Head: PROBLEM SOLUTION: CLASSIC AIRLINES Problem Solution: Classic Airlines Cecily Cornish University of Phoenix MBA 570/Sustainable Customer Relationships December 8, 2008 Instructor Sandra Payne, MBA Problem Solution: Classic Airlines Classic Airlines (CA) is the world’s fifth largest airlines that must balance its marketing program while coping with a mandated across-the board cost reduction by the board of directors. This calls for a of 15% cost reduction over the next 18 months while negotiating labor costs through the airline’s union employees and improving customer service. Facing low employee morale, decreasing customer satisfaction, rising fuel costs, high union wages, a nonfunctional CRM system, negotiations with union officials and future airline alliances and partners, CA has elected to implement a new analytical Customer Service Management (aCRM) product development (University of Phoenix,2008,Classic Airlines,p. 1). The core problems stem around CA losing customer confidence in its Classic Rewards Program (CRP) and losing Wall Street and media confidence. CA must focus on a marketing program to connect it the customer’s needs and sustain and attract loyal customers. The current executive team values are divided, with CEO Amanda Miller and CFO Catherine Simpson valuing the financial numbers which is in sharp contrast to the values of the customer, employees and shareholders held by CMO Keith Bolye and VP Renee Epson over customer service. The union senior VP Doug Sheflin knows that without a compromise between union and airlines the status quo will not be able to meet the current and future wage costs. Senior VP John Hartman over human resources has trained the employees with the necessary skills and sees the employees as valuable assets in the customer and marketing effectiveness. Marketing in the form of environmental scanning can identify the factors of social, economic, technological and competitors that CA faces. Until CEO and the board establish a mission which will guide its organization, there may be organization resistance and delay in reaching its overall business strategies. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that involves people, processes, and technology to improve relationships and existing customers who will result in improved customer retention and profitability (Kerin, 2006, p. 8). Using environmental scanning, identifying the marketing strategy and establishing a marketing relationship will direct and guide CA in meeting customer needs , identify the resources needed, the competitors they face and future trends in the Customer Relationship Management system. Incorporating Enterprise Risk Management, profitability index with interactive marketing will allow the marketing program to address customer needs and sustain customer relationships to reflect the changing trends in customer purchasing behavior. Describe the Situation Issue and Opportunity Identification Classic Airlines is the fifth largest airlines in the world. In the business for 25 years, CA has 375 jets that service 240 cities with more than 2300 daily flights. Classic Airlines earned $8. 7 billion in sales. CA made $10 billion profit which means that most of the revenue went to operating the company. With 32,000 union employees CA retains their top salary that is above industry’s average. In addition the board has voted for a 15% reduction over the next 18 months. The company is threatening bankruptcy, decreasing value on Wall Street, unfavorable media, decreasing customer satisfaction and low employee morale. The current CRM system is not fully functional and the Classic Reward frequent flier program has been losing loyal customers. Other challenges include continual high fuel costs and high wages paid to the union employees. CA’s challenge is to find a way to improve customer satisfaction within their Classic Rewards Loyalty Program by identifying and meeting customer’s needs and, therefore, improve the return on investment (ROI) (University of Phoenix,2008,Scenario Two,2008). Several opportunities exist for Classic Airlines which includes a forecasting of sales, a marketing mix and a situation analysis to determine the feasibility of a new analytical Customer Relationship Management program. CA may need for the present to just update the current CRM to a functional capacity to meet customer’s needs. Establishing the short-term of finding the solutions to update the current CRM might save costs and establish a long-term aCRM portfolio as a long-term goal .According to Seget (2008), the aCRM model uses analytical models and databases to integrate information that will enhance the customer desire for functionality as well as provide time sensitive information for prompt decision making by pharmacists, managers and others that rely on the CRM processes. It will definitely allow CA to focus on negotiating with the high wages of its current union employees who are above the industry standards. The CMO Boyle can begin to devise marketing strategies on focusing on marketing segmentation, marketing-mix and focus on the needs of the customers who are loyal and attempt to retain them as well as attract new ones. To obtain customer feedback without alienating them CA may consider, online surveying, telephone surveying and other interactive marketing. Interactive marketing creates customer value, customer relationship and customer experience. Kerin (2006) agrees, â€Å"Interactive marketing creates customer value by providing time, place, form and possession utility for consumers† (p. 6). Interactive marketing, marketing segmentation marketing-mix and forecasting can help identify customer needs and increase customer relationships. Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas The ethical dilemmas in the Classic Airlines scenario are the conflict interests and values of the CEO Miller and CFO Simpson versus the rest of the leadership team. A dilemma also exists between the values and interests of the CA management and leadership team and the stakeholders. While the CEO and CFO are driven by numbers and a â€Å"pragmatic approach† these interests conflict with the overall business strategies and that is to increase customer satisfaction by reducing costs (University of Phoenix, Scenario Two, 2008, p. 1). The company is trying to improve the return on investment (ROI) and at the same time improve the frequent flier program, pay the union employees high wages and implement a new aCRM product. In fact, according to Seget (2004), â€Å"Wisdom prevails in conducting project feasibility, forecasting and marketing-mix and marketing-mix research before considering a new aCRM product . implementation† (p. 25). Classic Airlines must reach a balance through stakeholder’s involvements at all levels in attempting to balance the interests and value of all the individuals, departments and organizations. CA must focus on being a â€Å"best service† benchmarking company as a goal because providing the lowest price while utting costs and remaining competitive in the marketplace, is unrealistic thinking. â€Å"For example, it is not possible to simultaneously provide the lowest-priced and highest-quality products to customers and pay the highest prices to suppliers, highest wages to employees, and maximum dividends to shareholders† (Kerin,2006, p. 3). That is why an environmental scanning, a product analysis or four p's, and a situation analysis will clarify wh ere the company product or service has been, its status and where it wants to be. The marketing program will identify where CA is, the competitor’s trends, and the customer current and prospective customers (Kerin, 2006, p. 12). Developing a marketing mix, an environmental scanning will identify the need of the stakeholders to be involved in every level of the decision making process and the development of an aCRM product implementation. The marketing program is a method of bringing an exchange between all the stakeholders to sustain valuable customer relationships. Frame the â€Å"Right† Problem Classic Airlines will remain competitive in its industry and expand its global influence and brand loyalty by including its stakeholder’s voice and valuing its customer voice. Other opportunities for CA to achieve its goals of restructuring and implementing new initiatives such as its upgrade of its current CRM and a new aCRM product development will help sustain customer loyalty, increase customer satisfaction and provide the employees with the skills and automated technology that can meet the customers’ needs. In order to meet the changing environmental factors such as regulatory and fierce competitors and reduce labor costs, CA will use marketing strategies such as environmental scanning, sales forecasting, segmentation are opportunities to increases return on investment (ROI) by identifying and meeting customer’s needs. According to Kerin (2006),: â€Å"The American Marketing Association, representing marketing professionals, states that ‘marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders† (p. 1). CA will ensure that the ROI will be accomplished through accountability and leadership of the CEO, board members and senior executives. Valuing the voices all stakeholders will ensure that the values, thics and interests are filtered through a corporate decision making and implementation process. CA will ensure that its new initiative will be defined in its corporate governance, mission statement, employee booklet, union booklet and risk management policies. CA will remain a leading worldwide airline organization that focuses on marketing strategies that include direct forecasting, linear trend extrapolation, market segmen tation, product differentiation, sales force surveys, survey of buyers intentions and usage rate strategies that will keep CA a leader among the airline industry. Identifying customer changing needs via profitability index, customer audits will allow CA remain profitable as well as efficient in delivering the best practices in airline services to it loyal customers and future one. Fuel hedging, smaller planes, business partnerships and alliances will be strategies that will be analyzed and implemented to allow costs to be transferred into customer value benefits. Describe the â€Å"End-State† Vision Classic Airlines(CA) will be restructured in its philosophy, mission and goals to be a cost-effective and efficient company by focusing on the â€Å" stakeholders voice† in implementing a new analytical Customer Relationship Management (aCRM ) and a Enterprise Relationship Management (ERM) ) product development. Customer and employees as well as top executives who ethics values the customers, the employee and the shareholders will be valued within all levels of the stakeholders communication. The core competencies includes values of the aCRM that will align with the overall organizational goals of valuing the customer’s voice , sustaining customer relationships, and providing utilities that will create efficient and effective services. Thus the goal of profitability will be achieved through the values of profitability and social accountability and responsibility of the CEO and board members of CA (University of Phoenix Scenario 2, 2008, p. ). Achieving US and globalization as a benchmarking organization stems from an aggressive and proactive marketing program that will operate through an updated CRM system and a future aCRM system that is designed to compensate future environmental changes and thus customer changing needs. An effective marketing program will benefit the customer and stakeholders by assessing the needs of the customer and satisfying those needs (Kerin, 2006, p. 5). Remaining a competitor in the airlines industry means continuing open negotiations and compromise with the airlines union to keep pilots and employees competitive wages with the industry, while reducing costs and retaining loyal customer, increasing customer service and retaining skilled employees and sustaining the Classic reward program that is both efficient and effective in customer service. Recommended measures to determine if the CRM and marketing strategies are effective include profitability index, customer value benefits, and the measurement of rate and customer satisfaction surveys. Identify the Alternatives and Benchmarking Validation Alaska Airlines began in 1932 in Anchorage, Alaska with 17 million passengers annually with flights to over 60 cities and 3 countries. Alaska Airlines is familiar with marketing strategies to remain competitive in the airline industry. Alaska Airlines faced a financial crisis similar to Classic Airlines who faces possible bankruptcy, a 10% decrease in stock market shares and negativity on Wall Street (University of Phoenix, 2008). In 1972 Alaska Airlines was in the then Ron Cosgrave and Bruce Kennedy came on board in 1972, the airlines was in a financial fight for its existence. Led by quality leadership, the management restructured the goal of the organization and began bringing people together to save the failing company (Alaska Airlines, 2008). Leadership conducted a â€Å"differentiating marketing† in providing superior customer service as the key. Using a differentiating marketing allowed Alaska Airlines to survive more tumultuous times during the deregulation of airline industry and the recent rising fuel costs. Kerin (2006) agrees that, â€Å"The existence of different market segments has caused firms to use a marketing strategy of product differentiation. The strategy involves a firm’s using differentiation mix and advertising to help consumers perceive activities such as product (service) activities as being better than the other competing products â€Å"(p2). Classic Airlines can begin improving its profits and market shares by focusing on marketing strategies such as â€Å"best services† in its industry by aligning a customer-centric focus and include the stakeholders in the new restructuring of the company. Classic Airlines can follow AKL’s lead in forming partnerships and alliances to expand its international market. Both parties view the partnership as a pairing of their expansive international networks and allowing ALK an opportunity to build a platform for international growth from the West (Global airlines, 2008, p. 2). This means double benefits for their customers allowing them the additional options offering by the two companies and a chance to redeem mileage points from either of the two airlines. The Disney logo and brand name was built in 1923 on the foundation of The Walt Disney Company. Disney was founded by Walter Elias Disney and cofounded by his brother Roy Disney. The Walt Disney Company has an estimated $35 million in annual revenues (Wikipedia, 2008,p. 1). Disney works includes his alter ego Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, records, movies and the Walt Disney World Resort. What is noteworthy of this entertainment, movie empire is the extent of its marketing strategies to communicate with their customers. Using a marketing mix, Disney’s business strategy encompasses the integrated marketing communications (IMC) that communicates a brand loyalty and consistent messages across all audiences. The IMC is used by Disney via its management team and its internet customers. Disney takes many types of promotional mix as a direct marketing tool to communicate in an exchange with brand loyal customers and with potential customers. This allowed Disney to combine advertising, direct marketing, personal sales, sales promotion and public relations to inform customers of their products, persuade them to use them and remind them of the benefits after they have used them(Kerin,2006,p. ). Having targeted their population segmentation, Disney’s IMC and direct- marketing techniques via large mass mailings, an internet websites and internet-linked kiosks allow loyal customers and potential customers to inquire about their products and services. The IMC, direct marketing, marketing-mix and promotional-mix allows Disney to exchange information with consumers and keep updated of consumers changing purchasing behaviors. As Classic Airlines works on updating the functionality of its current CRM and prepares for the aCRM product development, the company can benefit from a direct marketing approach. Therefore, Classic Airlines must streamline its operations in reducing staff, eliminating aircraft with high maintenance, negotiate wage salaries to match the industry market, focus on smaller planes and improve its rewards program. Once the costs have been reduce, investments can made towards the CRM system that will allow for targeting its marketing population segmentation. Kerin (2006) states, â€Å"Like personal selling, direct marketing often consists of interactive communication. It also has the advantage of being customized to match the needs of specific target markets. Messages can be developed and adapted quickly to facilitate one-to-one relationships with customers â€Å"(p. 7). With a well developed functional CRM and aCRM data warehouse, Classic Airlines can focus on communication exchanges through direct marketing and other forms of IMC to attract new customers and maintain loyal customers. Evaluate the Alternatives In Table 3, all the goals were ranked 5 because the aCRM is a software highly integrated system of providing massive information and data on a time-sensitive arena, there will take many stakeholders and business processes to make this new product development and implementation successful. The best features of the original alternatives were combined to create a short list of second –tier solutions because it was imperative that Classic Airlines created a change management by clearly defining its mission, objectives and align them with their aCRM objectives. Once this has been accomplished it was in the best interests of the stakeholders that a culture of change be established internally before commissioning the aid of external CRM consultants. Due to the amount of organizational resistance due to Classic Airlines original exclusion of the stakeholders in particular the employees, it was best to incorporate any outside help only after internal organizational change and a culture of customer-centric, product-centric and employee rewards for performance were in place. Identify and Assess Risks Many risks can be identified with the implementation of the new product development. Beginning with the risk of organizational resistance, CA will achieve more by including all the stakeholders, especially the customers in a buy-in or adoption of the new product initiative. If CEO and Board fail to incorporate a culture or organizational change by aligning the new aCRM product objective with the overall objectives of the company, the new product development and completion may be in jeopardy. As most benchmarking companies have found that an evaluation of product feasibility s the first research before adopting the new product initiative. The project feasibility will detail costs, risks, labor costs and other assessments needed to make an informed decision about proceeding with the idea. A more profound tangible risk is if enough skilled employees have. A more profound tangible risk is if enough skilled employees have the technical skills to make the new product development a success. Other risks include costs, going pass projected timeframes, and other external risks, such as the vendors failing to supply financial backing. Other risks include software compatibility risks, decrease in profitability and returns. Risks can be mitigated by planning a risk analysis and risk management to align with every department decision making in investments and other decisions that impact the overall value of the firm. According to Seget (2008), key findings includes a risk management WBS plan is needed for CA to implement risk management principles and incorporate them in their job functions. Risks can be tracked and contingency plans in place in case they fail. Implementing risk management in every phase of the aCRM process will ensure that â€Å"potential risks† are identified early on in the product development. A solid risk management plan can help CA face the â€Å"unknowns†; deal with â€Å"unfavorable outcomes† and â€Å"unexpected uncertainties. † Just as the profitability analysis makes good business sense in considering any aCRM and marketing-mix program, conducting a profitability index makes good business sense to determine if the business objectives have been met. Make the Decision The final decision is to develop and implement a new aCRM to remain competitive within the industry. However, to do that a project feasibility and project analysis will be conducted first. Both authors, Kerin (2004) and Segat (2006) agrees to results of a project analysis and market research be completed before any new CRM initiative. These finding will be placed into the new aCRM portfolio that will detail the labor costs, financial investments and workforce needed to complete the product. A management change and organizational culture will be adopted through the mission statements, governance policies, code of ethics and risk management policies. An internal marketing approach will allow an exchange between all stakeholders. Marketing segmentation will allow CA to indentify the customers who will increase the return of investments (ROI) by conducting marketing-mix programs to identify their needs. Customer surveys will allow CA to not only identify those needs but to satisfy unmet needs and identify changing consumer behavior. The challenge for CA is not measuring the ROI or measuring the effectiveness of its total business strategies but determining the effectiveness of the customer-focused strategies. Klenke (2003) suggests that, â€Å"It makes good business sense to bring the project to a final conclusion by determining if the projected results actually were delivered as suggested in the business plan that management approved†¦ A decision must be made whether or to return to the pre-project situation if that is still an option† (para. 139). Develop and Implement the Solution The biggest opposition to any CRM new initiative is organizational resistance to organizational change. The goals it to focus on the greatest resource of Classic Airlines and that is the employees, management and departments and divisions that will be equipped through communication, two-way feedback, employee communication surveys, and an organization culture that values the communication, feedback and decision making of the employees. CA will create an organizational culture within four weeks by communication, mentoring, modeling the new aCRM product project by allowing the employees to engage two way communication, decision making and two way feedback. CA will resolve its unclear objectives by clearly stating them in their employee handbook. Once a feasibility report is conducted and the return on investment (ROI), market ratios and profitability ratios are concluded, CA will proceed to forecasting, internal marketing and environmental scanning. Employee surveys as well as feedback surveys and employee questionnaire will be distributed. The employees, customers and stakeholders will be engaged throughout the product development and implementation. The senior management, change champion, financial officer and human resources departments will be responsible in gathering the research and reporting back to the CEO and board members. At that point information will be disseminated at all levels from the CEO and board through face to face meetings, employee internet, meetings, corporate magazine and other informational channels. Evaluate the Results The success of the current CRM and implementation of the new aCRM will be measured with ongoing forecasting and marketing-mix research. Since these approaches allow for prediction of future trends of customers and organizational buying behaviors it can also predict the possible increase of revenues and profits that a certain product might generate. Measures such as productivity increase, cost reduction and increase in revenues are more reliable metrics in measuring and evaluating the benefits of the CRM implementation. (University of Phoenix, 2008) Many benchmarking companies like PeopleSoft, according to Seget (2004), may fail in its first product CRM attempt. PeopleSoft adopted a PeopleSoft CRM that failed to deliver in terms of functionality for the end-user, the consumer. PeopleSoft developed another system called Peoplesoft8 that address the issues of functionality that their former system failed to deliver. Metrics such as productivity, increases in revenues were some of the measures used by PeopleSoft8. Like Classic Airlines they were facing criticisms of lack of functionality for their customers and had a problem with vendor, supplier and human resources staffing. They became successful in adopting a new â€Å"PeopleSoft 8 CRM† that focuses on employees, targeting customers, supplier relationships and vendor relationships. Seget (2004) agrees that the success of PeopleSoft 8 CRM (PS8) was due to the focus on human resources centric or –HR-centric. Functionality was also a major concern for PS until their adoption of the PS8-CRM. Although Classic Airlines’ new aCRM is not up and running, CA can learn from PS8 by acting quickly by fully integrating the PS8 CRM system and forming a business alliances and partnerships to maximize their aCRM efforts. PeopleSoft has been successful enough to use profits to acquire and merge with other companies and partners (Seget, 2004, p. 80). Other measures include SWOT analysis, gap analysis, and profitability index and churn rates to determine if the objective has been met. Evaluations and customer surveys must be ongoing to allow management to adjust and change their focus as customer behavior and trends change. Conclusion Classic Airlines like most industries are embarking on a fairly new concept, the CRM. Although CRM is a computer based software that provides integrated on demand information for customers, physicians, vendors and ther stakeholders, the system is only as useful if designed around the customer’s needs, wants and expectations. According to Seget (2004), the aCRM model uses analytical models and databases to integrate information that will enhance the customer desire for functionality as well as provide time sensitive information for prompt decision making by pharmacis ts, managers and others that rely on the CRM processes. While Classic Airlines is in its infancy, CEO Amanda Miller must present a project analysis and project feasibility before undertaking the new aCRM product development (Kerin, 2006). According to Kerin (2006) environment scanning and must be conducted not only on its customers but on its competitors as well. Marketing target segmentation, internal marketing, aCRM initiatives, customer surveys and customer audit all work together in reaching an overall business strategy, satisfying the needs of the customer. Classis needs to reduce costs, maximize ROI, match union pay with the industry and restructure the organization with a product-centric and customer-centric focus. Achieving US and globalization as a benchmarking organization stems from an aggressive and proactive marketing program that will operate through an updated CRM system and a future aCRM system that is designed to compensate future environmental changes and thus customer changing needs. An effective marketing program will benefit the customer and stakeholders by assessing the needs of the customer and satisfying those needs (Kerin, 2006, p. 5). Classic must remain competitive by promoting value for all vendors, supply chain and stakeholders. To measure the effectiveness of the aCRM project and current CRM and marketing program must use customer surveys, profitability index and customer audits to determine if the objectives of CRM and marketing strat4egies are being met. Measurements must be conducted on a continual basis to allow management to make adjustments and decisions to align the CRM with the business overall business strategies. References Alaska Airlines. (2008). Retrieved November 26, 2008 from the Web site: http://www. Alaskaair. com/ Band, J. (2003). The CRM Outlook: Maturing to the next level. Computer Wire. Retrieved November 9, 2008 from the University of Phoenix Library Business Insights Technology Web site: http://www. globalbusinessinsights. com. exproxy. |Global airlines face daunting challenges- more mergers and partnerships? (2008). Retrieved November 25,2008 from the University of | |Phoenix, Plunkett Research database. | |Kerin, R. A. , et. al. (2006). Marketing, 8e. Customer relationship and value through marketing. | |New York: McGraw- Hill. | |Klenke, M. , Reynolds, P. , Trickey, P. (2003). Leveraging Customer Relationships, 1e. Tactics to leverage customer relationship. Leyh | |Publishing Company. | Seget, S. (2004). The Pharmaceutical CRM Outlook. Optimizing returns from operational and analytical crm. Retrieved November 5, 2008 from the University of Phoenix Library Business Insights database. University of Phoenix. (2008). Automating a Support System. Retrieved November 16, 2008, from the University of Phoenix, resource, Simulation. MBA570-Sustainable Customer Relationships Course Web site. University of Phoenix. (2008). Classic Airlines, Scenario Two. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from the University of Phoenix, resource, Scenario. MBA570-Sustainable Customer Relationships Course Web site. Walt Disney. (2008). Retrieved November 26,2008 from the Website: http;//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Walt Disney Table 1 Issues and Opportunities Identification | | | | | |Concept |Application of Concept in Scenario |Reference to Specific |Personal Experience at your| | |or Simulation |Course Concept Organization | | | |(Include citation) | | | | | | | |Classic Airlines has a lack of|To develop value added channels of |â€Å"Just as important is the communication |As a newly hired sheriff | |stakeholder alignment that |communication aligning key |between and within levels. Gone are the days |deputy, jail division I had| |will hinder their ability to |stakeholders under a common vision. |when departments could stand as silos, |grew so fast and the funds | |implement new products and |This is an opportunity to increase |isolated from the rest of the organization by |to run the new facility had| |services/solutions. |organizational comprehension and |impenetrable barriers. Intra-national and |ran over its budget. Rumors| | |employee involvement that results |international competition is now so fierce |were running rampant | | |in the garnering of trust and |that everyone (stakeholders) in the |throughout the organization| | |loyalty among stakeholders. |organization needs to collaborate closely on |that resulted in low | | | |solving organizational challenges and on |morale. The problem for the| | | |achieving agreed strategic objectives. † |Sheriff department was that| | | |(Wyatt,2008,para. 9) |they noticed a rise in | | | | |officer and inmate | | | | |conflicts. The officer’s | | | | |union began to disseminate | | | | |information via brochures, | | | | |newsletters and roll call | | | | |meetings. |Classic Airlines lacks |Classic Airlines has an opportunity|Classic Airlines can select a marketing |My company focuses on brand| |marketing mix and environment |to conduct a marketing mix to focus|strategy such as, best price, best service or |electronics and brand | |scanning strategies to |on the price, product, promotion |best product from conducting a marketing mix |appliances at the â€Å"best | |identify the internal and |and place. These are controllable |and environmental scanning. â€Å"Four elements in |price†. They also offer a | |external factors that will |factors. Environmental scanning are|a marketing program designed to satisfy |price match. Environmental | |meet customers changing needs |uncontrollable factors such as |customer needs are product, price, promotion, |scanning is conducted by | |and improve customer |social, economic, technological, |and place. Kerin,et. al,2006,para. 3) These five|physically going to each | |satisfaction. |competitive and regulatory factors |forces environmental)may serve as accelerators|competitor store and | | |that will impact CA’s overall |or brakes on marketing sometimes expanding or |retrieving information. | | |marketing strategies. |restricting. (Kerin,2006,p. 1) | | |Classic Airlines lacks |Classic Airlines has an opportunity|â€Å"If the objective is to increase customer |As a rehabilitation case | |measurable methods to |to develop and implemen t risk |loyalty, then measurement of churn rate |management, ongoing surveys| |determine if their aCRM, |analysis, gap analysis, and SWOT |(profitability index)and customer satisfaction|and targeted objectives and| |marketing segments, and |analysis and churn rate analysis |will be key in determining how well objectives|compares it to the achieved| |customer surveys to determine |and profitability index to |is being met†(Klenke,2003,para. ) |targets were completed by | |is their overall business |determine if the objectives of | |an automated computer case | |strategies are effective. |loyal customers focus are | |management program. | | |successful. | | | Table 2 Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas | |Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas | | | | | |Stakeholder Groups with Competing | | | |Values |The Interests, Rights, and |Course Concept | | |Values of Each Group | | |List: Group X | | | |versus Group Y | | | |CEO Amanda Miller and CFO Catherine|Inter ests include credibility on Wall Street, |â€Å"The American Marketing Association, representing | |Simpson vs. senior management team |stock prices and the media. Values remaining as a |marketing professionals, states that ‘marketing is an | | |viable competitor in the industry. Interests |organizational function and a set of processes for | | |include â€Å"operational excellence† and â€Å"driven by |creating, communicating, and delivering value to | | |numbers† Failing to look to the exchange and |customers and for managing customer relationships in | | |communications will not develop a marketing |ways that benefit the organization and its | | |program to include stakeholders and meet customer |stakeholders. †(Kerin,et. al,2006,p. 12 | | |needs. | |CMO Kevin Boyle, Senior VP of |Interests include the CRM program, â€Å"voice of the |The hallmark of developing and maintaining effective | |Customer Service Renee Epson Senior|customers† employee wage obligations, shareholders|customer relationships is today called relationship | |VP of General Counsel Ben Sutcliffe|and marketing and customer services functions. The|marketing, linking the organization to its individual | |and Senior VP of Human Resources |conflict is that there ne eds to be a decision |customers, employees, suppliers, and other partners for| |vs. CEO Miller and CFO Simpson |making process that includes all stakeholders. |their mutual long-term | | | |benefits. †(Kerin,et. al. ,2006,p. 5) | |Classic Airlines vs. Vendors, |Communities, media and competitors and other |â€Å"The process of (marketing) segmenting a market and | |Distributors, Suppliers, Contact |stakeholders expect that Classic Airlines |selecting specific segments as targets is the link | |Centers, Communities, Media, |management maintain accountability and social |between the various buyers' needs and the | |Competitors, Investors. |responsibility in the new product development via |organization's marketing | | |a market segmentation to meet customer needs. |program†(Kerin,2006,et. al,2006,p. | Table 3Analysis of Alternative Solutions[pic] Table 4 Risk Assessment and Mitigation |Risk Assessment and Mitigation | |Alternative |Risks and Probability |Consequence and Severity |Mitigation Techniques and Strategies | |Engaging stakeholders at all |Organizational resistance. |; Clash between middle management |Establish company culture that values | |levels of the new aCRM product |Increase costs |and employees. |employees a nd stakeholders. | |development. Delay in time projections |;Clash between different |Align marketing goals of aCRM with | | | |divisions. |overall business strategy. | | | | |Establish clear objectives, business | | | | |goals and mission statements. | |Business Alliance with Zurich |Organizational resistance. | ;Clash between external and |Establish company culture that values | |Airlines |Increase costs |internal teams |customers and products. | |Delay in time projections. |; Loss of skilled management and |Communicate, model and lead by example | | | |employees |from CEO, board and senior management. | | | |;Evaluation of team may result in |Establish clear objectives, business | | | |more costs to finance new aCRM |goals and mission statements. | | | |project. | | | | | | | | | | | |Environmental scanning and |Costly |;Research may find that current |Project scope and aCRM portfolio | |marketing-mix research and |Timely |aCRM product is not profitable. |Marketing-mix portfolio. | |profitability index, |More workforce | | | Table 5 Pros and Cons of Alternative Solutions |Alternative |Pros |Cons | |Engaging stakeholders in all levels of the new |Increase employee motivation and morale. Employees may feel over tasked vie new product,| |aCRM product development. |Increase productivity. |training new skills and training new hires. | | |Improve customer services |Increase resistance from some employees. | | | |Deliverables of goals require more time | |Develop business alliances with Zurich Airlines|Add to customer value and increase customer |Increase employee resistance. | |and form other partnerships to remain |benefits. |Time consuming. | |competitive. |Speed up production. Increase costs | | |May reduce overall cost |Organizational resistance | | | |Employees may see | | | |Jobs as being threatened | | | | | | | | | |Environmental scanning, marketing-mix research |May speed up production and implementation |Time consuming. | |and developing ongoing custome r audits, |Aid in developing an overall software synergy |Increase costs. | |profitability indexes to measure overall |fit. |Delay overall time projections. | |effectiveness of the aCRM. |Increase profitability ratios, and return on | | | |investment(ROI) ratios, | | Table 6 Optimal Solution Implementation Plan Action Item Deliverable |Timeline |Who is Responsible | |Initiate a CRM project feasibility, forecasting and | |CEO, Board of Directors and Senior | |marketing-mix before developing and implementing new|4 weeks |Management Team, Financial Manager | |CRM product. | | | | Align new aCRM product objectives with overall | 4 weeks |CEO, Board of Directors and Senior | |business objectives and provide update for current | |Management Team, Project Leadership Team| |CRM. | | |Analyze a profitability analysis, return on | 4 weeks |CEO, Board of Directors, Senior | |investments (ROI) and market ratios to determine | |Management, Marketing, research and | |competitors and competitors prices. | |development and financial manager. | |Adopt marketing-mix strategies that will retain | |CEO, Board of directors, senior team, | |customer loyalty and identify value added incentives|Ongoing |champion leaders, cross functional team | |and rewards for loyal customers. |leaders, employees and customers. | |Train, mentor and lead the employees in the adoption| |Senior management, human resource | |of the aCRM product development by providing them | |management, champion leaders, | |with the highly technical skills, self- paced |20 weeks |cross-functional team leaders and | |training, | |technical skilled leaders, | |e-performance evaluation. | | |Attention to increase funding and workforce addition| |Senior managers, cross-functional team | |to the product support, administrative support, call|24 weeks |leaders, technical skilled leaders, call| |centers, e-business websites for customers and other| |center leaders, information technology | |product development customer enha ncement support | |leaders and customer support leaders. | |systems. | | |Hiring new employees and training them with the | |Middle managers, team leaders, human | |needed KSA’s to provide excellent customer service. |24 weeks |resource manager and management team. | |Business alliances with Zurich Airlines and other | 48 weeks |CEO, Board of Directors and Senior | |business partners. | |Management Team, Financial Manager | |Conduct SWOT analysis, profitability index. | Quarterly/Annually |Team leaders and senior leaders. | Table 7 Evaluation of Results |End-State Goals |Metrics |Target | |Forecasting and marketing-mix will identify |Forecasting results from social economic and |Business customers and regular customers | |market synergies that will keep Classic |technical factors as well as market-mix results| | |Airlines a viable competitor and ahead in the |to identify trends and future trend of | | |CRM market industry. |consumers buying behaviors. | |Classic Airlines will adopt business |Using benchmarking examples from Microsoft, |Target is benchmarking and best practices CRM | |intelligence and align with business partners |PeopleSoft and other leading aCRM and eCRM |service providers. | |to enhance its new CRM product. |service providers, Classic will adopt the | | | |synergy fit for its CRM. | | |Classic Airlines will provide employees with |Providing skills assessments, skills training |Target is employees and stakeholders involve in| |the high technology skills to face a fast |and career advancement, Classic will retain and|customer relations and customer contact. | |changing technical environment. attract those with the technical skills to | | | |remain a viable contender in the CRM industry. | | |Classis Airlines will enhance the functionality|Providing internet and on line information so |Classic Airlines frequent flyer program, | |of the aCRM new product development by adopting|that feedback, information, and decision making|business customers, regular customers and | |personalized websites, target marketing via |can be conducted with more available |potential customers. | |e-business, customer email and other channels |information and time sensitive data. | |to market and sustain customer relations. | | | |Conduct SWOT analysis, profitability index and |Accomplished via multi-channeling, e-marketing,|All stakeholders | |customer surveys to measure the effectiveness |e-commerce and other web bases to measure and | | |of the CRM. |evaluate | | | |Customer loyalty retention. | |