Policing in the United States Essay

Does homeland security issues influence the way police enforce the law? Please give an example. I agree with the statement that homeland security issues do influence the way the police enforce the law. My reasons for doing so will make most people agree with me. If a country is very strict about its homeland security issues example the United States after the 9/11 attacks, the police will have a more autocratic role to play. In contrast to this, a country which is seemingly lax about its security issues such as India (where policemen are not equipped with weapons but with sticks to deal with any anomaly in the law and order situation) or even the United States before the September 11 attacks, will see the police play more of a peace keeping role than a reformatory and punishing one. If the country is at high risks from terrorists, policemen will be influenced such that they will be more stringent in their duty performance, will check every suspicious person or suspicious looking immigrant etc. similarly, if the country is at risk from bomb threats or hijacking threats, the policemen will be more then strict in the performance of their duties. So the circumstances of a country do affect police enforcement of the law. An apt example over here (if an example of a country other then the US can be given) can be given of Pakistan and the emergency it imposed in November 2007. The police were given sweeping powers such that they could arrest people without proper investigation all in the name of maintaining proper law and order in the country (Thomas , 2006). Does Policing in the United States presents a dilemma between the rights of the individual and the need to maintain public order? Please explain and give an example. To this question, my answer would also be yes. I would say this is mainly because of the September 11 attacks and the big affect it has had on our country’s security. On one hand, the United States condones the rights of individuals and declares human beings’ sanctity to be above that of the Higher Being. But on the other hand, its law enforcement methods, particularly in regards to immigrants, especially Muslims, leave a lot to be desired. If the Human Rights act gives everyone permission to freely practice their religions, then this country has no right to subject certain people to greater suspicion only on the basis of their religion (Anthony, 2001). Similarly, the rights of an individual grant him the freedom to live his life as he seems fit. At the same time, police often interrupt bar room brawls and arrest drunkards. So this is not following the human rights act to its letter. An example of this conflict between the rights of individuals and the need to maintain public law and order is of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp on the shore of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Rights of individuals are abused there such as keeping them in indefinite detention, torture, beatings, locking in confined cells and sleep deprivation. But the United States government under George Bush argued that such measures were necessary if the American Public was to sleep safe at night as the men were all dangerous terrorists and criminals. Now President Obama has ordered the detention camp to be closed but it is still an apt example when discussing the above statement. Q3: How does the era of Homeland security affect community policing? Please explain and give an example. Community policing involves expansion of police functions and no longer a stress on traditional police duties. It proposes big changes in the way things have always been done including organizational change, liaison with external sources to solve problems and a more proactive approach to solving problems. It deals in many different areas such as school safety where it recommends assigning police officers to schools and educating teenagers on the danger of possessing firearms to police integrity which targeted trust between the community and the police. It was a relatively adequate policy until the disastrous September 11, 2001 attacks where the police were forced to rethink their strategy. They started concentrating more on pressing security concerns and terror attacks and suddenly this Community Policing system was termed inadequate (Wesley , 2003). I disagree with this current policy because in my opinion, Community Policing was a very balanced approach, where service provision, crime control and order maintenance were given equal weight age. It is followed now to a lesser extent because policemen are now too busy addressing security concerns to concern themselves with building a healthy relationship with the community. But seeing the benefits of this method, the country has started adopting it in its spirit again such as the number of people being employed by the US Police Department is steadily increasing over the years. References Book Thomas, F. A. (2006). Police Field Operations. Prentice Hall. Anthony, M. (2001). Public Order and Law . Boydell Press. Wesley, G. S. (2003). Community Policing. Wadsworth Publishing.

Illuminating the Illusion Essay

Jay Chiat, and expert in the advertising field, looked at advertising differently than those in the advertising business today. He launched the Energizer Bunny and Apple commercials. Not only that, he started a new age of advertising during the Super Bowl. Chiat was an amazing advertiser; however, he reached a point in 1997 where he desired to leave the marketing industry. He no longer agreed with the ideals of the advertising world. In Chiat’s essay, â€Å"Illusions are Forever,† he uncovers the true ideals of the marketing industry. His essay discusses how the lies in advertising â€Å"lie in the situations, values, beliefs, and cultural norms used to sell a message.†(212) Through this essay, Chiat uses strong, vivacious words to create an image of the true face of advertising. In the same manner, he includes examples and descriptions that embellish that image and grab the attention of the reader. Amidst all of this, Chiat composes his essay in a manner that allows for a clear, insightful message to come across. Chiat is indeed bitter of advertising, but that does not affect his message. He remains conversational throughout the course of the essay. The technique that Chiat uses throughout his writing is superb, and he does an excellent job of getting his message across. Chiat uses strong, vivid word choice throughout his essay to give his readers a precise image of the schemes used by today’s advertisers. Chiat’s words â€Å"unrelenting†(213) and â€Å"24-hour-a-day drumbeat†(213) allow his readers to imagine how advertisers are constantly hammering their ideas into the heads of the viewers. Words such as â€Å"robs us†(213) allow Chiat to make the point that advertisers rob Americans of their view of life, replacing it instead with an â€Å"illusion†. Chiat also uses â€Å"seductive†(214) to give his readers a further understanding of what advertisers are seeking. Chiat is using words such as â€Å"seductive†(214) to enlighten consumers to the idea that advertisers twist their lies in a fashion that is seemingly pleasing to the eyes but is still made up of lies. Chiat’s words are critical of advertisers and how they do not truly care about their consumer. Chiat, nonetheless, does not blind his reader to the essay’s purpose by getting lost in the emotional rhetoric. Chiat’s writing is filled with informative and detailed rhetorical modes that greatly add to the impact of his argument. Unlike many writers who seem to get lost in their descriptions of a topic, Chiat includes examples, definitions and descriptions while still shining light upon the advertising backdrop. One instance of this occurs when Chiat uses the example of the wedding ring from DeBaers, Chiat uses this example to help the readers visualize how the advertisers seek to infiltrate the minds of their consumers. Following this example, Chiat then defines â€Å"unmediated†(213) as â€Å"without media†(213). Chiat defines â€Å"unmediated†(213), a word that most take lightly, in an effort to give his readers a clear understanding of the strategies used by advertisers. A few paragraphs later, Chiat proceeds to describe internet advertising. Chiat gives a clear image to his readers on how internet advertisers drag adults in with their â€Å"authoritative-looking†(213) websites. Chiat’s placement of these examples, definitions and descriptions is excellent. He places them in positions that not only increase the flow of the writing but also pique the interests of his readers. Adding the rhetorical modes previously mentioned is very important for writers such as Chiat because there are points in writing where the pace of the writing dies down. Chiat places these modes in marvelous positions that keep up the pace of the article as it moves along. Along with descriptive words and examples, organization of ideas is also critical when writing an essay, and Chiat’s layout of paragraphs is very logical, and in turn deductive, in other words, the reasoning follows the thesis. Chiat opens up his essay with a bit of background on advertising in order to strengthen the thesis that follows. His thesis is clear and to the point. Because his thesis is mentioned in the beginning of the essay, and the reasoning behind his essay follows in each of the body paragraphs, Chiat’s essay follows this deductive style. Chiat then uses this combination to capture the reader’s attention and make them want to read more with each following paragraph. Chiat pulls the reader along not only with his strong words but also by arranging his ideas in a fashion that allows for a constant pace. In the same manner, each of the points that Chiat makes relates back to the thesis. The readers are not led up to an  apparent climax only to find another exposition; Chiat’s points are clear and flow beautifully. He includes good transitions that allow the writing to have the feel of a constant flow and not have abrupt stops in the middle of the writing where a change in direction occurs. Chiat has a great understanding of how to organize his thoughts, and he demonstrates that in his writing. Besides simply writing in a way that is pleasing to the eyes, Chiat also keeps a good tone throughout the course of the writing. This allows him to keep his readers from turning to other writings. The tone throughout his essay is bitter, but Chiat remains conversational at the same time. The descriptions of the different advertisers are definitely negative; Chiat makes it clear that he does not agree with advertisers. In the concluding paragraph of his essay, Chiat challenges us to find our own personal truth rather than the apparitional truth presented to us by advertisers. In a similar manner, Chiat says in his final paragraph that people should ignore the vision of life offered by advertisers. Amidst all of this negativity, Chiat’s writing maintains a conversational feel. Chiat involves his readers directly by asking them questions, having them imagine images, etc†¦ Chiat may have held a bitter tone over the course of the essay, and though in many cases writers using a bitter tone in their writing drive away their readers with their immense negativity, Chiat does not overpower his readers with his negative thoughts and descriptions. In fact, Chiat’s calm yet bitter tone allows his readers to better embrace his feelings. Chiat uses strong word choice and rhetorical modes, clear organization, and an inviting tone to strengthen his essay on the schemes behind advertising. These different components throughout his essay enable his readers to gain a broad understanding of Chiat’s different poins and the lies surrounding them every day. Chiat uses his great understanding of these different devices to uphold a steady pace and a smooth flow. Chiat’s â€Å"Illusions are Forever† is a well spoken essay. It captures the interests of its readers, it is very informative, and it is a very relaxed read for a negative view of advertising.

Martin Luther and Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Martin Luther and Malcolm X - Essay Example However, their similarities emanated from the communities and societies that they lived in and conditions that the societies faced. In light of this, Malcolm X was self-taught meaning that he was from an underprivileged society as opposed to Martin Luther who came from a middle class home and was well educated. From this, the differences arise in both opinion and beliefs towards the civil rights movement. As a result, it is the goal of this essay to compare and contrast the views of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X on the civil-rights movement, which they led in the 20th century. Racially, Malcolm X’s views were because of first hand experiences from the treatment he received and experienced in his life, following the death of his father, who was murdered when Malcolm was young. His family was also tormented by the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group, which means that Malcolm’s views expressed his direct opinion on the issues that the black community in America faced (Spartacus Educational, n.d). This is as opposed to Martin Luther, who was from a relatively well-off family, and community, which means that his opinions were only those that the society around him faced, rather than his own since he lived a sheltered life in learning and religious institutions. In light of the events that Malcolm X went through, his opinions in fighting the rights of black Americans were aimed at restoring human dignity to the lack society due to racial discrimination that he and members of his community faced. This translates to Malcolm X calling for the reco gnition of blacks as being human and as part of the American society and world at large. On the other hand, Martin Luther in the civil rights movement advocated for integration of the black community into the white dominated society (DeYoung, 2008). This is because; Martin Luther was raised and lived in a community that had blacks and whites integrated, which means, to him, that blacks were not dehumanized as was the case of Malcolm X. In addition, Malcolm X held a strong policy of fighting against all forms of discrimination against blacks. This included going against his seniors in violating a non-engagement policy with all that opposed the fight for black rights and freedom. In this light, he called for the achievement of black rights and freedoms through any means necessary that included violence for the good of the black society in America (Carson, 2005). This was the case due to his religious affiliations that the blacks in the country held little respect for due to the dispar ity between their claims and actions. Malcolm’s religion talked tough against all forms of racial discrimination; moreover, it was backed by little action, if any, to end the era of discrimination, and racial injustice. The above is as opposed to the principles that Martin Luther applied in his appeal for equal rights for both blacks and whites in the movement for civil rights. Martin Luther called for peaceful demonstration in demanding equal rights for both blacks and whites with a policy against non-engagement with the authorities who opposed equality and were pro-discrimination (Lemke, 2008). For this reason, the followers of Martin Luther did not have to be scared, as that which they called for was their right by right of the oppression that they had gone through for a long time. Instead, his resistance was in the form of noncooperation and civil disobedience, which was aimed at the public and the government in order to secure compliance with their demands. There were al so religious differences in opinion relating to the civil rights movement. In this regard, Malcolm X following his Muslim religious affiliation led the movement for black empowerment. It is from this that Malcolm used his religion as a

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 29

Personal Statement - Essay Example Currently, Im a student at the Sheffield International College studying Business Law and social science foundation degree, in order to progress and enter the university to complete my undergraduate course in Law. It is my involvement with Law studies throughout the years, which has persuaded me to take up LLB for my undergraduate program. I am glad to mention that, during the end of my second year studies, when I was choosing the module for my final year, I got interested in Intellectual property studies. Moreover, my habit of reading newspapers and watching news channels has assisted me in knowing the global affairs and this, in turn, persuaded me to follow intellectual property studies. In his book, Macmillan (2008, pg.1) wrote: â€Å"A news paper tells about local and world news. It is also full of data and data is information†. The study on Intellectual property is a renowned one in today’s world and it is an essential study program for the current business world. Apart from my studies, I am proud to reveal that I have interned at two law firms in Oman and the UK. The first law firm was a leading one owned by Al Busaidi Mansoor Jamal and the second one was SNR Dentons in th e UK. I firmly believe that I am a right candidate to pursue Law studies, as I really have an eye for detail and also enjoy working on projects and assignments which are related to the current social issue of the today’s world. I am confident that my skill in handling evidence, debating and conducting arguments will enable be to successfully complete my law studies. I am ambitious and my confidence in my abilities will give me needed recognition in the selected field of work. As per Papadopoulou (2010), â€Å"being ambitious enables you to set goals in your career. You are not satisfied with simply doing what is asked of you. You are constantly on the lookout for

The last financial crisis 2007-2009 has many implication on different Term Paper

The last financial crisis 2007-2009 has many implication on different markets , however there are some arguments that the gulf a - Term Paper Example Granting of loans in an uncontrolled manner, which resulted in the value of the loan exceeding that of the assets, was the root of the problem. These loans were provided to the borrowers without conducting a minimum check on their credit-worthiness. The result was that many of the borrowers failed to pay their loans back, which clearly reflected the financial status of the institutions and their inability to pay their obligations, thereby resulting into collapse. This paper investigates the severity of the impact on the GCC market. In this context, the financial market of the GCC countries has been considered along with special attention towards Qatar. The study revealed that the severity of the impact was not as huge as compared to the rest of the world. This can be due to the fact that the policy makers of GCC countries took ardent steps to mitigate the risk. Moreover, the Qatari economy did not get much affected and the banks were declared solvent in that time. However, the real e state business was seen to experience huge hit by the credit crunch. 1. Introduction In the year 2008 and 2009, the global economy was rocked by the financial crisis which was considered as the most devastating economic event, after the Great Depression in 1930s. The aftermath of this global crisis was felt in every part of the world. The global crisis was initiated by the low interest rate regime along with huge inflow of foreign funds that led to the housing construction boom and encouraged large consumption of debt-financing in USA. The Federal Government of United States made it possible for almost everyone to own a home by giving 1 percent rate on the mortgages. The loans that included the mortgages were given to almost everybody without checking the credit worthiness of the borrowers (Sivakumar and Krishnaswami, 2012). With the decline in the housing prices, the major financial institutions, which were involved in borrowing for investing in the subprime MBS, had reported signi ficant loss. This decrease in the price also resulted in a fall in the prices of the homes that worth less than the mortgage loans, which incentivised financially the entry towards the foreclosure. Towards the end of 2008, the crisis peaked. Several banks and other financial institutions of Europe and USA failed as a result of this crisis and governments were trying hard to save these institutions by bailing them out (Kasekende, Ndikumana and Rajhi, 2009; Anon., 2009). The crisis started propagating beyond its epicentre, thereby affecting not only the advanced economy, but also the emerging economies and the rich Arab GCC countries. This paper aims to analyse the degree of impact on the GCC countries. In this context, the paper will specially analyse the situation in Qatar and other GCC countries. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Evolvement and Concept of Global Financial Crisis The term financial crisis refers to the sudden reduction in the price of the assets, which can be financial, such as, bonds and shares and can even be materials like, equipments and machinery. This sudden reduction can result from the price bubble which indicates an abrupt and huge increase in the prices ending in a sudden collapse. Moreover, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the giant financial institu

Reservation Blues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reservation Blues - Essay Example The two sisters were with the band in their trip to New York City for a record deal and they probably used them to gain the attention of the music producers due to their beautiful looks, especially Checkers. It should also be noted that, Chess became the girlfriend of Thomas in the Reservation Blues and she later played a more active role in the group by playing as a lead singer. The two sisters were also good on the keyboard and they helped the group in playing this instrument. Chess tried to motivate Thomas on the growth of the band as she reminded Thomas of his real aim of forming the rock band, which was ultimately to become famous. Chess was more like a motivating factor as she tried all that was within her power to spur the band to success. The group was yearning for success and this was evident in one of Thomas’ statement when he said that he heard voices.   He said that he wants strangers to appreciate him and become popular, even amongst people that were not of the same race as him.   Thomas’ statement shows that, he Being the only female Indian members in the group, Chess and Checkers were used as instruments to attract men and make people appreciate their band the more and this was evident from this statement, â€Å"Both would attract men, I think. Sort of that exotic animalistic thing.† (Alexie 190). This shows the relevance of Chess and Checkers to the group as they were used to attract the attention of men to their group. An impact that is worthy of commendation that Chess and Checkers had in the Reservation Blues was that, they helped the rock band to deal with the stereotype problems they were faced with. Being an all-Indian group, the Coyote Springs faced the problems of being accepted by people due to their Native American race, it was Chess and Checkers that spoke against the stereotypes that affected the group. The sisters

Strategic Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Strategic Managment - Essay Example Lack of a specific strategy is a "surefire ticket for organizational drift, competitive mediocrity, internal wheel-spinning, and lackluster results (Thomson 2002)." Second, Thomson argues that business entities need to devise and implement strategies, as the efforts of all the functional areas in the company should be molded into a "coordinated, compatible whole." A comprehensive strategy takes all the business units into account making each action mutually supportive. Without a well-laid out strategic plan, there will be no basis for uniting the efforts of all the functional areas, no clear direction on the business decisions and plans that the business takes, and no conscious business model for profit generation. Strategic management is therefore one of the most crucial areas in management. Coming up with a specific strategy, which will be the basis of company's actions, processes and decisions is a must. A well-crafted strategy is indispensable to the company's long-term success. It is therefore important that a business entity comes up with a unique strategy tailored for the achievement of its goals and objectives. Devising a purposeful and efficient strategy is a tedious task and managers should be armed with different techniques in diagnosing the company in order to prescribe the "right" strategy. Different models are employed to aid managers in this strategy making process. This paper will look at the two models, which are typically employed by managers in order to ascertain the needed strategy for the company namely, value chain and SWOT analysis. In order to fully look at the strengths and limitations of these models, they will be utilized to assess the performance of Dell Incorporated, one of the leading computer manufacturers and distributors. I. COMPANY PROFILE: DELL, INCORPORATED Michael Dell, who is also regarded as the computer industry's longest tenured chief executive officer, founded Dell Computer Corporation in 1984. Later in 2003, the company changed its name to Dell, Incorporated. The company is one of the most famous manufacturers of computer worldwide, which caters to the needs of individual and corporate clients with a very unique business concept (About Dell 2004). Dell Incorporated is headquartered in Rock Round, Texas. Dell, Inc. and its subsidiaries are actively involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and support of a range of computer systems and services worldwide. The main business activity of Dell is in the provision of products and services to customers, which enables them to establish their information technology and Internet infrastructures. Dell offers a wide array of products and services to its clients. The company's broad product line incorporates enterprise systems which includes servers, storage, workstations, and networking products; client systems, such as notebook and desktop computer systems; printing and imaging systems; and software and peripherals, including titles, monitors, plasma and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) televisions, MP3 players, handhelds, and notebook accessories (Dell Inc. 2005). Aside from these products, Dell also offers a wide range of services, including information techn

Government vs. Private Sector Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Government vs. Private Sector - Coursework Example This set of practices, including double-entry accounting formula, is used in ensuring that uniformity and financial accuracy is achieved. According to Gauthier (2010), these methods can also be used in the public sector, but there is room for deviation to other methods in some cases such as during budgeting (Gauthier, 2010). The application of accrual and cash accounting and budgeting basis is a great divide between the private and the public sector, with the private sector employing accrual accounting, while the public sector employing cash accounting and budgeting (Finkler, 2010). However, there is a constant development of bridging between the two approaches by most governments, with the view of attaining better financial information. The context of public and private sector finance and accounting management also differs in such a way that the private sector has more autonomy to make any financial and accounting decisions in order to achieve what ought to be achieved (Finkler, 2010). On the other hand, the public sector financial and accounting is limited to rules and regulations that limit their reach in terms of incorporating practice to have ends meet. For instance, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 20 restricts state and local governments to using private sector standards that were only issued prior to November 30, 1989, consistent with GASB guidance (Gauthier,

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 3

Business Ethics - Essay Example This protest has highlighted the fact that there is a lack of established ethical concepts in the company. Companies, which do not follow the concepts of business ethics and moral values, lack a congenial working atmosphere. The Utilitarianism theory was evolved by Jeremy Bentham and it suggested that a movement should focus on a right action which is for the benefits of the mass people. The protests against the Hyatt hotel were influenced by the Utilitarianism concept. The poor working conditions of Hyatt hotel as highlighted by the workers depict that satisfaction of employees should be the topmost priority of an organization. Ethical Dilemma The Hyatt Hurts Controversy Reports of conflict between the management of Hyatt hotel and the workers of the staff had been reported in the year 2008 (Roff, 2013). The labour contract between hotel Hyatt and the workers of the hotel had expired and the management was supposed to negotiate certain elements of the contract which included wages, benefits, right to organize and workload. However, it refused to negotiate with the terms and conditions and fired most of its housekeeping staff members with temporary staff being recruited from an agency. Majority of the housekeeping staff were working in the company since ten to fifteen years (Roff, 2013). The reason behind this sudden move was to reduce the administrative costs of the hotel due to inflation pressures. This angered the common people, employees of the organization and even certain government bodies and labour unions like UniteHere. The organization UniteHere went on a global boycott against Hyatt hotels to encourage consumers around the world not to visit the Hyatt hotels. The city of Indianapolis passed an ordinance act in July 2011 Hyatt and several other hotels to prohibit unethical practices within the company (Roff, 2013). Stakeholder’s Viewpoint The conflicts and controversies irked the stakeholders. The reputation of the company was hanging by a thre ad. From a Financial management perspective, stakeholders determine the company’s reputation from the ability of its managers to adapt with the changing environment. This is because a company which is socially responsible has lower perceived risk from an economics point of view (Dimitriou, et al., 2011). The hotel had received the ‘worst employer’ award from UniteHere in 2011 and even organizational bodies like Nation Football League and National Organization of women joined hands together to protest against the hotel (Stangler, 2013). In June 2009, four hundred workers of Hyatt Regency, San Francisco left the company to revolt against the unethical conducts being practised in the hotel (Stangler, 2013). These reports had affected the stakeholders badly. The managers of the Hyatt retaliated by publishing an article in the Washington Post in the year 2011 claiming that the allegations against the hotel were completely false and the hotel provided the best work inc entives and benefits to workers. The vice president of the Human Resource department of Hyatt, Mr. Doug Patrick stated in a press conference that the workers were protesting against the hotel because they wanted to create a union membership in the hotel (Stangler, 2013). The managers of hotel Hyatt had become adamant and refused to apologize. Ethical Issues There is no standardized definition of business

Kant Metaphysical Exposition of Space Essay Example for Free

Kant Metaphysical Exposition of Space Essay Kant: Explain and asses what you think to be the best argument Kant gives as his Metaphysical Exposition of Space (B37-40) that space cannot be either and actual entity (Newtonian concept) or any independent relation among real things (Leibnizian concepti be on). In other words, is he successful in arguing that space must be (at least) a form of intuition? Do any of his arguments further show that space must be ONLY a form of intuition and not ALSO something Newtonian or Leibnizian? In his Metaphysical Exposition of Space, Kant attempts to show that the experience of space is just a form of intuition. Kant defines space as that of which we sense out side of us, in comparison to our mind, which is our inner sense. This outer sense of space, he claims, is known only to us because we have a intuitive sense of there being space in the first place. Kant asserts this argument in direct response to two other claims about the nature of space. The Newtonian concept of space holds that space is an entity existing in its own right, with objects merely being in it. The Leibnizian concept of space however holds the opposite, space doesnt really exist and is just a relation created between existing objects. Kant believes both concepts are wrong and claims that to first know about objects in space, we must have some deeper knowledge of space to put them in space. He further tries to claim that space is only a form of intuition and not just the foundation to support either of the other two concepts. Kant presents some strong points showing the faults in the other concepts and provides a reason alternative to what makes the nature of space. However his concept too, that space is known only through intuition, also isnt as strong as it should be. It appears that space may be known through intuition from an individual perspective, but on closer investigation, taking in all forms of life and evolution, where did this pre wired intuition of space have its start? Kants concept of space seems to be well grounded in some areas and not in others. Kants definition of space helps him prove that the concept of space is a form of intuition. Space, he holds, is everything that is sensed outside of us. The mind is the inner sense and everything else is in space. We then represent objects in that space, where they are interpreted as having shape, magnitude and relationships to other objects in space. But then what is this space, Kant questions? Not satisfied with the current theories of the nature of time, Kant moves to show their faults through a set of arguments. The Newtonian concept of space claims that space exists as an entity in its own right. This concept is the most user friendly, and it is similar to the common sense view that most people grow up with. That is, we experience objects around us as exist in a void of space, where that void itself can exist on its own. Objects exist in this space, which is an infinite entity. The theory claims that through our sense, sight, touch extra, we learn about the world. We learn from our senses about space and how it works. We start of in the world with no idea of space and through a trial and area type system of learning, we being to understand the nature of space and of objects in it. Space exists and we lean of its existence though life experience. Kant cannot accept the Newtonian concept of space. In his first argument, Kant claims that space is not a concept that has been drawn from our experiences. His reasoning behind this is; how can we know to put the data that we gain from our senses into a world of space if we dont know of space to begin with? That is, to know to put this sensory data into a thing called space, we must first have some idea of space. Kant does not think that it is possible to stumble across the idea of space just through trial and error. Space, he claims, must be an intuitive idea that we are born with, so we know to put the data we gain into some logical order. We cant experience space without first having some idea of it being there. We must know what we are looking for, before we can find it. Kant seems to be onto something with this argument. It does seem plausible to think that the idea of space is already programmed into our brain. For we are objects ourselves that did develop in this world. But then isnt that learning about space through experience just over a few generations. So on a longer time scale we gradually learnt how to interact with space. The intuition of space is just another characteristic that we gain from our ancestors. The species, or life, learnt about space. But this is not what Kant is trying to claim. He is claiming that it is intuition that we have always had, the entire human existence has always had. This on the biological level seems rather odd. Is it just humans that have this intuition? It doesnt seem grounded to answer this question with a yes. But then back in early beings of life, do single cell organisms also have this intuition, do they even know they exist? So Kant must mean fully developed humans, or at least fairly intelligent animals. But this still suggests that having the intuition of space is something that is developed over evolution. So in turn is something that is gain from the species evolutionary experience. It is an odd claim to say that just one day a higher level animal just suddenly experience space. Perhaps now we have some basic animal instinct of how space works, Kant does not justify how this come about. The intuition of space my have evolved, which is a from of long term experience. The Leibnizian concept claims that space is just the relationship between objects and cannot exist on its own. Unlike the Newtonian concept of space, this theory claims that space does not and could not exist without the presents of objects. Space is just an attribute of objects, without them space is not present. If there was no objects there would be no need for space and it would not be present. We see objects all around us, and in order to understand the raw data presented by our senses we dream up relationships among them which we call space. Space is not an entity in its own right, it is simple the relation between existing objects. Kant can also not accept the Leibnizian concept of space. In his second argument, Kant claims that it is possible to have space without the presents of objects. Using a thought experiment Kant tries to show that we can image an empty space, a space without objects in it. He uses the experiment as a direct attack on the Leibnizian concept that space is just an attribute of objects. Kant believes that it is possible to image empty space, free of any objects. He claims that since this is possible space must be more then just an attribute of existing objects. Kants argument here doesnt seem as strong. He just seems to state that we can imagine empty, boundless space. It seems slightly more difficult to achieve then what he makes out. At first it seems sure, we can think of empty space, but is it really empty space that we are imagining here? Maybe we can think of a void, but isnt that just the space between objects? The depths of space, are just long distances from existing objects, not empty space. It seems every time we try to think of space it is in relation to objects or boundaries. Kant tries to make the thought experiment seem simple, but on closer inspection, imagining space total separate to objects is very difficult. Space might be its own existing thing, but it is not shown through this method of reasoning. It still seems plausible that space in known by our intuition, however that intuition is just knowing to see that existing objects have the attribute, and relation to other objects, space. Kant does not strongly prove that space can exist on its own. Kant claims that space is an existing thing that we are born being aware of and nothing more. It can only be this and not a combination of intuition and the Newtonian and Leibnizian concepts of space. It cant be, for example, that space is an intuition of a simple relationship between objects, or that we intuitively need to learn of its existence through experience. Kant uses further arguments to show this. In his third argument Kant further shows that to understand space we must first have the framework set out to understand that space must exist. That is it must be known by pure intuition alone. For the Leibnizian concept to be correct, it would seem possible to think of separate spaces. That is, according to the theory, space only exists with resect to objects, or every object has its own space. It seems the concept is suggesting that there is lots of little spaces everywhere, that connect, or not connect, regarding if the objects are close or near. Kant believes that is not a very reasonable way of seeing how the world or space works. Intuitively we seem to know that there is one infinite space, that maybe divided up by objects, but is still known to be part of the one big whole of space. Kant even seems to suggest that it is impossible for our minds to imagine no space at all. Our intuition of space is so strong, our minds cannot interpret the world without it. Space cannot be intuitive and a relation between objects, Kant believes it must only be known intuitively The mind experiment Kant uses here seems much more agreeable. I does seem that we see space as one big infinite entity, in which all objects exists. The Leibnizian theory does seem to infer that there are lots of little independent spaces following the object they belong to. This seems to be a very strange way of seeing the world indeed, and one very hard to imagine. Kants argument against the Leibnizian concept is strong here, but does it prove that both space is an intuition and not at all an aspect of an object? It appears we can agree with Kant that space is not just a relation between objects, that it exists in its own right. But what is not strong is that intuition is the way we can experience and not through learning from our senses. In his forth and finally argument on the nature of space, Kant tries to show that it is not something we intuitively know to look for, but that we are already born knowing of its existence. Kant believes that it is not possible to interpret the raw data given to us by our senses into any order without first knowing to put it into space. The data would simple not make any sense. And why would just having this data spore the idea of putting into an order of space. How do we know to link that sound with that vision? Yes we learn other things about the world from experience, but this only possible by having the framework of knowing how space works in our heads to being with. All other knowledge is built on the bedrock of us knowing that things outside of us work in space. Kant claims that knowing space is through intuition alone, and through a combination of intuition and learning. Kants argument here is partly agreeable. He makes a strong point that linking to very different experience, like sight and sound, into one event, would be very difficult achieve, if at all, if they werent put into space. From a person to person basis his concept of space is quiet agreeable. If each person was to learn in their life time about how space worked, wouldnt there, by numbers, be some people they never stumble across its working, or even people taking different amounts of time to achieve this knowledge. It would seem that these people would behave very strange in the world. Babies seem to develop an idea of how space works in all about the same way and time frame. If it was up to each individual to learn, or to stumble across the truth, the world would probably be a very different place. So yes, Kant seems to be on the right track that each person is pre wire to expect a world with space, this does not however explain how and when and for what level of life this pre wiring occurred. Kants theory of intuitive space needs to be more developed. Kant finally concludes that space cant be known through trial and error, it cant be an attribute of objects, and must be known through the intuition alone. The raw data that our eyes and ears gather would be useless if our mind didnt have space to make sense of it all. But would space still exist even if it wasnt an intuition? Kant would seem to answer yes to this. So is the need to have the intuition of space to understand it just a human condition? Kants reply to this one does not seem as clear. Surely before humans there were living beings interacting in space. Did these living things need an intuition of space to survive? For humans it seems necessary that we understand the nature of space, otherwise I dont think we would be able to survive. But then if we didnt understand what our senses where telling us by putting them into the concept of space, why would we evolve senses at all? Surely we wouldnt have eyes and ears ect. If we evolved not needing or using them. So does every animal that has the same sensors as us have the same intuition of space as we do? This idea seems to be begging the question ? what came first the intuition of space, or the senses and the ability to perceive it? For one seems to be seems to be surely useless with out the other. Kants concept seems to work if we just look at a snap shot of the world functioning today, however it does not satisfy how the world got to be the way it is. Perhaps this is not goal he was wanting to achieve, but for his concept to hold these questions of evolution need to be answered. Kants claims show the faults in past concepts, however his concepts is not total solid yet either. Kant resolves some issues, but then raises some more. It seems now that we cant take for granted what we all assume that we learn about space through experience, and it seems too that space exists in its own right. Kant seems to make this clear, he does not however clearly prove that space is known by intuition alone.

Business Essays Puma Company Brand

Business Essays Puma Company Brand Puma Company Brand 1. Executive Summary Puma AG is a multinational company that is based in German and manufactures high athletic and sportswear shoes both for women and men, It was founded by Rudolf Dassler after a dispute with his brother Adi Dassler with whom they had founded the Dassler Schuhfabrik in 1924. Puma had a very poor brand image that show a decline in its market share and prompted puma to change it strategic decisions to improve on its image, this process of change was led by Jochen Zeitz Puma CEO based on phases one to four of strategic plan to change puma’s image so that it can compete favorable in the marketplace and within a couple of years Jochen Zeitz had change puma’s brand image into one of the most desirable and sought after brand of sportswear and footwear worn both buy celebrities and fashion followers all over the word. 1.1 Introduction Puma was founded in Dassler Schuhfabrik, Herzogenaurach, Germany by Rudolf Dassler after a dispute with his brother Adi Dassler with whom they had founded the Dassler Schuhfabrik in 1924. Until early 2003 puma had a very poor brand image that show a decline in its market share and prompted puma to change it strategic decisions to improve on its image, this process of change was led by Jochen Zeitz Puma CEO based on phases one to four of strategic plan to change puma’s image so that it can compete favorable in the marketplace and within a couple of years Jochen Zeitz had change puma’s brand image into one of the most desirable and sought after brand of sportswear and footwear worn both buy celebrities and fashion followers all over the word. This report is divided in three parts, Part one presents the factors that influenced puma to change it brand image and it further goes to describe these factors under Macro-environmental analysis basing on market trends, rivalry between customers and strategic group mapping. The second part presents the puma’s resources and capabilities in terms of strengths and weakness as well as virtuallity as seen as strengthens and the third part of the report presents puma’s winning strategies basing on pumas situation that fits the company, sustainable completive advantages and as a better performing company. According to case study of Puma AG (in Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J. and Gamble, J. (2005) Crafting and Executing Strategy (Fourteenth Edition), McGraw-Hill, New York, pages C411- C432), The environmental and competitive factors that influenced Puma’s strategic decision to improve its Brand image is identified under Macro- environmental factors, rivalry between competitors and strategic group mapping as below. 1.1.2 Macro –environmental factors Lack of social acceptance of Puma brand from the upper class customers who were not willing to wear the brand because they considered to of poor quality and were sold â€Å"dirt-cheap† Puma’s brand was compromised and this a affected it’s value for example Rudi’s son wanted puma products to reach all the customers of all social back ground and this move was seen by the upper class people as some thing below them and they can not be seen wearing the same brand as people on welfare recipients. In order for pumas brand to be accepted as a high quality brand of value, force puma to change and improve its brand so that it can be socially accepted by customers. Change in customers taste and style for example there was high demand for supports ware and fashion apparel tend that was oriented toward high value and lifestyle products, this change in customers demand influenced pumas to changed it’s brand image to meet the customers growing demand Demographic change in soccer market for example their was a high demand to respond to needs of both kids playing on local pitch and nationals soccer team playing professional at international level that required high quality brand and in order for puma to tap in to these demographic change puma needed to improve its brand image. Market change of 1980 when sports brand became more dynamic and consumers taste diversified into new and more exciting high price that make products more desirable this forced puma to change its brand image so that they can charge high price as customers associate high prices with quality of brand or product and the more highly charged the more desirable the brand. Introduction of niches in the market offered attractive growth rates both incumbent and new market players for example skateboarding markets, golf sports, sports equipments for out door activities made puma change its brand image, for example for puma to enjoy this attractive growth its brand has to be of high quality. Merging of manufactures to form one big group for example Rosso joined forces with several other manufactures in northern Italy to form Genius group this was seen as a threat because this means more resources and strong financial stand and this led to high fragmented global market and for puma to survive in a highly fragmented market it needed to change its brand image Puma’s brand was disreputable and had lost specailised sports dealers in its distribution network in order for puma to gain its distribution network it had to improve on its brand image 1.1.3 Rivalry between competitors Puma greatest rivalries are from the following competitors: Nike Inc Nike is the number one sports brand in world over and from the case study Based in USA Has got sub brand like Tiger words and Michael Jordan Adidas Salomon AG Deals on core sports (soccer, athletics skiing) Has got stronger financial resources Has got it’s marketing and design departments in Germany and France Prada Sports Luxury brand It has entered in to sports segments four years ago Deals in trendy fashion wear of high prices Diesel Based in Italy Fashion brand ,majoring in sunglasses, footwear Competitors entered the market such as Adidas, Nike, Rebook among others entered the market and made competition for market share was very high and these competitors had better quality brand than puma and among them, they shared 27% of the market share, this stiff competition influenced puma to improve on it’s brand image to survive to survive in the competitive market Nike was the biggest competitor of all and it had the largest market share for example Nike was became the world’s largest sports equipment manufacture in the late 1980 and maintain this position since then. Puma was dealing in almost identical products like puma but its brand was poor so in order to have a share in the market place puma needed to improve on its brand image. Adidas-Salomon was also another competitor that entered the market as the second world’s largest producer of sports equipment manufacture in world with approximately $6.5 billion in sales and was present in every country this put puma in a very difficult situation and in order for puma to have a favorable share in the market it needed to change its brand Reebok also entered the market at the time when puma brand was poor, Reebok was the world third largest player in the sports market, Reebok identified footwear industry as a key market and began to aggressively into overseas market this expand was seen as a threat to puma and to survive it puma had to change its brand image Prada though a luxury bran, it also started deal in sportswear four years ago and this is a threat for Puma and because though the price for Prada brand is high, it high quality goods do attack customer who are willing to spend for example super starts, this is a threat to puma because puma has to not only with Prada but with Nike, Adidas and Reebok for customers. 1.1.4 Marketing strategies Acquisitions of groups for example Rosso bought out other partners and embarked on growth and expansion this means more competition for market shares as he built a solid and vast distribution platform across five continents reporting annual sales of $330 million with luxury brand selling jeans for as much as $100-$200 a pair making it’s brand more appealing to customers and in order for puma to survive Such a hash market, it needed to change its brand image Innovations as a marketing strategy for example Nike diversified his product portfolio to target people of ages 20 -30 with enthusiastic sports appeal, Reebok changed its marketing strategy and began transition toward football, baseball and soccer which Puma was one of puma product line and in order for puma to attract new customers it has to change it brand image for example puma designing and new functionality in new collections and launched retro looks of the 1970s/80s All companies engaged in massive advertisement for their brand a awareness so that they can compete favorable in the market for example in Nike marketing strategy, it focused on sponsoring huge events and popular events, Reebok also sponsored popular events and had a licensing agreement with national basket association that increased its brand awareness To compete with each other favorability each company outsource production and raw materials where their cost was cheap and labour was available this enables each company to cut on production cost. Product differentiation causes constraints on rivalry for example the is high rivalry for example between Nike, Adidas and Reebok because thought there is high brand identification in the market they almost dealt in similar sports equipments which offer customer the usage. 1.1.5 Strategic group mapping to position competitors Strategic Group Map on Footwear Mark From the strategic group mapping, the rivalry between Puma and Nike is very low and puma doesn’t pose a threat because Puma doesn’t enough market shares as compared to Nike, This is because Puma is a stage where its brand is poor and customers are not willing to buy puma products and this explains why the position of puma and Nike are far a part from each The close positioning of Nike, Adidas and Reebok are and narrow and almost tight because they are competing for almost the same size for example the rivalry between Adidas and Reebok are almost of the same size in market share and they have to keep competing for the market with no dominance from Adidas and Reebok as a leading rivalry, this is because the cost of production is low and so is the cost of labour The cost of switching from one brand to another is very low for customers the rivalry firms because customers can freely buy from another from Nike, Adidas and Reebok especially where there is no brand royalty that’s why they are so close together Nike, Adidas and Reebok entered the market almost at the same time when puma’s brand image needed improving this cause high competition for the market shares and for customers and this explains why less room for expansion for Nike , Adidas and Reebok that needs to protect it’s market share from Puma The cost of production was low between the rivalry firms as most of had outsourced all production and raw material where they were cheap to produce, this made the market so unstable and due to high competition for the market share. 2 Puma’s strengths and weakness 2.1 Strength Puma had collaboration with some of the famous designers from different cultural back ground for example puma’s new projects were developed under the supervisions of trendsetters like Yashuiro Mihara and Jil sanders which are strongly influenced by kickboxing. This cooperation and collaboration opened a new wide market for puma for example where high fashion meets sportswear, for example this collaboration led puma to produced high quality brand that suppers starts like Madonna were happy to be spotted wear puma brand and this made many fashion and brand wearer buy more of puma products Puma launched new collections which blended with sports, lifestyle and fashion for example puma curato shoes, unala cropped woven women’s ware which are very sport fashionable and trendy, such causal sportswear became like very day kind of wear for certain age group for example the young starts who identified themselves with puma logo and style, this made it easy for puma to target and reach the right market as at the right time as puma knew it’s market and customers well Innovations -puma carried innovations at each part of the process for example puma worked with engineering teams of Jordan grand prix Racing to learn about new materials like carbon fire which are then built into pumas shoes like shudou shoes, this innovation enabled Puma to produced high quality sportswear that were so desirable that puma gain a lot more customer that puma became looked upon as a trend starter in the footwear market for other companies like Nike and Adidas as follow Puma outsourced all productions and raw material procurements in European were to expensive and raw martial were cheap in Asians countries , this allow puma to reduce it’s working capital and allow puma to shorten the production and enable full quality control of input factors Puma had knowledge and experience, this is one of pumas major strength because according to the case study Zeitz’s understanding of fashion as â€Å"the new combinations of elements of the past it easy for puma to produce products without having to design for scratch rather than use its heritage, this made it easy for Puma to re-launched older products for example the retro look where some parts were taken from 1970/1980 collections were re-launched after adding modern elements such as fit or color way shoes Puma has good planning and timing for example puma for example puma entered the sports market two years before its revival in order to maximize profits and this gave puma enough time to prepare for up coming demand, Puma had gain market experience and gave customers the impressions of always being in the sports market. Puma participated in various marketing campaigns to arose customer brand awareness for example it sponsored big events, chose music television channel which was known for its young audience who tired to differentiate themselves and targeted them with puma adverts, for example Puma use the MTV and Music Mongol as Jazzy to promote footwear and other apparel this made lead to the popularity of puma brand and in the last five years saw increased sales as the brand was considered â€Å"rebellious and stylish â€Å" as two most desirable attributes as compared to it’s competitors Acquisitions of other company for example puma acquired Swedish company Tretorn, Europe’s third largest manufacturer of tennis ball from Proventus for â‚ ¬23 million which the contributed to â‚ ¬45 million in sales and puma was able to allocate its over head cost of distribution functions Puma had a shareholder New Regency which put puma in several successful Hollywood movies such as devil and high crime this benefited puma massively from generous product placement. This new regency made it easy for puma to reach it market audience through movies, adverts that portrays the image of puma as a company Technologically puma created a web presence that fit its imaged for example its home page displayed different adverts from Jamaica line. Interactive stories transported readers into managers’ thoughts during his 96 hour business tripe around the world wearing pumas casual and business attire. A project promoted on the internet was the â€Å"top winner thrift† A collection of 510 unique and individual shoes was created and sold at premium prices all over the world. 2.1.2 Weakness Poor brand Image Before the revival, puma has a very bad brand image that most customers from the upper social class did not want to buy puma products because it was considered cheap, this ruined poor reputation and it took years for this image to be rebuilt through phases. Luck of financial resource Puma did not have a strong financial resource as can be seen from the balance sheet of 1999-2002 this could have been due to reduced sales as the brand was of poor image. From the case study puma has the lowest balance sheet compare to its competitors Luck of customers Due to puma poor brand image of 1992-2002 it was not attracting customers because the brand was poor the substitute were readily available on the market most of pumas customers might have crossed to Nike or Adidas as they had better quality footwear Limited market when the brand was poor puma has the least market share as compared to Nike, Adidas and Rebook that to gathered shared 27% of the market share. This failure by puma to capture a larger make share is a weakness and this decreased on brand attractiveness, this can be due to puma’s marketing communication which is different for market segment Puma lost its sports dealers distribution network due to poor brand image and unhealthy sale. Though this was gained, Puma still missing the sports segments distribution systems From the case study Puma has a higher overhead as compared because some of its products were sold cheaply at a very low price making it really hard to figure out what the profit was made as costs were being attached to total sales regardless of what product segment was sold 2.1.3 Virtuality Puma is the first virtual sports company according to pumas mission statement and uses Virtual Warehouse Management System. According to Jochen Zeitz, CEO of puma Virtual actually may be the wrong word. One should probably say a virtualized company, where location doesnt really play a role anymore. Its totally independent from location and how you do business, and move things forward. Take product development, for example. Its actually divided among all the three hubs, with certain development functions in Germany, certain in the U.S., and others in Hong Kong. They each complement each other and work together. Its all integrated through proper IT, so no matter where you are, you can access the same kind of information and add to the entire development chain†. (Reveries.com, Dec 2202). 2.1.4 Virtuality as strength for puma Information sharing Puma has a global management structure several head quarters supported by a strong information technology infrastructure this makes it easy for sharing of vast network resources on a global scale for example during design stage and using the Lotus notes and information database application, key information about design process and procedures and it can be entered in to the database and it can viewed by all the production team located in all the regional hub, this makes exchange of idea and decision making fast without the need for production team and designers to be physical locations in one place. For example footwear can be designed in German then it can be checked by product development team in another country, the review is done throughout the production cycle till the product is finished and ready for sale. Hi technology infrastructure The strong information technology infrastructure can be used to link all the global regions together for example during executive meetings video-teleconference can be use link all the mangers in the various regions together during a meeting enabling fast sharing executive information for managerial decision marking Online Reseller Puma’s virtuality has enabled puma to provide its customers with aid of viewing and buying products through a web based stores and retailers for example puma’s â€Å"Qualified Puma Online Reseller† has made it possible for customer to order products and view their purchase status as they a wait delivery whenever their locations Family Websites Through virtual presence puma has been able to a couple of puma family websites for example in 2000 puma featured an online store in offering a few product in United States only though this has become more common of Pumas online stores, this makes it easy for puma presence to be very where in any country in the world and makes it easy for puma sales team to interact with customers online. Puma also open it’s door to the public via web presence (Pumabiz.com) by allow users access to company information such as corporate structure, financial reports and puma performance in the market, this web presence enabled puma attack potential and future business partners as well as recruiting new staff using the Pumabiz.com website. Virtual warehouse Puma’s virtualisation process lead to the creation of a virtual warehouse where as soon as customers order goods they are assigned with unique making it easy to locate the goods and goods are dispatched to customers no matter where they are with the specific given period. The virtual warehouse system solves puma’s traditional way of storage and led to a feeling that puma is everywhere as the virtual warehouse was everywhere puma has a subsidiary. By using vitulised system puma has competitive advantage for example Puma all core competence is seen as a single big company and globally it’s employees are all over the world and through use of puma communication technology employees are able to share all the resources and the process of virtualisation is being seen as a future that most companies will follow (cf Fuderholz, 1998) The interaction of customers, suppliers and shareholders through the use of information system and communications between organisations have brought only supplier and investors together but has brought shareholders closer for example shareholder through the use on information system are able to search and find out how the company id performing in the market 3 Winning strategies There are evidences from Puma financial reports that suggest puma strategies in the resent years have led to winning strategies; this can be seen from its broad actives that have improved puma’s image considerably. 3.1 Fits the Company’s situation well Increase in orders Pumas orders has increased by product line according to puma’s outlook for example order for footwear went up by 4.7% to â‚ ¬ 721.1 millions and order for apparel has increased by 19.9% to â‚ ¬ 397.7millioms followed by accessories which increased by 13.6% to â‚ ¬68.9 million See Appendix ii 111 Global branded Sales growth Puma management confirmed increase in sales on of footwear, apparel and accessories for based on the financial results for the first quarter of 2008 this has the strength of Euro against other currencies for example footwear sales were down by 4.6% to â‚ ¬404.1 millions, Apparel almost remained the same as last years total â‚ ¬246/9 millions and accessories increased by 30.0% to â‚ ¬ 90.1million Consolidated sales In the first quarter of 2008 consolidated sales grew for example sales in footwear flat but with all puma region meeting satisfactory sales level except USA, the sales of apparel goods increased by 18.5% to â‚ ¬ 231.8 million and accessories in creased by 16.5% to â‚ ¬ 47.3 million with contributions from the entire region in double digits Europe, Middle East also saw increased sales of 19.9% which all together left the company with 3.4% revenue of which footwear sales accounts for up to1.9%, apparel increased by 5.7% and accessories by 3.7% despite a slow sales in America. (26 February 2008 | Source: just-style.com) Pumas sales for the full year of 2005 consist of consolidated and license sales which increased by 18.4% to â‚ ¬ 2.4 million for which the sales of apparel accounts for 16.5%, accessories increase to 16.5% and footwear increased by 17.7% Gross profits at 5% from the sales and earning development report, puma’s gross profit from the first quarter increased to 52.2% as compared to last years. The margin of footwear increased from 52.0% to 52.1%, accessories increased from 53.4% to 54.9% and apparel was low compared to last year’s gross profits Puma embarked on phase IV Puma has started its phase IV in 2006 of becoming â€Å"most desirable sports lifestyle company† that consists of expansion out side of European market as all as expansion of product categories; this includes entering the already existing markets as well as entering into new areas for example puma aim to offer products that cover all the sport lifestyle such as incorporating sportswear into fashion and making puma more distinguished to beat off competition from its rivalry. Phase IV expansion strategy show tremendous growth in profits as result of continuous high sales and puma ability to spot new trends in the market and offer products accordingly Puma’s shareholders value In 2007 Puma’s main long term goal was founded, when Pinault Printemps Redoute of France take over Puma, this brought the two companies that share the same vision and culture together, for example the take over made it possible for each company to provide support to the other to reach it’s strategic objectives. The take over was not objected by the share holders because the offer price of â‚ ¬330 per share was considered fair and this made both companies more money. Good balance sheet Pumas sales for the full year of 2005 consist of consolidated and license sales which increased by 18.4% to â‚ ¬ 2.4 million for which the sales of apparel accounts for 16.5%, accessories increase to 16.5% and footwear increased by 17.7%, this as compare to pre 2003 shows that puma has got a healthy balance sheet for example puma equity ratio is above 60% and of March 31, 2008 total assets increased by 0.8% to â‚ ¬ 1,811.5 millions 3.1.2 Competitive advantage Barney (1991) defines sustainable competitive advantage as A firm is said to have a sustained competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors and when these other firms are unable to duplicate the benefits of this strategy (italics in original) (p. 102). Based on both Barney’s work and the definition in the dictionary, a sustainable competitive Advantage is defined as long term benefit of implementing some unique value-creating strategy not currently being implemented by any known or potential competitors along with the incapability to duplicate the benefits of this strategy. Factors that have enabled puma achieve sustainable competitive advantage are identified below Knowledge and Expertise Puma has uses expertise in design knowledge with major competencies in all parts of design and marketing for example with the acquisition of Puma by PPR group has enabled puma to use PPR large base design team to produces high quality of desirable brands, this knowledge and expertise makes puma completive set a part from it’s main competitors. Brand as completive advantage Pumas brand is so strong and dynamic according to Zeitz that by 2003 puma’s popularity was so strong that mega starts like Madonna was proud to wear Puma’s, This brand image and associations of it’s brand with international starts is of competitive advantage in selling of apparel and footwear because it brings about publicity for puma and brand awareness and open up venues for other opportunities for example by 2003 puma signs a deal to be the official supplier of apparel and footwear to the FIA world rally champion. Expansion into other market Puma has been expanding its market especially in china, for example puma has open many stores in Olympic village in china to showcase new collection and meet the demand for Puma’s footwear demand , this expansion has attacked new customers and puma has provided support to individual sports personality for example, the CEO of Puma is quoted as â€Å" If we find the right person we will consider partnering with those Chinese sports starts† ( China daily report 26,2007) Innovative products Puma has a advantage in footwear, apparel and accessories because it a lot easier for puma but fashion know who with the help of designers and the CEO of puma has the understanding of fashion â€Å"the new combination of elements of past† in which when puma spots a new trend instead of making a new brand, puma uses it old brand to design and this counted for 10% of footwear, apparel and accessories based on the old design and this also made puma a trend starter. In footwear puma also collaborated with sought after designers like Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen to produce new line of women’s and men’s footwear which was launched in the spring of 2006 Broad consumer appeal Puma offer a very diverse product line for everyone and this accounts for the broad customer appeal because there is product for everyone. In the spring collection of 2003 did carter for both male and female for example Nuala product line with cropped woven pants and Nuala Nylon coat for women as well as Kings ss soccer shirts that catered for both men and women. Puma also ventured into Action sports line for emerging sports like BMX skateboarding and downhill mountain biking creating platinum series offering causal footwear and apparel and accessories for such events Relational market asserts Puma has got greater bond with its customers this has forged a working relationship work with customers to manufactures highly unique and customized brands for example in the case study puma promoted the â€Å"top winner thrift† a collection of 510 unique and individual shoes that were created out of recycle cloths from Jeans and ties, with the purchase of such items, customers allowed to enter puma’s exclusive community on the web. Supplies to meet the various demands of consumers Puma’s major supplier was Yue Yuen, the largest supplier of footwear, so when the demand for particular footwear goes up puma is more readily meets the demand from constant supply of branded products from YueYuen. Intellectual market asserts Puma has great in depth knowledge regarding customers needs and preferences for example puma has gained knowledge and credibility in sportswear and equipment, this was a results of many years of trading on the same product line and which made it very easy to have competitive advantage over others fashion industry, this knowledge made it easy for puma to re-launch products that customers most prefer to have. 3.1.3 Better company performance Marketing campaign Puma participated in various marketing campaigns to arise customer brand awareness for example it sponsored big events, chose music television channel which was known for its young audience who tired to differentiate themselves and targeted them with puma adverts, this has resulted in o better performance because it improved brand awareness which in turns led to high sales performance. Out sourced production Puma outsourced all productions and raw material procurements in European were to expensive and raw martial were cheap in Asians countries, this allow puma to reduce it’s working capital and allow puma to shorten the production and enable full quality control of input factors, this results in a better company performance because it enables puma to meet the market needs effectively and save a lot of money from having

Glory Days, When Horsepower and Passion Ruled Detroit :: essays research papers

Glory Days, When Horsepower and Passion Ruled Detroit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book Glory Days, When Horsepower and Passion Ruled Detroit by Jim Wangers is a comprehensive look at Pontiac Motor Division in its heyday through the eyes of its chief advertiser. The rise and fall of the pop culture fad of muscle cars at Pontiac and its fall during the early 1970’s is explained in this book from a man who played a large part in Pontiac’s success. There are many candid stories and little known facts presented by the author to precisely let the reader understand the thoughts of Pontiac and how it accomplished its goal of selling overly fast cars to our nations youth. Glory Days, When Horsepower and Passion ruled Detroit is an interesting and enjoyable guide to Pontiac’s heyday through the author’s personal experiences and explanations about Pontiac muscle cars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of Jim Wangers personal experiences were very fascinating and made the book very tough to put down. One of his most appealing experiences was when he personally became a Pontiac sponsored race driver. Wangers told the story of how he won the 1960 NHRA Championship and how he narrowly lost by only tenths of a second in the final race. He explained through vivid details on how he raced to sell the cars he was promoting through his advertising. He coined the phrase, â€Å"Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday†. Jim explains another tantalizing story about how he and John Delorean created the first muscle car.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Delorean and Jim Wangers would frequently test Pontiac’s new cars out at Pontiac’s test track in upper Michigan. They both figured out the idea of putting this larger engine in this small Lemans. When this happened the muscle car era was born. This was the first account of a factory putting a large engine in a small car. Wangers then explained that he and Delorean had changed American pop culture forever with their muscle car. His account on how this was done and how America was changed with this simple idea was simply amazing. Wangers also pulls in readers with his history of the cars that Pontiac made.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most influential car Pontiac made was the GTO. He told the tale of how this mid-size car changed the auto industry and shaped a whole generation of children in the 1960’s. The tale on how this was accomplished by Wangers was told with clever side stories about promotional contests and cunning advertising the enraged the U.

Accounting :: Accounting Finances Money Essays

Accounting On September 28, 1998, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Arthur Levitt sounded the call to arms in the financial community. Levitt asked for, "immediate and coordinated action†¦ to assure credibility and transparency" of financial reporting. Levitt’s speech emphasized the importance of clear financial reporting to those gathered at New York University. Reporting which has bowed to the pressures and tricks of earnings management. Levitt specifically addresses five of the most popular tricks used by firms to smooth earnings. Secondly, Levitt outlines an eight part action plan to recover the integrity of financial reporting in the U.S. market place. What are the basic objectives of financial reporting? Generally accepted accounting principles provide information that identifies, measures, and communicates financial information about economic entities to reasonably knowledgeable users. Information that is a source of decision making for a wide array of users, most importantly, by investors and creditors. Investors and creditors who are responsible for effective allocation of capital in our economy. If financial reporting becomes obscure and indecipherable, society loses the benefits of effective capital allocation. Nothing illustrates the importance of transparent information better than the pre-1930’s era of anything goes accounting. An era that left a chasm of misinformation in the market. A chasm that was a contributing factor to the market collapse of 1929 and the years of economic depression. An entire society suffered the repercussions of misinformation. Families, and retirees depend on the credibility of financial reporting for their futures and livelihoods. Levitt describes financial reporting as, a bond between the company and the investor which if damaged can have disastrous, long-lasting consequences. Once again, the bond is being tested. Tested by a financial community fixated on consensus earnings estimates. Th e pressure to achieve consensus estimates has never been so intense. The market demands consistency and punishes those who come up short. Eric Benhamou, former CEO of 3COM Corporation, learned this hard lesson over a few short weeks in 1996. Benhamou and shareholders lost $7 billion in market value when 3COM failed to achieve expectations. The pressures are a tangled web of expectations, and conflicts of interest which Levitt describes as "almost self-perpetuating." With pressures mounting, the answer from U.S. managers has been earnings management with a mix of managed expectations. March of 1997 Fortune magazine reported that for an unprecedented sixteen consecutive quarters, more S&P 500 companies have beat the consensus earnings estimate than missed them.

A compare and contrast essay on the presentation of words and silence in the novels Regeneration by Pat Barker and Strange Meeting By Susan Hill. :: essays research papers

Barker has written Regeneration laid in England in 1917, the novel is populated by a mixture of real and imaginary people. One of the real characters is the soldier and poet, Sigfried Sassoon. We meet him after he has been awarded a medal for heroism in WWI, and has publicly denounced the war as one of aggression and conquest in defiance of military orders. Instead of having a court martial, he is sent to Craiglockhart Hospital to be treated as a \\"shell shocked\\" casualty by Dr. William Rivers another real character. Craiglockhart was what we today would call a neuro-psychiatric hospital, and Rivers is a practitioner of psychoanalysis. His job is to get men well, by carrying out particular methods such as getting the men to recall their disturbing events and then to speak about them, so they can return to the front. Sassoon, Rivers, and other real and fictional characters are interwoven in this tale. The experiences and stories of Regeneration are greatly inspired by historical events and sociological influences. Bringing real life poets and their experiences together with a fictional plot surrounding the great war, Barker has been able to produce a novel from an intriguing blend of fact and fiction, one that conveys several aspects of history. Strange Meeting on the other hand is set against the horrors of the First World War, this novel portrays the friendship of two young officers. Hilliard is a veteran of combat, a reserved and isolated young man who prefers the stark reality of the front line â€Å"why had it been so easy to sleep up there, to sleep through the noise of guns?†, where he follows orders and makes only simple decisions based on life or death, to the political and social complications of his previous existence in England. Hill presents the characters as more positively, psychologically affected by war, from which a main character John Hilliard grows as a person and learns to love as a result of learning to communicate, speak and express himself freely , as at the beginning of the novel he is portrayed as detached and unable to feel or relate to those around him, (primarily his immediate family). Comradeship between Hilliard and Barton, (another central character) appears to be the most prominent com ponent in the novel; however the exploitation of the silenced youth is also explored throughout the novel. He had been unhappy at home, where he could not talk to no one, nobody knew.

How Advertising Help to Sell the Product Essay

Advertising of products and services is a crucial market tool for enhances the competitive advantage of an organization in the marketplace. This is because advertising creates awareness among the public of the availability of the company product in the market (Hood, 2005). Another importance of advertising is that it serves the ultimate purpose of drawing public attention to a new product in the market. In addition to these, the practice of advertising can promote customer-organization communication, an element that functions to enhance mutual relationship with consumers and improve customer loyalty to the organization (McKay, 2006). The author of this essay seeks to identify and discuss the numerous advantages brought by advertising in selling a company product. The process of advertising company products is aimed at search to attract new customers into purchasing the products. Through advertising, the public get to know of the availability of a new product in the market (Hood, 2005). The sole purpose of producing new products in an organization is not only to meet the demands of customers but also to gain a strong market share for the organization. On the other hand, failure to inform the public of new technologies and products serves the ultimate purpose of delaying the marketing frequency of the product. Just to be appreciated is the fact that customer tend to go for products they have heard or seen before. Another important aspect of advertising a product is that it helps the targeted customer have a hint of the expected qualities and advantages of the product over other similar products in the market (American Business Media, 1999). It is commonly asserted that advertising is a game of playing with the human psychology. On the contrary, available statistical evidence has it that the human community is increasingly driven by advertisement of products and services. This is because through adverts, potential customers get to gain knowledge of the kind of product, its qualities, and how it could positively influence their lives. Advertising defines the reputation of an organization and its products to the general public. Effective advertising processes are instrumental in influencing a positive attitude of potential customers towards a given product. It is a common claim by some business analysts that buffing is part and parcel of the process of gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace for a business. On the contrary, failure by an organization to provide accurate information on the qualities of the advertised products risks its long-term marketing power of the products (McKay, 2006). Therefore, engaging in ethical advertising practices serves an important role in safeguarding the reputation of the organization in the public, thus opening a continuous demand for its products. In addition, advertising of products promotes customer loyalty to a particular organization. Just like any other business operation, customer relations are significantly guided by the responsiveness of an organization in meeting their demands (Hood, 2005). Such are also influenced by the effectiveness of the organization in informing its customers of new developments. This is because information distribution to the public instills some sense of care and appreciation of the customer as an important component of the organization. Therefore, advertising as a form of distributing information to the public on current product developments will enhance customer loyalty to the products of the organization. Still, it is worth noting that advertising is instrumental in allowing for customer reaction assessment practices in an organization (McKay, 2006). Like other product marketing practices, advertising functions the purpose of encouraging a company to evaluation the responsiveness of the target customers both to the adverts design and the product itself. Effective advertising should entail either two-way asymmetric model or two-way symmetric model of public relations management. This is because these models allows for having public feedback on the information communicated in the advert. Such are vital in devising more effective and reliable advertising approaches to win the confidence of the public. The practice of advertising functions to increase customer base of an organization beyond its geography boundaries (American Business Media, 1999). In the modern day economy, competition calls for ensuring continued expansion of the customer pool of an organization. To achieve this, numerous advertising techniques such as internet and the media are quite efficient. This is because they can be used to reach a large population within a short span of time. It is worth noting that internet marketing guarantees reaching of big numbers given the fact that it is accessible in almost all parts across the globe. Product advertising is fast, cost effective, reliable, and convenient. Compared to marketing practices such as road trip product demonstration, media and internet advertising is quite cheap and fast. On reliability, multimedia advertising practices boast of the advantage of be robust in delivering the information to the public compared to other forms of marketing practices. It is a common assertion that advertising brings convenience to the organization by reducing unnecessary movements of staff, an element that saves resources for other applications. Therefore, advertising is instrumental in overseeing the efficient and convenient selling of a company product.

Understand How to Create Inclusive Learning in Lifelong Learning

|Unit Number: |CU3813: Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships in LL | |Summary/Introduction: |The roles and responsibilities of a teacher in the sector of a lifelong learning are the key relationship | | |between the learner and the teacher, the teacher is endeavoured to treat each learner has an individual, | | |practising equality and diversity among the learners always.Having effectiveness of a good communication skill,| | |and the importance of self-evaluation and feedback. The use of the training circle and the Learning Styles | | |(VAK). The completion of attendance records, induction of learner for the course to identify their learning | | |style, which would, helps a teacher to plan the session more effectively, to be able to know the learners | | |learning styles, a learning styles test or skill scan needs to be carried out on the learner.After obtain the | | |learning style, boundaries and ground rules are established between learner and teacher to know their limit. | | |Having a duty of care for the learner, carrying out a one-one feedback with learners where needs arise. | | |Maintaining a record of the learners’ progress.Referring learners to others when necessary. Be aware of the | | |different types of levels of learning, the need of a good verbal skill, intellectual skill, cognitive strategies| | |and a good attitude towards the learners and the organisation. |Learning Outcome 1: |Understand own role and responsibilities in LL | |AC 1: | Aspects of Legislation and code of practice are: | |Summarise key aspects of |Equal opportunities 2000: | |legislation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. |Learners must be treated as individual regardless of their gender, race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, | | |sex, civil partnership, age.Treating each learner fairly and according to their needs. Rights for learner to be| | |able to attend and participate in any session. These differences create productive environments where everyone | | |feels valued, talent s are fully utilised and organisational goals are met. | | |Data Protection act: | | |Processing of learners information to be kept under confidentiality, not to be disclosed to another party. | |Personal data must be accurate and kept up to date where necessary. Personal data shall be processed in | | |accordance with the right of the data under the act 1998. | | |Health and safety act 1974: | | |The responsibility to be able to protect yourself and all others around you, who may be affected, Learners are | | |entitled to learn in a safe environment.And be aware of rights as an employee to the employer. | | | | |AC 2: |Responsibilities in promoting equalities and valuing diversity; always treat the learner has an individual with | |Analyse own responsibility in |different needs and abilities, each learner is entitled to be treated with adequate respect and dignity, | |promoting equality and valuing |ensuring equal support to all learners and no favouritism, ensuring equal access o pportunities to learners to | |diversity. |fully participate in the learning process.Ensuring the policies, procedures and processes are not | | |discriminating. Learners may come to an educational organisation and therefore act differently in this | | |environment from the way they would at school, all must be treated and according to various needs. Teacher has | | |to be Honest, not to say you don’t know something, but better to say I will find out, communicating effectively;| | |involving learner activity and listening to what they have to say.Giving constructive and positive feedback | | |(University of Edinburgh). | |AC 3: | Areas of work: Health and Social care. Roles of learning are; Preparing the material according to the syllabus,| |Evaluate own role and |Following ethics and values, keeping records of learners’ progress, carrying our one to one feedback/tutorials | |responsibilities in lifelong |with learners.Maintaining confidentiality and a positive learnin g experience. Applying lifelong learning skills| |learning. |obtained, Developing skills by outdating and regularly. When applied to benefit the organisation goals, e. g. | | |Customer service, good telephone manner, be a people person, listening and customer satisfaction been met. | | |Identify needs and deficits, working towards it. Gram training| | |PowerPoint) | |AC 4: | The organisation must provide a syllabus to use, to develop the course content on the subject to be taught, the| |Review own role and |learners needs should start from skill scan, induction/interviews, to be able to identify their styles, needs, | |responsibilities in identifying|and potentials.And be able to identify the level of assessment they are able to learn. Set a time with | |and meeting the needs of |organisation to review the learning plan, with this learning plan to set a target with supervisor, keeping | |learners. |records (portfolio) of the life long learning, having a mentor to meet regularly. Kn owing your learning styles,| | |to be able to identify weakness and strengths and devise a plan on how to improve it.This plan has to be | | |measurable, realistic and achievable, Facilitating learning in a conducive environment, been a facilitator makes| | |learning enjoyable for the learner. ( Gravells A Simpson S 2008) | |Learning Outcome 2: |Understanding the relationships between teachers and other professionals in Lifelong Learning. |AC 1:Analyse the boundaries |Every organisation has professional boundaries within to work, and it’s a tutor duty to abide by the | |between the teaching role and |organisation rules, been. Unprofessional. i. e.. been too familiar with the learner. In the teaching role, | |other professional roles |ground rules are made and all learners are required to work within it, its makes the learner to know their | | |limit, their routine and be organised.In adult learning there are responsibilities to learning by them self, | | |learning by observat ion, discovery, evidence-based and trial by error. Contract is drawn between learner and | | |teacher, which could consist of a learning duration of 12 weeks, 1years etc. A module is followed, either theory| | |based or practical or combined. Ability and competences is required. Belbin 1996) | |AC 2: Review points of referral|Individual learning: teaching on a one-one basis, learner may respond differently then when learning within a | |to meet the needs of learners |group. A learner can be referred to another professional, if learning needs are not met in the one-one | | |learning. When learners are not responding to teaching, or the resources been used are not fully utilised. | |Explaining to learner that the other professional is more specialised in the learners learning styles. | | |(Daines JW 2006) | |AC3:Evaluate own |As a teacher working, within a value base organisation with a code of professional practice, set by an external | |responsibilities in relation to|body. hen teac hing value must be added to get a good outcome, remaining professional and retain self respected,| |other professionals |been passionate about the course been taught, Helping to motivate the learners and their learning experiences,| | |not only are they learning the subject but, they are also observing the way the teacher is been conducted, | | |composed, dresses, responds to feedback and support them. Identifying their needs, planning, designing, | | |facilitating, and evaluating their learning plan and styles. Reece, walker, 2007) (Gravells, Simpson | | |2008) | |Learning Outcome 3: |Understand own responsibility for maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment | |AC 1:Explain how to establish |Suitable/Safe learning environment; | |and maintain a safe and |Preparing the presentation in advance. | |supportive learning environment|Setting up the room according to delivery method. | |Ensuring the venue has accessible facilities, (toilets, refreshments areas, fire exit and evacuation procedures,| | |and ventilated room). | | |Considering flexible breaks and other individual needs are met, informing learner how long the break is. | | |Informing learners the importance of learning and how what they are learning has value and meaning, giving | | |precise targets of the subject and summarising occasionally. | |Making learning interactive, by giving groups discussions, role-play. | | |Introducing yourself, and getting to know your learner by name. | | |Informing learner on any useful resource material they might need. | | |Making special requirement is any of the learners has Disabilities. | | |(Learning and skills network lsneducation. org. k) | |AC 2:Explain how to promote |Appropriate behaviour between learner and teacher must be addressed immediately with the learner, informing the | |appropriate behaviour and |learner of the ground rules and boundaries and the reasons for instigating the rules, for the learners to know | |respect for others |their li mits. Learners should be engaged in an activity relating to the session to avoid boredom and class | | disruption. group discussions or role play among one another make the learner more interactive and focus, having| | |a one-one session with them to improve working as a team and good feedback being professional always, whatever | | |the feedback good or bad. Having a positive approach towards the learner and self, not losing temper at the | | |learner staying in a relaxed and positive manner. National programme for specialists of behaviour and | | |attendance) | | |(Wallace 2007) | |Evaluation: |What Have I learnt? | |The use of Planning in advance all materials needed, Identifying the needs of the learner, Facilitating the | | |learners learning styles; giving clear and precise instruction and summarising the subject regularly, | | |encouraging the learner to ask questions, treating each of the learners has individuals.Assessing the learners | | |at the end of the session or duri ng the session, to ensure they have learnt the knowledge and skills. Feedback| | |from the learners to ensure how to deliver next sessions. Taking into account equality, entitlements, | | |inclusively and diversity of all learners, always having a positive and professional attitude, most importantly | | |Listening to learner, having eye contact.Making sure the Aim of teaching is delivered and reflected on the | | |sessions to develop future delivery. | |Bibliography |What text have I researched or used to answer the assessment criteria? | | |Books | | |Berlin M, Team Roles at work, (1996) | | |Gravells A, Simpson S, Planning andEnabling in the Lifelong Learning Sector, Learning Matters. (2008). | | |Daines JW, Adult Learning, Adult Teaching, (2006) | | |Reece I, Walker S, Teaching, Training and Learning, (2007) | | |Wallace S, Achieving QTLS: Teaching, tutoring and training in the Lifelong Learning Sector, 3rd edition. (2007). | |Gram Training, PowerPoint (Handout), July (2012) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Websites | | |City & Guilds – www. cityandguilds. com | | |City & Guilds 7303 – www. anqdevelopment. co. uk | | |Educational sites and resources – www. support4learning. org. uk | | |Learning and Skills Network – www. lsneducation. org. k | | |National Programme for specialists of Behaviour and Attendance – www. teachernet. gov. uk | | |University of Edinburgh – www. ed. ac. uk | | |GSS Training – www. gsslimited. co. uk | | |Ask Jeeves – www. ask. com | | | |