Marketing Case Study of “Pamela Shampoo” Essay

What alternatives Mr. Alfred Jones have for improving his social position? Was manufacturing a shampoo a right decision? Alfred who engaged in buying and selling of land- a real estate business and brokering deals were known as dalal. When Alfred grew up, he joined his father’s company as a Director in 1980.His father was the Managing Director and Chairperson of the company. Alfred was very successful, growing the business and becoming rich in the process. Despite his financial success, Alfred was concerned about the social status. In 1985, his father retired although he remained the Chairperson. Alfred become Managing Director but did not like his family business anymore because of its low social profile. Mr. Haque-who was the proprietor of small market research firm. During the discussion regarding his family business, Mr. Haque encouraged Alfred to launch a new venture company. Mr. Haque convinced him that starting a new business would help him get rid of the associations with the humiliating term dalal. Production decisions involve the processes by which raw materials are converted into the finished products through manufacturing. These decisions play a very important role in the product quality, cash flow, control etc. The new venture had problems right from the beginning. It failed to reach sales target because Alfred did not do any market research before manufacturing and launching Pamela Shampoo. Despite huge investments, over a period of couple of years, Alfred had become a bankrupt. Manufacturing a shampoo was not a right decision without market research properly. Given that Mr. Jones had financial resource, what process should he follow for developing a business plan and its implementation? Financial resource is using the profits and accumulated savings from his real estate company, he brought a huge area of land for establishing a factory for manufacturing Shampoo. Every business plan, campaign, or project comes down to Tactics, Tools, and Strategies. To conceive, develop, and implement a sound social media marketing strategic plan that will be successful needs  to have those three critical components. The new company was named his wife Pamela and the brand name of the product is Pamela Shampoo. Alfred took some of better employees from J&J and employed them his new venture. He hired new employees and paid them attractive salaries. Alfred allocated substantial amount of money to advertise the new brand of Shampoo. Strategic planning implementation is at the heart of how to make change of any kind happen in your organization. Why the organization might want to embark on a strategic planning process and implementation. Want to be one of the organizations, in which employees understand the mission and goals. ACNielsen retail audit data show FMCG market growing at around 7% (sales 5,097 Crore in 2004 and 5,444 Crore in 2005).Moreover, the shampoo market is growing at a phenomenal rate of 22% a trained that started in early 2000. (Sales 79 Crore in 2004 and 97 Crore in 2005).It failed to reach sales targets and his every venture had slid downhill. Multinational market research Company held clients’ conference and Alfred was invited as a participant from the business community. Alfred talked to them about his Pamela Shampoo venture. The researchers wanted to know whether he had done any market research before manufacturing and lunching Pamela Shampoo. A key to Strategic Planning Implementation Success is to effective strategic planning implementation for the business. Full and active executive support, Effective communication, Employee involvement, Thorough organizational planning and competitive analysis, Widespread perceived need for the strategic planning. 13.3 What are the consumer behaviour issues regarding the purchase of FMCG product like shampoo? What role does brand name, brand image, and  advertising play? What steps must be followed for developing these marketing tactics? Did Pamela Shampoo follow them? FMCG market growing at around 7% .Moreover, the shampoo market is growing at a phenomenal rate of 22%, a trend that started in early 2000.Therefore; Alfred was rightly tempted towards entering the Shampoo market. Consumer decision making varies with the type of buying decision. There are four types of buying behavior that consumer purchase of FMCG products. There are complex buying behavior, dissonance-reducing buyer behavior, habitual buying behavior & varietyseeking behavior. The new company was named after his beloved wife Pamela. As a symbol of his love, the brand name of the product is Pamela Shampoo. Alfred allocated a substantial amount of money to advertise the new brand of Shampoo. A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. So, brand name & brand image is the identity of the product to differentiate them from others. Advertising play the role of introduce the product to others. Market research steps must be followed for developing marketing strategy. For developing marketing tactics we need to take four strategies. That are individual names, blanket family names, separate family names for all products, and company trade name combined with individual product names. Pamela shampoo did not follow them. So, he did not make his business profitable like P&G and Unilever. Consumer purchase shampoo by variety-seeking buying behavior because that buying situation are characterize by low involvement but significant brand differences. Here consumers often do a lot of brand switching. The consumer has some beliefs about shampoo, chooses a brand of shampoo without much evaluation, and evaluates the product during consumption. Next time, the consumer may reach for another brand out of a wish for a different test. Brand switching occurs for the sake of variety rather than dissatisfaction. What can be done to salvage the business? What are the choices and how can Mr. Jones make the decision? First of all Mr. Jones must understand and choose the correct marketing strategy. Good marketing strategy can result in success even for mediocre products. Since the product ‘Pamela Shampoo’ belongs in the FMCG segment and the growth of the homogeneous product (shampoo) was about 22%; Mr. Jones must take into account the following important issues address accordingly: a. Market Segmentation: Pamela Shampoo requires to revisit its segmentation strategy and then must decide whether the company will choose mass marketing, segmented, niche or micro marketing. For this particular purpose Mr. Jones can involve the market research companies. b. Based on the segmentation strategy, the company must then choose the target market. c. The company should revisit its pricing strategies and should calculate the Break Even units of sales and carefully select the type of pricing that will be helpful in struggling times. d. The company must realize that the product is positioned against its global brands such as Pantene, Head & Shoulder, Clear etc. and few local brands as well. So the competition is very high. e. The company must go for line filling strategy and must increase depth in its product systems. It can have baby shampoo, herbal shampoo, anti-dandruff and other varieties by keeping an efficient product mix. f. It may think of co-branding strategies with possible companies who may be involved with production and distribution/market hair oil.  g. Must rearrange the sales force. Rather than having its own sales force and incurring major fixed cost, it can rely on its distributors as distribution channels. h. Must have Proper packaging and labels for the products that convey the descriptive and persuasive information to consumers. The labels that the containers will use must be attractive and eye-catching.

Life is an Echo

â€Å"Life is an echo; all comes back, The good, the bad, the false, and the true. So, give the world the best you have & The best will come back to you. † A man and his son were walking in the forest. Suddenly the boy trips and feeling a sharp pain he screams, â€Å"Ahhhhh. † Surprised, he hears a voice coming from the mountain, â€Å"Ahhhhh. † Filled with curiosity, he screams, â€Å"Who are you? † but the only answer he receives is: â€Å"Who are you? † This makes him angry, so he screams, â€Å"You are a coward! † and the voice answers, â€Å"You are a coward! †He looks at his father asking, â€Å"Dad, what is going on? † â€Å"Son,† he replies, â€Å"pay attention! Then he screams, â€Å"I admire you! † The voice answers, â€Å"I admire you! † The father shouts, â€Å"You are wonderful! † and the voice answers, â€Å"You are wonderful! † The boy is surprised, but still can’t unders tand what is going on. Then the father explains, â€Å"People call this ‘ECHO’ but truly it is ‘LIFE! ’ Life always gives you back what you give out! Life is a mirror of your actions. If you want more love, give more love! If you want more kindness, give more kindness! If you want understanding and respect, give understanding and respect. If you want people to be patient and respectful to you, give patience and respect!This rule of nature applies to every aspect of our lives. † Life always gives you back what you give out. Your life is not a coincidence, but a mirror of your own doings. What is your echo? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ A good example would be how Maldives reacted in SAFF cup. They wanted Maldives to win @ any cost. Maldivians wanted it†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦more than anything else †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. They said, this is our time†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. and they proved they were right. I feel, that Maldivians forgot that there should be a limit to everything†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. They said, â€Å"football in mulhi gaumai faidhaa kodheynan. † Though its diffciult to think of any use football is to the country in general.The point I am talking about is life gives back what we give, what we want†¦. So we have to decide what we want out of life. Life Is An Echo What you send out – comes back. What you sow – you reap. What you give – you get. What you see in others – exists in you. Remember, Life is an Echo. It always gets back to you. As I have said in many previous posts: states of mind are contagious. If we had a state of mind meter and could measure how contagious it is, it wouldn’t be surprising when we discovered that when a person who is upbeat, positive, light-hearted and charismatic   enters into a room people’s moods and states of mind tend to lift.In the same manner when that same person is in a bad mood, full of discouragement and negativity people will tend to be pulled down†¦if they aren’t aware of how their thinking functions. I am sure you notice this when you come into the presence of someone who is either negative or up beat. If you are in a low mood, your spirit will be lifted and before you know it you are laughing, joking and seeing all the good in life. Or how you might be in a good mood and then you run into someone who is complaining, whining and miserable and within minutes, if not seconds, you find your good spirits lowered.When working with people, whether you are a parent, social worker, psychologist, manager or CEO, it is imperative to understand the powerful role of states of mind because your state of mind and quality of thinking you bring to the table in any given moment will not only determine your behavior and performance but it will effect those around you. When you make the link between your thinking and your state of mind you will begin to see why things turn out in life the way they do.In fact if you want to understand why things turn out the way they turn out in life for people you want to understand states of mind and you will begin to see the limitless power of state of mind. The state of mind that we operate from on a moment to moment basis essentially creates our experience in life. If we look out through our eyes and see a harsh, cold, difficult world that is exactly what we will get back and I am not talking about the law of attraction here. I am talking about the Principles behind human psychological functioning: Mind, Consciousness and Thought.If you are harsh and reactive to people they will respond in kind. If you come to a meeting agitated and distracted with your problems, worries and concerns on your mind, everyone in that room will be effected. Unknowingly they will take on your state. In the same way, if you come to that same meeting with a clear, open, carefree mind and ready to listen everyone will follow in kind to some degree. This is especially true with your kids, customers and employees. In low states of mind you are more reactive and in higher states of mind you are responsive.Imagine working for a company where your boss is constantly operating from low states of mind and leads with knee-jerk reactions? Imagine a family now. Imagine a work environment where the boss is responsive, light-hearted, and present. Which boss would you jump hoops through? Which boss would you want to work under? Now who would you want as your parent if you were a kid? Did your parents parent out of a reactive state of mind or responsive? The greatest gift we can give our children, our partner, our family, our loved ones, our employees is the gift of operating from the highest state of mind and being happy and present.If states of mind are contagious and we run around long faced, complaining about money, the weather, the world, politics we pass that on to our children and everyone we come into contact with. If you think that sacrificing your own ha ppiness and mental well-being contributes to your child’s happiness you are unwittingly teaching them to over ride their own innate mental well-being and happiness. What is worse is that they are growing up in a deprived environment as a result of your belief that you have to sacrifice your happiness and psychological functioning in the name of being a good parent.At best your kids may be a little bit happier than you were as they grew up, but usually they mimic what they were taught.. What is the message or lesson you are teaching your children and others when you are willing to sacrifice your happiness? Really stop and think about that. Your kids, your staff, your family wants and needs for you and I to be happy. Your happiness is the greatest contributing factor to having happy, emotionally healthy, secure children and later adults. I don’t mean ecstatic and euphoric, but sane, stable and content with the way we see life as we look out our eyes.They thrive in that e nvironment and when you are resolved that your happiness and mental well-being are your top priority and your circumstances, demands and situations won’t impact your committment to your well-being, you will pass that gift on to everyone you come in contact with. When you lose site of that and your thinking goes south you will suffer the consequences in broken relationships, broken marriages, disgruntled employees who have bad attitudes and your ability to influence and empower people will be all but lost.If you want to have confident, emotionally stable children without all the typical teenage rebellion, a great marriage, great relationships and employees who will jump through hoops for you, commit yourself to your own happiness and mental well-being. You take the lead and they will follow because it is that contagious! Take Away: If people are reacting to you in negative ways, notice what is on your mind. What thoughts are you running through your head. Are you agitated, gru mpy, irritable or distracted? Are you ruminating or dwelling on problems and issues?Check out your thinking and realize that happiness is an inside out job not the other way around. A good gauge to know your thinking is going south would be how you feel. If you feel any of the above thing, stop and check in with your thoughts. The body is such that whatever you think returns to us as a feeling and not the other way around. It is instant messaging of the brain. Regardless of what problems you are facing or what circumstances you find yourself in, you can be calm and at peace. You are the thinker, the artist. Each of us is given formless energy too work with and the form we create is what we call our life, our experience.When we focus, ruminate, analyze and process our problems we just get deeper into them and rarely do we find any lasting solutions. In fact, it is this mind set that keeps us reacting to life resulting in knee-jerk decisions, often keeping us stuck or taking us deeper . When we take our focus off of our worries, concerns and problems the solutions often come to us as insights and many times the answer is so obvious, but we couldn’t see it because we had our mind so preoccupied and blocked. This preoccupied and blocked mind will also cause issues in interpersonal relating.Slow down, let your mind settle and your thoughts simmer down and the jewels you are looking for will appear. Think about it. I read a story today that relates a story that applies to everything we do and become in life, and the causes for it. It starts off with a boy and his father hiking through the mountains. The father gets a little bit ahead and the boy slips and bangs his leg on a rock and yells, â€Å"Ouch! † Almost immediately he hears â€Å"Ouch† coming right back at him. A little startled he yells out to the mountains, â€Å"Who are you,† thinking it was someone mocking him.He gets the same response. He then yells, â€Å"You coward,† a nd just the same way it has been happening, he heard the same response! Getting more frustrated and about to burst into anger, he looks to his father and asks him, â€Å"What's going on? † His father just smiles and says, â€Å"Son, pay attention! † He then yells back to the mountain, â€Å"I admire you, You are a Leader, You are a champion, You can do anything! † With each phrase he received the same response in return. The boy looks and little confused so the father explains, â€Å"Son, people call this an ECHO but really this is LIFE.It gives you back everything you say or do. Life is a reflection of our actions! † If you want more live in the world, it first starts with creating more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team or your employees, become more competent yourself. If you want more respect, give more respect. If you want all out massive success, help others to become successful. This relationship applies to everything, in all areas of life. Your life is not a coincidence†¦ it is a reflection of YOU! Two of the most sought after things in this world are TIME and MONEY! Making more money is the easy part.I can teach you how to create wealth, but you can never get more time. Wouldn't it be great if you could just figure out how to have both? I have†¦.. and can teach you how to do it as well. Stop Settling and Start Living! | Once a little boy in a fit of anger shouted at his mother that he hated her. Fearing punishment, he ran out of the house to the hillside & shouted into the valley,†I hate you, I hate you, I hate you†. The valley echoed back, â€Å"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you†. Startled, the boy ran back & told his mother there was a little boy in the valley saying he hated him. is mother told him to return & shout, â€Å"I love you, I love you†. The little boy did & this time he discovered there was a nice little boy in the valley saying, â€Å"I love you, I love you†. Remember, what you say coms back to you! | | LIFE is a MIRROR, as well as an ECHO. It gives back what you give. MAKE A DIFFERENCE I read a very inspiring article from a friend which made me think about the truth behind it. When you look at yourself in the mirror you see your real looks. That is why before we go outside of our room, we look at our face and overall appearance.Then either we change our clothes with a better one or we put something in our faces or change hairstyle just to look better. Life is a mirror. During our struggles for something, we find that whatever our input is, we get results according to what we had invested. It is not right for some people to expect wealth when they do not put their efforts to getting wealth. And it is not right for people to live in luxury when they do not have the means to to achieve it. Most importantly, it is not right for anybody to steal the property of somebody just to live up a good life. Life is an echo.When yo u say good things about your neighbor, he will in turn say the same things about you to other people. It is as if your words bounces back to you. So be careful because if you say anything bad about anybody, whether he heard it not not, you will have a bad image according to that somebody. What is bad about an ‘echo' is that whoever hears it, puts it back even if he is not guilty or he is not the object of that echo. We do not want to receive anything bad. So how do we make a difference. Simple, just follow the old adage, ‘do unto others as you would have others do unto you'.

Apache Corporation Essay Example for Free

Apache Corporation Essay Apache Corporation was formed in 1954, based on the idea of becoming significant and prosperous in the oil industry. The company took $250,000 of investor capital, paired it with fierce determination and now Apache Corporation is considered one of the top independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). Apache Corporation operates in both domestic and international markets exploring for, developing, and producing natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). On December 31, 2011, the Company had production in the United States, Canada, Egypt, and Australia. Offshore production exists in the United Kingdom, the North Sea, and Argentina. Looking into the future Apache plans to continue to explore other countries for new discoveries and development opportunities (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). The success of any business depends on the ability to adapt to the environment it operates in. As part of the oil and gas industry Apache Corporation operates in a global business environment known for its competitiveness. The company has shown growth in production thirty one of the last thirty three years and throughout those years change has been a constant companion. Wide swings in oil prices have become commonplace in the world today, the price of a barrel of oil changes almost daily. Operating in other countries means that political unrest and changes in government policies must be addressed, as well as oil industry regulations that are constantly evolving. Apache Corporation has withstood the changes in business environment for 57 years and remains committed to successfully embracing the changes yet to come. Over the last 10 years the most significant technological advance for the industry has been the coupling of horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing techniques. This new method allows the development of resources that are trapped in shale and other areas that have been nearly impossible to mine in the past. Apache Corporation now applies this technology worldwide (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). This method is also used by nearly all other companies in the industry including the comparison companies Devon and Anadarko. According to the 2011 Apache Corporation Annual Report the company showed a profit for the year and the debt ratio is 0.22. One top competitor Anadarko Petroleum located in San Antonio Texas has a debt ratio of .65 and showed a loss for the 2011 year (â€Å"Hoovers†, 2012). A second top competitor Devon Energy located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma had a better year in 2011, this company did show a profit and their debt ratio is 0.48 (â€Å"Hoovers†, 2012). Within the gas and oil industry the overall financial status of Apache Corporation is sound. Working in a high risk industry the production risks are balanced by both geographic diversification and a mix of high and low risk properties in the portfolio (â€Å"Hoovers†, 2012). With approximately 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent in reserve Apache Corporation is positioned to maintain their current momentum. The natural gas product is sold most often at current market prices while the crude oil is marketed directly to integrated marketers and refineries. Contract terms are generally 30 days with automatic renewal until canceler at current market prices which change almost daily (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). Apache Corporation has been exploring for and producing oil and gas products for over 50 years. The company has been successful and appears to be a sound investment. In this analysis we have reviewed the business environment, financial health and use of technology for Apache Corporation for the purpose of deciding whether or not to invest in the company. References http://www.apachecorp.com/Resources/Upload/file/investors/Apache_AR_2011.pdf Hoovers. (2012).

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 8

Strategic management - Essay Example (Florio, 2003) In 1981 the British Telecommunications Act separated BT from the Post Office and began the process of liberalization. Consequently in 1982, Mercury, an ancillary of Cable and Wireless, was certified as a national fixed line network operator became a competitor of BT. In 1983 the government declared its duopoly policy which stated that the only telecom service providers for fixed lines in the nation would be BT and Mercury for the coming 7 years. (Summanen, and Pollitt, 2003p.2) In 1982 the government planned to privatize BT. In 1984 the plan was executed and BT was privatized: 50.2% of its stakes were sold to the public. The creation of Oftel under the Telecommunications Act 1984 after BT’s privatization, finally led to the separation of its regulatory and operational functions. The privatization of BT in 1984 showed signs of a new structure of the telecom industry that could fare better in a competitive framework than in the public sector. The need for investment in the operations and services and customer orientation was acknowledged. (BT’s response, 2005, p.7) The duopoly stage of BT, from 1984 to 1990, led to a soft landing into competition. Even though BT sold its manufacturing units shortly after its privatization, the number of employees grew from1984 to1990. (Summanen, Pollitt, 2003, p.4) In 1987 Iain Vallance was selected as the chairman of BT. The initial reorganization of British telecom as an integrated telecommunications corporation was made in the early 1990s. In April 1991, BT came up with a different business structure, which was the outcome of a yearlong reorganization. BT’s new establishment concentrated on definite market sectors to satisfy the needs of a variety of customers- individuals, small companies, and MNCs. At the same time, the objective of achieving a leading position as a global telecommunications operator was laid down.

Nationlism editorial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nationlism editorial - Essay Example Today's controversies on this topic are an eerie echo of the debate over immigration and assimilation that gripped the nation in the opening years of the 20th century. Henry James, touring New York City in 1906 after nearly a quarter century in Europe, visited Ellis Island - "the first harbour of shelter and stage of patience for the million or so of immigrants knocking at our official door" (cited in Brimelow 33). The scene was overpowering to James. He wrote that it brought home to the observer "the degree in which it is his American fate to share the sanctity of his American mind, the intimacy of his American patriotism, with the inconceivable alien" (ibid.) James himself now felt alien in his native land, as if the newcomers had taken "settled possession" and natives had lost it - "the implication of which, in its turn, is that, to recover confidence and regain lost ground, we, not they, must make the surrender and accept the orientation" (ibid.). What James found troubling, others found bracing. In widely read essays and books, Horace Kallen suggested a model of "cultural pluralism" to replace the idea of the melting pot. Writing in the Nation in 1915, Kallen challenged both the fact and wisdom of the assimilation of immigrants to Anglo-Saxon America.

The United States vs Sioux Nations of Indians Essay

The United States vs Sioux Nations of Indians - Essay Example The 1877 Act exercised the Congress power over Indian poverty and protected the tribal property which had been set aside by the Fort Laramie Treaty for Sioux. The treaty was concluded after the Powder River war of 1866 to 1867. The decisions undertaken in this case include the following. The government promised to provide the Sioux with the necessary services and materials and subsistence rations for four years in order for them to become civilized farmers. The United States also permitted this tribe to choose for themselves lands within the reservations for them to cultivate. The government through the executive branch decided to do away with the Nations treaty obligation of keeping safe the territory for Sioux. Besides, the court dismissed the earlier 448 U.S. 371 for lack of jurisdiction and without determining the merits of the Black Hills claim. In reference to this situation, I would like to describe a related case. I had a friend whose land was unjustly grabbed by a company. The ideal situation was that this particular company had detected some land which was rich in oil. Following its admiration, the company had decided to negotiate for the same that it would partake the necessary legal procedures. Instead of doing that, the company which was notably found to be corruptive somehow instead paid huge amounts of money to the land authorities in order to gain the consent from both parties (Seelye, # 25). The government through the lands authority on the contrarily did not protect the land and its owner. Instead, it took advantage of the lots of money offered and corruptly gave out a title deed to the company. This situation is unfair because it is classified under the crime of land grabbing. To me, both the company and the land authorities are corrupt. They should have protected the property of this citizen and acquire it in a correct way. If I were the in the position of the lands authorities, I would shun from corruption and sue this particular company for its mistake.     Ã‚  

Social Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Marketing - Essay Example In this "Social Marketing" essay, the author chose and researched two most relevant in order to study their social marketing campaign. Social marketing refers to an approach that is used to cultivate those activities of which the primary aim is to maintain or change the behavior of people for the benefit of society or individual. In Thailand, every can tell that using cell phones has become a big problem. Almost every teenager owns a cell phone and hardly puts it down.. The issue exists there, everyone is aware that it is a big problem, yet no one takes an initiative about it. Being a foreign company, Telenor took a wise move. Telenor employs a prudent approach through an advertising agency located in Thailand, known as Y&R Thailand. It was responsible for handling ads for DTAC because only natives can understand the psyche of their audiences and the way they respond. In order to do so, DTAC composed an ad in order to address the issue of extra ordinary mobile usage and ignoring love d ones while using mobile phones. The slogan of the social marketing campaign of DTAC was named as ‘Disconnect to Connect’. The purpose of this ad was to encourage people to put down their cellular devices for face time with their family and friends. This spot showed users of mobile with invisible parent/child/companions/friends as they play guitar/drove or stand at bus stop with them. As soon as the person puts the device away, their child, loved one, or friend appear, adding warmth in their very moment as well as in their lives. Nowadays, addiction of mobile phones and Internet are leading to neglecting loved ones, family, and friends beside us. The message that the ad coveys is that while using mobile phones, not to forget loved ones that are present around. The ad of Thailand’s DTAC tells us to cherish the persons that are besides us. When using mobile phones, we forget the most important people that are in our surroundings but DTAC, despite of being a largest telecommunication company, teach us to STOP doing it, and make these beloved people feel how important they are. In true meaning, this advertisement complies with corporate social responsibility. Actors featured in this advertisement are what the target audience of DTAC is. They are more like upper middle class and middle class people. In addition, the actors are not extra ordinary good looking and are like those people that one sees in real on streets. These two elements of this advert make it easier for target market to relate them to this s pot. The usage of aria helps in creating suspense and building climax of the advert. The ad did not include a well-known popular song that may steal the attention of the core message. Instead, the music serves as a tool for aiding additional communication. This campaign is a great example for tech companies in order to teach how to ‘De-tech’. Instead of being exhausted by the over usage of technology, people now should spend more mindful and meaningful time offline. Nike’s ‘Find your Greatness’ Campaign The slogan of Nike’s social marketing campaign read as ‘Find Your Greatness’. This ad was composed and launched during London Olympics 2011. In this ad, Nike is taking advantage of Olympic coverage and alert television audience. The fitness brand was not an official sponsor of Olympics but their well-placed and well-timed ads stood at the top of the viral chart whereas Adidas, the

Historical Speeches and the WOW Factor Assignment

Historical Speeches and the WOW Factor - Assignment Example Kennedy prefers repeating some praises that will have impact on the people and prompt them to continue with the same spirit. These include, â€Å"†¦Let them come to Berlin...† which he was addressing to the world and other people who preferred the communists’ way of governance. He also chooses figurative words and statements like â€Å"....indivisible† and â€Å"sober satisfaction† when referring to the state of freedom and relieve of the people respectively. The writer’s major technique encompasses appreciating and shunning any incidence of demeaning the audience. This is via giving the hope of maintaining their struggle coupled with stating great things in future that will result from their hard resolutions to stand for the truth and justice. He also refers to his audience as an example in the world where each state ought to emulate besides deriding the communists’ erection of a wall meant to hold its subjects captive. Kennedy’s then speech in this context was effective due to the neutral ground that he adopted regarding the assassination coupled with his remorseful state. He shunned all cases that will lead to blame games and called upon the people to focus to the future, where there will be equality and love among America’s races (American Rhetoric, 2001). i. â€Å"to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King -- yeah, its true -- but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love -- a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke† (American Rhetoric, 2001). iii. â€Å"†¦.Weve had difficult times in the past, but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and its not the end of disorder.. † (American Rhetoric, 2001). Kennedy decided to use a low tone in this particular speech compared to other occasions when addressing the

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research proposal - Essay Example e year 1955, Mass tourism and migration of people from rural to urban settings has affected the economic and social structures of Mallorca and the rapid and unexpected tourist boom has let to chaotic development of the tourist facilities. â€Å"Water economy in the region is beset by two specific problems: high irrigation needs and changes in consumer demands.† (L, Araus. J. 2006). Add to this, huge constructions around the coastal zone has caused erosion of the beach dune system. Add to this, the peak season demand has resulted in rapid exhaustion of the groundwater reserves of the island. As a direct result of this, tourism in Mallorca is fast becoming not sustainable, and unless drastic measures are taken with regard to the water and coastal management policies, it would become extremely difficult to sustain future tourist traffic.† Due to high water demand, groundwater resources are depleted and new water resources should be developed.† (Brissand., & Salgot. 2006). The dwelling capacity in the island has far exceeded the present level of demand for water and has led to degradation of the beaches. Therefore it has become necessary to address the problem with regard to better management of aquifers and establishment of a comprehensive water management policy to tackle the problem of acute water scarcities, since water is "a limited natural resource and a public commodity fundamental to life and health." (Gustavo, 2002). Methodology: We would recommend using of the Field Analysis and Investigation method along with Laboratory Analysis. We would propose visits to the specific areas which have suffered from drought conditions and water scarcity and make relevant investigation in line with our hypothesis. Also the specific methods for the field analysis and investigation, whether through primary data collection methods such as questionnaires, interviews etc also has to be made, and also secondary methods such as study of available statistical data for our

Ethics and the War on Terrorism Personal Statement

Ethics and the War on Terrorism - Personal Statement Example Torture and targeted killing are a method of crime prevention and reduction (Heymann & Blum, 2010). The promotion international peace and security is an important component of the U.S constitution. President Bush vowed to protect and shield America and any other state that was prone to the terrorism. Terrorism became known as the gravest crime under international law that requires a harsh response. Torture and targeted killing is limited to terror suspects based on the findings of the homeland security and CIA and does not go beyond a particular race, religion, or country where the targeted terrorists reside. Civilians who are harmed in the course of targeted killings are normal victims of consequences of war. The government maintains that the war on crime targets criminals and not any bystander who is harmed by lethal force. Approaches of fighting terrorists may lead to innocent deaths (Heymann & Blum, 2010). Remarkably, the targeted persons feel the impact. However, the constitution maintains that law enforcement officers should not use lethal force when a high number of innocent deaths is at risk. Targeted killings are means to peaceful international relations. The mission does not take place in an active combat zone. U.S uses drones to carry out the operations where there is incriminating evidence about the causes of war or terrorism activities. The peace missions have been carried out before but in the form of assassinations. United States has taken up the practice following the 9/11 attacks. The 1998 bombings of US embassies set the ground for target killings, but they were not availed to the public. Additionally, the peace missions involved governments where the targeted suspects reside (OConnell, 2012). In 2002, a remotely operated predator was used to pin down a Yemen-based terrorist, Al-Aretha. US government executed the attack following approval of Yemen governments. U.S did not use lethal force to disturb the peace within

Retained Surgical Sponge Legal Case Essay Example for Free

Retained Surgical Sponge Legal Case Essay In October, 2013 The Joint Commission (TJC) released a sentinel event alert pertaining to the prevention of retained surgical items. These retained items could have serious consequences for the patient. According to The Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert, 2013 Issue 51, incidents of retained objects reported to TJC totaled 772 from 2005 to 2012, sixteen resulting in death and 95 percent of these cases requiring additional treatment. Over the course of my seventeen year career as an operating room circulator, the fear of being involved in a case resulting in a retained surgical item was always on my mind. This fear sparked my interest in researching a legal case involving a retained surgical sponge ultimately resulting in the patient’s death. I will present the case, provide an analysis, and the outcome of the Estate of Genrich versus Ohio Insurance Company, 2008 WI 67. Case Summary In July 2003, a male patient underwent abdominal surgery for an ulcer. He developed an infection and on August 8, 2003 it was determined a surgical sponge was left in the abdomen. He was taken to the operating room in order to remove the retained sponge. After this surgical procedure, he did not recover from the complications of sepsis and the patient died on August 11, 2003. His wife filed a law suit on August 9, 2006 against the doctors and staff involved in the initial surgery (Estate of Genrich v. Ohio Ins. Co. , 2009). RETAINED SURGICAL SPONGE 3 Analysis In my opinion, given the facts of this case, the wife had legal grounds for a lawsuit. Hardwired systems are in place in the operating room to prevent the adverse event of a retained surgical sponge. The surgical count is a standard procedure in operating rooms. As stated by Steelman and Cullen (2011), retained sponges continue to be an issue throughout the country. In cases involving retained sponges, the nursing documentation reflected the count as being correct. In my experience, counting is a standard of care in the operating room. The operating room circulator counts with the surgical technician to ensure that all sponges are accounted for at the conclusion of the case. The surgeon relies on the staff in the room to identify surgical counts as correct or provide notification of incorrect counts. Based on this information and upon a initial review of this case, I had no doubt the wife would receive monetary compensation for her lawsuit. The incident of a retained surgical sponge is negligent, and according to Stiller, Thompson, and Ivy (2010), fail to uphold the standards of patient safety and quality, resulting in the liability of the health care professional. Outcome To my surprise, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin ruled in favor of Ohio Insurance Company based on the fact that the state of Wisconsin has a three year statute of limitation. To make this judgement even more complex, the wife filed her lawsuit on August 9, 2006, two days under the three year anniversary of his death (Estate of Genrich v. Ohio Ins. Co. , 2009). However, the court concluded that his injury resulted from the retained sponge, was the start of the three year limitation. The initial surgery occurred on July 24, 2003. The court determined that the negligent act occurred during the initial surgery. The sponge that was left in the RETAINED SURGICAL SPONGE 4 abdomen caused the infection which ultimately resulted in the patient’s death (Estate of Genrich v. Ohio Ins. Co. , 2009). Conclusion In my opinion, the legal system failed in this case. One fact missing during the research of this case is the reason the wife waited three years to file a lawsuit. I found myself continuing to ask why the lawsuit was not filed immediately upon her husband’s death. Regardless of this fact, the wife suffered the loss of her husband due to the negligence of the physician and staff. Granted, when humans are involved, error is inevitable. One can hope that there will be understanding by the victims of the human error factor. However, the fact is the sponge should have been counted prior to incision and upon abdominal closure. A discrepancy should have been noted and it was not. The court concluded that the moment the sponge was left in the abdomen, the legal clock started ticking. In my opinion, a wrongful death lawsuit can only be filed when a death has occurred, not when the incidents leading to the death occur. If this had been the case, the wife would have met the statute of limitations and the judgement possibly would have been in her favor.

Positivism Theory Essay Example for Free

Positivism Theory Essay Positivism, (also referred to as ‘empiricism’) is often used to indicate that this approach to understanding criminality is scientific. The term positivism (or in its more sophisticated form Logical Positivism) is often used to refer to an approach that asserts it utilizes science or the scientific method (their version of science) to understand the causes of criminality and thus the solutions to solving it. Positivism is an epistemological position or a theory of knowledge which assets that science is based upon theories that have been induced from and only from empirical evidence or the evidence of the senses (hence the term ‘empirical’ or that which can be experienced by the senses). Positivists reject any evidence that cannot be objectively experienced or observed such as that derived from tradition, faith, magic, religion, philosophy or any other form of knowledge or belief that does not have an empirical basis. Thus they want to explain criminal behaviour by reference to causes that can be observed or measured. Causes have to be material and observable – biological positivists look at biological observables such as anatomical abnormalities, identifiable genetic or gene patterns, bodily movements etc. Psychological positivists will also look at biological observables but will add behavioural factors, child rearing practices and brain abnormalities that cause identifiable behaviour outcomes. Many modern scientists have virtually discredited positivism in favour of what we call the hypothetico-deductionist approach or a falsficationist approach. This approach begins with theoretical conjectures (or hypotheses) and then seeks to prove or disprove them by means of empirical evidence. However, whatever the differences in method both positivism and hypothetico-deductionism seek empirical evidence for their theoretical positions. Implicit in these approaches is the idea that the scientist is an objective disinterested observer of natural events with no preconceptions about them. In the case of physics these natural events or laws are said to be found in nature itself as, for example, in the study of such phenomena as the movement of the planets around the Sun, the effect of gravity on the tides and the phenomenon of the seasons created by the movement of the Earth around the Sun. In these cases the object of study is seen as governed by universal natural laws which the scientist has to discover. When this approach is applied in the human or social sciences we have to understand our object of study (i. e. human beings or societies) as also governed or regulated by rules that the scientist has to discover. Thus Biological Criminologists will use data from such sources as twin studies, family studies, genetic patterns, biochemical aspects and so on anything that can be studied by means of objective’, methods and which may throw up some biological explanation of that behaviour or a principle or a law that explains that behaviour. It follows that in positivist criminality, criminals are identified as certain kinds Of human beings who are governed by events or natural phenomena that have been set in place by something external to them and, in a sense, beyond their control. Thus criminals do not make decisions about their criminal behaviour they are, as it were, caused to behave in this way by factors that operate in a sense, behind their backs. Thus, so-called abstract views of human nature such as that they are rational and use reason in making choices about their actions have to be discarded as a cause of behaviour in favour of non-rational causes such as determination by such things as biological inheritance or forms of social conditioning or, in many cases, a combination of both (as in Eysenck). Positivists aim is to identify those with criminal tendencies or those already classified as criminals and use them as their data base. Their goal is to ascertain what has caused their criminality and then to look for ways of correcting such criminality or, even better, to ascertain those with tendencies for criminality (before hopefully they commit a crime) and to put some preventative measures in place. Biological positivists generally look for biological causes generally in genetic inheritance. A well know example is that of Klinenfelters Syndrome where a study of known criminals identified was said to be an extra y chromosome.

European Security and Defence Policy: An Analysis

European Security and Defence Policy: An Analysis Introduction Faced with the challenges and risks arising in the process of economic globalization and world order, Europe is trying to respond adequately to it, namely, creating a general political unity, and forming a European identity. Within the EU there is ramified mechanism of economic, political and legal organs and institutions, carried out the interaction of the member-states of integration associations virtually in all directions. The political formation of the EU has gained a new powerful impetus after its inclusion of legal and institutional framework in the founding document of the EU in the Maastricht Treaty, the so-called second pillar of the European Union, entitled Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). At the present stage of EU development the issue about effectiveness of the CFSP and ESDP in particular is staying very acute, that is the question of the effectiveness of the overall approach and collective action in addressing foreign policy issues. This question is urgent in light of events relating to the settlement of a conflict in the Balkans after the collapse of the Yugoslav state in the beginning and end of the 90s., with the campaign against terrorism after September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington, Madrid in 2004, and London in 2005 and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as well as the situation around Iraq. Recent Russias invasion of Georgia on Aug. 7 of 2008 showed that the threat of traditional military confrontation has not disappeared. Therefore, Europe must restructure their armed forces in such a way as to carry out military operations in both security contexts, determining what threats it will face and how best to counter them. It has been 10 years since the emergence of ESDP. During this time the EU has faced many challenges associated with the implementation of this policy, ranging from lack of resources, institutional weakness, ending with the influence of the world players. Although, it is still early to drew a definite conclusions regarding the effectiveness of ESDP. However, we can talk about some appropriateness of the process that has been established in this trend. Therefore the aim of this individual research paper is an attempt to analyze the main problems faced by the EU towards the effective implementation of ESDP, and what the possibilities opened up for Europe within the framework of ESDP after the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon. This work is an analysis of the lessons learned in order to integrate them into future development of this institution or any other organizations. In accordance with the purpose of this work, it is structured into 3 chapters. First chapter will provide an opportunity to explicate how internal and external factors have pushed the EU to establish ESDP, as well as the role played by EU 3 (France, Germany and Great Britain) in the creation of this policy. Furthermore, it will explore concern about attitude of the US towards the creation and development of this policy. Second chapter scrutinized an existence of ESDP and highlight the main challenges which has been identified by the analyst for the past 10 years as regards to civil, military and financial resources. I have chosen the entire period of ESDP existence, as this policy is still very young for the definitively assess its ultimate effectiveness and feasibility. In other words, this is analysis of lessons learned. Third chapter will focus on the possibilities of ESDP. It will examine what changes can be expected in the near future in relation to this policy, in regards to the improvements towards increasing of military and civilian capacities. Furthermore it will underline the main changes and opportunities which brings newly approved Lisbon Treaty. The work is carried out by argumentative essay method. This study paper will not analyze all conducted and ongoing missions of ESDP, also it will not touch upon history of ESDP development, as this paper will focus only on problems that interfere with this policy to exist independently and efficacy, and the hidden possibilities of this policy that are not yet fully appreciated. Also, the question concerning relationship between the Greece, Turkey and Cyprus that brings some difficulties in cooperation between NATO and ESDP are not present in this essay. Political context as an obstacle for the development of effective ESDP on the contemporary stage Preconditions for the creation of ESDP In order to understand the marrow of ESDP it makes sense to consider the internal and external preconditions that led to the creation of this policy. Among the external preconditions are dominated by the end of the Cold War and the events of 9/11 in the U.S. At one time the confrontation with Warsaw Pact had impeding the creation of a truly European system of security, shifting the balance of influence in favor of NATO and the United States. However, in late 1980 the situation began to transform rapidly. The basis and purpose of the transatlantic relationship had changed. Change of the geostrategic situation in the continent, associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and, accordingly, the bipolar system of international relations has opened up to Western European countries, opportunities to become more attractive center of power in the sphere of security. In turn, increasing economic role of the EU gave rise to the desire of European leaders to complement its overall diplomatic and military instruments, without which the influence of the EU in international affairs would remain marginal. Throughout the 1990s the EU was looking for such tools. However, early results have been mediocre a common foreign policy and security policy has not become a really common and was incapable to avoid a tragedy in the Balkans.[1] Therefore, the emerging sense of security vacuum in Europe made closer positions of the Member States (EU MS), which led to the materialization of ESDP. Conventional military forces, which are used to build in Europe, did not meet the challenges and threats inherent in post-bipolar world, it was the necessity to build up forces with flexible structure capable of performing non-traditional military functions. To maintain the security framework at the present level were required expensive systems. And the resolution of crisis situations required the presence of highly mobile units, equipped with the latest weapons and communication systems. The military budgets of the most nation-states have been unable to meet the requirements of the military sector developments. As a result, Europe has left two options: to continue to rely on the United States or attempt to integrate into the military sphere and create own forces. After a while a new stimulus for the development of an independent ESDP had appeared, such as disagreement with U.S. unilateralism and U.S. domination of NATO. The differences in the positions of the U.S. and Europe emerged during the conflicts in the Balkans and, most clearly during the Iraqi crisis. European alertness has been provoked by the actual transformation of NATO in the conductor of the American global strategy. Therefore, the European states felt that they can not rely entirely on the U.S. as a guarantor of security in the region, and doubted that Washingtons policy towards Europe would be consistent with their preferences and priorities. Consequently, it became clear that if the EU seeks to influence global policy agenda, rather than follow in the wake of the United States, it will ultimately require the readiness and ability to use harsh means to ensure security. Thus, the creation of ESDP was the most appropriate mechanism through which urgent problems would be solved. The EU 3 (Britain, France and Germany) and their role in development of ESDP The real breakthrough in the European cooperation in security sphere were the agreements reached at the Franco-British summit in Saint-Malo (December 1998). In the summit declaration had been mentioned about the need to provide opportunities for EU autonomous military operations, so that the EU would be able to take decisions and conduct military action in cases where the [Atlantic] Alliance is not involved [in the resolution of the crisis].[2] The negotiations, initiated by the British side, were not limited by the declarations and the European Council in 1999 and 2000s had been taken a number of decisions in order to strengthen the CFSP and create ESDP. At the Cologne summit institutional framework of ESDP has been fixed, and afterwards at the Helsinki summit stated the main goal, later transformed into catalog of forces. This goal was about creation by the year of 2003 such capabilities that would allow operational deployment of forces with the strengths of 50-60 thousands of troo ps (quick reaction force) that could sustain themselves at least one year, the final regulations were finally found in the Treaty of Nice, signed in February 2001. Up till now, there is a disagreement among the EU 3, about how the EU can become a more effective and influential actor in the world and what relations it must build with the US. These differences are associated with different approaches to the European integration in general. It will be considered, the role have been playing by Britain, France and Germany in ESDP, and what the major differences of their visions towards the implementation and essence of this policy. The first point which is noteworthy to point out is the question What ESDP is for? and we could find distinctively different approaches from the Three, where the British believe in a transatlantic Europe, the French espouse the concept of Europe as a power, whilst the Germans are deeply committed to the idea of Europe as an agent for peace.[3] Further it will expose these approaches more deeply. For a long time, Britain remained a staunch ally of the US, and did not felt the necessity to create anything out of the NATO military structure. But, after the events in Bosnia and Kosovo, the situation has radically changed in the opposite direction. The interests of the US and Britain during these conflicts were differed because the methods of solving such problems did not coincide.[4] All this led to the fact that Britain began to support and develop the idea of the EU military independence from the NATO and the United States. This approach has been similar to France; however on the other hand in the matters concerning their long-term visions these ideas werent match. The reason for this was that both countries with one hand would like to make the Europe as a power, which would be able to influence and respond to the world events, but on the other, each of them had their own idea of what role the EU should play in security and defense in long term period. Britain is keen to devel op strong Europes security actor, which would be able to significantly contribute to the NATO capabilities and will not duplicate it, from the France perspective which is partly similar to the British, but on the other hand would like to build up separate security institution Europe as a power ultimately capable for the common defence. However, Frances point of view is that the Europe and the US would not compete in any manner, only interact and complement each other as regional powers. Then, Germanys position has always remained under restraint, which was dictated by the lessons of the past. Compared with Britain and France, Germanys spending on defense sector was very small. And the idea of establishing ESDP, which gave them an opportunity to increase its military power, has found support in political circles very fast. Although, its opinion concerning ESDP functions was different from the others. The EU has been represented by the Germany, as an agent for peace, and methods of peaceful resolution of the conflict were the key point in its policy. The second difference of the Three is how they perceive ESDP: as military or civilian power, regional or global organization. For example, France feel despondent about the fact that most of the operations conducted under the framework of ESDP are civilian. The fact remains, the majority of military operations are carried out by the NATO, not by ESDP, and those that are conducted using NATO resources (Berlin Plus agreement). But despite that, France is trying to be involved in all the missions with the military character, because they believe the EU would be perceived as the security actor only under condition that they could project military power, not only civilian. Germanys vision is characterized as a counterbalance to the French position and does not distinguish military power as main tool for the strengthening of the EU position as a security actor; its remain opinion that military force in dealing with non-military security issues will not be successful. Although, at the same t ime not very much opposing building of the EU as a military power. Finally, Britain is quite pleased with the current balance of military and civil elements of ESDP.[5] They see ESDP as a very unique tool which is able to integrate civil aspects in military operations; moreover it is not duplicating or hindering NATO operations, even quite the contrary. But unlike Germany, they perceive military power as a robust tool in international arena and additional method of the influence in foreign policy. Finally, it is true the idea of the creation of ESDP has born because of the conflicts in the Europes backyard (i.e., Balkans); however after a decade the EU has been broaden their span of the operations quite significantly. The global role of the EU is formulated in the ESS in ethical terms of defending human rights and promoting democracy and solidarity (Petersburg tasks). Nonetheless, despite the general vision of the Three towards the global role of ESDP, some specifications ought to be made. Firstly, it is noteworthy to underline that the visions of France and Britain are getting to the same direction concerning mentioned issue, because it is relatively dictated by the permanent seats on the UN Security Council, as well as former colonial majesty of these countries. Moreover, one can clearly recognize that both countries paid special attention to the Africa. On contrary, Germany has usually not perceived the EU as a global actor, as it is dictated by the troublesome history. In the beginning they saw ESDP as a solution to the threats within the EU, but later they began to agitate the questions of the Caucasus, especially in Georgia. This could mean that Germany is reviewing its role as both the EUs role in the light of globalization. Therefore we may conclude that lack of unity in outlook of these countries, is a certain barrier for further development of ESDP. At the beginning of ESDP creation it was foreseen to become a common policy, but in reality decision-making process is based on intergovernmental cooperation which raises some additional obstacles during this process. Certainly it doesnt mean that each country should change its opinion, but still general model for solving different situations and questions, as well as common vision of ESDP essence should be established. Nonetheless, despite all mentioned above ESDP working and developing, that is the fact that EU 3 can find compromises. Thus, these difficulties can be resolved, if compliance of the Three will be greater. US attitude toward ESDP No less important factor is the U.S. attitude to ESDP. American view towards European security concept is resemblance to an opponent who does not agree with the arguments put forward, but believes that the honest expression of negative attitudes towards them will look clearly in unethical manner. One of the key factors influencing the U.S. position on the European security concept is its interaction with the structure of the North Atlantic Alliance. On this account quite explicitly suggested U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, explained: Our position is very clear we support ESDP, which is friendly to NATO[6]. On the other hand, Principal Analyst for European Union Affairs, US Dept. of State, David Armitage highlighted other US arguments against the existence of ESDP as follow: there would be competition for scarce financial resources; it could lead to a potential mismatch in doctrine, standards, and requirements, which would make interoperability (a perennial NATO problem) even harder to achieve; erecting new institutional structures would confuse and complicate procedures and policies that already existed within NATO. [7] U.S. attitude to ESDP depends on U.S. policy, which is based on U.S. global leadership by deterring the emergence of rival powers.[8] As a result, the U.S. tries to keep ESDP within NATO. It is true that NATO-EU relations are based on agreements of Berlin Plus, which were signed in December 2002 and entered into force in March 2003. So, its easy to see why Washington seemed that Berlin Plus gives it some advantages. EU guaranteed access to opportunities and resources of NATO planning for the implementation of EU operations for crisis management, and in return the United States expects from the EU a greater commitment to modernize its military capabilities. Main premises of Berlin Plus was that ESDP would reinforce NATO, not undermine it, and would ensure the advancement of the American position of three principles: there is no uncoupling of NATO, no duplication of resources and no discrimination against non EU members of NATO[9]. Besides, U.S Congress and administration were also encouraged by the fact that a close friend of the United States, United Kingdom, endorsed the project. However, European countries have not agreed to increase their military commitments in terms of defense spending and personnel. As noted in the U.S. Congressional Research Service, French officials long time argued that the EU should strive to become a counterweight to the United States on the international stage, and consider ESDP as a means of enhancing the political credibility of the EU[10]. Therefore, the United States has every reason to revise the terms of the treaty of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Berlin-Plus. Moreover, US worry that stronger ESDP would create European caucus inside NATO. Videlicet, NATO MS that are not EU members could be faced with unified front on the part of EU members in discussions within NATO. EU enlargement, however, has diminished the prospect of such a caucus emerging. Nevertheless, recently the US attitude to ESDP has been changed towards more positive direction. Firstly, US understood that EU posses stronger base to tackle with the civil questions. Secondly, in 2005 US political elite with the G. Bush in a lead announced that they actually support more powerful and unified Europe. Over and above, 9/11 that was an example of new security challenges brought to acknowledgement of necessity to gather all efforts together in order to solve these problems.[11] Therefore, powerful Europe is in the area of the US interest. As seen from the above relationship between U.S. and EU is quite complex. In the words of F. Stephen Larrabee, there are several steps that could persuade United States that ESDP strengthens rather than weakens the transatlantic relationship. First, due to the fact that the EU and the US interests on some security issues are different, especially concerning participation on some recent conflicts. The US should agree that EU should be able to plan and act as an autonomous organization outside of Alliance. Therefore, EU should develop their capabilities if they want to play on their own in the conflicts of EU interest. The main intent is to assure development of EU security capabilities in an apparent manner which further would strengthen the ability of US and EU to efficiently deal with potential security threats. Second, establishment of common strategies concerning transformation process of the defence issues of both players, the EU and the US. In the other words common treat perceptions and military doctrines, or at least well-matched, would be a great advantage in the future relationship between these parties. Third, it is necessary for NATO and the EU to build up system that would enhance quick and comprehensive response in crises time. Primarily it consists of planning mechanisms, force generation and ameliorate political consultation. As a final point, US should accept that the EU is becoming an ever more important political and security actor.[12] To conclude this chapter, I would emphasize that ESDP has been created during the hard time for the Europe, when it has faced such challenge, as remain under the NATO security umbrella, which showed that it will not always work in compliance with the Europe security issues, or make a real breakthrough towards the role of an independent actor in the World arena. Eventually step forward has been made, so at present the Europe has demonstrated itself competent at all areas, not only economical questions, but also in the defence and security sphere. Significant part of ESDP establishment has been made by the EU 3, however the Three showed not only progress in the history of the Europe, but to some degree doom ESDP to future problems, because of the different visions on future of this policy. Then, the relationship with the US as well as its partial influence on the Europe should not be forgotten. In other words, political context of ESDP is tangibly hampers the effectives of its develop ment for the reason of inability of the EU 3 to get to the common point of view, also because of the indirect influence of the US through the NATO, which for a long time has been a strong guarantor for the European defence and still remain to be such. In the next chapter will be analyzed two main problems which hamper development of ESDP, namely resource and institutional difficulties. Great role in the resolving of these problems plays ability of states to find compromises, and primarily in concern of the MS. Obstacles which hampers development of the effective ESDP Institutional pathologies of ESDP This subsection will address the main shortcomings of the institutional architecture of ESDP. Taking into account the main question of this work, the explanation about all institutions and their functions would be skipped. Thus, emphasis will be placed only on these problematic points that hinder ESDP effective existence. Since the inception of ESDP it was envisaged that the EU would largely pay attention to civil elements of security, but unfortunately the creators of the institutional architecture missed this important point, and suggested such basis for the institutional structure where military part has playing predominant role. Firstly, its necessary to stress that many of experts argue that the EU build up ESDP taken as an example the NATO institutional structure. The main institutions in ESDP are the Political Security Committee, a political body that controls the institution, and the EU Military Committee with the EU Military Staff. This corresponds to NATOs North Atlantic Council (NAC), the Military Committee (MC) and the International Military Staff. The British official was fast to point out that the architects of ESDP were aware that NATOs institutional design, in which the NAC and the MC are often not well coordinated, was not optimal, but they did not discuss the issue of trying to redress this set up.[13] As a result one can observe quite complicated cooperative actions between these bodies of ESDP, during the preparation phase and realization of their plans. The actual EU military crises response planning process at political and strategic level could be seen at Annex 2. Secondly, taking into consideration the treats what nowadays facing ESDP during its operations one can clearly identify the need for close cooperation between military and civilian in their coherence discussion. Some speakers argued that institutional coherence between the Council and the Commission had improved greatly in recent years, for instance in Georgia. But some processes are very slow the Commission, for instance, cannot easily re-direct aid spending to a country where there is an ESDP operation (i.e. Chad). Plus the Commission, in particular ECHO (its humanitarian aid agency), must remain neutral in conflicts and avoid becoming politicized.[14] Expert commentator on peacebuilding and security issues Rory Keane insist that the Union had constructed some crisis management capability and a foreign policy, but suffered from poor coordination between the two. The Lisbon treaty seeks more coherence between the Council and the Commission.[15] From these arguments one might conclu de that ESDP doesnt have practical useful chain of command and possesses significant internal difficulties. Thirdly, after analyze of the development of institutional architecture of ESDP throughout the last few years, I can clearly see two problematic issues related to this policy. The first and main problem is that the structure of EU crisis management at the political, strategic and operational level remains weak. I could even say that this structure does not meet the ambitions of the EU on carrying out a large number of operations. In fact, notably on the civilian side, it is already stretched to the limit. On the military side, in the absence of EU operational headquarters, the Union remains a non-autonomous actor and the availability of national HQs to plan and run ESDP operations has proven intermittent. [16] Besides, at present time an important area of concern remains to be improved which is experience and expertise of the staff in Brussels-based bodies that can ensure proper planning and conduct of operations, both civilian and military ones. Despite of everything mentioned above the MS diligently working on closing of these institutional gaps. Enormous role in improvement of the institutional shortages will be played by the Lisbon Treaty, which is already a fact that MS trying to find compromises. The essence of the resource problems of ESDP at the present time Financing ESDP The first aspect to point out is the fact that the EU does not have its own defense budget. On the other words, each country decides itself how much it needs to spend on defense sphere. Therefore, the EU itself cannot change it, because it is not within its authority. In general, all EU member countries spend over 200 billion Euros on defense, ranking second place in the world after the U.S.[17] Which seems to confirm the idea that such amount of money would be enough for the effective existence of ESDP, if there were a common budget. Thus, it is worth to start with question how ESDP missions financed? The answer is that in compliance of the Treaty of European Union operating expenditure incurred in implementing CFSP and ESDP decisions is charged to the budget of European Communities (European budget), except for the operations that have military character.[18] In other word, EU have a common budget they have to allocate money for definitive period of time, with a special procedures which is not very clear and fast, which should be the first aspect of the financing system for the crises response operations in order to win the time for the preparation of the mission. Then, it should be noted that there is a difference in the budgeting between military and civilian operations in the framework of ESDP. Thus, civilian operations are financing by the EU and related to the CFSP budget (EU Budget, Heading 4: EU as a global player).[19] If we analyze all the costs of the section  «EU as a global player », we can see that it is only 3% of the entire section. Moreover, after analyzing the specific data in Annex 1 you can see a decrease of CFSP budget on 14% compared with last year, which is in my opinion not enough if we look back at the problems with the financing in ongoing missions and take into account that EU should be ready for the new threats which the World possess nowadays. Furthermore, the decision-making process of the allocation of money from my perspective is not very consistent and it is as follows, following a proposal from the Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament the two branches of the EU budgetary authority agree the exact size of the CFSP budget. The dialogue between the Council and the Parliament is crucial in this context, and it has not always been smooth. This is perhaps inherent to a policy area such as CFSP where, by Treaty, the EP has the last word on the budget but limited say on substantial political decisions.[20] Thus after analyzing the decision-making process of the European budget, I came out to the solution that it is obvious picture of bureaucratic system, what is in my point of view unavoidable situation in any intergovernmental organization. However, in case of preparatory actions for the preparation of the crises response missions has been made significant changes between 2006 and 2007, such as enabling the Commission to fund preparatory measures from CFSP budget. Moreover in 2008, the Commission adopted a framework decision specifying what costs the preparatory measures for ESDP operations can cover the procedure to finance them. The specificity of these measures is that they can make funds available before the relevant legal act is adopted.[21] Therefore, the first step towards activation of mission and preparation for it could be partly supported from the first day. Conversely, it is still lack of financing for ESDP missions as one could witness in the Financial Framework 2007-2013, where the CFSP budget for is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.98 billon.[22] The budget is expected to cover crisis management operations (civilian ESDP missions only), conflict prevention, conflict resolution and stabilisation, non-proliferation and disarmament measures and EU Special Representatives. Besides, two problems had been directly associated with the 2007-2013 EU budgets in the word of the researcher from German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Annegret Bendiek: lack of democratic control over common defence policy activities and the related spending; MS have provided insufficient resources to fund the EUs ambitions become a fully-fledged actor in its foreign and security policy, meaning that additional money has to be diverted from sources outside the budget.[23] It is important to add that ESDP military operations are financing through separate inter-governmental arrangements the so called Athena mechanism, which is covering preparatory phase of the operations. All the MS (except Denmark) contribute to certain expenditure, strictly defined, according to a fixed coefficient depending on their GDP scale.[24] However, this funding only covers 10 % of total operation costs. In other words, the biggest burden for the operation covers by contributing nation. The ATHENA budget (financed by 24 MS) in 2005 it was approximately 60 million Euros, for 2006, the budget was about 68 million Euros[25] Overall, there is ongoing work concerning increasing the budget for Athena mechanism by the MS, but yet no consensus has been found between them. Military capabilities The first issue is that the EU does not have its own Armed Forces, as well as its own defence budget. Therefore, each MS maintain autonomy of their Armies, and can decide about contribution to every particular mission. Regardless of significant EU expenditure on defence sector, MS did not change completely their Armed Forces posture after Cold War toward nowadays global security challenges. In Annex 3 we can see the progress of ESDP military capabilities by comparing MS equipments in 1999 and 2009. Besides, it is ongoing transformation of the Armed Forces of the MS from the previously Cold War doctrine; therefore, in 2008 the 27 EU governments had reduced their armed forces to 2 million personnel, and j Power Line Communication: a Green Computing Power Line Communication: a Green Computing Varsha Mohite Tejas Kandgaonkar ABSTRACT After evolution of wireless technology, classical Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) suffered through the drastic change. As a result of it, approximate 80-90% wired telephone networks are replaced by wireless network. But due to wireless network humans are nowadays facing various problems such as sleep disturbances, heart palpitations, migraines, and general poor health due to electromagnetic radiations. So there is need to switchover towards some existing wired network for communication. This leads to a new approach of green computing by using the existing power lines for the communication. This paper covers the working mechanism of power line communication, its modulation techniques and its applications. This paper will also give the general idea about the components for PLC based network elements. KEYWORDS Green Computing, PLC, Power Line Communication, Power Line Networking, Green Networking INTRODUCTION TO POWER LINE COMMUNICATION Power Line Communication (PLC) is a technology for the communication which provides the facility to send and receive data over existing wired network of power lines [1]. It is sometimes called as Internet over Power Line (IPL). Fig 1 Power Line Communication Power Line Communication is now became a need of today’s modern digital era due to following reasons: Slackening of telecommunication. Deregulation of electricity utilities. Increasing growth of digitization in every premise. Power grid control. PCL categorized into two categories as Narrowband PLC and Broadband PLC as follows [2], Narrowband PLC Narrowband PLC works at very low frequency range of 3-500 KHz with data rates from few 100s of kbps to several kilometers. Due to the application of narrowband PLC in smart grid technology, nowadays it is area of interest of many researchers. Broadband PLC Broadband PLC is last-mile solution for internet and networking through power lines. It has very high data rate and no any additional wiring is required for it, as it uses existing wired network. Thus this technology is serving as effective technology for Home Area Network (HAN). This way of communication through existing wired network of power lines provides following features: Lower cost for construction as it is using existing wired communication media. Provides high speed, high capacity, and long distance communication. It cannot be affected by electric fields or magnetic fields. It can be used for protection, system control and equipment automation. DEVELOPMENT PHASES The leading company in the field of power line communication based devices and services KEPKO KDN [5] has given the brief business record as below: Power line communication (PLC) trial service (Nov. 2004 ~ Jul. 2005, Remote metering, transformer monitoring, and internet service for 1,500 households in Daegu and Daejeon regions) Energy saving system construction using PLC technology (Feb. 2005 ~ May. 2005, Constructed street lights and in-building lights control system for Korea South-East Power and Bundang Combines Cycle Thermal Plant) Constructed integrated metering network based on power line communication (PLC) technology (Oct. 2005 ~ Dec. 2005, Electricity and gas remote metering system for 190 households in Gyeongnam region) PLC lighting control system for Younghung Thermal Power Plant (Dec. 2005 ~ present, Constructed lighting control (street light, turbine building, and high pressure building) system for Korea South-East Power Co Younghung Thermal Plant) Established industry-university online education infrastructure based on PLC technology (Dec. 2006 ~ Dec. 2007 Constructed and PLC home network for Korea Polytechnics education infra, and provided education and training support) Power line communication (PLC) based second remote metering trial service (Aug. 2007 ~ Dec. 2007, Constructed PLC based remote metering system for 5,000 household in Uijeongbu and three other regions) Constructed Power line communication (PLC) based integrated remote metering system (Aug. 2007 ~ Sept. 2007 Electricity, water, and gas metering system for 100 households in the South Seoul Business Unit (Mokdong) Lighting energy saving system expansion construction using power line communication (Sept. 2007 ~ Dec. 2007 Constructed expansion system in Busan Combined Cycle Thermal Plan of Nambu Power Plant (main control building, chemical building, CWP building, material building) PLC long distance transmission equipment supply (Apr. 2007 ~ Sept. 2007, Delivered couplers for long distance communication using high voltage lines for six business premises including KEPCO Jeju branches) PROBLEMS WITH PLC AND PROPOSED SOLUTION The current power lie networks are not designed for communication. PLC has the impairments like high attenuation, significant potential interference and the noise which is generated by all loads connected to the grid. With the application of OFDM modulation scheme these problems can be minimized. Encoding technique should be applied to achieve high data rates. PLC NETWORK ELEMENTS PLC Modem PLC modem is used to connect you communication device with the power line as a transmission medium. It performs the similar functionalities of the general modem. PLC Base Station A PLC base station is used to connect PLC to its backbone network. Other than this PLC gateways, repaters and coupling are also essential. OPERATING MECHANISM Like normal communication process, in Power Line Communication also sender modulates data and sends towards the receiver through the transmission media. At the receiving end receiver demodulates the received signal to read it. But only change is that the communication medium is the power line. PLC does not require any kind of extra cabling mechanism. By using PLC virtually all power-plugged devices can be controlled or monitored. From the network oriented point of view, 7-layered OSI reference model consideration is essential. Some PLC chips serves as only physical layer. It can be also used as Digital Signal Processor (DSP) with a clean software consciousness of the Medium Access Control sub layer and Physical Layer. MODULATION TECHNIQUES Various modulation techniques can be used in PLC such as Orthogonal Frequency Shift Keying, Binary Frequency Shift Keying, Frequency Shift Keying and Spread Frequency Shift Keying. In the table below these modulation techniques are compared by using two important parameters, complexity and bandwidth. OFDM gives highest data rates and FSK offers lowest complexity. Thus current trend is to move towards the combination of OFDM and FSK. APPLICATIONS Earlier, we saw that PLC is widely used in the Smart Grid and in micro-inverters. PLC can be used in other applications like lighting (e.g. traffic light control, LED dimming), industrial (e.g. UPS communicating to a network device, irrigation control), machine-to-machine (e.g. vending machines, a hotel’s reception-to-room communication), telemetry (e.g. offshore oil rigs), transport (e.g. Electronics in cars, trains and airplanes) and indeed, applications of PLC are only limited by one’s creativity. The major applications of power line communication [5] include: High-speed internet and Home Network High-speed internet Home network VoIP Integrated metering (electric, water, gas, hot water, heating) Security, alarm Power IT Remote metering Distribution automation Street light control Unmanned substation surveillance Underground utility conduit monitoring SCADA Air conditioner control Energy saving lights control for power plant Misc Applications Traffic signal control Road monitoring Emergency phone Forest fire monitoring Elevator control SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION REFERENCES [1] DOSTERT, K. Powerline Communications. Prentice-Hall PTR, 2001, ISBN 0-13-029342-3. [2] AHOLA, J. Applicability of power-line communicationsto data transfer of on-line condition monitoring ofelectrical drives. Thesis for the degree of Doctor ofScience (Technology). Lappeenranta University ofTechnology, Lappeenranta 2003, ISBN 951-764-783-2,ISSN 1456-4491. [3] KOSONEN, A. Power line communication in motorcables of variable-speed electric drives − analysis andimplementation. Thesis for the degree of Doctor ofScience (Technology). Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta 2008, ISBN 978-952-214-641-0, ISBN 978-952-214-642-7 (PDF), ISSN 1456-4491, 2008. [4] HRASNICA, H., HAIDINE, A., LEHNERT, R.Broadband Powerline Communications Networks.England: Wiley, 2004. 275 pp. ISBN 0-470-85741-2. [5] https://www.kdn.com/home3/we/gs/WEGS_0106.jsp?toMenuNum=510

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis :: essays research papers

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader By: C.S. Lewis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three main characters in the story, Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace. Lucy and Edmund are brother and sister and Eustace is their cousin. Edmund is a young teenager, very smart and very kind. Lucy is in her mid teens as well, she is a very happy person. Lucy is always trying to help people with there problems.The setting is first the early 1900’s in England and then in Narnia the fictional world the story is based on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with Edmund and Lucy sitting in there room talking about Narnia. Eustace is listening outside their door and comes in to make fun of them. There is a picture of a ship on the wall and as Eustace calls Narnia fake water begins coming into the room out of the picture. The next thing they know they are in the ocean and the ship is at there side. The ship is a group of Narnians sailing east looking for the seven lost lords of Narnia. Caspain the king of Narnia is leading the search group along with Ripecheep the leader of the talking mice.( In Narnia animals talk and walk around like humans) Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace since came into the world in the ocean they have to go along on the rescue mission. They come to an island and they had to find food and supplies. Eustace decided to go rest for awhile and finds a place up a hill. When he wakes from his nap there is a thick fog and he thinks he knows the way that he came from. He walks down into a valley and sees a pond and decides to take a drink. He sees a cave and decides to go in. Inside the cave there is gold, jewels, crowns, diamond, all kinds of treasure. He puts a bracelet on and while he was sitting in a pile of gold he fell back asleep. When he woke up his arm was very sores and noticed the band was now very tight. Eustace walked over to the pond to take a drink and see s the relexion of a dragon in the water. He had been turned to a dragon by taking the dragons gold. He is a dragon for a few days then Aslan(Aslan is the great emperor of Narnia) comes to visit him and changes him back.

Welfare :: essays research papers

Welfare   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the recent February article of the Los Angeles Times, Clinton has announced to go on with a plan to help people of welfare. Clinton challenged corporate bosses five months ago to take people in from welfare and trained them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main contributors of the project is a chief executive officer of the Monsanto Ca., the nation's fourth largest chemical maker. Clinton singled out the Monsanto company and other companies for helping out welfare workers. Monsanto has hired five recipient and found almost twenty more jobs for others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Under the new laws of the welfare reforms, the able body workers should work within the two years of recieving benefits. Some of the good things out of this plan is that by the year 2005, only 14% of jobs will be done by more of the dependent poor people. This is bad because 46% of aid recipients had not completed high school or earned a General Equivalency Diploma. The ability to absorb more welfare recipients is limited by the high- technology chemical, agricultural, fiber and pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. These workers would have limited skills. Monsanto is highly protecteive of the privacy of its special new hires. The new employees are hired to fill a variety of clerical and light general- labor positions. They will not be identified as the company's welfare-to-work initiative.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The possible short-term effect this would have on society is that people, on welfare, would be able to work and get paid for it. This will allow them to be able to build finance of their own that they will be able to help them with their lives. The long-term effect, though it seemed good for the people, would be bad for everyone else who weren't on welfare. This would be because the people working off welfare would really be working off the tax payers money. So, the people who aren't living off welfare would be paying higher taxes and the people who are living on welfare would be paying less taxes. Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education is an important factor in society today. Without education, we wouldn't be able to boost our technology. Boosting the technology would then help us in the medical field, help us build better houses that are more durable to earthquakes, etc. I think that we should spend more of the budget on education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If we spended more on education, we would be able to get more, better teacher to teach our children. With more teachers on the field, we would be able to teach more students than normal. To help the teachers out in there

A Human For Nature Essay example -- Essays Papers

A Human For Nature When looking at the issue of humans and nature throughout history, one significant figure stands out in my mind: Theodore Roosevelt. Without him, the most beautiful and serene places in North America may have been destroyed or fallen to the hands of developers. Development and conservation of land have been issues that we have faced since Europeans first landed in America. Today, environmental issues are a concern that any contending political candidate must address. In focusing on Theodore Roosevelt, we will find a basis for preservation in America. We will also explore some of the preservation actions that take place in our world today. The original forests in the United States covered an extremely large amount of land. It is estimated that forests took up roughly 1 billion acres of land, including Alaska5. The first to manipulate the land were the Native Americans who used tools and fire to convert the land to their needs. Areas were cleared for villages and growing crops while acres were also burned to make travel easier and improve hunting conditions. As Europeans arrived on the continent, the lands changed even more dramatically. The Colonists saw the forest as both a never ending resource, and an obstacle for using the land for farming purposes. Still, lumber quickly became one of America’s first exports along with fur which also depended heavily on the forest. As time passed, the population of America grew very rapidly. With a growing population more and more forests were converted for agricultural purposes. By the 1840’s "Manifest Destiny" had become popular, and the government thought transfer of public lands to private ownership as the best way to utilize the continents many resources. Around t... ...f thinking as he stated, "The lands that I have worked to set aside are not for my purpose, I did it for my children." Bibliography 1 Collins, Michael L. That damned cowboy: Theodore Roosevelt and the American West. New York: P. Lang, 1989. 2 Eaton, Pamela. "Setting Aside Pieces of the Wild." Denver Post, 21 February 1999, sec.C, p. 1-4. Database on-line. Available from Lexis-Nexis. 3 Kriz, Margaret. "Much Less Awful." The National Journal, 16 January 1999, sec. Environment, p. 96. Database on-line. Available from Lexis-Nexis. 4 Lorant, Stefan. The Life & Times of Theodore Roosevelt. 1st edition. New York: Double Day, 1959. 5 Locke, Timm. The state of the forest: an historical perspective. Information Access Company, 1997. Thompson Corporation Company. Database on-line. Available from Lexis- Nexis Academic Universe.

Needs Assessment Essay

Students desire more than paper and pencil lessons. According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), â€Å"Technology is driving change in the content of mathematics programs, in methods for mathematics instruction, and in the ways that mathematics is learned and assessed† (as cited in Van de Walle, 2004, p. 103). In this study, I want to investigate whether any differences occur in the overall effectiveness of student learning of fraction lessons when the information is presented using different types of visual media, in this case, computer versus overhead. The purpose of this study is to describe the impact of presenting fraction math lessons using computer based instruction versus overhead projection presentations. Eighth-grade math students will feel more engaged while receiving computer-based instruction versus eighth-grade students who receive overhead projection instruction. The participants are 12 math students at a Middle School. All of the students have basic computer skills. The twelve students are all eighth graders but their scores vary on the math section of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) standardized test. However, the test scores in class show that students struggle with fraction problems. Twelve students will be randomly divided into groups; one group of six students will have computer-based instructions on solving problems involving fractions and percentages, compounded percentages and multiple discounts and the other group of six students will have lecture based instruction using the overhead and paper worksheets. â€Å"The logic of needs assessment can be summarized as a simple equation: desired status – actual status = need† (Dick, Carey, & Carey, 2005). Currently, the desired status is for the math students to score 80% on in-class fraction test. The actual status is that students are scoring between 69 – 70 %. The need is to improve the scores about ten points. Students become bored taking notes and looking at the overhead information. Students using the computer are forced to be actively engaged. Using student’s interest in present day technology gives both sides an advantage in obtaining educational success. The question that still remains is does it give students an edge over paper and pencil taught lessons? A high school in Texas, San Marcos High, put the questions to the test. Teachers were initially impressed with on-line lessons. However, during the assessment phase, it was hard to determine if students were guessing the answers to the multiple choice questions or answering the questions correctly. When questioned why the school chose to use the on-line based lessons, Mr. Darnall, the math department head, states â€Å"Both of us really thought it was a way to capture the students’ attention† (Trotter, 2007). According to Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction, â€Å"in order for any learning to take place, you must first capture the attention of the student† (Kruse, n. d. ). Computer based lessons will satisfy this event. The students will be studied in their own groups. Data collection method included pre-test and posttest, interviewing, and observing students. Data will be collected in the form of daily worksheets and graded test. Also, students will completed a questionnaire about how involved they felt in each lesson. Answers from the questionnaire provided insight into the level of comfort student’s felt in using visual media to learn fractions. Students were observed during each presentation to look for a degree of understanding or misunderstanding. Triangulation is essential to cross-check information and presents an accurate view of the results. Three types of data to allow for triangulation are observing, interviewing, and examining records. These instruments were appropriate because these factors support the action of ensuring that the students have the prerequisite knowledge to begin instruction and supports informing the students what they will learn ( Dick, et al, 2005). Data will be analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics for measures of central tendency (mean, mode, median) and variability (standard deviation) (Gay, Mills, & Airasian, 2006). Interviews will be analyzed by grouping similar responses into clusters that address the same issue and develop total scores across an item cluster (Gay et al, 2006). References Dick, W. , Carey, L. , & Carey, J. O. (2005). The systematic design of instruction (6th ed). Allyn & Bacon. Gay, L. R. , Mills, G. E. , & Airasian, P.(2006). Educational research: Competencies for Analysis and applications (8th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kruse, K. (n. d. ). Gagne’s nine events of instruction: An introduction. Retrieved February 23, 2008, from http://www. e-learningguru. com/articles/art3_3. htm Trotter, A. (May 9, 2007). School subtracts math text to add e-lessons, test. Education Week. 26(36), 10-11. Van De Walle, J. A. (2004). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. MA: Allyn and Bacon.