Marketing for small business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing for small business - Essay Example preneurial marketing operations, and has compared them to the marketing theories given by marketing books, with the aid of focus groups and interviews with entrepreneurs. The author begins his argument by establishing differences between the operations of a normal company and those of an entrepreneur’s business. While his analysis of the traditional marketing approaches is correct in pointing out that they are planned, formal, and largely backed by thorough research, his views about entrepreneurial characteristics being unplanned seem questionable. It is true that entrepreneurial activities can be classified as being ‘informal’, and intuitive, but this does not imply that entrepreneurs do not make use of careful planning to run their businesses. In fact, planned processes play as important a role in the operations of entrepreneurial businesses as in those of corporate giants. According to Delmar and Shane (2003), entrepreneurs are better off using careful planning than learning through trial and error because it enables efficient utilization of already scarce resources. Hence, this distinction made by Strokes in his article appear s questionable to some extent. However, the other arguments presented in the article to establish the significance of entrepreneurial marketing are stronger than the one analyzed above. The author has correctly identified the marketing-related problems of entrepreneurial businesses, including less focus on marketing operations, limited customer base, scarce resources, as well as lack of specialized skills since there is too much reliance on the owner’s competencies. By conducting focus groups of the owner-managers of different entrepreneurial businesses, he has maintained that entrepreneurs see marketing as merely a tactic to attract customers through promotion, and are not aware of its strategic meanings like fulfilment of customer needs and product development. In addition, the observation that entrepreneurial operations are

While Dunning's OLI model provides a general paradigm for Essay

While Dunning's OLI model provides a general paradigm for expelling the determinants of FDI, its use in designing an international corporate strategy is limited and requires more models for the task - Essay Example meanwhile, Douma and Schreuder (2012) noted that as far foreign direct investment (FDI) is the approach to internationalisation a company seeks, the eclectic paradigm, also known as the OLI (ownership, location, internalisation) model developed by John Dunning is one important framework that provides general paradigm for knowing the determinants of the FDI. In this paper, the strengths of the OLI model to the study of FDI are appreciated whiles examining the limitations of the model in designing an international corporate strategy for firms. By extension, the paper takes a stance that it is one thing to be engaged in internationalisation and another to have an international corporate strategy. This is because the latter is wider and covers several aspects of corporate growth and expansion management than the former (Li, Ferreira & Serra, 2009). There are several ways that the OLI model helps in influencing the study of FDI. On the whole, the model helps firms to make decision on becoming multinational by understanding the potential sources of advantages they have that could make them successful. The model is important in providing firms with an understanding of their ownership advantages, where the question of firm-specific qualities of the firm is addressed (Antras & Elhanan, 2004). Because the firm-specific advantages are tied around the company’s unique approach to doing business, it helps firms to identify their competitive advantage which allows them to overcome the cost of operating in international markets (Peng, 2001). Without applying the OLI model and for that matter ownership advantage therefore, it becomes difficult for firms to identify their competitive advantage with which they will become preferred options for consumers instead of their competitors. Secondly, the OLI model is relevant in helping firms identify location advantages, where the firms answer questions on the best places to choose for internationalisation (Neary, 2007). In

The Industrial Revolution Essay Example for Free

The Industrial Revolution Essay From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the present day, the structure and culture of the American workplace have been affected by many forces, among them capitalism, technology, globalization, and issues of equality. Describe these forces in detail and analyze their impact on the structure and culture workplace. Capitalism Capitalism is an economic system that is based on the private ownership of capital or the means of production and the creation of goods and services for profit. Some of the elements central to capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets and a price system. Capitalism has been dominant in the Western world since the end of Mercantilism. It was fostered by the Reformation, which sanctioned hard work and frugality, and by the rise of the industry during the Industrial Revolution, especially the English textile industry. Unlike earlier systems, capitalism used the excess of production over consumption to enlarge productive capacity rather than investing it in economically unproductive enterprises such as palaces or cathedrals. It is now widely recognized that a new global economy is emerging. It is characterized by the transnational flow of capital, goods, services and labor; by greater national specialization and increased competition across borders; and by the use of new technologies that radically disrupt traditional ways of doing business. In seeking competitive advantage, the United States has targeted a niche for itself at the top of the world economy: It has opted to use the highest technology, to have the most capital- and knowledge-intensive industries, and to produce the highest quality and highest value-added goods and services. Surfing the crest of this giant wave is not easy: To maintain its prosperity, the U. S. economy must be in a state of constant change, driven by a process of â€Å"creative destruction. † Inefficient products, companies and entire industries continually need to be replaced. Capitalism is the social system which now exists in all countries of the world. Under this system, the means for producing and distributing goods (the land, factories, technology, transport system etc. ) are owned by a small minority of people. we refer to this group of people as the capitalist class. The majority of people must sell their ability to work in return for a wage or salary. the working class are paid to produce goods and services which are then sold for a profit. The profit is gained by the capitalist class because they can make more money selling what we have produced. In this sense, the working class are exploited by the capitalist class. The capitalist live off the profits they obtain from exploiting the working class whilst reinvesting some of their profits for the further accumulation of wealth. This is what we mean when we say there are two classes in society. It is a claim based upon simple facts about the society we live in today. This class division is the essential feature of capitalism. It may be popular to talk about various other â€Å"classes† exiting such as the â€Å"middle class†, but it is the two classes defined her that are the key to understanding capitalism. Profits In capitalism, the motive for producing goods and services is to sell them and make a profit. this is not done to necessarily satisfy the needs of the people. The products of capitalist production have to find a buyer, of course, but this is only incidental to the main aim of making a profit, of ending up with more money than was originally invested. This is not a theory that we have thought up but a fact you can easily confirm for yourself by reading financial reports from the press and other source. Production is started is started not by what consumers are prepared to pay for to satisfy their needs but by what the capitalists calculate can be sold at a profit. Those goods may satisfy human needs but those needs will not be met if people don’t have the money to purchase them. The profit motive is not just the result of greed on behalf of individual capitalists. Many times they do not have a choice about it. The need to make a profit is imposed on capitalist as a condition for not losing their investments and their position as capitalist. Competition with other capitalists forces them to reinvest as much of their profits as they can afford to keep their means and methods of production up to date. As you will see, we hold that it is the class division and profit motive of capitalism that is at the root of most of the world’s problems today, from starvation to war, to alienation and crim. Every aspect of our lives is subordinated to the worst excesses of the drive to make profit. In capitalist society, our real needs will only ever come a poor second to the requirements of profit. Technology Technology is defined as the making, modification, usage and knowledge of tools, machines, crafts, techniques, systems, methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solutions to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function.

Strategy For Sustainable Competitive Advantage Management Essay

Strategy For Sustainable Competitive Advantage Management Essay Every organizations corporate strategies are focused at developing a sustainable competitive advantage that will allow the company to continuously maintain and improve the enterprises competitiveness in the industry it is in. This enables the organization to stand strong despite competition or saturation of the market over a long time. An organizations competitive advantage is said to exist if customers perceive the firms product or as superiors or better than that of its competitors. There are various sources of competitive advantage in organization. These sources revolve around an organization internal environment (Dess et al, 2005). Dyer and Singh (Oct 2005), point out technology as one of the sources of competitive advantage to an enterprise. If the company technology is superior to those of its competitors, then the company can offer quality services and better product at cost effective prices thus retaining its customers for a long time. Its infrastructure like machinery and other production facility likewise can position the company more competitively if they super than the competitors. Human resource is one of the tools of competitive advantage. When a companys employees understand and are committed to the vision and objectives of the organization, they will become agents of success in the company. The employees will always be devoted to making the vision and identity stronger for the stakeholders, the customers and themselves (Oliver, 1997). The quality and the uniqueness of the companys products can also be a source of competitive advantage. If customers prefer the companys products or services because of specific qualities such as style, taste, ingredients, comfort, production methods e.g. organic or inorganic then the organization t can utilize this loyalty for strategic purposes. The location of the company could also be a competitive advantage. Companies operating closer to their customers, suppliers or raw materials can be more competitive than their counterparts in the same industries (Dyer Singh, Oct 2005). Structural, leadership, and cultural considerations while expanding its global operations Leadership Leadership is one of the most fundamental tools for Wal-Marts long-term competitive strategy for. The corporate executives of the organization are critically responsible for the direction and successful operations of the all the companys units. According to Wood (2004), the knowledge economy is proving to be the most valuable and efficient approach for leadership founded strong organizational values that promote constancy in innovation and motivation across all unites of the firm units. The leaders must harness their skills and abilities to lead with their intellect, aligned to the Wal-Marts corporate mission and vision. The leaders must think innovatively about how the company can create a sustained business value even as it enters others foreign markets. The entire corporate leadership must search for synergies and pursue possible successes at the corporate level for new opportunities for growth and expansion (Soderquist, 2005). Cultural The Wal-Marts organizational  culture is another of the key competitive advantages. If the company is able to build and maintain a culture that promotes and appreciates innovativeness, commitment, Wal-Mart is strategically positioned for success. Dyer and Singh, (Oct 2005) describes corporate culture as term that refers to a collective behavior of people seen in the perspective of shared corporate of vision goals, work language, symbols, beliefs,  habits and systems. Interwoven with the company procedures and technologies, each person including the new employees contributes to this cultures own uniqueness and composition. The corporate culture includes moral, social, and behavioral norms. Structural When entering a new market, corporate bureaucracies often mar smooth expansion programs. Bureaucracy delays implementation of strategies thus becoming a competitive disadvantage. To avoids this situation, Wal-Mart structure of administration and procedures will needs constant review to check any unnecessary or irrelevant procedure that like become obstacles to smooth and successful expansion of company. As the business continues to grow larger and larger, leadership and administration get further. Wal-Mart, management must keep constant battles to keep bureaucracy at bay. They need to regularly scrutinize all branches departments to ensure that feedback mechanisms are affective as possible (Soderquist, 2005). Wal-Mart needs to audit its procedures and structural operations when expanding its Global growths, in order to the negative impact of possible bureaucracies. Decision-making should be process need to be made as short as possible. Marketing and operational tactics to execute this strategy With the considerations of leadership, cultural and structural factors, Wal-Mart like any other company ought to come up with supportive marketing and operational programs that execute the competitive strategies. Combining effective marketing programs with its internal strengths such as innovations and leadership, advantage that is more competitive can be created. For retail chain store such as Wal-Mart, it is important that marketing strategies are consistent to the overall strategies and goals of the company. According to Wood (2004), effective marketing strategies will present the products and services offered as delivering the required benefits to consumers making them purchase repeatedly that products or service. The marketing strategies should not only be consistent with the overall strategy while expanding to other global markets, but also meet the demands of the level of competition in each market. While developing these strategies therefore, Wal-Mart therefore must factor in demands for effective product positioning; the nature of each of the markets it is entering, and the levels of competition with which the organization has to contend. The successful of branding of Wal-Mart franchises and branches has been one of the best sustainable differentiating strategies required of any effective marketing program. Like branding, the, the support marketing programs must be difficult for competitors to match the applied strategies (Oliver, 1997). Positioning as one of the important strategies that can be utilized to create and sustain Wal-Marts competitive strategy involves identifying the targets markets and clearly positioning the brands, their retails stores in those markets. One of the methods the organization can use is the marketing mix, which entails use of the 4Ps to influences consumer behavior in favor of Wal-Mart Stores. Market segmentation and discriminations is another possible positioning strategy. In the methods, the company will avoid standardizing their brands in totality, but rather customizing them to suit the cultural, economic, or legal requirements in those markets (Wood, 2004). Revised organizational chart for Wal-Mart Stores Where: CEO:-Chief Executive Officer/president CFO:-Chief Finance officer COO:-Chief Operation Officer

Who is Under Bondage? :: The Mission A Respectable Trade Slavery Essays

Who is Under Bondage? In analyzing two films, A Respectable Trade and The Mission, the oppression of the slaves and the indigenous people of the Guarani is strikingly blatant. The cruelty of the slave owners in A Respectable Trade and the Spanish and Portuguese who killed the Gauarani tribe in The Mission probably provokes disgust in the emotions of the viewer. Yet perhaps sympathy could also arise for a less obvious third party. Though the lives of the slaves were not their own, Francis Scott, their manager, was under bondage as well, in her own marriage. Though the Guarani were subject to either slavery or the converting of their lives to Christianity, the Jesuits, those that were responsible for converting them, were also bound to the decisions of another, in this case the church as an institution. The difference in the bondage of these two parties is that the slaves and Gauarani did not have a choice, whereas Francis and the Jesuits did. Despite their decisions to bind themselves to another entity, th ough, Francis and the Jesuits faced their own oppression. Yet, Francis and the Jesuits managed to exert their own control over the slaves and the Guarani while still being ultimately subjected to the contracts they voluntarily agreed to. They acted against their oppressors. Francis Scott in A Respectable Trade puts herself under bondage from the very moment she decided to get married. Francis asked for a job as an instructor and ended up with a slave-trading husband. Josiah was interested in her higher social status so as to boost his trade and wealth and perhaps move â€Å"across the river† with the wealthier class people. Little did Francis know she would be instructing slaves. This social process leads to the fact that, when analyzing their marriage in a class perspective, the relationship is feudal. Francis had a contract to serve Josiah in a specific way, and as her uncle warned her, she became Josiah’s property. As a feudal relationship, Josiah controlled the surplus from the profit of the slaves, and Francis received an allowance for managing them. Though Francis had a higher social status and education, ran the household, and even supposedly co-partnered with her husband, Josiah still had the ultimate control. This is illustrated f rom the very beginning of their marriage when Josiah and a fellow merchant raped one of the slaves, despite Francis’s plead. His control in this feudal class process is further exemplified through the fact that Josiah ultimately made all the economic decisions despite Francis’s influence.

The Use of Steroids in Athletics and its Effects on Athletes Essay

The Use of Steroids in Athletics and its Effects on Athletes According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, an athlete is defined as â€Å"a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.† Athletes train and practice year-round to prepare for the competition and challenges. At times during the preparation, injuries are sustained and fatigue is endured. To rid themselves of these obstacles, athletes take performance-enhancing drugs, which are also known as steroids. In the United States, the use of steroids is illegal without a prescription. When it comes to punishing athletes for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, depending on what sport and/or what league you are playing in, the penalty is dramatically different. For example, if you are found using steroids during the winter or summer Olympics, you automatically receive a two-year suspension for a positive test (Bodley 1). If you are caught a second time using performance-enhancing stimulants, you receive a lifetime ban from the Olympics (Bodley 1). In comparison, the National Hockey League does not have any drug testing or punishment at all for steroid use. Steroids promote muscle growth and the development of male sexual characteristics (National Drug Treatment Center). Consequently, steroids are often abused by athletes to enhance athletic performance and to improve physical appearance (National Drug Treatment Center). Steroids are available in many ways including tablets, liquid, gel, and cream form (National Drug Treatment Center). Charles Yesalis, a steroids expert, believes these drugs can affect you for a long time. "They (steroids) can assist you a decade or more after you last used them. They can take you to a place you neither have the time nor the ability to get to yourself, and if you continue with the right exercise and diet, you don't go back to zero" (Brennan). What the public does not see is the long term deleterious side effects. Some of these include cardiovascular deterioration, liver and kidney problems, sterility, mood swings, depression, and impotence. The side effects range from reversible to irreversible and vary in their severity. Because steroid use has not been prominent in sports for a significant number of years, the public has not been exposed to the ravages of long term use. Consequently, the typic... ...xistence due to the money they earn, the notoriety they receive, and their working conditions. The public already perceives them as overpaid, overindulged, and under worked. Now the players have the added stigma of being perceived as insolent lawbreakers. The irreparable harm they have caused themselves and their sport will not soon be forgotten by the average fan. Most professional athletes have an easy life, but the least they can do is keep an even playing field when providing entertainment for the general public. Steroids cause profound damage to the body long term, significantly outweighing the short term benefits need to be eliminated from sports. Works Cited â€Å"Baseball's timeline of denial.† Arizona Republic. 16 Mar. 2005. Bodley, Hal. (1) â€Å"Baseball officials announce tougher steroids policy.† USA Today. 13 Jan. 2005. Bodley, Hal. (2) â€Å"MLB to change steroid player-suspension language.† USA Today. 21 Mar. 2005 Brennan, Christine. â€Å"Bonds' feats raise red flags.† USA Today. 9 Dec. 2004. â€Å"Congressman floats idea of all-sports test plan.† Associated Press. 10 Mar. 2005. Jenkins, Chris. â€Å"Players admit steroids changed baseball.† USA Today. 16 Mar. 2005. The Use of Steroids in Athletics and its Effects on Athletes Essay The Use of Steroids in Athletics and its Effects on Athletes According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, an athlete is defined as â€Å"a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.† Athletes train and practice year-round to prepare for the competition and challenges. At times during the preparation, injuries are sustained and fatigue is endured. To rid themselves of these obstacles, athletes take performance-enhancing drugs, which are also known as steroids. In the United States, the use of steroids is illegal without a prescription. When it comes to punishing athletes for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, depending on what sport and/or what league you are playing in, the penalty is dramatically different. For example, if you are found using steroids during the winter or summer Olympics, you automatically receive a two-year suspension for a positive test (Bodley 1). If you are caught a second time using performance-enhancing stimulants, you receive a lifetime ban from the Olympics (Bodley 1). In comparison, the National Hockey League does not have any drug testing or punishment at all for steroid use. Steroids promote muscle growth and the development of male sexual characteristics (National Drug Treatment Center). Consequently, steroids are often abused by athletes to enhance athletic performance and to improve physical appearance (National Drug Treatment Center). Steroids are available in many ways including tablets, liquid, gel, and cream form (National Drug Treatment Center). Charles Yesalis, a steroids expert, believes these drugs can affect you for a long time. "They (steroids) can assist you a decade or more after you last used them. They can take you to a place you neither have the time nor the ability to get to yourself, and if you continue with the right exercise and diet, you don't go back to zero" (Brennan). What the public does not see is the long term deleterious side effects. Some of these include cardiovascular deterioration, liver and kidney problems, sterility, mood swings, depression, and impotence. The side effects range from reversible to irreversible and vary in their severity. Because steroid use has not been prominent in sports for a significant number of years, the public has not been exposed to the ravages of long term use. Consequently, the typic... ...xistence due to the money they earn, the notoriety they receive, and their working conditions. The public already perceives them as overpaid, overindulged, and under worked. Now the players have the added stigma of being perceived as insolent lawbreakers. The irreparable harm they have caused themselves and their sport will not soon be forgotten by the average fan. Most professional athletes have an easy life, but the least they can do is keep an even playing field when providing entertainment for the general public. Steroids cause profound damage to the body long term, significantly outweighing the short term benefits need to be eliminated from sports. Works Cited â€Å"Baseball's timeline of denial.† Arizona Republic. 16 Mar. 2005. Bodley, Hal. (1) â€Å"Baseball officials announce tougher steroids policy.† USA Today. 13 Jan. 2005. Bodley, Hal. (2) â€Å"MLB to change steroid player-suspension language.† USA Today. 21 Mar. 2005 Brennan, Christine. â€Å"Bonds' feats raise red flags.† USA Today. 9 Dec. 2004. â€Å"Congressman floats idea of all-sports test plan.† Associated Press. 10 Mar. 2005. Jenkins, Chris. â€Å"Players admit steroids changed baseball.† USA Today. 16 Mar. 2005.

Cutting Down Trees

Cutting down too many trees will result in nature being gone very soon. We will not be able to survive because we live on the oxygen that trees and plants breathe out. Because we need O2 and give off CO2, and because trees and plants breathe CO2 and give off O2, if one group is not there then the other will die. It is a bad thing if we keep cutting down trees in an unlimited way. In addition to the impact on the balance of gases (O2-CO2), trees and plants provide habitat for huge numbers of creatures. It is possible to kill off many whole species of animal by destroying their habitats. Losses like that (large-scale habitat destruction) are not easily reversed, and will drive large numbers of creatures into extinction. Taking away the homes of creatures, allowing them to completely die off, and then restoring the habitat won't bring them back. Trees should not be cut down because most of the paper used is not RECYCLED so therefore it is a waste of time from God to make and plant the tree! Well it has air and oxygen and if u are cutting the trees down u re hurting the enivorment and animals that live near trees or on trees like rabbits and all could die and the it causes flooding to the world and near the forest so all the animals can die. Also school is wasting mire paper by thinking they have enogh but they dont. Some people also do littering and people who do that i would like to remind them that when u are older and u litter and the police caches u then u can get arrested. Schools are all coverd in litter and it very important that u dont because u can still get in trouble even when u are younger. By the lack of litter that i have found in this street and i am very dissapointed please dont litter it is very important that u dont. Headteachers at school are doing a brilliant job by picking up the litter. Even if it is not ur litter please just pick it up. If u see someone chucking rubbish on the floor say to them dont do that it is not gd for the enviorment. One of the most significant impacts of cutting down trees is that they are a source of shelter to many animal species and they become homeless because of this and it becomes difficult for them to survive. As a result the entire food chain is affected. Cutting down trees means that we have lesser number of tree species left and this decreases the biodiversity. Plants release oxygen into the environment and lesser number of trees means that we will have lesser oxygen content in the atmosphere. Tree leaves also give off water molecules to the environment that become a part of the water cycle and come down as rain. Fewer trees means lesser rains. Trees refresh the air we breath so by chopping them down we will have a poorer air type No shelter for animals. No oxygen for humans.

Musical Genre Classification of Audio Signals Essay

Musical genres are categorized by human. It depends on human hearing. There are common characteristics shared by categories. These characteristics are related to instrumentation, rhythmic structure, and harmonic content of the music. Currently many music is still classified by manually. Automated system for musical genre classification can assist or replace manual work for classifying musical genre. In this paper, the automatic classification of audio signals into hierarchy of musical genres is explored. Three feature sets for representing timbral texture, rhythmic content and pitch content are proposed. Also propose classification through two-times KNN classification method and show enhancement of accuracy. Using two-time KNN classification method increases accuracy about 5% than one-time –++++KNN classification which two-time KNN classification accuracy is 77.9% and one-time KNN classification accuracy is 73.3%. Index Terms – Music classification, feature extraction, wavelets, KNN classification Table of Contents I. II. Introduction Music Modeling & Genre Segmentation III. Feature Extraction A. Timbral Texture Features i. ii. iii. iv. B. Spectral shape features Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) Texture window Low-Energy features Rhythmic Features C. Pitch Content Features IV. Classification V. Evaluation and Discussion VI. References I. Introduction Musical genres are categorized by human. It depends on human hearing. There are common characteristics shared by categories. These characteristics are related to instrumentation, rhythmic structure, and harmonic content of the music. Genre classification is magnified when music industry moved from CD to web. In web music is distributed in large amount so importance of genre classification is magnified. Currently many music is still classified by manually. Automated system for musical genre classification can assist or replace manual work for classifying musical genre. In era of web, it enabled to access large amount of all kinds of data such as music, movies, news and so on. Music database has been grown exponentially since first perceptual coders early in the 90’s. As database grows it demanded tools that can enable search, retrieve and handle large amount of data. Classifying musical genre was great tool for searching, retrieving and handling large music data base [1-3]. There are several more method such as music emotion classification [4], beat tracking [5], preference recommendation [6], and etc.. Musical genres classification (MGC) are created and used for categorized and describe music. Musical genre has no precise definitions or boundaries because it is categorized by human hearing. Musical genres classification are highly related to public marketing, historical and cultural factors. Different countries and organizations have different genre lists, and they even define the same genre with different definitions. So it is hard to define certain genres precisely. There is not an official specification of music genre until now. There are about 500 to 800 genres in music [7, 8]. Some researchers suggested the definition of musical genres classification [9]. After several attempt to define musical genres researchers figured out that it shares certain characteristics such as instrumentation, rhythmic structure, and pitch content. Genre hierarchies were created by human experts and they are currently used to classify music in the web. Auto MGC can provide automating classifying process and provide important component for complete music information. The most significant proposal to specifically deal with this task was released in 2002 [3]. S everal strategies dealing with related problems have been proposed in research areas. In this paper, automatic musical genre classification is proposed showed in Figure 1. For feature extraction, three sets of features for representing instrumentation (timberal), rhythmic content and pitch content are proposed. Figure 1 Automatic Musical Genre Classification II. Music Modeling & Genre Segmentation An untrained and non-expert person can detect the genre of a song with accuracy of 72% by hearing three-second segmentation of the song [11]. However computer is not design like human brain so it can’t process MGC like human. Despite whole song may somehow influence the representativeness of feature, using whole song can extract most of features that music has. Also to extract short segment of music for automation system is unsuited for the purpose because difficulty of finding exact time of music that represents genre of music. Without research finding certain section of music representing its characteristic using whole song to modeling is proper way to MGC. There are too many music genres used in web [7, 8]. Classification genre has to be simplified and in this paper proposed genres which are popular used in MP3 players in the market. Figure 2 Taxonomy of Music Genre III. Feature Extraction Feature extraction is the process of computing numerical representation that can be used to characterize segment of audio and classify its genre. Digital music file contains data sampled from analog audio signal. It has huge data size compared to its actual information. Features are thus extracted from audio signal to obtain more meaningful information and reduce the over-loading processing. For feature extraction three sets of features for representing instrumentation (timberal), rhythmic content and pitch content will be used [3]. 1. Timbral Texture Features The features used to represent timbre texture are based on the features proposed in  speech recognition. The following specific features are usually used to represent timbre texture. â‘   Spectral shape features [1-3] Spectral shape features are computed directly from the power spectrum of an audio signal frame, describing the shape and characteristics of the power spectrum. The calculated features are based on the short time Fourier transform (STFT) and are calculated for every short-time frame of sound. There are several ways to extract feature with spectral shape feature. 1. Spectral centroid is centroid of the magnitude spectrum of STFT and its measure of spectral brightness.

Old Spice Marketing

Old Spice is an exceptional brand founded on a rich history. It has succeeded in transforming itself from a brand that was more focused towards my generation’s grandparents to a new millennium sensation for younger crowds to utilize by using the market penetration product strategy. Proctor and Gamble currently owns the Old Spice brand and takes up a considerable amount of the men’s grooming market segment. Old Spice is still managing to maintain a competitive advantage and is growing toward its peak in its product life cycle with little product attributes that differentiate themselves from their competitors.Proctor and Gamble is currently expanding Old Spice’s product mix and maintains competitive pricing. Old Spice’s brand is promoted a highly rated advertising strategy and distributes its products intensively to retailers and wholesalers. The creator of Old Spice is George Schultz. He was introduced to the grooming market when he was 19 years old by work ing as a salesman for his father, William Schultz. William’s company, Schulton Company, in the Bronx, New York in the mid 1930s. Schulton Company, originally named the Lightfoot Schultz Company, was formed in the 1920s and sold soap and toiletries.William Schultz came to the conclusion that he would never become wealthy selling a private label product during the Depression and decided to search for a product that he could trademark and capture the public eye. He met with Enid Edson, an artist, and searched for label designs through intensive research. It was only soon after when William Schultz developed the first Old Spice product. It was a female fragrance that was developed â€Å"from a memory of a rose jar his mother kept in the house, a combination of roses, cloves, herbs, and other spices, and called his new line of toiletries Early American Old Spice for Women. While this was happening, George Schultz pursued his chemical engineering degree while continuing to make mo ney from being a salesman for Schulton. He became the plant manager shortly after and moved Schulton to its current site in Clifton in 1946. William Schultz passed away in 1950 and George Schultz was selected as president of Schulton and continued to build the company. Proctor and Gamble then bought Old Spice in 1990. Old Spice market segmentation is now targeted towards the younger generation, typically ages fifteen and up, who are intending the look their best and smell genuinely masculine.Also, the brand is reaching out to females who want their partners to have masculine-scented grooming products. There are currently three lines of the Old Spice brand: High Endurance, Classic, and Red Zone. High Endurance is the basic line, Classic contains the original scent of Old Spice, and Red Zone is the higher-end of the brand line. This allows for market segmentation to be split even more towards the older crowd who enjoy the original scent of Old Spice, and also to those who enjoy the ne wer variety of scents. In 2011, Proctor and Gamble held 43% of the men’s grooming industry’s sales and currently selling at $66. 47 per share.Throughout the previous years Proctor and Gamble has been consistent with the market trend, including the economic downturn. However, Proctor and Gamble has been staying ahead of the market price per share by a large margin. Old Spice’s product brand has evolved little over time. Its label has a consistent nautical theme to it. Its logo started off with a sailing vessel as a trademark. The original ships used on their products were the Grand Turk and the Friendship. In 1992, these tall ships were replaced with a yacht, giving the brand a more modern feel. Today, Old Spice uses the original tall ship theme that it originally used.Old Spice is involved in a wide brand extension as well. Starting off with aftershave lotion and shaving soap, the brand has extended to deodorant sticks, body wash, body spray, and other male groo ming products. As stated before, Old Spice was originally designed for women, but now is predominantly a male brand. It is amazing how successful Old Spice has been even though it has little product attributes that give them a sustainable competitive advantage. One of its product attributes include the distinctive red appearance that the brand has consistently kept since it was first developed.When you are in a men’s grooming section and you see the red products, you know that it is Old Spice. Also, it has developed a wide variety of different scents in the 2000s. Other than that, Old Spice has relied heavily on their advertising method that I will elaborate on later in this paper. I would argue that the products’ life cycle is currently in between the growth and maturity stage. Old Spice has been able to maintain its competitive brand since the early 1900s and continues to dominate the men’s grooming segment.The Old Spice brand is presently attempting to expand its product mix. This directly represents their product strategy. They are focusing on market penetration and diversification. Market penetration is defined as â€Å"finding new customers for existing products. † Diversification in terms of marketing is defined as â€Å"developing new products and cultivating new markets. Old Spice is diversifying their products and potentially reaching out to new customers by doing so. From the Old Spice website, you can buy products that are not directly related to the male grooming market segment.One product that caught my attention was the deodorant protector. I am not quite sure why someone would need a deodorant protector, but maybe it is a way to show that the Old Spice product is valuable and a prized possession. The next product that caught my attention was a shirt with the famous â€Å"I’m on a horse† quote spoken by Isaiah Mustafa in an Old Spice commercial. This product mix shows that Old Spice is taking risks in e xpanding their product selection and is willing to reach into other product lines. Product development of Old Spice dates back from 1937 to today.In 1937, Old Spice’s first product, a female fragrance, was introduced and the first male products, a shaving soap and aftershave lotion was developed one year later in 1938. The product appearance is consistent with the nautical theme as seen with the buoy-shaped bottle and clipper ship logo on the front. Also, the brand kept its cursive Old Spice logo that signifies its historical lasting. After Old Spice was bought by Proctor and Gamble in 1990, the tall ship logo that Old Spice kept prevalent throughout the 20th century was modified to a yacht logo in February of 1992.Throughout the early 2000s, Old Spice has introduced various new scents, such as: After Hours, Komodo, Matterhorn, Aqua Reef, Swagger, Fiji, Cyprus, and many more. In 2008, the Old Spice brand decided to reintroduce its original scent to reach back to the brandâ₠¬â„¢s origin. This is shown by a a quote on the back of some Old Spice products that read, â€Å"The original. If you’re grandfather hadn’t worn it, you wouldn’t exist. They also replaced the glass buoy-shaped bottles to plastic for durability and replaced the gray stoppers with red ones to be consistent with the red theme that Old Spice is known for.Proctor and Gamble has continued to keep Old Spice competitive in the male grooming market segment. The price of Old Spice products is either equal to or just slightly above its main competitors. Some of its closest important include Degree, Axe, Right Guard, Dial, Dove, Olay, and Nivea. In Wal-Mart, Old Spice deodorant typically sales for around $3. 97. This price gives them an advantage by providing the psychological factor to their consumers that Old Spice is a top brand product since it costs more than its primary competitors. Degree deodorant sales for $3. 87, Axe for $3. 47, and Right Guard for $3. 2. Right G uard and Degree brands are geared more toward the athlete hygienic market while Old Spice reaches out to not only that, but also toward men who just want to smell good. The Gillette brand is a competitive product with Old Spice but is owned by Proctor and Gamble and contributes to Proctor and Gamble’s total market share. Old Spice distributes its products through an intensive distribution process. This process requires â€Å"the manufacturer to gain exposure through as many wholesalers and retailers as possible. † Some retailers that Old Spice distributes to are Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, and ShopRite.Wholesaler distribution includes convenience stores like CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and small â€Å"mom and pop stores. † Old Spice is considered to be a product that many men need and is pushed through the market. Since Old Spice are a part of Proctor and Gamble, their products can be shipped out with other Proctor and Gamble products. This results in a ver y cost-effective distribution method for Proctor and Gamble. However, Old Spice may be involved with some difficulty when their business partners become resistant and slows down the distribution process, creating a thin line between partners and competitors.They become resistant because they may expect more of a profit from Proctor and Gamble since the company is so successful. Old Spice should consider distributing products on their own to reduce these conflicts and clear congestion in the distribution process. Old Spice packaging is in both gift sets and per unit that dates back to 1938. The original gift set packaging were cardboard boxes protected with lithograph thin wood veneer made by the Hull Pottery Company. The packaging had printed on it the ship Grand Turk, Mount Vernon, Brig Experiment, Friendship, and Recovery.The first major change in the gift set packaging was in 1955, replacing the wood-colored box with a solid red and giving the tall ship a more contemporary look b y whitening the sails and blackening the hull. Shortly after, in 1963 a gold compass was imprinted on the red gift set box and remained this way until 1970. Ten years later the gift set cover consisted of a series of copies of large traditional clipper ships that include the Hamilton, Wesley, Salem, and Birmingham. In 1977, four different gift set cover designs were introduced that included a collection of watercolor prints.These prints were of scenic harbors, such as the New Orleans Harbor, San Francisco Harbor, Savannah Harbor, and Mystic Harbor. Then, in the 1980s, the gift set packaging top was covered with a modern print of the products inside the package. Today, the Old Spice gift set maintains the print of products inside the package or contains a see through cover so the consumers can view the products themselves. The package remains red, the words remain cursive, but the red is a darker shade than the well-known bright red. Individual packaging per Old Spice product were fo r the original after-shave and cologne in the early 1940s.The box was wrapped in dark red paper and the glass bottles were white and buoy-shaped to display the nautical image that Old Spice portrays. The Old Spice logo consisted of cursive letters with the words â€Å"Early American† above â€Å"Old Spice† and had had scrollwork surrounding the lettering. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the scrollwork was removed and the Old Spice letters were made larger. Today, the Old Spice individual packaging varies but has a consistent nautical theme that aims toward various consumers. Old Spice boosted its popularity and sales by a large margin when they launched the â€Å"Smell like a man, man† campaign in July of 2010.It was a commercial starring Isaiah Mustafa that immediately reached out to women by starting the video with â€Å"Hello, ladies. † He then continued convincing women that their man can smell like he is good looking by saying, â€Å"Look at your man. Now back at me. Now back at your man. Now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies’ scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. † The commercial ended with Mustafa obviously stating, â€Å"I’m on a horse† while sitting backwards on one. This video gained mass amounts of attention and had more than 6. million views on YouTube in just one day! This campaign was also promoted by creating a bathroom set with Mustafa, also known as the â€Å"Spice Man,† standing with just a towel on. Fans could then send the Spice Man questions on from Facebook and Twitter and four writers rapidly crafted responses to those questions that the Spice Man then answered with. There were 65 of these response videos uploaded and drew up to over 5. 2 million views on YouTube. In conclusion, Old Spice is a widely successful brand that was founded on a rich history during the Great Depression.Since then, the brand managed to reach millions of consumers to become one of the most popular male grooming products on the market today. They did so with little modifications to product packaging and appearance. Proctor and Gamble was a huge factor in Old Spice’s success and continues to lead Old Spice through it’s growth stage in its product life. Their intensive distribution strategy and competitive pricing puts them on top and helps Old Spice maintain about 43% of the men’s grooming market. Old Spice’s nautical theme is strong, confident, and masculine.Like the product says, â€Å"If your grandfather hadn’t worn it, you wouldn’t exist. † Works Cited Berner, Robert. â€Å"Old Spice's Extreme Makeover. †Ã‚  Businessweek. com. Bloomberg Businessweek, 01 Nov. 2004. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . Cover, John C. Proctor and Gamble: A Marketing Technique. 1967. Print. Newman, Andrew A. â€Å"Old Spice Argues That Real Men Smell Good. †Ã‚  Nytimes. com. New York Times. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Old Spice. †Ã‚  Old Spice.Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Old Spice Collectibles. †Ã‚  Old Spice Collectibles. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"PG: Summary for Procter ; Gamble Company (The) – Yahoo! Finance. †Ã‚  Yahoo! Finance. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Procter ; Gamble. †Ã‚  PG. com Home: Sustainability, Company, Brands. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Proctor and Gamble. †Ã‚  United States American History. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. .

Lan-Base Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System Essay

1.1 Introduction Modernization changed our lifestyle. Technology improves us to spend time and spaces in remarkable ways. Due to rapid technological changes new things to produce better way of doing things through the help of technology. In our present life style people find way to improve their living day by day .This improvement was obviously seen in our modern technology, such modern machine, improvised gadgets, robotics and the most popular and widely influential is the modern computer. Modern computer helps people to lessen their work in such particular field of industry, particularly for those activities that requires computation storage of information presentation security and many uses of system software by the company, organization and in some aspect of educational areas. One of these changes is through the use of LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of Caltex Gasoline Station which is programmed automatically set the time and date employees log; so that the office assistant mo nitors the record and liable easily access the payments of the employees. In the field of Information technology the knowledge in creating a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of the employees are one of the most important parts to keep a certain business stable also includes the monitoring of the employees and the payroll. The Owner can’t assure that his employee is arriving on time in Gasoline Station and he can’t also assure if the computation of the payroll is correct and accurate. 1.2.1 Background of the Study The Caltex Techron Balite Merchandise started as a Federal Gasoline station in 2007. After three years Federal Gasoline Station experienced bankrupt because of the competition in other gasoline station. The owner of Federal Gasoline Station decided to sell the property of Federal Gasoline Station to Mr. Danny Reobeca to recover his investment. In the year 2010 September 19, the Caltex Techron merchandising established in Barangay Balite. They started with sixteen (16) employees including (1) one manager, (1) one secretary, (2) two cashiers, and (12) twelve gasoline boys. Nowadays, the Caltex Techron Merchandising has (4) four Gasoline Machines, (3) three Gasoline Tanker, (1) one storage room and (1) one office room. Caltex Techron Merchandising have now (33) thirty three employees including (1) one manager as the owner, (3) three office assistant, (3) three cashier, (2) two guards and (24) twenty four gasoline boys. The operation is 24 hours and has three shifting for gasoline boy and cashiers. First shift (6:00am-3:00pm), second shift (12:00pm-9:00pm), third shift(9:00pm-6:00am), (2) two shifting for the security guard, First shift (6:00am-6:00pm) and second shift (6:00pm-6:00am) while the manager and office assistant work 8 hours start 8:00am to 4:00pm. The facilities of the Caltex Techron Merchandising are complete but proponents found out (2) problem. First, the attendance monitoring of the employee is manual like the traditional. Second, the exact computation of payroll of the employee is manual computation. They have an office assistant in the office room to manage the attendance monitoring and payroll of the employees. 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.2.1 General Problem The Manual attendance and payroll of the employees in Caltex Techron resulting lack of accuracy and security in terms of records. The main problem of manual system is very hard to retrieve information of the employees. 1.2.2 Specific Problem The Caltex Techron Merchandising has also some specific problem as they follow: * Manual recording of the time-in and time-out of the employees. * Using the manual computation of payroll. * Inaccurate employee’s attendance due to manual operation of time keeping. * Unorganized records because of many records that must be filed. 1.3 Objective 1.3.1 General Objective The Proponents aims to develop a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System that will improve their service in terms of attendance monitoring and payroll of the employee. 1.3.2 Specific objectives * To develop a system that enable to search records easier and faster. * To avoid changing of time that they log. * To develop a system that will monitor the daily time record of employee. * To upgrade and standard the process of computing salaries of employees accurately. * To establish a system that will register the time-in and time-out of employees. * To prevent loosen and break down of the records and files. * To make automated the computation of the salaries of the employees. 1.4 Scope and Limitation The Proponents aims to develop a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of the employee for the improvement of Caltex Techron Merchandising. The File maintenance can easily add, search, delete, and update records, with the use of this system. 1.4.1 Scope * Computerize the Attendance of the employee. * Automated computation of salaries. * It gives accurate time and date of the employee’s log. * LAN-based System. * The administrator only has the authority to access the records of the employees. 1.4.2 Limitation * Records only the time and date of log-in and log-out of the employee but it can’t identify who are the real employees. * The LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System embedded only to Caltex Techron. 1.5 Significance of Study This study not only to develop a software system, It also aims to do specific task in a short period of time. Administrator/Manager: * It will help them in terms of less spending space and time. It will help them. Office Assistant: * It will be easy for them to monitor the attendance of the employee and to lessen their work. Employee: * It will be easier to get their salary because of the automatic computation. 1.6 Definition of Terms 1. Automated – To operate by automation. 2. Merchandising – Sales promotion has a comprehensive function including market research, development of new products. 3. Monitoring – A device for observing a biological condition or function. 4. Payroll – The sum necessary for distribution to those on a payroll also the money to be distributed. 5. Salary – Fixed comprehension paid regularly for devices 6. Technology – A capability given by the practical application knowledge. 7. Embedded – Fix to the business company. 8. LAN-Based – the system is running by group of personal computer and associated equipment that are linked by cable, office building and that share a communications line. 9. Manual – work by hand, involving the skills and hard word of hand. 10. Traditional – from generation to generation,† Old style†.

The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down essays

The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down essays In the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, a child named Lia Lee is taken away from her parents by Child Protective Services and placed in foster care. Because they arent giving her medication for epilepsy. Although resulting in some medical benefits those benefits were lost because of destructive psychological and emotional damage to Lia. Dr. Neil Ernst decided to call child protective services when Lia Lees parents Nou Kou and Foua were reluctant to give her her medicine. Dr. Neil Ernst said: I felt it was important for these Hmongs to understand that there were certain elements of medicine that we understood better than they did and that there were certain rules they had to follow with their kids lives. I wanted the word to get out in the community that if they deviated from that, it was not acceptable behavior.(pg. 79 Fadiman). Dr. Ernst could have also been arrested for not reporting it. There were some alternatives to calling Child Protective Services such as my favorite one; having a nurse visit the Lees three times daily to administer the medications, but this thought did not occur to Dr. Ernst and/or seemed unreasonable at the time. Although Fadiman does not mention what Dr. Ernst thought about this course of action, I can only suspect that it would have been too expens ive to have a nurse visit three times a day. Also they shouldnt be rewarded for their noncompliance by having someone else administer their daughters medication. It might have also provoked the Lees to anger because they didnt like to give Lia the medicine because of how the medicine made her depressed and sullen. After Lia was taken away for a period of a few weeks, Nou Kou almost beat an interpreter named Sue Xiong who was interpreting for a CPS ...

-34290036195000Chasten H. Taala Grade 12- Goodness Essays - Health

-34290036195000Chasten H. Taala Grade 12- Goodness Essays - Health -34290036195000Chasten H. Taala Grade 12- Goodness IN THE KNOW: What's Implanon ? 07:20 AM September 04, 2017 07620000 An implanon contraceptive is inserted under the skin of a woman's arm to control her fertility for three years. JUNJIE MENDOZA/CEBU DAILY NEWS Implanon is a small, flexible, thin plastic rod that is inserted under the skin of a woman's upper arm to prevent pregnancy. The implant slowly releases etonogestrel into the body over a three-year period. Etonogestrel is similar to a natural hormone the body makes. It works mainly by preventing the release of an egg or ovulation during the menstrual cycle. ADVERTISEMENT It also makes vaginal fluid thicker to help prevent sperm from reaching an egg and changes the lining of the uterus to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to its wall. Implanon is manufactured by NV Organon. The Supreme Court prohibited the Department of Health (DOH) on June 17, 2015, from procuring, selling, distributing, dispensing or administering, advertising and promoting the hormonal contraceptives Implanon and Implanon NXT because this prevented pregnancy for up to three years. In the same ruling, the high tribunal stopped the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from granting pending applications for reproductive products, including contraceptives. In August 2016, the high court rejected the DOH appeal to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) that barred it from providing Implanon and Implanon NXT contraceptives to the public due to its failure to conduct public hearings on these products' acquisition and distribution. Instead, the high court remanded the case to the FDA to check if the products have abortifacient side effects. The DOH would have to go through the certification process with the FDA from scratch. In July, President Duterte said he wanted the full implementation of the reproductive health law, noting that the Supreme Court's TRO affects the distribution of the two birth control implants. Inquirer Research Sources: Inquirer Archives, www.merck.com , webmd.com Chasten H. Taala Grade 12- Goodness The birth control implant is a tiny, thin rod about the size of a matchstick. It's also called Nexplanon and there's a slightly older version called Implanon. A doctor inserts the implant under the skin of your upper arm. It releases the hormone progestin to stop you from getting pregnant. Progestin thickens the mucus on yourcervix, which stopsspermfrom swimming through to youregg. When sperm can't meet up with an egg, pregnancy can't happen. Progestin can also stop eggs from leaving yourovaries(calledovulation), so there's no egg to fertilize. When eggs aren't released, you can't get pregnant. One of the awesome things about the implant is that it lasts for a long time, up to 4 years but it's not permanent. If you decide you want to get pregnant or you just don't want to have your implant anymore, your doctor can take it out. You're able to get pregnant quickly after the implant is removed. The implant can have negative side effects. Some people have side effects after getting Nexplanon, but many adjust to the implant with few or no problems at all. Negative side effects usually go away after a few months, once your body gets used to your implant. The most common side effect is irregular bleeding (aka spotting), especially in the first 6-12 months. Sometimes the implant causes long-term spotting, or periods get longer and heavier. But for most people, the implant makes their periods way lighte r, 1 in 3 people with the implant stop getting their periods at all after a year. It's totally safe to not get a period while you're on Nexplanon. And you don't need to worry about being pregnant even if you don't get a period, because the implant is really, really effective birth control. Other possible side effects that aren't as common include: h eadaches , b reast pain , n ausea , w eight gain , o varian cysts , p ain or b ruising where the implant was inserted , infection where the implant was inserted . I am not in favor of this because t hey work against the natural gift of fertility, treating pregnancy as if it were a disease and fertility as if it were a pathological condition. Some methods can also act to prevent

Performance management systems linked to reward

Performance management systems linked to reward Executive Summary This report covers the fundamentals of performance management, and explains what all the managers and supervisors should know concerning the concept of performance management. In addition, the report creates special emphasis on the importance of employee motivation to performance.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Performance management systems linked to reward specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In explaining the different concepts, the report uses relevant literature and specific theories, which help the reader to understand the information clearly. Further, the report aims to help the Brook and Kent Company limited in proper implementation of their performance management so as to help improve the quantity and quality of work that the employees produce. Introduction Most organisation do not really comprehend what performance management really means. Therefore, these organisations are usually dismayed at why sometimes the employees may be working hard, and are satisfied with their jobs but still the outcomes from the work of the employees do not reflect the input that the managers and supervisors expect. This usually makes the managers and supervisors to wonder what they may be doing wrong in helping to increase the productivity of the workers. In most of these situations, the managers or supervisors have usually gotten the concept of performance management all wrong, hence this is portrayed in the outcomes of the work done by the employees. Performance management can be explained in simple terms as the activities which an employer or the organisation may take to ensure that the goals which are set are consistently achieved and in an efficient and effective method. The performance management can be used to evaluate the performance of employees, a department within the organisation or the performance of the whole organisation in general. Generally, performance management tries to bring out the best out of the employees’ ability, to enable the organisation achieve good returns. For instance, some organisations use reward based performance management to reward the employees who are perceived to have high performance. Rewarding is a form of recognition for the employees contribution towards the attainment of the main objectives within the business. This report will attempt to evaluate the main concepts of the performance management, which should be applied to organizations to ensure the effectiveness of their performance management systems.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The paper will also cover the assumptions which different organisations make in implementing their performance management systems, which ultimately lead to the inefficiency of the performance management systems in ensuring better performance of the employees and there fore better returns for the company. Moreover, the findings of this report will be based on the problems that Brooks Kent Company limited, a small construction SME, faces. Performance management system For many organisations, the performance management system is first implemented through the creation of an effective business strategy, i.e. strategic planning. The business strategy determines where the business would like to be after a specific period of time. Normally, the period may be six months, one year or even ten years. In addition, the business strategy should have a close relationship with the main objective of the business, as well as pay close attention to the means of performance appraisal in recognition of outstanding achievement by the employees of the company (Verweire and Berghe, 2004, p 93). The performance appraisal may take different forms; Brook and Kent opted for the reward based appraisal. However, the appraisals may also be used in other forms which are not re ward-based. The reward based appraisals of Brook Kent takes the form of promotions, salary increase and the issue of bonuses to outstanding work by the employees. This helps in improving the motivation of the workers as their effort is recognised by the management of the company. In the research, the following systems were reviewed, to explain the reward based management organisation of the Brook Kent and how the theories may be used to solve some of the problems existing at the company and improve productivity. Therefore, the main purpose which makes an organisation to implement a performance management system is to ensure that: The employees do the work which the organisation requires them to do. Normally, the performance management system specifies the specific work which the employees supposed to do (anon. 2007 p 1). The employees know the amount of work that the organisation requires them to do and the quality of the work which they should produce. This therefore guides the employee by putting specific targets which the employee is supposed to meet to satisfy the organisation (anon, 2007, p 1). The performance management system also ensures that the employees’ output is monitored closely and the information on their ongoing performance communicated to them. This makes the employees to make the necessary correction on their quantity or quality of work to ensure that they achieve the set performance in the set period of time (anon, 2007, p 1). The performance management system also ensures that exemplary work is rewarded, based on the performance management system that the organisation is using. The performance management system also ensures that necessary measures are taken on an employee who fails to meet the set performance standards (anon, 2007, p 1). Both these measures ensure that the organisation achieves its strategic objectives as set out. The main components of a performance management system include: Communicating the performance expe ctations which the organisation requires its employees to achieve; Maintaining and monitoring the ongoing performance of the employees of the organisation; and Conducting regular performance appraisal (Anon, 2007 p 2). During the initial stages of the implementation of the performance management system, the organisation should come up with effective strategies which fit with the main objectives of the business. In normal circumstances, the application of the organization strategies should be implemented using the appropriate performance management system. How the organisation implements the strategies in the performance management system ensures whether the strategies will be effectively met. After the planning stage, the organization should effectively communicate the strategies to the employees and ensure that they are embedded in the organisational culture of the company concerned. This ensures that the employees will continuously strive to achieve the set performance standards as they relate with the standards. This is usually the most important component of a performance management system.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Performance management systems linked to reward specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If the organisation fails to effectively communicate the performance management system to the employees, there is a very high possibility that the performance standards in the organisation will not be achieved. This is because the employees may not associate with the set standards and may be on the perception that the performance management system does not benefit them (Taticchi, 2010, p 245). For an effective and efficient performance management system, the organisation must continuously maintain, monitor and analyse the performance management standards. The organisation must use data which is reliable, and have an effective method of interpreting the data. This helps the organization to d etermine the progress of the employees with regard to the performance management standards which have been put for them. The organisation should also communicate its findings to the employees so that they may take the necessary measures. The organisation should have effective means of appraising exemplary performance of its employees. This helps in motivating the workers who have performed better and also help in motivating the other workers to also perform better as they are guaranteed efficient appraisal methods. However, if the organisation fails to plan and implement the performance appraisal effectively, it may lead to reduced performance of the employees. This may happen if only a few people are rewarded and there are many other people expecting to be rewarded. This makes those people who were not rewarded to get demotivated (Rao and Rao 2004 p 13). Motivation Motivation of employees is a very vital aspect, which all managers usually consider. Employee motivation can be define d as the set of forces, which guide a person to continuously strive to achieve a certain goal. Generally, the origin of the forces may either be internal or external. Employee motivation enables the individual to find pleasure in the process of achieving the goals set by the company to continuously endeavour to improve on the outcomes of his activities. Therefore, motivated employees will perform better as they find pleasure in their activities and therefore put more effort in implementation of the activities.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Different organisations implement performance management systems so as to help improve the quality and quantity of output that the employees produce. The organisations aim to do this by improving the motivation of the employees in different ways to enable them to achieve the required performance standards. To achieve this, the performance management system has several methods of employee appraisal, which help in motivating the employees to perform better as the organisation would recognise their outstanding contribution to the organisational goals. The performance management systems not only determine the appraisal methods, but it also determines what actions will be taken on the employees for failure to reach their performances. Performance management usually determines the rewards which the employees will get due to the achievement of their performances. Normally, the rewards may be in the form of promotions, bonuses, salary increases or recognition. This helps in motivating the e mployees to achieve the rewards. However, the performance management is also used to determine what measures will be taken to an employee who fails to achieve his expected performance. The measures taken may range from demotions, forfeited bonuses and allowances to loss of the job. This, according to Jeremy Bentham’s â€Å"the carrot and the stick motivation theory† helps in motivating the employees to achieve their performances. According to Bentham, all individuals are motivated by the urge to avoid pain and find pleasure in the activities they take. Bentham stated that â€Å"a worker will work only if the reward is big enough or the punishment is sufficiently unpleasant† (Cited in Shah and Shah, 2010). Bentham was of the view that if you want a donkey to move you either have to dangle a carrot in front of it or whack it with a stick from behind hence the name, â€Å"the carrot and the stick† (Shah and Shah 2010). In the context of employee motivation i n relation to performance management, pay rise, promotion, bonus or recognition are the â€Å"carrot† which aid in motivating the worker. More often, the employee will strive to achieve his/her performance so as to get the rewards. On the other hand, demotions, forfeited bonuses and allowances, and loss of the job are the â€Å"stick† which motivates the employee to work and achieve his/her performance, in a way of avoiding such ‘stick’. The relationship between motivation and performance management can also be explained by the Victor Vroom’s valence x expectation motivation theory. Vroom states that â€Å"an employee is motivated to perform better if he/she believes that the better performance will lead to better performance appraisal and that this shall result into the realisation of personal goal in form of some reward† ( shah and shah, 2010, part 8). In our context, the performance management outlines the various appraisal methods which m ay be given to the employees in case he/she attains his/her performance. According to Vroom, the employee is not motivated by the actions taken against him/her for failure to reach the set performance. However, the employee gets motivation from the perceived rewards which he/ she may get due to attainment of his/her performance. There are usually different appraisal methods which are used by different organisations to help in motivating their employees. However, a recent form of performance appraisal which is mostly used by different organisation is the total reward method of appraisal. Total reward system It is widely agreed by different scholars that people do not work just to get paid; the reasons that make people work are far much more than the pay, which the organisation may offer to the employees. Therefore, for an organisation to be able to effectively motivate the employees they must not just use the payment, but must also understand and take measures to ensure that the empl oyees needs are met, which in turn leads to motivation. Different theories have been proposed to explain the source of motivation of the employees, some of which have already been discussed above. Therefore, to achieve motivation, the organisation needs to use the total reward system to acquire motivation of its workforce. However, careful observation of the motivation theories shows that employees are mainly motivated due the fulfilment of their needs, both material and immaterial. This is usually the basis of the total reward system. Total reward is defined by Worldatwork, the association which deals with total reward in the US, as all the tools which an employer may use to attract, motivate and retain employees and anything which the employee recognises to be valuable according to the employment relationship (Armstrong, 2002, p 8). The total reward system therefore, has many components, both financial (material) and non-financial (immaterial). Different scholars have proposed dif ferent constituents of the total reward performance management appraisal method. However, even though the general components are different, most of the components are similar to those proposed by Worldatwork. The main components of the total reward system according to Worldatwork (2005) are: pay, benefits, and learning and development (Jiang et al, 2009, p 4). Pay refers to all the forms of recognition which have monitory value attached to them. It includes base salary, bonus allowances and any other form of recognition which has financial payment attached to it. This payment helps in attracting highly qualified personnel to the organisation and also in retaining them. The benefits include retirement benefits, healthcare benefits, savings and time, which the employee may be given to spend as he wishes. The benefits which are given to the employees are mainly meant to protect their future and reduce uncertainty. Moreover, reduction in the uncertainty of the employee helps in increas ing his motivation to the work as he is assured of his future needs being met by his employer (Armstrong, 2002, p 9). Learning and development facilitates career growth and knowledge improvement in employees. Normally, learning and development may take the form of career development and training. This usually helps in retaining the employee into the organisation as the activity satisfies the personal development needs of the individual. Moreover, learning and development is not necessarily a financial gain to the employee; it just helps to improve the employee satisfaction by and helping to quench his thirst of knowledge. Summary and Conclusion The above report has explicitly explained the performance management systems. The understanding of the performance management system will enable Brook and Kent to take the appropriate measures to help in improving the employee motivation. The main problem, which Brook and Kent faces, is the fact that their appraisal methods are not effective. In addition, managers do not appraise exemplary performance at the required time, and delay in appraising the achievement makes the employees feel demotivated as their contribution to the organisation is not recognised. Moreover, some of the employees feel that they deserve to be rewarded yet fail to get the rewards, as it takes long to reward exemplary work. Brook and Kent should therefore implement a performance management system which regularly recognises exemplary work. The organisation should also implement a total reward performance management appraisal system which will cater for all the needs of the employees not only material but also immaterial. Implementation of the recommendations and a clear understanding of the performance management systems will enable Books and Kent Company limited to have high quantity and quality returns after the implementation of the performance management system. Reference List Armstrong, M., 2002. Employee Reward. London: CIPD Publishing. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=8B9muKFCn7ICpg=PT23dq=performance+management+total+reward+systemhl=enei=H8DzTPOGEoKc4Aaez_CNAgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=2ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepageqf=false . Anon. 2007. Performance management. North Carolina State personnel manual Web. Available from: osp.state.nc.us/manuals/manual99/pms.pdf . Jiang, Z. et al. 2009. Total reward strategy: a human resources management strategy going with the trends of the time. International journal of business management, vol. 4, No. 11. Web. Available from: ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijbm/article/viewFile/4235/3672 . Rao, T. V. and Rao, T. V., 2004. Performance management and appraisal systems: HR tools for global competitiveness. New Delhi: SAGE. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=rSGmIAXS1V4Cprintsec=frontcoverdq=performance+management+appraisalhl=enei=Yar0TICNKtGZOu_tjN0Isa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false . Shah, K. and Shah, P. J. , 2010. Theories of motivation. Lay networks. Web. Available from: laynetworks.com/Theories-of-Motivation.html . Taticchi, P., 2010. Business Performance Measurement and Management: New Contexts, Themes and Challenges, Berlin, Springer. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=upX_LY0S8KgCpg=PA249dq=steps+of+implementing+a+performance+management+systemhl=enei=NqP0TNi3EoK88gaxvrTLBQsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=steps%20of%20implementing%20a%20performance%20management%20systemf=false . Verweire, K and Berghe, L., 2004. Integrated performance management: a guide to strategy implementation. New Delhi: SAGE. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=jPduHaPexqcCdq=reward+based+performance+management+systemq=performance#v=onepageqf=false .

40 Synonyms for Praise

40 Synonyms for Praise 40 Synonyms for Praise 40 Synonyms for Praise By Mark Nichol Last week, I offered a list of synonyms for the word criticize. To avert criticism (admonishment, censure, chastising, and so on), I offer here a roster of synonyms for its antonym, praise, in that word’s verb form as well as when it’s used as a noun. 1. Acclaim: To applaud or praise; also a noun referring to the action of applause or cheering. 2. Acknowledge: To recognize someone or something for services rendered; the word also has the connotation of â€Å"to confirm rights or authority.† 3. Adore: To honor or worship in a religious sense, although its meaning has extended to â€Å"to be fond of, to admire.† 4. Adulate: â€Å"To express excessive praise.† This rarely used verb form of adulation has a connotation of flattery. (See flatter below.) 5. Applaud: To express approval in general, as well as to clap hands or otherwise praise nonverbally. 6. Belaud: To praise, but the sense is of excessive acclaim. 7. Bless: To praise or to glorify in a religious sense; the word also has a secular sense of â€Å"to approve† as well as â€Å"to favor† (the latter in usage such as â€Å"blessed with remarkable talent†). 8. Carol: To praise with song, or in a like manner. 9. Celebrate: To publicly honor in a secular sense as well as a religious one. 10. Chant: A close synonym of carol and hymn. 11. Cheer: To cheer in applause or to express triumph. 12. Cite: To formally call attention to for praise. However, this term also has an opposite meaning of â€Å"to reprimand,† as well as the senses of â€Å"to quote† or â€Å"to refer to,† so the context should be clear. 13. Commemorate: To observe a ceremony of remembrance, or to provide a memorial. 14. Commend: To praise with approval, or to recommend. 15. Compliment: To communicate respect or admiration for someone to that person or another. 16. Crack up: Slang used to refer to someone or something that may or may not be as worthy of praise as previously thought; generally restricted to phrases such as â€Å"not all it’s cracked up to be.† 17. Deify: To glorify, as if to equate the person being praised with a god; this sense coexists with the literal religious sense of according someone the status of a god. 18. Emblazon: Originally meant to inscribe or decorate a heraldic device or bearings; now, the sense is extended to praising, especially in writing, as if to permanently establish the subject as praiseworthy. 19. Eulogize (British English: eulogise): To praise in speech or writing; usually, the connotation is that the subject of praise is deceased. 20. Exalt: To praise extensively. 21. Extol (or extoll): To praise generously. 22. Fete: To honor with a celebration, or to honor in general. 23. Flatter: To praise insincerely or only for selfish motives. The word also has similar senses of â€Å"to depict with excessive favor† or â€Å"to present to one’s advantage,† as well as â€Å"to deceive, as in â€Å"I flatter myself that I acted wisely.† 24. Glorify: To praise with the intent of making the subject appear glorious, but it also means â€Å"to make something or someone seem to be better than it or they really is.† 25. Hail: To greet enthusiastically as a show of approval; the term also has a mundane sense of â€Å"to call or greet.† 26. Honor: To express respect or admiration. 27. Hymn: A close synonym of carol and chant. 28. Idolize: To worship, with a connotation of excessive praise. 29. Laud: To praise; also, capitalized, a religious ceremony. (The adjective form is laudable.) 30. Magnify: To praise, in the sense, as the etymology suggests, of making someone or something appear greater than they or it is. 31. Mention: To identify someone or something for mild praise, often in the form of a consolation prize called â€Å"Honorable Mention.† 32. Rave: To praise enthusiastically. 33. Recognize: To publicly thank someone for their service or otherwise indicate appreciation. 34. Recommend: To endorse or propose as commendable, in addition to the more pedestrian connotations such as â€Å"to advise.† 35. Renown: To offer praise. (In its more common noun form, it means â€Å"fame.†) 36. Resound: To praise, or to become one praised, with the sense of loud approval. The word has an additional sense, more commonly used, of echoing or reverberating. 37. Rhapsodize: To praise excessively, from the noun form, rhapsody, which refers to a literary work that rouses emotions (originally, it denoted recitation of an epic poem). 38. Salute: To praise or honor, in addition to the sense of gesturing to show respect or to otherwise acknowledge someone as a courtesy. 39. Tout: To promote or endorse. It also means â€Å"to spy,† especially in the sense of obtaining information about a racehorse to improve one’s betting odds. 40. Worship: To extravagantly praise, as if the subject were a deity. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should AvoidPeople versus PersonsApostrophe with Plural Possessive Nouns

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor    USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was the second and final ship of the Nevada-class of battleship constructed for the US Navy. This class was the first to incorporate the Standard-type design characteristics which would guide American battleship construction in the years around  World War I (1914-1918). Entering service in 1916, Oklahoma remained in home waters the following year after the United States entered the conflict. It later sailed for Europe in August 1918 to serve with Battleship Division 6. In the years after the war, Oklahoma operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific and took part in routine training exercises. Moored along Pearl Harbors Battleship Row on December 7, 1941, when the  Japanese attacked, it quickly sustained three torpedo hits and began to roll to port. These were followed by two additional torpedo strikes causing Oklahoma to capsize. In the months after the attack, the US Navy worked to right and salvage the battleship. While the hull was righted and refloated, the decision was made to abandon further repairs and decommission the ship in 1944. Design After moving forward with construction of five classes of dreadnought battleships (South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, Wyoming, and New York), the US Navy decided that future designs should possess a set of common tactical and operational characteristics. This would ensure that these ships could operate together in combat as well as would simplify logistics. Dubbed the Standard-type, the next five classes utilized oil-fired boilers instead of coal, eliminated amidships turrets, and employed an â€Å"all or nothing† armor scheme. Of these changes, the shift to oil was made with the goal of increasing the vessel’s range as the US Navy felt that would be critical in any potential naval conflict with Japan. The new all or nothing armor approach called for critical areas of the ship, such as magazines and engineering, to be heavily protected while less vital spaces were left unarmored. Also, Standard-type battleships were to have a minimum top speed of 21 knots and a tactical turn radius of 700 yards.    The principles of the Standard-type were first employed in the Nevada-class which consisted of USS Nevada (BB-36) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37). While earlier American battleships had featured turrets located fore, aft, and amidships, the Nevada-class design placed the armament at the bow and stern and was first to include the use of triple turrets. Mounting a total of ten 14-inch guns, the types armament was located in four turrets (two twin and two triple) with five guns at each end of the ship. This main battery was supported by a secondary battery of twenty-one 5 in. guns. For propulsion, designers elected to conduct an experiment and gave Nevada new Curtis turbines while Oklahoma received more traditional triple-expansion steam engines. Construction Assigned to New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, NJ, construction of Oklahoma commenced on October 26, 1912. Work moved forward over the next year and a half and on March 23, 1914, the new battleship slid into the Delaware River with Lorena J. Cruce, daughter of Oklahoma Governor Lee Cruce, serving as sponsor. While fitting out, a fire erupted aboard Oklahoma on the night of July 19, 1915.   Burning the areas under the forward turrets, it was later ruled an accident. The fire delayed the vessels completion and it was not commissioned until May 2, 1916. Departing port with Captain Roger Welles in command, Oklahoma moved through a routine shakedown cruise. USS Oklahoma  (BB-37) Overview Nation:  United StatesType:  BattleshipShipyard:  New York  Shipbuilding Company, Camden, NJLaid Down:  October 26, 1912Launched:  March 23, 1914Commissioned:  May 2, 1916Fate:  Sunk December 7, 1941 Specifications (as built) Displacement:  27,500 tonsLength:  583 ft.Beam:  95 ft., 6  in.Draft:  28 ft., 6 in.Propulsion:  12 Babcock Wilcox oil-fired boilers, vertical triple expansion steam engines, 2 propellersSpeed:  20.5 knotsComplement:  864 men Armament 10 Ãâ€" 14 in. gun (2 Ãâ€" 3, 2 Ãâ€" 2 superfiring)21 Ãâ€" 5 in. guns2  Ãƒâ€"  3 in. anti-aircraft guns2 or 4 Ãâ€" 21 in. torpedo tubes World War I Operating along the East Coast, Oklahoma conducted routine peacetime training until the US entry into World War I in April 1917. As the new battleship utilized oil fuel which was in short supply in Britain, it was retained in home waters later that year when Battleship Division 9 departed to reinforce Admiral Sir David Beattys Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. Based at Norfolk, Oklahoma trained with the Atlantic Fleet until August 1918 when it sailed for Ireland as part of Rear Admiral Thomas Rodgers Battleship Division 6. Arriving later that month, the squadron was joined by USS Utah (BB-31). Sailing from Berehaven Bay, the American battleships aided in escorting convoys and continued training in nearby Bantry Bay. With the end of the war, Oklahoma steamed to Portland, England where it rendezvoused with Nevada and USS Arizona (BB-39). This combined force then sorted and escorted President Woodrow Wilson, aboard the liner George Washington, into Brest, France. This done,  Oklahoma departed Europe for New York City on December 14. Interwar Service Rejoining the Atlantic Fleet, Oklahoma spent the winter of 1919 in the Caribbean conducting drills off the coast of Cuba. In June, the battleship sailed for Brest as part of another escort for Wilson. Back in home waters the following month, it operated with the Atlantic Fleet for the next two years before departing for exercises in the Pacific in 1921. Training off the west coast of South America, Oklahoma represented the US Navy at centennial celebrations in Peru. Transferred to the Pacific Fleet, the battleship took part in a training cruise to New Zealand and Australia in 1925. This voyage included stops in Hawaii and Samoa.   Two years later, Oklahoma received orders to join the Scouting Force in the Atlantic. In the fall of 1927, Oklahoma entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for an extensive modernization. This saw the addition of an aircraft catapult, eight 5 guns, anti-torpedo bulges, and additional armor. Completed in July 1929, Oklahoma departed the yard and joined the Scouting Fleet for maneuvers in the Caribbean before receiving orders to return to the Pacific. Remaining there for six years, it then conducted a midshipmen training cruise to northern Europe in 1936.   This was interrupted in July with the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Moving south, Oklahoma evacuated American citizens from Bilbao as well as transported other refugees to France and Gibraltar. Steaming home that fall, the battleship reached the West Coast in October. Pearl Harbor Shifted to Pearl Harbor in December 1940, Oklahoma operated from Hawaiian waters over the next year. On December 7, 1941, it was moored outboard of USS Maryland (BB-46) along Battleship Row when the Japanese attack commenced. In the early phases of fighting, Oklahoma sustained three torpedo hits and began capsizing to port. As the ship began to roll, it received two more torpedo hits. Within twelve minutes of the attacks start, Oklahoma had rolled over only stopping when its masts struck the harbor bottom. Though many of the battleships crew transferred to Maryland and aided in defending against the Japanese, 429 were killed in the sinking.    Remaining in place over the next several months, the task of salvaging Oklahoma fell to Captain F.H. Whitaker. Beginning work in July 1942, the salvage team attached twenty-one derricks to the wreck which were connected to winches on nearby Ford Island. In March 1943, efforts began to right the ship. These succeeded and in June cofferdams were placed to allow basic repairs to the battleships hull. Re-floated, the hull moved to Dry Dock No. 2 where the bulk of Oklahomas machinery and armament were removed. Later moored in Pearl Harbor, the US Navy elected to abandon salvaging efforts and on September 1, 1944, decommissioned the battleship. Two years later, it was sold to  Moore Drydock Company of Oakland, CA. Departing Pearl Harbor in 1947, Oklahomas hull was lost at sea during a storm approximately 500 miles from Hawaii on May 17.

Better writing for nurse managers - Emphasis

Better writing for nurse managers Better writing for nurse managers When most people think of Leonardo da Vinci, they think of him as the artist who painted The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But da Vinci was also an inventor, an architect, a musician and an engineer. To be successful as a nurse manager, you need to adopt da Vincis Renaissance approach. Aside from your main leadership role, you also need to be a resource allocator, go-between, disturbance handler and innovator. Unfortunately, there is no definitive manual for managing these roles. And being in charge of people, policy and paperwork can sometimes be a case of trial and error. But honing your written communication skills can go a surprisingly long way to making things run more smoothly. For example, it can help you persuade people to see your point of view, clarify complex issues, or simply write instructions that people actually read and follow. Here are seven ways to turn writing into a powerful health-management tool. One Listen carefully to your team to ensure you fully understand their problems and issues. Then brainstorm your response using the headings who?, what?, where?, when?, and why? before you write it. This will help you clarify your main message so that your writing is clear and concise. Be sure to look at all your options and dont just choose the first one that comes to mind. Two If you foresee that an issue will be challenged or youll be questioned for more information, prepare a detailed explanation. Use the Four Ps technique, which stands for: position (where they are now), problem (why they cant stay there), possibilities (where they could go) and proposal (where they should go). Three Avoid playing office politics and dont mislead the reader in any way. Use jargon only if youre certain your readers will understand it. And use the active voice to make your writing more specific. For instance: we are implementing a new shift system is more effective than a new shift system will be implemented. Four Widen the reader audience when necessary, to make sure you address all problems and everyone understands the context. Email is often a good vehicle for this. But beware of copying too many people in on mass emails. And avoid heresay or writing as if youre chatting on the phone: email is a permanent medium covered by the law of libel, so you should write only what you dont mind being broadcast on the 10 oclock news. Five Enlist the help of other departmental services (such as legal and human resources) to review your writing when appropriate. Make sure you write only things you believe in, and that youre willing to be accountable for. Six Ensure facts and figures are as accurate as possible. Even it takes 24 hours to obtain figures you dont have, its worth spending the extra time to ensure you build a reputation for accuracy. (Dont let waiting for the fact hold up the writing process though: just put [To come] in the text and come back to that bit once you have the details.) Seven Finally, coach your staff to become better writers, so that your time as a manager is spent effectively. Theres a host of free online writing resources at emphbootstrap.wpengine.com to help you. If you decide to traing your staff, see our courses for individuals or our courses for groups. Alternatively, send us a message or call one of our friendly advisors on +44 (0)1273 961 810 Good writing may not always come easily at first. But with practice, it can become second nature. And once it does, it may well be the glue that holds your da Vinci set of roles together. Robert Ashton is the Chief Executive of Emphasis.