Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Paper Plate Maker essays

Paper Plate Maker essays The plate maker is a device used in combination with the offset press to create copies from a single piece of paper which is also known as a master. There are many different types of plates which can be made with the plate maker, such as direct image plate which is used for small amounts of copies and have the image adhered to paper by use of a grease pencil and when you are ready to place this direct image plate onto the press you use special fluid which makes the background that the image is not on receptive to water so that when printing with the offset press your paper does not appear all black. Photo direct plates are another type of plate which is used for making small amounts of copies of something because they are not very durable. Theyre made directly from paper that is the same size as the image or item to be printed. The plate is given an electrical charge and the part of the paper without the image gets the charge then an oppositely charged toner is adhered and fused to the image area before printing. Metal plates or Presensitized plates are used when making a large amount of copies or when you are copying something with the offset press which youd like to save the master of so that you can copy it at later times without making another plate. A flat or special masking sheet called a golden rod is attached to negative of the image, and then the negative and goldenrod are used with the mercury exposure system which exposes the plate underneath the goldenrod sheet to light for 30 seconds. The goldenrod blocks the light and lets some of it through the negative to burn the image onto the metal plate. The metal plate is then coasted with subtractive plate developer which lets you put the plate in the machine right now. Otherwise if you didnt want to use the metal plate right now youd have to put a gum plate chemical on the plate to stop it from oxidizing or rushing. Diffusion transfer plates are ano...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Timeline of U.S. and Soviet Relations

Timeline of U.S. and Soviet Relations Through most the final half of the  20th century, two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were embroiled in a struggle- capitalism versus communism- and a race for global domination. Since the fall of communism in 1991, Russia has loosely adopted democratic and capitalist structures. Despite these changes, remnants of the countries frosty history remain and continues to stifle U.S. and Russian relations. Year Event Description 1922 USSR Born The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established. Russia is by far the largest member. 1933 Formal Relations The United States formally recognizes the USSR, and the countries establish diplomatic relations. 1941 Lend-Lease U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt gives the USSR and other countries millions of dollars worth of weapons and other support for their fight against Nazi Germany. 1945 Victory The United States and Soviet Union end World War II as allies. As co-founders of the United Nations, both countries (along with France, China, and the United Kingdom) become permanent members of United Nations Security Council with full veto authority over the council's action. 1947 Cold War Begins The struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union for domination in certain sectors and parts of the world is dubbed the Cold War. It will last until 1991. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill calls the division of Europe between the West and those parts dominated by the Soviet Union an "Iron Curtain." American expert George Kennan advises the United States to follow a policy of "containment" toward the Soviet Union. 1957 Space Race The Soviets launch Sputnik, the first manmade object to orbit the Earth. Americans, who had confidently felt they were ahead of the Soviets in technology and science, redouble their efforts in science, engineering, and the overall space race. 1960 Spy Charges The Soviets shoot down an American spy plane gathering information over Russian territory. The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured alive. He spent nearly two years in a Soviet prison before being exchanged for a Soviet intelligence officer captured in New York. 1960 Shoe Fits Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev uses his shoe to bang on his desk at the United Nations while the American delegate is speaking. 1962 Missile Crisis The stationing of U.S. nuclear missiles in Turkey and Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba leads to the most dramatic and potentially world-shattering confrontation of the Cold War. In the end, both sets of missiles were removed. 1970s Detente A series of summits and discussions, including the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, between the United States and the Soviet Union led to a thawing of tensions, a "detente." 1975 Space Cooperation American and Soviet astronauts link the Apollo and Soyuz while in earth's orbit. 1980 Miracle on Ice At the Winter Olympics, the American men's hockey team scored a very surprising victory against the Soviet team. The U.S. team went on the win the gold medal. 1980 Olympic Politics The United States and 60 other countries boycott the Summer Olympics (held in Moscow) to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 1982 War of Words U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins to refer to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire". 1984 More Olympic Politics The Soviet Union and a handful of countries boycott the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 1986 Disaster A nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union (Chernobyl, Ukraine) explodes spreading contamination over a huge area. 1986 Near Breakthrough At a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev came close to agreeing to eliminate all nuclear weapons and share the so-called Star Wars defense technologies. Although the negotiations broke down, it set the stage for future arms control agreements. 1991 Coup A group of hard-liners stages a coup against Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. They take power for less than three days 1991 USSR's End In the final days of December, the Soviet Union dissolved itself and was replaced by 15 different independent states, including Russia. Russia honors all treaties signed by the former Soviet Union and assumes the United Nations Security Council seat formerly held by the Soviets. 1992 Loose Nukes The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program launches to help former Soviet states secure vulnerable nuclear material, referred to as "loose nukes." 1994 More Space Cooperation The first of 11 U.S. space shuttle missions docks with the Soviet MIR space station. 2000 Space Cooperation Continues Russians and Americans occupy the jointly built International Space Station for the first time. 2002 Treaty U.S. President George Bush unilaterally withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed by the two countries in 1972. 2003 Iraq War Dispute Russia strongly opposes the American-led invasion of Iraq. 2007 Kosovo Confusion Russia says it will veto an American-backed plan to grant independence to Kosovo. 2007 Poland Controversy An American plan to build an anti-ballistic missile defense system in Poland draws strong Russian protests. 2008 Transfer of Power? In elections unmonitored by international observers, Dmitry Medvedev is elected president replacing Vladimir Putin. Putin is widely expected to become Russia's prime minister. 2008 Conflict in South Ossetia A violent military conflict between Russia and Georgia highlights a growing rift in U.S.-Russian relations. 2010 New START Agreement President Barack Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev sign a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty to cut the number of long-range nuclear weapons held by each side. 2012 Battle of Wills U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Magnitsky Act, which imposed U.S. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill, widely seen as retaliatory against the Magnitsky Act, that banned any United States citizen from adopting children from Russia. 2013 Russian Rearmament Russian President Vladimir Putin rearms the Tagil Rocket divisions with advanced RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles in Kozelsk, Novosibirsk. 2013 Edward Snowden Asylum Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee and a contractor for the United States government, copied and released hundreds of thousands of pages of secret U.S. government documents. Wanted on criminal charges by the U.S., he fled and was granted asylum in Russia. 2014 Russian Missile Testing The U.S. government formally accused Russia of having violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by testing a prohibited medium-range ground-launched cruise missile and threatened to retaliate accordingly. 2014 U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Russia After the collapse of the Ukraine government. Russia annexes the Crimea. The U.S. government imposed punitive sanctions for Russia's activity in Ukraine. The U.S. passed the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, aimed at depriving certain Russian state firms of Western financing and technology while also providing $350 million in arms and military equipment to Ukraine. 2016 Disagreement Over the Syrian Civil War Bilateral negotiations over Syria were unilaterally suspended by the U.S in October 2016, after a renewed offensive on Aleppo by Syrian and Russian troops. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that suspended the 2000 Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement with the U.S., citing the failure by the U.S. to comply with the provisions thereof as well as the U.S.' unfriendly actions that posed a "threat to strategic stability." 2016 Accusation of Russian Meddling in American Presidential Election In 2016, American intelligence and security officials accuse the Russian government of being behind massive cyber-hackings and leaks that aimed at influencing the 2016 U.S. presidential election and discrediting the U.S. political system. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied favoring the eventual winner of the political contest, Donald Trump. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that Putin and the Russian government meddled in the American election process, which led to her loss to Trump.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 21

Marketing - Essay Example Even though the corporation sounds quite young, most of its brand names are over 100 years old. The company was first established in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. The company offers superior products that are of high quality. High standards of performance, competitive strategies and high integrity of people have fostered the success of the company (Stoddard, 2008). It is the largest manufacturer and distributor of beverages and other syrups and it is the largest corporation in the U.S.A. Coca-Cola was invented by John Stith Pemberton. The product WAS later bought by Asa Candler who incorporated the company in 1892. The company offers more than 400 brands in more than 200 countries. The product has over 1.5 billion customers every day. According to annual reports, the company sells over 400 brands which include diet coke, diet coke caffeine free, diet cherry coke, coke with lemon, diet coke with lemon, diet vanilla coke, Aquarius Mineral Water, diet coke with lime, coca-cola C2, diet coke plus among others. The company offers wide range of products such as AMP Energy, diet mountain screw, mug root beer, propel, sierra mist, sobe, no fear, pepsi max, sobe life water, starbucks coffee drinks and tava among others. The company adopted one quality standard in all branches around the globe. It is very committed to satisfy and protect the interest of the consumers since they are the bedrock for the success of the company. The products carry a quality assurance seal which enable the consumers to know the global quality of items. On the other hand, Coca-Cola Company offers a wide range of products including beverage concentrates and syrups. The company uses marketing strategies and product differentiation to achieve it’s of objectives of customer satisfaction. It has good reputation all over the worlds due to quality products that the company offers. It extended the products of coke and developed new products such as

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

A Class Apart Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

A Class Apart - Movie Review Example Gustavo Garcia, who was a competent Mexican-American civil rights lawyer offered to represent Hernandez in the supreme court of law. Other lawyers that accompanied Garcia was; James de Anda and Chris Alderete. Garcia’s argument was that the fourteenth amendment assured protection not just on the criteria of race, blacks and Caucasians but also class. The jury selectively discriminated the Mexican-Americans on the basis of class. The state of Texas openly excluded the Hispanics on the pretext that the fourteenth amendment only sheltered the whites and blacks and that the Mexican- Americans were a section of the whites. This was not justified as most Mexican-Americans were legally isolated since for over years no Hispanic served in the jury (Prince, 2010). Earl Warren, the chief justice was compelled to make a ruling in favour of Hernandez basing on Garcia’s argument. Although it is true that Hernandez killed Joe Epinosa, this decision was bound to save the rest of the Mexican-Americans from the infamous exclusion of legal matters and widespread violation of human rights. (Prince, 2010) It is also though thiruling that the Civil rights of Mexican-Americans were

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Domestic workers in America Essay Example for Free

Domestic workers in America Essay In the United States of America a domestic worker is also known as a servant and most often they work and live within the household of their employers. The servants are very distinguishable from the slaves and the serfs since they receive payments for the work they do for their employers. The domestic workers have the freedom of leaving their employment at their free will. In the households which are large there are very many domestic workers who do different kinds of jobs. In America a butler is seen as the most senior domestic worker and he performs duties such as managing the other household servants as well as handling the wines. In America the female domestic workers are known as the maids. Their household chores range from; ironing, cleaning, cooking, washing, Purchasing the household drinks and foods, caring for the children, going together with the household head for the grocery shopping as well as taking the family dogs for walks if there are any. In most instances the domestic workers in America substitute the nursing role of caring for the elderly people in different households as well as taking care of those who have disabilities. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) The different domestic worker organizations in the United States of America The domestic workers union 2000 The domestic workers union was founded in New York by some elderly caregivers, housekeepers and some nannies from the Caribbean, Latin and the African countries. This organizations has a mission of empowering, respecting, and also subjecting the domestic workers to fair labor standards in America especially in the New York City. This organization also aimed at helping in the building of a movement which would end the exploitation and also the oppression of the domestic workers in America. The domestic workers union further supports the domestic workers who have suffered some violations and also abuse as well as violation of their rights in their work places. They also conduct some referrals, they make a provision for a direct support with the domestic workers employees and they at times organize some public support to the organizations members. The other domestic workers organizations in America assist in the protection of the rights and the dignity of the American domestic workers. Some of these organizations produce a contract which is standard for all the employers and the domestic workers including the employment agencies for the domestic workers. (Chow 1994) The domestic workers organizations in America offer some nanny training programs, the computer literacy programs and also some leadership training programs. Other domestic workers organizations in America include; the domestic workers homecare centre, the united domestic workers of America, the united domestic workers of San Diego, the united domestic workers of California and the national alliance of domestic workers. How the domestic worker groups are trying to assist the domestic workers have better experiences in America These domestic worker groups break the isolation of the domestic workers who work in the domestic work industry in the United States of America. This is because without the domestic workers in America all the activities in the major cities would stop in their tracks. On the other hand since the domestic workers especially women are devalued in most of the work aspects these worker groups seek to further educate the public so that they can respect the domestic workers and the work which they do. By educating the public on respecting the domestic workers these groups tend to uncover the racial and gender inequalities which exist in the domestic work industry and the labor market. Similarly these domestic worker groups fight for the recognition of the domestic workers in America as real and also skilled workers in the American population. On the other hand most of the domestic workers are excluded from most of the basic protections which are afforded to the workers in America and this is inclusive of the national labor relations and other discrimination protections thus the domestic workers organizations in America work towards ensuring that such protections are enforced and that the working conditions of the domestic workers ere not solely left at the whims if the employers. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) Similarly these organizations further seek to establish very fair and just standards which formerly recognize the domestic workforce as a real workforce with its own protections. In addition to this these domestic organizations in the united stats of America are movements which win justice for all the domestic workers in America. (Nancy 1987) This is because they address the root causes of all the injustices as well as the exploitation which are faced by the domestic workers alone since all these issues take more than the domestic workers single-handedly. The struggles of the domestic workers in America are closely tied to the struggles of all the other American workers, the immigrants, the migrants and also the oppressed communities. The domestic workers organizations connect with each other as well as other organizations and they build a movement that is very powerful in creating the change needed in the domestic workers workforce. (Chow 1994) The domestic worker groups are looking for ways to include the domestic workers as employees and this will further lead to better working conditions for the domestic workers and they could also be free to form the labor unions just as the other employees in the United States of America. Similarly these groups work towards achieving government Acts which have fair labor standards which set the minimum and wage rates and they also address the issue of the maximum working hours for the domestic workers. Similarly these organizations ensure that the domestic workers are not discriminated on the basis of their color, religion, age, nationality, sex, race as well as their disability. (Chow 1994) How the domestic workers are treated Some of the domestic workers in America receive very bad and poor treatment from their employers as well as the other household members. On the other hand some domestic workers are treated well by their host families. The domestic workers who receive bad treatment from their employers have their privacy invaded. They are also subjected to some sexual, emotional and physical abuses which in extreme cases lead to severe injury or even death. On the other hand the freedom of the domestic workers is restricted by the employees and this implies that they are at times treated as slaves who do not have a say on the decisions that are made pertaining their lives. Many of the domestic workers in America are also treated harshly by their employers as they have their personal documents confiscated especially the new immigrants such that they cannot willingly leave their employers. On the other hand the domestic workers have their working hours and also wages violated especially the live in domestic workers. The issues that the domestic workers have to deal with Most of the domestic workers in America work under very exploitive and harsh conditions and they have very many issues which they have to deal with. For instance the domestic workers are barred from organizing into unions collectively. It is however very important to note that the domestic workers form a very significant part of the American economy yet they are not protected by the labor laws of the federal state as the other employees are protected. In addition to this the domestic workers are faced with very unique barriers of organization since they have difficulties in doing negotiations with the employers as they each are in isolation in their employers households. (Nancy 1987) Most of the domestic workers stay for significant periods with the same employers in the same industry. They are a very stable workforce and they further endure various working conditions which further violate their rights as workers as well as human beings. The domestic workers deal with a lot of issues and they are inclusive of the following; ? Wages Statistics show that half of the domestic workers in America earn very low wages. Most of them make their wages below the minimum wages. On the other hand some of the domestic workers work overtime most of whom do not receive their overtime pays for the overtime hours in which they have worked. In America the domestic workers are the key providers in their families and some of them provide for their home countries but on the other hand they face very severe financial hardships as they work in the domestic labor force. ? Abuse Similarly the American domestic workers experience a lot of abuse from their employers or even the other household members. The abuse which comes from their employers could be inform of physical or even verbal abuse and this makes then feel very insecure and uncomfortable on the other hand some of the domestic workers who face various kinds of abuse identify their immigration status and racism as the main factors which contribute to the actions of their employers. (Chow 1994) The domestic workers also experience some sexual abuse and harassments by their employers but since the employees fear their employers then they are reluctant to report such abuses to the public as well as the concerned authorities. Thus the domestic workers cannot gat any form of assistance from the humanitarian groups, the governmental agencies or even the non-governmental groups. ? Lack of health insurance Most of the domestic workers in America do not receive the health insurance or health cover from their employers. Similarly in America most of the domestic worker cannot afford decent medical care which is necessary for themselves and also their other family members. On the other hand it is only less than half of the domestic workers who get basic benefits from their employers such as sick off and other regular pay rises. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) ? Stress Most of the domestic workers in America are faced with the issue of stress in the households where they work. The employers cause a lot of stress to the domestic workers by requiring them to do multiple jobs. Sometimes the employers also require them to perform duties which are not in their job descriptions in any way. On the other hand some of the employers require their domestic workers to work for other people other than themselves. All such requirements cause a lot of stress to the domestic workers and this could even have adverse effects on their health conditions. The domestic workers experience a lot of labor exploitation and abuse than the other female workers in America and this mainly applies to the migrant domestic workers. Most of the domestic workers are isolated from their families, friends as well as the other employees. In some instances some domestic workers cannot effectively communicate with their employers and this has further led to physical or even verbal abuse. Some domestic workers are abused by their employers but they still remain for the fear that they could loose their jobs and thus they would not be able to support their families. In some extreme case the domestic workers have been severely injured and they have also been killed b their employers. (Chow 1994) Since the domestic workers have their limited choices made by their employers, the employers set the employments terms and conditions regarding their accommodations, pay, meals, contacts, off days and also their mode of payments. The employers tend to control the lives of the domestic workers in most of the aspects. Most of the domestic workers have irregular and very long working hours and they also have some irregular and low payments for their salaries. The domestic workers in America also receive accommodation and meals which are below the standards since this is determined by their employers. Some employers withhold the pay of the domestic workers and they at times fail to pay them as agreed. The domestic workers are also faced with the issue of lack of communication and movement. The employers put some restrictions which limit the domestic workers and they isolated from the outside world. Most of the domestic workers are not allowed to leave the employers houses as well as meet with other people and they are also restricted from inviting friends into their houses. Another major concern for the domestic workers in America especially the immigrants are their possession of the legal identification documents. Some of the employers confiscate the documents which belong to the domestic workers thus they are not able to register or even acquire a work permit. (Chow 1994) The measures which are being taken to rectify these situations In order to rectify the situations which are faced by the domestic workers the following measures have been taken. 1. Implementation of the domestic workers bill of rights. This bill was amended so that it could address various issues concerning the domestic workers in America. The issues which are addressed in this bill of rights included the exclusion of the domestic workers from the most basic labor protections and it also provides a further recognition for the domestic workers workforce as real workforce. Similarly in the bill of rights there was an establishment of specified protections which addressed the vulnerability and the isolation of the domestic workers to the mistreatment and also abuse from their employers. 2. Instigation of the domestic workers policies which further prevent the recruitment fees which are exorbitant for the domestic workers as well as the debt payment systems which are very exploitive for the domestic workers in the United States of America. Such policies also cover the issue of trafficking domestic workers to the United States of America. 3. In rectifying these situations the domestic work is included as a part of the formal sector of employment. This will make it more recognizable and the domestic labor will fully be protected under the labor laws. 4. There is an establishment of employment contracts which are standard for all the domestic workers in America. This helps in the protection of the domestic workers rights and responsibilities. The contract also includes a definition of the employee’s responsibilities which should be categorized under the domestic work. It also defines the payment rates as well as the working conditions under which the domestic workers should be subjected and it also defines the working hours and the day offs. The contract also considers the domestic workers who are immigrants in the United States of America. (Nancy 1987) 5. Another measure which is being taken in order to rectify the situation off the domestic workers in America is the setting of the public awareness campaigns. These campaigns are based on the laws and regulations regarding the domestic workers in America. Through these campaigns the public is enlightened on the penalties which are entitled to the employers who commit any kind of abuse to the domestic workers. On the other hand the campaigns pay a lot of attention to the issues of the racial and gender migrations and this is inclusive of the living and also the working conditions of the domestic workers. The domestic workers through the campaigns are enlightened on their rights and the rights of their employers. 6. Another important measure which is being taken in addressing the situation of the domestic workers in America is the publicizing of the complaint mechanisms and other hot line services which are accessible to the domestic workers. This would be very helpful especially for the domestic workers in America who have been experiencing all kinds of problems with their employers. Similarly this would provide a better coordination between the employers, the domestic workers and the labor inspectors as well as the immigration officers and the police. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) 7. On the other hand there is development of systematic mechanisms and also training for various labor agencies especially for the non governmental organizations in all the levels. This further ensures that all these parties have a very clear understanding of all the issues which are related to the needs and the rights of the domestic workers. Similarly they will be able to apply the suitable responses whenever the domestic workers are abuses in any way or when their rights are infringed by their employers. The trainings would help the participating parties to counsel, shelter or even refer the domestic workers for health care treatments. 8. There is also the provision of mechanisms for the domestic workers who are immigrants to the United States of America. These mechanisms call for justice if the immigrant domestic workers receive bad treatment from their employers. Similarly they ensure that the immigrant domestic workers are not exploited, cheated, persecuted and they also do not suffer from any form of abuse from their recruiters, employers and other concerned authorities. In such mechanisms there is a requirement for knowledgeable interpreters. 9. Another measure which is being taken in rectifying the situation of the domestic workers is the increase of the number of the labor inspectors in America. Their authority is also being revised so that they can be able to carry out investigations on the working conditions which apply to the informal work places such as the households. On the other hand such inspection is also undertaken on a regular basis in the households which the domestic workers work. (Chow 1994) 10. There is also the development of a positive public perception on the domestic workers especially those who have emigrated from other countries to the United States of America. This would allow the public to appreciate the value of the work which is done by the domestic workers in the country. This is creatively done through the country’s mass media especially in the soap operas whereby the domestic workers are displayed as people who play a significant role in the American economy and the whole country at large. This has further helped in counteracting the image of the domestic workers and especially the women who have very low social economic status as well as those with low education levels. 11. In the United States of America there is a regularization process for the domestic workers who are immigrants and this only grants them the right to work. Thus these domestic workers can travel to other districts but only in the company of their employers. 12. There are measures which are looking into establishing some informal and also self help organizations for the domestic workers. This would give the domestic workers an opportunity to interact as well as share their personal experiences with the other domestic workers. 13. So as to improve the situation of the domestic workers in America the government has developed some programs for the immigrant workers and this is inclusive of a pre-departure orientation which is mandatory for the domestic worker and it looks into the heath issues. The issues of the domestic workers rights and responsibilities are also addressed in the orientation. The government acts to protect the human right of the immigrant and also the local domestic workers in America. There is also an establishment of some follow-up programs whereby the employees provide the necessary information on their rights over the domestic workers under the labor laws. This would ensure that both the employees and the employers have a transparency which exists between them and thus any forms of abuses are highly avoided. (Nancy 1987) Conclusion In the United States of America the domestic workers remain to be a very significant part of the country’s secondary labor markets. However there have been very major changes in the ethnicity and the geographical origins of the domestic workers in America. On the other hand the domestic workers have been experiencing some very harsh working conditions from their employees whereby their privacy is infringed upon as well as their rights as workers and human beings. However there are some measures which have been taken to address the situation of the domestic workers in America. These include the implementation of the domestic workers bill of rights and other policies and programs which help in protecting the rights of the domestic workers in America. Reference: Anderson, C. And Bowman, M. (1993): The Vanishing Servant and the Contemporary Status System of the American South. American Journal of Sociology Chow, E. (1994): Asian American Women at Work, Survival, Resistance, and Coping. Women of Color in U. S. Society. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Nancy F. (1987): Introduction, New Immigrants and Changing Patterns in New York City. The New Immigrants in New York; (Ed. ) New York: Columbia University Press.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Molecule may be key to nicotine addiction :: essays research papers

A single molecule may be partly to blame for nicotine’s addictive allure, a finding that researchers say could lead to potential therapies to help millions of smokers quit a life-threatening habit. More than 4 million people around the globe — 440,000 of them Americans — die from smoking-related causes each year. And, the nicotine-laced smoke damages more than just their lungs. The California researchers not only pinpointed a molecule responsible for nicotine addiction, they also created specialized mice to make it easier to search for other molecules impacted by nicotine addiction. The research team started by fiddling with a single gene to create mice that were hypersensitive to nicotine. The genetically engineered mice were tripped up by the tiniest exposure to nicotine — a concentration 1/50th of the strength of nicotine coursing through a typical smoker’s blood. Once hooked, the mice experienced classic signs of nicotine dependence that keep smokers puffing, the research team reports Friday in the journal Science. â€Å"Dependence-related behaviors, including reward, tolerance, and sensitization, occur strongly and at remarkably low nicotine doses† in the mice, the research team wrote. In humans, reward arrives as a pleasant little jolt of dopamine, a calming brain chemical unleashed by nicotine. The body’s tolerance for the drug leads to more smoking. Sensitization means not feeling good without a nicotine fix, said Henry Lester, a biology professor at the California Institute of Technology who was among the paper’s 10 authors. In mice, researchers saw reward when mice chose nicotine hits over salt, changed body temperatures as evidence of tolerance and more running around among sensitized mice. Other researchers praised the study. The findings â€Å"not only provide direct evidence of how nicotine promotes dependence, but also raise fundamental questions about the genetics of addiction,† researchers at the Centre Medical Universitaire, in Geneva, Switzerland, wrote in a companion piece. Could drugs fight addiction? If the findings in mice hold true for humans, the work points to a specific target for a new drug to attack, others suggest. People become dependent on nicotine when it parks in nerve cell receptors designed for the chemical acetylcholine. Once nicotine fills that space, dopamine is released. By knowing the specific parking place where nicotine can exact a high toll, a drug could be fashioned to fill it. â€Å"The power lies in the ability to be so specific. In being so specific, you can treat the cause without the ramifications of the side effects,† said Stephen L.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Eight Stages of Development

This paper will present an overview of the developmental tasks involved in the social and emotional development of children and teenagers which continues into adulthood. The presentation is based on the Eight Stages of Development developed by psychiatrist, Erik Erikson in 1956. According to Erickson, humans move through eight stages of psychosocial development during our lives. Each stage centers around a specific crisis or conflict between competing tendencies.Erikson's theory consists of eight stages of development. Each stage is characterized by a different conflict that must be resolved by the individual. When the environment makes new demands on people, the conflicts arise. â€Å"The person is faced with a choice between two ways of coping with each crisis, an adaptive or maladaptive way. Only when each crisis is resolved, which involves change in the personality; does the person have sufficient strength to deal with the next stages of development†(Schultz and Schultz, 1 987).If a person is unable to resolve a conflict at a particular stage, they will confront and struggle with it later in life. Learning Basic Trust Versus Basic Mistrust (Hope) Chronologically, this is the period of infancy through the first one or two years of life. The child, well – handled, nurtured, and loved, develops trust and security and a basic optimism (Stevens, 1983). Badly handled, a child becomes insecure and mistrustful. Learning Autonomy Versus Shame (Will) The second psychosocial crisis, Erikson believes, occurs during early childhood, probably between about 18 months or 2 years and 3? o 4 years of age. According to Erikson, self control and self confidence begin to develop at this stage (Stevens, 1983). Children can do more on their own. Toilet training is the most important event at this stage. They also begin to feed and dress themselves. This is how the toddler strives for autonomy. It is essential for parents not to be overprotective at this stage (Steven s, 1983). A parent's level of protectiveness will influence the child's ability to achieve autonomy. If a parent is not reinforcing, the child will feel shameful and will learn to doubt his or her abilities. Erikson believes that children who experience too much doubt at this stage will lack confidence in their powers later in life†(Woolfolk, 1987). Learning Initiative Versus Guilt (Purpose) Erikson believes that this third psychosocial crisis occurs during what he calls the â€Å"play age,† or the later preschool years (from about 3? to, in the United States culture, entry into formal school). The development of courage and independence are what set preschoolers, ages three to six years of age, apart from other age groups.Young children in this category face the challenge of initiative versus guilt. As described in Bee and Boyd (2004), the child during this stage faces the complexities of planning and developing a sense of judgment. During this stage, the child learns to take initiative and prepare for leadership and goal achievement roles. Activities sought out by a child in this stage may include risk-taking behaviors, such as crossing a street alone or riding a bike without a helmet; both these examples involve self-limits.These behaviors are a result of the child developing a sense of frustration for not being able to achieve a goal as planned and may engage in behaviors that seem aggressive, ruthless, and overly assertive to parents (Marcia, 1966). Aggressive behaviors, such as throwing objects, hitting, or yelling, are examples of observable behaviors during this stage. Industry Versus Inferiority (Competence) Erikson believes that the fourth psychosocial crisis is handled, for better or worse, during what he calls the â€Å"school age,† most likely up to and possibly including some of junior high school (Erickson, 1950). Children at this age are becoming more aware of themselves as individuals. † They work hard at â€Å"being responsible, being good and doing it right. † They are now more reasonable to share and cooperate. † (Gross, 1987). Allen and Marotz (2003) also list some cognitive developmental traits specific for this age group: Children understand the concepts of space and time, gain better understanding of cause and effect and understand calendar time. At this stage, children are eager to learn and accomplish more complex skills: reading, writing, telling time.They also get to form moral values, recognize cultural and individual differences and are able to manage most of their personal needs and grooming with minimal assistance (Allen and Marotz, 2003). At this stage, children might express their independence by being disobedient, using back talk and being rebellious. Learning Identity Versus Identity Diffusion (Fidelity) During the fifth psychosocial crisis (adolescence, from about 13 or 14 to about 20) the child, now an adolescent, learns how to answer satisfactorily and happily the question of â€Å"Who am I? But even the most adjusted of adolescent’s experiences some role identity diffusion: most boys and probably most girls experiment with minor delinquency, rebellion, self – doubts flood the adolescent (Kail and Cavanaugh, 2004). Erikson is credited with coining the term â€Å"Identity Crisis†(Gross, 1987). Each stage that came before and that follows has its own ‘crisis', but even more so now, for this marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. This passage is necessary because â€Å"Throughout infancy and childhood, a person forms many identifications.But the need for identity in youth is not met by these (Wright, 1982). This turning point in human development seems to be the reconciliation between ‘the person one has come to be' and ‘the person society expects one to become'. This emerging sense of self will be established by merging past experiences with expectation of the future. In relation to the ei ght life stages as a whole, the fifth stage corresponds to the crossroads: Adolescents â€Å"are confronted by the need to re-establish [boundaries] for themselves and to do this in the face of an often potentially hostile world (Gross, 1987). This is often challenging since commitments are being asked for before particular identity roles have formed. At this point, one is in a state of ‘identity confusion', but society normally makes allowances for youth to â€Å"find themselves,† and this state is called ‘the moratorium': As in other stages, bio-psycho-social forces are at work. No matter how one has been raised, one’s personal ideologies are now chosen for oneself (Wright, 1982). Oftentimes, this leads to conflict with adults over religious and political orientations.Another area where teenagers are deciding for themselves is their career choice, and oftentimes parents want to have a decisive say in that role. If society is too insistent, the teenager w ill agree to external wishes, forcing him or her to stop experimentation and finding true self-discovery. Once someone settles on a worldview and vocation, will he or she be able to incorporate this aspect of self-definition into a diverse society? According to Erikson, when an adolescent has balanced both perspectives of â€Å"What have I got? † and â€Å"What am I going to do with it? he or she has established their identity (Gross, 1987) Learning Intimacy Versus Isolation (Love) The Intimacy vs. Isolation conflict is emphasized around the ages of 20 to 34. At the start of this stage, identity vs. role confusion is coming to an end, and it still lingers at the foundation of the stage (Erikson, 1950). Young adults are still eager to blend their identities with friends. They want to fit in. Erikson believes we are sometimes isolated due to intimacy. We are afraid of rejections such as being turned down or our partners breaking up with us.We are familiar with pain, and to som e of us, rejection is painful; our egos cannot bear the pain. Erikson also argues that â€Å"Intimacy has a counterpart: Distantiation: the readiness to isolate and if necessary, to destroy those forces and people whose essence seems dangerous to our own, and whose territory seems to encroach on the extent of one's intimate relations† (Erickson, 1950). Once people have established their identities, they are ready to make long-term commitments to others. They become capable of forming intimate, mutual relationships and willingly make the sacrifices and compromises that such relationships require.If people cannot form these intimate relationships – perhaps because of their own needs – a sense of isolation may result. Learning Generativity Versus Self-Absorption (Care) In adulthood, the psychosocial crisis demands generativity, both in the sense of marriage and parenthood, and in the sense of working productively and creatively. Integrity Versus Despair (Wisdom) If the other seven psychosocial crisis have been successfully resolved, the mature adult develops the peak of adjustment; integrity (Marcia, 1966). He trusts, he is independent and dares the new.He works hard, has found a well – defined role in life, and has developed a self-concept with which he is happy. He can be intimate without strain, guilt, regret, or lack of realism; and he is proud of what he creates; his children, his work, or his hobbies (Marcia, 1966). If one or more of the earlier psychosocial crises have not been resolved, he may view himself and his life with disgust and despair. Conclusion These eight stages of man, or the psychosocial crises, are likely and insightful descriptions of how personality develops but at present they are descriptions only.We possess at best simple and tentative knowledge of just what sort of environment will result, for example, in traits of trust versus distrust, or clear personal identity versus diffusion. Socialization, then is a learning – teaching process that, when successful, results in the human organism's moving from its infant state of helpless but total self-absorption to its ideal adult state of sensible conformity coupled with independent creativity.References Bee, Helen and Boyd, Denise. (2004). The Developing Child. (10th ed. ). Boston: Pearson Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: Norton (1950); Triad/Paladin (1977), Erikson, E. , (1956), The Problem of Ego Identity, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association 4 Gross, F. L. (1987). Introducing Erik Erikson: An invitation to his thinking. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. Kail, R. V. , ;amp; Cavanaugh, J. C. (2004). Human development: A life-span view. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Marcia, J. E. , (1966), Development and validation of ego identity status, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 3 PSY 345 Lecture Notes – Ego Psychologists, Erik Erikson, http://www. psychology. sunysb. du/ewater s/345/2007_erikson/2006_erikson. pdf, retrieved 2010-11-11   Stevens, Richard. (1983). Erik Erikson, An Introduction. New York: St. Martin's Press. Schultz D. P. & Schultz S. E. (1987). A History of Modern Psychology. Orlando, FL: Harcourt-Brace. The Theoretical Basis for the Life Model-Research And Resources On Human Development, http://www. lifemodel. org/download/ModelBuildingAppendix. pdf, retrieved 2010-11-11   Woolfolk, A. E. (1987). Educational Psychology, (3rded. ). New Jersey: Simon and Schuster. Wright, J. Eugene (1982). Erikson: Identity & Religion. New York; The Seabury Press

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Hr Report on Telenor

INTRODUCTION OF TELENOR:- [pic] In Pakistan Telenor launched its operation in March 2005 as the single largest direct European investment in Pakistan, setting precedence for further foreign investment in the telecom sector. In a little over two years, Telenor have grown to become a leading telecom operator in the country. In fiscal year 2006, Telenor achieved nearly 200% growth in their subscriber base- The Highest in the industry by a wide margin. Telenor is the fastest growing mobile network in the country, with coverage reaching deep into many of the remotest areas of Pakistan. In most difficult terrains, from the hilly Northern areas to the sprawling desserts in the south, at the time they are the only operator connecting the previously unconnected. Telenor are spread across Pakistan, creating 2,200 direct and 20,000-plus indirect employment opportunities. We have a network of 15 company-owned sales and service centers, more than 200 franchisees and some 100,000 retail outlets. [pic] VISION STATEMENT:- Telenor vision is simple; they exist to help their customers to get the full benefit of communication service in their daily lives. The key to achieving this vision is mindset where everyone works together. Making it easy to buy and use their services. Their vision is inspiring vision to find new ways. Telenor vision statement is:- MISSION STATEMENT:- At Telenor, it is believed that responsibility and trust are inseparable. Telenor must have trusting relationships its customers, owners, employees and society in general. Therefore a determined effort is made to attend to the group responsibilities in society in comprehensive and innovative way. Telenor striving to be a driving force in creating, simplifying and introducing communication and content solutions to the market place. Their mission statement is:- CORE VALUES:- Telenor has mainly four core values: ? Make it easy ? Keep promising ? Be inspiring ? Be respect full MARKET SHARE OF CELLULAR INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN:- [pic] From the above chart we see that Telenor has catched up the warid. Both are tied up at this time. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANNING HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT OF TELENOR:- Human Resources (HR) is about creating a winning organization, generating outstanding business performance through the development of people and teams. Working in Telenor organization is high profile, rewarding and demands the ability to take tough, insightful decisions and translate them into action. HR's overall function is to devise and implement strategies and policies to ensure that they have the right people with the right skills. Within that, there are numerous options For example; it could be covering culture change, leadership development, strategic talent management, coaching and skills development or alignment of reward with performance. OBJECTIVE OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT:- The objective of the Human Resource department is â€Å"To Facilitate Growth. Telenor people are the most important asset. In Human Resources (HR) they support and develop people, enabling them to deliver outstanding business performance. Telenor culture is about empowering people, both to contribute to their business objectives and to achieve their own personal and career goals. HR's overall function is to devise and implement strategies and poli cies to ensure that we have the right people with the right skills. HR manager has most important function to they guide the employees how they move on corporate ladder. Manager must know what is the employee’s strength and weakness. So they train the employees in weak areas. RECRUITMENT & PLACEMENT PRACTICES SELECTION PROCESS:- Telenor selection process is designed to identify the potential to become the future business leaders, while helping people decide if Telenor is the right organization for them. JOB POSTINGS:- The type of mediums that they use in order of preference for posting their jobs. 1. Internal C. V Pools: They keep track of all their employees CV’s & when they have jobs available they look for potential candidates among their own staff for internal recruitment. Filling a vacancy by their current employees is their first choice. . Head hunters:- Telenor has assigned human resource corporations or agencies to look for talented & well knowledgeable people for them & provide them with people with the specific descriptions that Telenor has posted. 3. Newspapers:- In case they don’t get people from above sources they go for public offerings by giving ads in news papers mostly well known an d mass published newspaper having goodwill in the market such a s† Dawn†, â€Å"The News†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ or â€Å"Jang† 4. Campus Drives:- Telenor also sends its HR teams to different universities campuses for finding out the potential talent that can be of use to them in the future. Their HR people have the descriptions or know description according to which they look for prospective employees. They also provide internship opportunities and then select suitable candidates and then conduct 1-2 normal interview and then offered to job to selected candidate. COMPENSATION PRACTICES COMPENSATION PLANS:- Before deciding on the compensation plans the H. R department try to understand the goals of the company. Groups of pay ranges are developed so that it would be easier to make compensation plans for the employees. Usually promotions to higher group depend upon the efforts of the employees and very seldom on their experience. Compensation plans include both direct and non-direct compensations. JOB EVALUATION:- The HRM department of Telenor does Job evaluation. The method used by the company is Point method. In point method points and degrees are specified. HRM department conduct the salary surveys, evaluate jobs, and develop pay grades, use wage curves and fine tune pay rates. The information is kept as confidential to make sure that no information is being leaked out. In Telenor employee also do job evaluation by himself. The employee is often being given individual goals, so he has to work on how to achieve those goals. The goals assigned to him will make sure that employee constantly learns and improves in order to achieve the goals. The goals are always very challenging and require the employee to critically analyse his strengths and weaknesses and look for the competencies that he wants to develop. PERFORMNCE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING SYSTEM:- Telenor have â€Å"Annual confidential reporting† for their employee’s evaluations, under which they measure employee performance. This process of measuring performance is run in collaboration with HR & the concerned department whereby each employee is evaluated on occasional basis & in case the performance is above expectations they are instantly rewarded, however in other circumstances of less than par performance there are no punishments such as demotions, salary cuts etc but they are warned in writing, if this does not improves their performance they are again given a second letter in writing which is the last warning they get for improvements. APPRAISAL METHODS:- Telenor uses various appraisal methods most common ones are: ? Ongoing Feedback ? 360Degree Feedback PAY STRUCTURE:- The pay structure of Telenor is kept confidential. They don’t provide much information regarding their pay structure. The limited information that was provided to us was that including the basic pay. They are also given bonuses, fuel, and advance in case of emergency. Telnor provides it employees with increments on annual basis. The factors that are kept in consideration during increments are the inflation rate of the country, the kind of task the employees have performed and the kind of experience or position the employees hold. All these factors ensure that they don’t encounter any salary compression problem in their work setting. They also analyze the pay structure of their competitors & if they see any changes they also work out their basic pay structures accordingly. Measures are also taken to keep an internal equity among various jobs in the organization. However what we have analyzed during the whole reporting process is that they are paying comparatively higher than the industry. JOB SAFETY PROGRAMS:- Telenor provides certain job safety programs such as Smoke free environments: there are certain areas called â€Å"Smoking room† where people can smoke. Smoking inside the office is strictly prohibited. ? Fire Equipment: Fire alarms are installed in various places and people are given training to operate them. ? Emergency Bell: the employees are made familiar with the emergency bell, which will ring in case of earthquake or any other matter. HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENT:- Telenor is responsible for supporting a working environment characterized by high job-satisfaction, opportunities for personal and professional development, and low rate of sick leave and injuries. Telenor’s managers are responsible for establishing effective arrangements to identify and eliminate or control work-related hazards and risks, and promote health at work. These arrangements are organized, planned, implemented and evaluated with employee participation. Telenor has established a Health, Safety and Working Environment (HSE) Management System to ensure that the effort to develop and maintain a good working environment is an ongoing process throughout the Telenor Group. TELENOR EMPLOYEES STRATEGIES TO MOVE UP ON CORPORATE LADDER :- Most employees want to move the corporate ladder and is the responsibility of manager how they guide them. They help to choose the right career. They guide the employees about their career and they also trained the employees according to their job. CAREER PLANNING PROCESS AT TELENOR:- An on going process preparing, implementing and monitoring career plans undertaken by the individual alone or in concern with the organizations career systems. The practice of organizational career planning involves matching an individual’s career aspirations with the opportunities available in an organization. If a career management is successful, the individual and the organization must assume an equal share of responsibilities for it . The individual must identify his or her aspiration and abilities and through counseling, recognize what training and development are required for a particular career path. Long term career planning focuses on Core Workplace Skills such as communications (verbal and written), critical and creative thinking, teamwork and team building, listening, social, problem-solving, decision-making, interpersonal, project management, planning and organizing, computer/technology, and commitment to continuous/lifelong learning. Telenor focus on short term and long term career planning:- SHORT-TERM CAREER PLANNING: Short-term career plan focuses on a time frame ranging from the coming year to the next year. For a short term career planning Human resource department with the help of HR manager focuses on following exercises:- 1. Analyze likes and dislikes:- They enjoy training programs, company’s quarterly/annual meetings and dinning, national and international traveling etc. Every single corporate decision is taken after a consultation with all relevant departments. 2. Analyze Passion:- Analyze passion reflects on times and situations in which they feel most passionate, most energetic, most engaged. 3. Analyze strengths and Weakness:- In this analyze work experience, education, training, skill development, talent and abilities, technical knowledge, and personal characteristics. 4. Analyze Definition of success:- â€Å"Success comes to those who make it happen not to those who let it happen† It means spend some time on knowing how they define success. What is success in their point of view such as wealth, power, control and contentment? 5. Analyze Personality:- They prefer young, bachelors, soft spoken, cool minded, found of traveling ,excellent team player/leader, down to earth and definitely educated etc In each department they seek an individual who is a good intellectual. LONG-TERM CAREER PLANNING:- Long term career planning usually involves a planning of five years or longer and involves a broader set of guidelines and preparation. Long range career planning should be more about identifying and developing core skill that employees will always value while developing personal and career goals in broad strokes. Like HR department has its own plan that how to develop managers and leaders for tomorrow. They have strongly plans to develop individuals who can look after several different regions while sitting in Islamabad office (Head office). Similar opportunities and case studies are offered to such members to gauge their skills and interests. Beside this an emphasis is also on providing knowledge of all related and relevant things that may help in their future jobs. USEFUL TOOLS /RESOURCES OF CAREER PLANNING AT TELENOR:- These are the tools that use for career planning at Telenor:- . Career assessment tools:- They have a collection of best self assessment tools, designed to give a better idea to their employees to analyze attitudes and interests as they relate to possible career choices. Employees are welcomed to share their classified information with HR department and seek professional solutions for their work-related problems. For example; the major tool they used for self assessment are workbooks and workshops and for organizational assessment major tools are performance appraisal, succession planning. . Career change resources Some tools and resources specially established for jobseekers contemplating a career change. For example I f an employee want to change his career from IT professional to HR person they are provided opportunity for job shadowing. Employee’s actual moves between few departments he likes work therefore a few days and then finalizes with relevant head of departments and HR manger to switch to specific department. 3. Career exploration resources:- They give their employees opportunity to find some great resources designed to help them in order to learn more about different jobs, careers and career exploration. 4. Transferable skills: The concept of a transferable skill is a vital job –search technique that all the job- seekers should master, through the concept is especially important for career changers and college students. For example each member involved in any type of training is held responsible to transfer all these skills to a next person. 5. Workplace value assessment:- The assessment tool is used to better understand the core values of the employees working in organization and also analyze what the employees want in their jobs, and career. For example make their employees to fill the required details of all kind of national and international training in the event feed back forms then the management able to know the learning objectives of employees which they want further in their careers. Telenor offers exciting and challenging careers with competitive pay, excellent benefits and exceptional advancement opportunities. Telenor care their employees and provide them with a relaxed and enriching working environment. Telenor training and further education programs ensure a high professional standard amongst our employees. Telenor believe that a talented and loyal workforce plays a crucial role in the organization’s ongoing business success. Telenor's management and organization is imbued with joint values. The Group Management has devised five leadership requirements that apply to all managers in the Group, and all management groups shall discuss what these requirements mean to them. The demands are: †¢ Passion for business †¢ Change and constant renewal †¢ Operational excellence †¢ Empower people †¢ Integrity TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES TRAINING:- The process for providing employees with specific skills or helping those correct deficiencies in their performance. ? Training is the systematic process of altering the behavior of employees in a direction that will achieve the organization goals. Training is related to present job skills and abilities. It has a current orientation and helps employee’s master specific skills and abilities needed to be successful. A formal training program is an effort by the employees to provide opportunities for the employee to acquire job related skills, attitude and knowledge. ? Learning is the act by which the individual acquire skills, knowledge and abilities that result ion a relatively permanent change in his /her behavior. TRAINING METHODS:- I There are to types of training methods. 1. On t he job training 2. Off the job training 1. On the job training:- It includes job rotations apprenticeship, understudy assignment and formal mentoring program. 2. Off the job training:- Off the job training includes:- ? Seminar ? Lectures ? Conferences ? Workshops TELENOR TRAINING METHODS:- In Telenor training methods include:- 1. Class room lectures:- It conveys technical, personal and problem solving skills and also demonstrates their technical skill by film and videos. 2. Simulation exercise:- It includes actual performance, case analysis, and experimental exercises, role playing and group interaction. 3. Vestibule Training:- It includes learning tasks on the same equipment but in a simulated work environment GOALS OF TRAINING:- These are the goals of training 1. Training Validity: Did the trainees learn skills or acquire knowledge or abilities during the learning. 2. Transfer Validity:- Did the knowledge, skill, abilities learned in training lead to improved performance on the job? 3. Inter organizational validity Can a training program that has been validated in one organization be used successfully in another firm? TYPE OF TRAINING:- Following are the types of training that are commonly used in general in any organization. 1. SKILLS TRAINING:- It includes basic literacy skills, technical skills, and interpersonal skills and problem solving skills. 2. Cross functional Training:- It involves training employees to perform operation in areas other than their assigned job. 3. Creativity Thinking: It is based on assumption that creativity can be learned 4. Literacy Training:- It involves the mastery of basic skills reading, writing, arithmetic and their uses in problem solving. 5. Diversity Training:- Diversity training program are designed to teach cultural differences and how to respond to these in work place. . Crisis Training:- It involves preparing employees with tragedies, crashes and workplace violence etc. 7. Customer Service Training:- It include provide customer service to give the employee the skills they need to meet and exceed customer expectation. TELENOR TYPES OF TRAINING:- Training divided into two parts:- 1. Technical Training:- Technical training is conducting whenever they introduces new scheme so that they tr ain their employees about the usage of this new scheme. 2. Non Technical Training:- This training is further divided into two parts IT Based Training:- This training relates to equipment and technology Non –IT based Training:- Non IT based training is also divided in two section in first section Management training, Communication training, Teams training, Group training is given to employees. And in second section is consisting of launch scheme training, Price training, Customer training. DEVELOPMENT:- An effort to provide with the abilities the organization will need in the future. Diagnostic steps in development program CRITERIA FOR TRAINING VERSUS DEVELOPMENT:- |Training |Development | |Focus |Current job |Current and future job | |Scope |Individual employees |Work group or organization | |Time frame |Immediate employees |Long term | |Goal |Fix current skill eficit |Prepare for future work demands | Their scope of training is on individual employees such as the training of HR manager; where as scope of development is on the entire workgroup like sales group working in their separate departments or other groups in their organization. Their training is job precise and addresses particular performance defects or problems, where as development is concerned with the work force‘s skills and versatility. Their training tends to focus on immediate organizational needs while development tends to focus on long term requirements. The goal of training is a fairly quick improvement in workers performance their main aim is to satisfy their customer as well as for this purpose they train their employees and spend huge amount on their training for this they focus on the immediate organization needs. Whereas the goal of development is the overall enrichment of the organizations human resources Training strongly influences present performance levels, while development pays off in terms of more capable and flexible human resources in the long run. Their highly tailored approach to training ensures that their employees enjoy increased performance, achieve higher levels of customer delight and more motivated and committed towards their work. RELATIONSHIPBETWEEN PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND CAREER:- There is specific description of HR manager responsibilities that are associated after conducting evaluation with respect to career development. Assessment:- Effective preparation of performance development plans, for their employees, requires the ability to assess the needs of the employee and the organization. Employee may develop own skills in this area by attending the course, â€Å"Enhancing Career and Organizational Options,† offered by Staff Education and Development on job. Help their employees to set career goals that are consistent with their skills, knowledge, experience and interests by providing feedback based on observations and assessment of their abilities, readiness and potential. The assessment should be based on manager’s actual experience and observation of employee performance and behavior rather than on assumptions and personal biases. Providing Information:- HR manager will support career development when he informs an employee about options for and possible barriers to career movement. For example, he may tell his employees about upcoming positions or openings for which they may be qualified, or about budgetary constraints which may inhibit career options or development opportunities in the unit or department Referral:- Refer employees to others who can assist them in achieving development goals. It is the responsibility of HR manager, to be aware of the appropriate referral sources both within and outside of the department. He may refer employees to books, journals, professional associations or other sources of information. He may also put them in touch with people who might be willing to serve as mentors or with those who might provide an information interview in which employees can learn more about a field or position from someone who is currently working in that area or capacity. Guidance:- Encourage employees to focus on clear, specific and attainable career goals. Share knowledge and experience with employees. Typical questions employees have are: 1) What is required to move to the next logical position? 2) What are the chances for advancement in this department? 3) How to be mobile within the company? 4) What is the difference between a promotion and an upward reclassification? 5) Who to contact for further information or career counseling. Provide guidance to employees about steps they might take to improve existing skills and knowledge or develop in new functional areas. Develop:- HR manager support employee development when he assigns employees roles or tasks which challenge them and provide the opportunity to grow. Base decisions about development options and opportunities on a careful assessment of the employee's readiness to accept additional or new responsibilities or challenges. Provide on-the-job training and refer employees to classes, workshops, and other learning and development opportunities, and recommend employees to serve on committees, task forces or cross-functional teams. CONCLUSION:- As Telenor one of the best cellular organization, thus it is very difficult to for me give recommendations to them. They continuous review their strategies and make adjustments according to their requirements. They follow almost all norms of efficient working environment and at the heart of it lies the HRM department that manages people very effectively. The HRM departments make programs like performance development planning, which ensures that the employees learn the skills are necessary to achieve the organizational goals. Other then that, they also want employees to put up suggestions for training needs. These way employees evaluate themselves and ask for training if they feel any deficiency. They have also discussed the career path from both perspective organizational point of view and individual point of view. After informal chat with the employees we come across that they are satisfied with their work, working environment, salary, incentives and the behavior of top management. In my point of view Telenor is the best company providing services to their customers. But few things like long working hours and working even on public holidays and fear of monotonous job is one of the greatest challenge which HR department need to meet in coming years. After analyzing I came to know that the training they provided to their employees is satisfactory after informal chat with some employees I realize that employees are happy and satisfied with their current job status and also they are able to handle all the tasks given to them because they trained in such a manner that they become the master of all traits that’s why they easily handle every new challenge and complicated projects. Their performance appraisal is directly link with the career of their employees and that’s why after evaluating it will be helpful for employees that HR manager properly guide them in order to set career goals that are consistent with their skills, knowledge, experience and interests by providing feedback based on observations and assessment of their abilities, readiness and potential. By this employees get to know where they stand right now and what are their strengths and weaknesses through which they get the opportunity to know the possible movements in their careers. They are also triumphant in order to keep the motivational level of their employees and that’s why turnover rate is tremendously low as compare to other companies because they give appropriate incentives to their employees, provide them such type of friendly environment so that employees themselves motivated towards their work and provide their employees full opportunity to develop their career. In this way Telenor organization guide their employees how they move up on corporate ladder. RECOMMENDATION ON TELENOR:- ? The company should increase the number of intakes for the management trainee programs and also for internships. This would help students from all over the country who want to be a part of this multinational to learn from their practices. On the other hand, the organization will get more people to assist them. ? There should no biasness at all because due to this the conflicts are not to solve but it will increase so it should better,do not iterfere any personel matters of others but try to understand each and every one should live equality. other so that they would exactly know what are the deficiencies in the current employees and what are the areas that they will have to focus on for training. Job rotation is not effectively used by the organization as a tool which would help employee learning and growth. Other then the management trainee program, the tool is not used anywhere else. Thus, restricting the employees in their own departments and with their own works and limiting their understanding about the workings of other departments and jobs. ? Frequent postings to different locations with in the country creates dissatisfaction among the employees. The organization must recruit employees from the same location where the vacancy is from. Recruiting the employee from different city and then placing him in other city would decrease employees job satisfaction. ? Communication trainings and tests should conduct by the company for the betterment of the Company and the employees. ? The Company should be flexible in recruiting the person because no one is perfect in this world so he should be up to the mark and have ability to fulfil the requiments of the Company. STRATEGIES OF MINE THAT HOW I MOVE UP ON CORPORATE LADDER IN ORGANIZATION:- If I want to move on a corporate ladder that means firstly I will decide my career planning. CAREER PLANNING PROCESS:- The decision that how I will spend my working life is critically important. To manage my work/life effectively, i need to understand What I am, what options I have, how I can get to where I want to go. I may not be able to control all the circumstances that impact upon my life, but I can influence the direction my life is going, and I can make decisions that are right for me. Managing your career is not a one-time event; it is continuous cycle of personal development. As goals are reached, new goals are established and development continuous in new direction. There are several steps in process, as illustrated below:- Steps Of Career Planning Process:-[pic] Step 1:- Determine where I want to go:- In first step managing my career I will know myself, an important part of this self insight knows where i want to go in career. Why do I pursue the work and the life I do? In short in this step I will identify the interests, values, and skills that already have and which allow me to contribute productively to my workplace. This will help me to see more clearly which competencies and life interests I want to continue to use in a work setting and those i may want to develop further. This self- reflection will guide me in determining career goals that are a good fit. Step 2:-Identify my strength and development areas In this step I will identify my strength and areas of development. It will enable me to receive input from my manager, peers, people, and other colleagues on the leadership competencies deemed critical to the provincial service. Step3:- Make a career development plan:- In this step I will create my career development plan. Completing the plan will help me make the link between my career goals and the development that will help me move toward the achievement of my goals. Based on my past performance, strengths and career goals, I will prioritize my areas for development. I will identify what type of opportunities will target my development areas and explore how to access these opportunities. Step 4:- Getting closer to your goals:- For many individuals, their career goal involves moving into a new position. Success in getting a job – externally or within government – is largely determined by gaining entry to the interview and then interviewing well. Good resumes are ital to getting an interview and strong interview skills are a must in selling the match between your qualifications and the job requirements. This workshop will provide you with the necessary skills to compete effectively for job opportunities. CONCLUSION:- According to me, Be a leader, generate different ideas, be willing to hard work, face challenging jobs , loyal to organization, colleagues, boss and also loyal to yours self that is the method of moving up on corporate la dder. QUESTIONAIRES FROM HR MANAGER OF TELENOR:- Q1) Do have career Planning strategy in your organization? Q2) what are the objectives of career planning and management in your organization? Q3) Do you have careered planning strategy in your organization? Q4) Do you assessment/ development centers in organization? Q5) How do you manage individual versus organization related to career development? Q6) Do you think career development is valuable for organization and employees? Q7) How do you make the training plan? Q8) What are the key difficulties and challenges faced by your organization in achieving the career development strategies /objective? Q9)In your estimation are you achieving the desired objectives of career development. BIBLIOGRAPHY:- www. telenor. com. pk www. altavista. com. pk www. google. com. pk ———————– Telenor – ideas that simplify Telenor – to create value for the customer by providing quality services @ affordable price. Training Technical Non-Technical Product Specific IT Based Training Non-IT Based Training Work analysis: Observation Questionnaires Performance review Critical incident Management training Communication training Teams training Group training Sales training Brand training Price training Customer training Determines behavior needed to perform work and performance standard. Examine work requirements, specifications and changes in work Organizational analysis: Discussion Rewards Analysis of meetings Review goals, mission and strategic plan Determine short and long term goal of the organization. Human resource analysis: Observation Records Critical incidents Develop behavior objectives to be accomplished through development programs. Objectives to be used in evaluation of success of program.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Microsoft Marketing Management

Microsoft Marketing Management Introduction: Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Corporation is based in the US and deals with manufacturing and development of software products applied in computers. The company develops variety of software which include; operating systems, server applications, business solution applications, information worker applications, high-performance computing applications, software development tools as well as MSN network which is an internet provider.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Microsoft Marketing Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Microsoft’s operating system which has unique qualities in the market forms the major strength of the Company. The system provides dependable link between the computer and the user. In addition the Company also ventures into manufacturing application software as well multimedia market (Aaarkstores, 2010). Microsoft Corporation is known to be technologically oriented compa ny with most of its core processes operated electronically through avenues such as e-shops. The company heavily utilizes the use of online services and web-based information systems. Such services as e-marketing provides the company with integrated means of reaching consumers hence allowing possible means of projecting current and future customer requirements within the market (Johnson et al, 2008, 51-59). Figure 1: Microsoft and its competitors Description of Customer Perceived value for the CompanyAdvertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consumers are believed to always engage in internal and external processes of information search before attaching value to product or company. Internal information search involves the process through which consumer identifies all alternatives to the product/company from memory. Such actions require companies to engage in aggressive programs which enable their various brands to become memorable to consumers and are mostly applicable to low involvement products or companies (Payne and Holt, 2001). While external search is applicable to high involving firms such as Microsoft as well as Apple amongst others. In such a case organizations are advised to make available their product information through web sites. Consumers at the same time could use compensatory decisions which requires the consumers to critically analyze all the attributes of a company before pledging loyalty to them (Eggert and Ulaga, 2002). Value should be examined from the customer point of view since expressions towards a product vary depending on the customer segment served. Within the various market segments, some customers tend to value more, certain product attributes compared to others. High prices of products might represent high value to particular customer segment since the benefits are considered higher than money value attached to the product. In this case Microsoft’s operating system provides the customers with more useful ways of operating their computers (Barnes et al, 2009). There is realization of increased productivity owing to easy communication through the integrated system which enables instant sharing of information. There is faster and instant means of information sharing through the use of desktop applications as well as line of business which eliminates the essence of spending a lot of time in locating and communicating with partners. There is also sufficient access for customers whether travelling or at home and at the same time enables remote users to access directly security-enhanced presence without the use of Virtual Private Networking (VPN).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Microsoft Marketing Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The operating system together with other Microsoft services enables business col laborations between organizations easier with a guarantee of protecting sensitive business information. Microsoft services provide organization with connections through public IM data centres and Live Communications Server Internal users which enables effective connection between information workers and public IM services (Holbrook, 2003, pp 45-61). Microsoft ensures the possibility of customers extending their current infrastructure investments by incorporating new technologies into the existing computing environments. For instance, the provision of Live Communications Server 2005 which forms part of Microsoft Windows server system which improves the functions of the collaboration infrastructure. The software enables customers to share Ms Office and other applications from working station with other collaborative sessions such as encrypted IM. Microsoft Office System integration grants customers uninterrupted workflow system and at the same time enable Real-time communication with familiar Ms Office programs (Ahmed and Rafiq, 2002). Consumers value Microsoft’s ability to eliminate communication delays within the business cycles with business partners through their advanced technology in Live Communications Server 2005. There is provision of instant access to business partners across organizational and geographical boundaries. This has accelerated improvement in business efficiency through familiar security enhancement. Increased manageability, scalability and security are possible through development of Enterprise-Grade Real-time communications. Customers are as well provided with NT LAN Manager Capabilities which increases the control as well as the security of the supposed network through consolidating the necessary resources with Microsoft Windows Active Directory. Companies benefit from real-time collaboration solutions enabling growth through easy scaling-up opportunities. This means that the up-time for enterprise communications is upgraded and a t the same time the Microsoft SQL servers enables data recovery preventing further time and data loss.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The use of SQL-based Logging in Microsoft’s communication server makes it possible for internal auditing of the available IM transactions (Dubois, 2007). Organizations at the same time are capable of enhancing the efficiency of their internal operations through application of various Microsoft services for the right duties. These include working together across departments with experts through contact centres. The process presence is enhanced through leveraging of knowledge and ideas hence enabling healthy advancement within entire enterprises. At the same time there is the provision of building stronger customer relationships owing to the development in the unified customer touch points which reinforces relationships. The possibility of connecting to customers using appropriate tools is made possible through servers live communication links which has also made it possible what is referred to as agent-initiated cross-selling (Holbrook, 2003, pp 45-61). The provision of famili ar and modern Windows-Based management tools has assisted in simplifying the management and administrative tasks. Organizations are able to operate within timely schedules through new deployment tools. The other value added to organizations apart from time management is that they can now save on training expenses through the use of soft wares such as Windows graphical user interface, which enables easy management of users, servers as well as global settings. When integrated together with Live Communications Server 2005, windows-based management tools reduce server management and training costs (Woodruff, 1997). Microsoft’s idea of rolling out new technologies within the market has met mixed reactions from the consumers. The company’s venture in developing Internet Explorer with Windows 98 and other integrated products has been at the centre of the antitrust suits. This is seen as a direct assault on the company’s strategy on software development which is known t o be innovatively involved in unveiling more features, technology and other products into their key components such as Windows NT, SQL server database, and E-mail Server Exchange. The strategies on all these innovations focuses on promoting functions and at the same time reduce prices. The consumer reaction is generally mixed concerning the various practices involved since some view the advantages of the software bundles in terms of pricing as well as product integration while others view the processes as short-term applications (Holbrook, 1999). The company is also prepared to roll out its man flagship development tools as well as emerging middleware. Microsoft at the same time plans to integrate developer’s toolkit systems which comprise AS/400, Oracle, DB2 and VSAM; in addition there is also bundling of Microsoft’s SNA Server. These soft wares would enable easy operations by large scale developers. Microsoft’s automated and well organized system gives custome rs easy time when transacting their businesses and activities through the computers. Their operating system has enabled easy access to required websites enabling consumers to indicate every detail they require through websites hence making majority of work to be efficiently done. The use of electronic sites provides the various steps necessary for completion of any business transactions between suppliers and consumers. The company also offer customers free trial version of their software’s on sale hence enabling buyer confidence after buying the product. The company at the same time grants protection to its customers from fraudulent activities which may occur in the process business transactions. It operating system and software program enables application of all these activities (Ulaga and Eggert, 2005). Microsoft Corporation designs programs which enable consumers to browse through products as fast as possible. The firm utilizes its strong brand for the purposes of driving sales of their software programs and other related services. The brand name at the same time is used for attraction purposes within the new market segments. This is also utilized for the purposes of enhancing partnership between related companies operating within the same industry. The partnerships prove healthy towards market competition since they enable the process of co-branding of the new sites hence granting Microsoft a good market base for sale of its related products and services. There is easier incorporation of activities and use of network systems such as MSN provided by Microsoft Corporation. Partnership with service providers enables the offer of enough space capable of handling new inventions for both small and established businesses (Piercy, 2009). Evaluation of Existing Value Proposition Clear definition of Company’s value proposition gives the required customer base. The value proposition helps in identifying the customers within the chosen market segments wh ere the value seems most attractive. Microsoft has been able to face market competition owing to their simplicity of Integration between vendors and their systems. Such a strategy has not yet been adopted by other competitors such as Apple or Linux. Microsoft servers are capable of running on Windows Platform making it easier for use by consumers. This has granted the Microsoft an advantage over their prime competitors since each contributor has to understand operations of Linux for easy working within the environment. Microsoft’s business model is different from other competitors within the market despite derivation of revenue as well as profit from the sales from the PC’s. The difference comes from the selling of applications and also upgrades software’s to the base of PC’s. The company focuses on investing in new generation operating system and upgraded application software prices. The growth of the already installed base makes it impossible for compet itors to match Microsoft’s current level of operation. The company has got incentives for setting low prices to deal with the growth in the installed base. And at the same time set high prices for the productivity applications enabling the creation of stable financial base from the PC’s installed. The operation of Microsoft’s business models affects such elements as pricing, investment and time of release of new operating systems (Aaarkstores, 2010). Good brand image forms a good basis for company’s future development and progress within the market. This has contributed to Microsoft being one of the sole leaders in computer software manufacturing. The Company utilizes the use of modern and upgraded technology in providing consumers with fine software and services associated with the preferred system. Microsoft makes use of the available resources to provide and win considerable customer base hence an outstanding brand name. The company has supplied the ma rket with high quality software products besides their operating system. At the same time their work environment contributes to the good image since they accord their staff considerable benefits and at the same time everybody treated as equal partners. Strengthening its coverage requires the company to consider reinforcing its relationship with consumers and other potential partners within the marketplace. Microsoft’s level of creativity and innovative ability has been outstanding granting them competitive advantage over other players within the industry. This acts as a source of motivation to various companies willing to emulate their marketing strategies (Johnson et al, 2008, 51-59). There is focus in providing efficiency through Microsoft’s products and services with the aim of capturing organizations. Generally Microsoft has upgraded most of their equipments from computers, websites, operating system and their software programs. The appearing of their brand name on their products provides customers with the assurance of the products and services they are supplied with making the company enjoy global support from loyal clients. Their software engineers are professionally trained hence understands better market needs from professional point of view. This makes it difficult for pirates who are always in the process of selling counterfeit products (Aaarkstores, 2010). Microsoft Corporation’s attribute of participating in corporate social responsibilities such as offering donations to institutions as well as not-for-profit organizations reinforces its good image. The company is greatly involved in organizing seminars within various regions of the world and at the same time indulge in infrastructural development. Their services involve thorough training programs to customers through the company’s website and at the same time provide consumers with enough warrant time regarding some of their highly prized software (Aaarkstores, 2010). Microsoft promotes its image in such manner as being actively involved in environmental issues. Research reveals that majority of consumers in America and other parts of the world are very conscious in buying products from companies which are environmentally conscious. Microsoft participates in community clean-ups besides donating their computers to schools and other institutions. This has helped in improving and developing the image of the company amongst potential clients. Their interest in the well being of the community they serve earns the company greater value and favour amongst the population. They also advance as far as partnering with the various environmental organizations in creating environmental awareness through their websites advising on the importance of conserving available natural resources (Johnson et al, 2008, 51-59). Company’s business model is always dependant on array of players such as; competitors, substitutes, complementary organization, customers as well as suppliers. Microsoft for example complemented so well with Intel to provide the market with valuable products. However, much focus has been given to interdependences between competitors and at the same time between buyers and sellers. Business models have the capability of either reinforcing each other or detracting through competition. Microsoft is currently present in various business sectors such as videogame systems as well as operating systems for the PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance) (Johnson et al, 2008, 51-59). Microsoft Server has the capability of delivering instant messages providing scalable enterprise-grade solution. The system offers enhanced security, seamless integration alongside other Microsoft products and services. The company also offers necessary extensions in their industry-standard development platform. Such upgraded services have enabled organizations to save on costs as well as gaining ground on improved business efficiencies, increased productivi ty, and improved security on Intellectual property through provision of easily managed and available solutions (Aaarkstores, 2010). Microsoft bases their services in the presence of devices which enables instant messaging and at the same time revealing other devices readiness for communication. The devices provide complete picture concerning the user’s status and the nature of their alleged environment made possible through the use of Microsoft CRM. Customers are capable of predicting before time if their devices are ready and available for use. The presence of groups enable point-and-click access initiating instant sharing hence decisions becomes easy to create through Microsoft office programs enabling easy team-centric communications (Aaarkstores, 2010). The company has organized plans based on the available resources such as capital. Microsoft has stable capital base generated from great deal of cash on hand enabling them to capture available opportunities within the mark et. This gives them considerable advantage over small software firms having limited capital from cash on hand, hence forces the small firms to forego great investment opportunities. Microsoft tends to make its strategic plans from corporate level concerning issues on providing high quality software and services to customers. Such plans always involve heavy and aggressive capital investment. At the same time the company makes plans at business unit level making it possible for the business to include additional services besides operating systems and applications software. Such services include provision of internet services as well as video games. This means that the management team gets involved at different capacities making all decisions central to the assigned areas which make accountability easier (Zeithaml, 1988). Microsoft at the same time makes plans at the functional level allowing the specialization and accountability easier. Such strategy is applicable especially in market ing where prices of Microsoft software requires adjustment based on the increasing demand. The company’s scope needs reasonable definition for the purposes of capturing the existing market opportunities. Therefore, Microsoft needs not to identify itself only as Computer Company since such definition may limit the nature of services provided. The mission of the company incorporates in broad terms the different groups of consumer segments served with appropriate technology involved (Frow and Payne, 2008). Figure 2: Diagram showing the processes for on-line sale of an Item Compare and contrast the value proposition with that of the leading competitor in your sector Both Microsoft and Apple Inc aim at satisfying the needs of their respective customers. This is since potential customers differ in their satisfaction levels and at the same time not all customers have the same needs. Different kinds of customers have got different types of preferences and needs more than that which organizations can handle. Different segments carry varied weights based on the kind of needs demanded hence require change in marketing mix used. However, both companies apply the use of differentiation methods for the purposes of reaching their targeted customers. They all fine-tune the elements of their respective marketing mix for the sale of computer products and services. The volume of sales made on the PC’s at particular times depends on the nature of customer value attached to the microprocessor as well as the operating system. The other low values are captured through OS pricing which also determines the coordination between microprocessor and operating system. Previously Apple’s iPod dominated the market as it was seen to be portable as well as its capability to handle digital player segment. The device made Apple Inc to hold over 75% of the US market share since the year 2001. However, the device got a big challenge when Microsoft launched similar device refe rred to as Zune in the iPod segment. Zune attracted more interest and attention compared to Apple’s ipod in terms of features and pricing forcing Apple to reduce its prices by $ 50 in the year 2006. At the same time Microsoft launched a competitive browser to match Mozilla’s Firefox, the browser referred to as Internet Explorer 7 assisted the company in recovering the market segment lost since the year 2004. The software incorporated various features adopted from Mozilla such as integrated search window, tab browsing as well as pop-up window blocker. Such development was countered by Mozilla through release of Firefox 2 which was much up-graded. The strategy sparkled war between the two entities since they each wanted to dominate the market (Fifield, 2007). In conclusion, Microsoft Corporation stands as one of the most successful firms having great deal of technology alongside experienced staff capable of designing software. Their image value wins them considerable mar ket share and respected brand name. However, some units of Microsoft records losses making MSN incapable of achieving desired targets within the market. Besides, the company is faced by various threats which include rapid development from other sectors owing to high economic growth and economic downturn which has affected normal operations owing to high energy costs. Despite all these, Microsoft always takes the opportunity of having strong brand name within the market, hence enabling them to venture into the hardware market. Strong brand name has enabled the company to become trusted source of consumer services in spite of the low sales recorded during recession. Few weaknesses experienced within the company calls for wise decisions in the area of resource allocations. Microsoft is capable of promoting this by pumping enough resources into MSN owing to their good financial base (Andreson et al, 2006). Implementation of new value proposition that will match the value criteria of cus tomers The firm should fulfil its social responsibilities by participating in environmental programs. This has so far enabled Microsoft to win consumer loyalty and at the same time improve its public policies. At the same time the company’s public relations helps in the process of reinforcing their marketing techniques through the internet search engines. The process assist in improvement of sales owing to the fact majority of the customers are capable of applying the use of internet technology. Integration of marketing communication software within Microsoft business system prove vital to the organization since it assists in coordination of strategic transactions within the firm. Public relations have since helped the firm in effective communication since they are able to link directly to customers giving right information about their various products and services. This provides uniqueness of products within the market giving the company ability to attract consumers through their captivating information displays. At the same time it is possible for the firm to earn political goodwill through its social and charitable actions. Microsoft is also capable of foregoing temporary profits through temporal reduction in prices for the purposes of attracting attention hence increasing the demand. Specific actions such as increasing the market share through gaining more distribution stores are of concern to Microsoft. Appropriateness as one of the attributes of Microsoft’s resources should be considered, since it determines the level of financial performance which ultimately leads to attraction of investors. The attribute ensures full utilization of research and development which assist the firm in financing of innovative activities and production of new devices. The nature of financial base also largely determines the various profitable activities guaranteeing the company’s sales. In the same line sustainability also represents one of the most cruc ial attribute of the business models. This is since the uniqueness of the product determines the duration of sustained earnings from the sales of the product (Kotler et al, 2009). Major achievement is enablement of First-Contact resolution where presence of employees is determined through real-time. This reinforces communication since availability of clients is easily detected through available media. There are always frustrations on the side of consumers especially when they are unable to reach their correspondents with right information at the right time (Ulaga and Chacour, 2001). Products and services provided by the company are currently selling hence having value for the market. This should make the Company to involve provision of other related services enabling the sale of computers hence acting as rich sources of the company’s revenue. Microsoft Company should at the same time cooperate with vendors within the supply chain to enable extension of their additional servic es for the convenience of their clients. At the same time the firm offers training facilities to clients hence helping them improve on their online application skills. Microsoft has also created several sites which assists in the sale of consumer based goods like used cars providing their price information and quality details (Lindgreen and Finn, 2005). Internal and external Plan for Microsoft Corporation Microsoft’s goals focus on different aspects of the organization’s management. Their planning basically focuses on impacting the four functions of management. The internal planning incorporates directions in the product processing, human resource management as well as efficient utilization of assets. These include good financial management, creation of conducive working environment to all employees. On the other hand their external plan incorporates such issues as partnerships with other potential companies, political and legislative influences, technological innovati ons as well as environmental concerns. Partnerships and collaborations incorporate demographical changes within the workforce. The company plans to be accountable towards laws and at the same time offer equal opportunities to all its employees. The Company tend to improve on the nature of their service delivery mechanisms and information set-up through new inventions. This would require radical change in the management team for the purposes of matching external competition on quality workforce. Making the environment safe for habitation forms one of the top priorities for the company since they consider following strict legislative rules in the process of product and service distribution. Conclusion Microsoft utilizes public relations effectively since they use all the media channels including websites to provide necessary information to customers. The services are also provided locally through linkages with their main servers at cheaper and affordable prices. The use of company loc al sites in marketing has enabled consumers to quickly locate their various much needed products saving on time and money. The company has expanded its services equally throughout the world within every region some of which include; North and South America, European Countries, Africa as well as Far East countries connected through internet. Microsoft Corporation offers customers products within wholesale markets, there is also services available at retail options and structural efficiencies. The Company offers clients free listing services as well as intensive sales promotion services. Reference List Aaarkstores.2010.Microsoft Corporation; Aaarkstore enterprise market research  Report. Web. Ahmed, K. P. Rafiq, M. 2002. Internal Marketing tools and concepts for customer  Focused management. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann Elsevier Andreson, J.C., Narus, A.J. van Rossum, W., 2006. Customer Value Propositions In Business Markets. Harvard Business Review, (March), pp.91-99. Barnes, C., Blake, H. Pinder, D. 2009. Creating Delivering your Value  Proposition. London: Kogan Page Dubois, P., Jolibert, A., Muhlbacher, H. 2007. Marketing Management a Value  Creation Process. Palgrave; Macmillan Basingstoke Eggert, A. Ulaga, W. 2002. Customer-perceived value: a substitute for satisfaction In business markets? Journal of Business Industrial Marketing, 3 (17), pp. 107-125 Fifield. P., 2007. Marketing Strategy: The Difference between Marketing and  Markets. (3rd Ed). 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Marketing  Management. 1st European edition Harlow: Prentice Hall Lindgreen, A. Finn, W., 2005. Value in business markets: What do we know? Where are we going? Industrial Marketing Management. (34), pp.732- 748. Payne, A. Holt, S., 2001. Diagnosing Customer Value: Integrating the Value Process and Relationship Marketing. British Journal of Management. 2 (12), pp 159 182. Piercy, N. F. 2009. Market-Led Strategic Change. (4th Ed.) Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann Ulaga, W. Chacour, S. 2001. Measuring customer-perceived value in business Markets: a p rerequisite for marketing strategy development and implementation. Industrial Marketing Management, 6 (30), pp. 525 – 540 Ulaga, W. Eggert, A. 2005. Relationship value in business markets: the construct And its dimensions. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 1 (12), pp. 73-99. Woodruff, R.B., 1997. Customer Value: The Next Source for Competitive Advantage.  Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences. 2(25), pp.139-154. 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