Article- University Life Essay

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences but typically describes a negative condition that can have an impact on one’s mental and physical well-being no matter you are young people or the old one. There are many different things can cause stress in our life. University is one of a stressful situation for young people due to several causes such as poor time management, peer pressure and financial problems. One of the causes of stressful university life is poor time management. Before coming to the university, students are used to having parent’s helps in managing their time at home. For those who staying in the hostel, there are also people who in charge of taking care of the student’s time table like the teachers or the wardens. Students are being told on what to do like, when to study, when to sleep, when to eat and almost everything have been listed on the student’s timetable by the parents or the wardens. Now in the university, they have to manage their time themselves. Students cannot optimize their time properly according to the university life and timetable. So instead they waste their times doing unnecessary things. Not just that, the differences between school timetables that is more orderly than university schedule that is more compact than usual like need to complete a range of assignments including those with various deadlines, lengths and priorities that really need a division of a good time management can cause stress to the students too. The second cause for the stressful university life is, peer pressure. There are many students who have problems with this. When the first time they entered the university, some of students have trouble with making friends. They do not really know about their friend’s behaviour and what their friends like to do in their daily life. Mingle with the wrong type of people will be give bad affects for the students. As example, you are a student who prefers to focus on the study and you do not like to go out doing unnecessarily things but you mingled with a type of friends who do not really care about the study and love to waste time doing things that are not beneficial. When you have to do things that you do not like, be friends with the persons that you do not enjoy to be with, all these can lead to stress. It is not just that, having problems like dealing with people among the students itself like the classmates, housemates or even relationship problems with boyfriend or girlfriends are also a normal thing that happened in the university life. If they cannot deal their problems nicely, they will get into a bigger trouble and will be stressed out. Next, financial problems are the common problem that university students are having and the common cause for the stressful situation in university life. Like the time management problems, this financial problem also happen because the students do not really know how to manage their daily needs and their daily expenses without parents’ supervision and most of students do not have the ability to plan their spending. Besides that, they do not keep track of their money spending. As student, there are many things that needs money and they have to know how to manage their daily expenses. From food expenditure to anything that involve money. There are also students who struggle to pay the university’s fees and need money to buy books. Having problems in financial really a tough thing for students. If they do not manage to have enough money, they will feel stress and cannot focus on their study and finally their academic will decline. There is no doubt that university life really can make young people feel stress. University is one of a stressful situation for young people due to several causes such as time management, peer pressure and financial problems. For students who are not able to deal with their stress, they will definitely affect their studies. It will eventually cause their CGPA to drop. One of the ways to reduce stress on time management is creating a proper timetable, try to get used and forget the way you manage your time when you are in school and under parents’ supervision. To reduce stress on peer pressure is mingling with the type of people that we like to be surrounded with, choose friends wisely and do not get involve with love issues. And the last one, to reduce stress on financial problems is, applying for scholarship or PTPTN. We have to be smart to deal with stress because there are many negative effects of living in a stressful life. Stress can affect both body and mind. People under large amounts of stress can become tired, sick, and unable to concentrate or think clearly. So, it is very important to reduce stress to have a healthier life.

G topics

G topics A Unipolar World spells disaster for underdeveloped countries like India Is Globalization Really Necessary? What shall we do about our ever-increasing population? Corruption is the price we pay for democracy Foreign television channels are destroying our culture What India needs is a dictatorship With media publishing and telecasting trivia, censorship is the need of the hour Kaun Banega Krorepati is less about knowledge but more about money and personality Beauty contests degrade womanhood The rise of regional blocs threatens independent nations like India Six billion and one ronze!Is dependence on computers a good thing? Should the public sector be privatized? China and India are similar nations with contrasting ways Is India a Soft Nation? Value based politics is the need of the hour Religion should not be mixed with politics How to deal with high oil prices Our cricketers are not to blame for match fixing Why cant we be world players in industry as we are in software? Mu ltinational corporations: Are they devils in disguise? Should there be limits on artistic freedom (the controversy on Fire). Should there be private universities?Does banning fashion shows and New Year parties save our culture? Are Big Dams Necessary? Films are corrupting the Indian Youth A Gandhian State selling liquor is an anomaly Bride burning and dowry may look bad, but are an integral part of India Our Culture is Decaying We are not serious about saving Wildlife/Environment The education system needs serious reforms The impact of MTV on our psyche Showing Violence and Crimes should not be allowed in films and on television Let us legalize gambling Is management an art or a science? The Rush for MBA is really a rush for big moneyEthics in Business are Just a passing fashion The objective of Management is to maximize profits Do professional managers have a chance in our family run businesses? The Internet Is an MBA necessary to succeed in life? Family owned business vs. professi onally run businesses Smaller businesses and start-ups have more scope for professional growth Dot com or doubt com? The Wheel is Turning Round and Round If I was the Finance Minister/Prime Minister There is no right way to do a wrong thing Group Task: How can we have Mount Everest in India?Do Beauty and Brains Go Together? When I woke up in the morning I saw†¦ A ship docked in harbor cannot face the storms Up the Down Staircase Just as we have smoke free zones, we should have child free zones Marriage is a social trap India needs dictatorship or democracy Education and success -direct correlation Indian villages-our strength or weakness Budget-good or bad Role of NGOs in todays world (and India) International Women's Day MBA necessary for successful business? Are beauty pageants Justified? Is coalition politics here to stay?India needs a dictator? Is India moving away from a secularist state? Education in India – or the lack of it What ails Indian sports? The Age of Inf ormation Is Philosophy Just an armchair theory? Success is all about human relations Borderless worlds – Dream or reality? Quality is a myth in India. Education and success – Is there a correlation? We dont learn from history, we repeat it Dowe need a global policeman? Indian villages – our strength or our weakness? Agrarian Economy in India – boon or bane If there were no armies in the world†¦.Open book examination system would eliminate all the ills of present system. (Dept. of Fin. Studies, DO, March'99) Women's empowerment will lead to social development 11M Kozhikode, March'99) Computers result in unemployment (FMS Delhi, March'99) Indians lack a sense of social responsibility (MDI Gurgaon, March'99) Are we raising a generation of burnt out children? (IIMB, Mar 97) Advertising is all glitter and little truth. (MICA, Apr '97) Is bureaucracy a hindrance to economic reforms in India? llMCJuly '97) Film-makers are indulging in cinematic Fortitution in the name of folk culture. (IIML, Mar'97) Under Indian parliamentary democracy it is impossible to ensure balanced regional development. (IIMC, Mar 97 ) In an over-regulated society corruption is inevitable. MICA, Apr 97) For the poorer sections of society, a state-controlled economy is better than a liberalized economy. (IIMC-PGDCM, March'97) With IT replacing middle level management, software Jobs are more lucrative than MBAs (S.P Jain, March'99) Do you think accent holds you back? Would you prefer everyone speaking uniformly? (XIM Bhubaneswar, March'99) Men resent women power at work place (NMIMS, March'99) Youth in India are becoming greedy by the day (MICA, March'99) MBAs should be taxed at higher rates in the country (IIMB April'99) Group Discussion topics asked in SCMHRD on 12/2/2001 IT boom in India. Large Dams are a must for India's development. Leaders should be followers first. Should the Government ban India from playing cricket match in sharJah?Justify. Why more girls choose Human Relations Management. Advertising and ethics. IT  ¤ What does the future hold? Recommendation? Conscription should be made compulsory. Why is patriotism lacking in India? What Ails India more – corruption or Overpopulation. What should India do to preserve its IT command over the World. IIFT GD Topics on 20-02-2001 India makes nuclear bombs, but cannot make quake resistant houses. Role of money in elections Fast changes in Information Technology- excitement or agony?

Importance of language development Essay

Introduction As psycholinguists began to chart the course of language development, they were amazed that children could learn such a complex symbol system at such good pace. After all, many infants are using arbitrary words to refer to objects and activities before they even begin to walk. By age 5, children already seem to know and use most of the syntactical structures of their native tongue, even though they have yet to receive their first formal lesson in grammar. Marian Whitehead, a consultant on the early years of children, compares the Steiner approach with that of a nursery. She states in her book Supporting Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years and believes that Steiner’s growth stems from the fact that parents are worried about the over-formalization in early education (Whitehead, 2004). Learning theorists represent the empiricist point of view. From their perspective, language is obviously learned. However, other theorists point out that children the world over seem to display similar linguistic achievements at about the same age: They all babble by 4 to 6 months of age, utter their first meaningful word by age 12 to 13 months, begin to combine word by the end of the school year, and know the meaning of many thousands of words and are constructing a staggering array of grammatical sentences by the tender age of 4 or 5. Importance of Language in Imparting of Knowledge to Young Children All the other ways of knowing are controlled by language. The appropriate use of language is central to virtually all aspects of learning and social development. Successful and appropriate language communication is also closely linked to the individual’s place in society, while the inability to communicate clearly hampers and may virtually eliminate a person’s ability to cope with even the simplest educational and social situations. For teachers, language is important and in fact, traditionally, psychological accounts of language development have been developed by theorists who have included language learning in their discussions of a general acquisition process (Miller & Dollard, 1941; Skinner, 1957). Skinner, for example, believes that language is learned, in large measure by waiting for children to emit approximations of the forms of speech which are ultimately desired and then by gradual shaping (by parents or other socializing agents) until the correct sounds and sentence forms can be reproduced in appropriate situations with a high degree of fidelity. This is a fair representation of the interrelationship between perception, emotion, reason and language, for numerous experiments have now disclosed that principles for generating novel responses can be acquired through the observation of others (Bandura & McDonald, 1963) If principles of language usage, rather than mere words, can be shown to be acquired through observational learning, then this would provide at least a partial account of the process of language acquisition. Importance of Language in Schools. How the schools perceive language and whether modifications in the curriculum and imparting of knowledge are made as a result are important factors to keep in mind. The fact that English speakers rarely have the opportunity to enter bilingual education programs reinforces status of these programs. This is where the methodology of knowledge is more important than the knowledge itself. Similarly, imitation and reinforcement clearly play some part in early language development. Certainly, it is no accident that children end up speaking the same language their parents speak, down to the regional accent. In addition young children are quicker to acquire and use the proper name for toys when reinforced for doing so by receiving the toys to play with (Whitehurst & Valdez-Menchaca, 1988). One’s cultural and social upbringing affects the way a person views this. There are no assumptions or deducing involved here. One can verify the information by just looking again at the dizzying array of program alternatives in bilingual education, each claiming to be more successful than the others. In general, most research has found that bilingual programs of all kinds are effective not only in teaching students content area knowledge in their native language but also in teaching them English. This has been proven time and again to be the case in research analyses and specific program reviews (Hakuta, 1990). Whitehead claims that there is an insight in Steiner’s kindergarten routine that can be useful in mainstream settings. Examples of these are its emphasis on play, arts and crafts and storytelling and its integrated curriculum. It is important that children have a good background on language development from the early years. Conclusions If we want our schools to educate the students well, we need teachers who are well-trained, highly respected professionals. But teachers today are not given the right opportunities to be trained well. We simply cannot expect to implement rigorous standards and testing, tightened discipline and effective early interventions without true professionals to deliver them. It is imperative that colleges of education should overhaul their curriculums to include methods of evaluating scientific research. Teachers must know how to determine the effectiveness of new ideas, textbooks and methods of teaching. They have eagerly swallowed too many myths and fads for too long. Knowledge of the social learning theory and its application in a classroom set-up will afford them the chance to create activities that will enhance learning through modeling and imitation. The professionalization of teaching extends beyond teacher preparation to the way educators are treated once they enter practice. Schools cannot possibly train, recruit, and retain teachers who possess sophisticated critical thinking skills until they reward teachers with respect and support. But rewards must also be associated with expectations. Almost miraculously, many excellent, dedicated and well-educated teachers work in public schools today. However, society must muster the courage to weed out or retrain educators who lack the necessary talent and skill to teach our young. Our children deserve true, highly regarded professionals to lead them especially during the early years of his language learning. The child is unique and perceives and understands the world differently from the way the adult does. Thus, the child’s ideas are valued. This kind of philosophy has an integrated core curriculum which is best suited to the developmental interaction and sees the child as a thinking self-propelling, well-adjusted individual. A teacher must believe that the basic tenet of her kind of approach is that the growth of cognitive functions–acquiring and ordering information, judging and reasoning, problem solving, using systems of symbol–cannot be separated from the growth of personal and interpersonal processes–the development of self-esteem and sense of identity, internalization of impulse control, capacity of autonomous response and relatedness to other people. This active form of learning permits young children to quickly acquire literally thousands of new responses in a variety of settings where their â€Å"models† are simply pursuing their interests and are not trying to teach them anything. Thus, when we look at it really close, children are continually learning both desirable and undesirable responses and proceeds so very rapidly along so many different paths, especially in the area of language development. REFERENCES Bandura, A. & McDonald F. J. (1963) The influence of social reinforcement and the behavior of models in shaping children’s moral judgments. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 67, 274-281. Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York, NY: General Learning Press. Hakuta, K. (1990). Bilingualism and Bilingual Education: A Research Perspective,† no. 1 Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. Miller, N. E. & Dollard, (1941). J. Social learning and imitation. New Haven: Yale University Press Whitehead, M. (2004). Language and Literacy in Early Years. Whitehurst & Valdez-Menchaca, (1988). What is the role of reinforcement in early language acquisition? Child Development. 59, 430-440.

Torture in Extreme Emergencies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Torture in Extreme Emergencies - Essay Example A third viewpoint has arisen recently which combines views of both the groups and debates that torture can in some extreme emergencies be morally justified, however it should not be legalized or institutionalized. As per the definition of torture, it involves some practices like using electric shocks, cutting some body parts, using a hot iron, administrating severe pain, depriving of food, water and sleep for days together or beating. All this includes physically assaulting a person by the torturer by having control over the person. The person who is being tortured is defenseless and also not agreeable to such assault. Apart from these, extreme mental assault can also be considered torture. However, the extent of it and consent of the person being tortured to brand the assault as torture is well arguable. On the other hand, it might be argued that some cases of intentional infliction of extreme mental suffering on non-consenting, defenseless persons are cases of torture, whereas some instances are not. According to an article on Torture by Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy published in February, 2006, "In various national and international laws, e.g. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (United Nations 1984 - see Other Internet Resources), a distinction is made between torture and inhumane treatment, albeit torture is a species of inhumane treatment. Such a distinction needs to be made. For one thing, some treatment, e.g. flogging, might be inhumane without being sufficiently extreme to count as torture. For another thing, some inhumane treatment does not involve physical suffering to any great extent and is therefore not torture, properly speaking (albeit, the treatment in question may be as morally bad as, or even morally worse than, torture). Some forms of the infliction of mental suffering are a case in point, as are some forms of morally degrading treatment, for example causing a prisoner to pretend to have sex with an animal." (Unknown author, Torture, 2006) Though the main reason for torture is to break the victim's will, the other reasons for torture according to the above-mentioned U.N. Convention list them as to get a confession for a crime, to gather some information; to force a person or a group of people to behave in a way desired by the torturer as well as to punish for the crime.   Now the question arises on why torture is considered as wrong. Torture includes two aspects which are morally wrong as it involves administrating acute physical assault which is done intentionally on another person as well as it is administered on a fellow human being involving intentional, substantial curtailment of individual autonomy.   Authorities in the field feel that torture is worse than killing. According to Michael Davis,"Both torture and (premature) death are very great evils but, if one is a greater evil than the other, it is certainly torture" (Davis, Michael, 2005: 165), and David Sussman feels, "Yet while there is a very strong moral presumption against both killing and torturing a human being, it seems that we take the presumption against torture to be even greater than that against homicide" (Sussman, David, 2005: 15).  

Choose what u want Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Choose what u want - Research Paper Example The problem of poverty differs among countries. When visiting countries like India where people sometimes have nothing to eat, no possessions the level of poverty can be defined as critical and regrettably it has become a cultural feature. The level of poverty in United States is not so dramatic and can be categorized as relative. There are many factors that make contribution to that problem both social and economic ones. When discussing social classes and overall mobility level it is vitally important to take into consideration the phenomena of poverty. Americans tend to be proud of the economic system and they believe it is capable to provide every opportunity in pursuit of prosperity and good life in general. But nevertheless poverty seem so be persistent in different parts of the country. A lot of anti-poverty programs and efforts have been applied in the last five decades and they have made some progress but the problem is far from being totally eliminated. There has been a wide spread opinion that poor people are to blame themselves for the situation they faced and they are more likely to display self-defeating behavior instead of taking serious steps. The poor can be characterized as fatalists that engage themselves into the poverty culture where nothing can be done and this vicious circle absorbs people generation after generation. But still this perception of poverty is just a stereotype as most poor people are eager to work hard and make a living, the only thing they need is a given chance and helping hand. This help should be provided on all the stages of people’s lives beginning from the support of the child being born within poor conditions and all the way to retirement. The main aim is to ensure people with security and reduce the fear of being left behind (Vallas, 2014). Recently professionals in sociological sciences have concentrated their attention on additional causes of

Career Strategy of Financial Analyst Research Paper

Career Strategy of Financial Analyst - Research Paper Example The present research has identified that as the company’s financial decisions and competencies depend on the results produced by the financial analysts, the job roles shared by these professionals are of immense significance and subjected to their proficiencies in dealing with numerical complexities apart from ethical dilemmas. Observably, the occupation that researcher has chosen is of a financial analyst, which basically owes to his skills and abilities along with academic credentials, deemed to suit this particular job profile. However, apart from the fact that researcher finds himself suitable for this particular profession, there are also certain other reasons that have altogether encouraged me to choose this particular career option. Contextually, there are certain key features associated with this particular profession, which further took the attention. Notably, the profession of a financial analyst has become quite widely established in the recent years and is further expected to rise in the coming years owing to the rising need for companies to gain financial competencies and advantages thereupon. This increasing level of popularity, as well as respect associated with the selected profession, has attracted researcher’s attention towards the same. Again, it has also been noted that the scope for this particular occupation is quite wide as the services offered by a professional associated with this particular profession is needed by various business units to conduct their business operations with adequate ease and confidence based on the realistic financial information.

Trend of Food Truck in University city of Philadelphia Research Paper

Trend of Food Truck in University city of Philadelphia - Research Paper Example result, communities across the country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles have become a crucial part of the ongoing movement of finding out better ways of managing and regulating mobile vending (Spelman, 2010). Lifestyle and policies are found to be the key elements that have led to the tremendous increase in the number of food trucks in the city. Most of the people in the city prefer fast foods especially considering the fact that the city has a consistently growing population of students because of the two major universities (Stadd, 2011). This can be supported by the fact that most of the food trucks in the city have been on campus stalwarts for many years though their numbers has dramatically increased in the recent past. This means that majority of the people eating in food trucks are youths and a persons who are below 40s who are usually casually dressed. Lack of clear policies regulating the business is also believed to be another key attribute of the immense boom of this business (Edge, 2012). Food trucks in the University City are more popular than the ordinary restaurants because of the variety of foods they offer at relatively lower prices. Most of them use large vehicles that are installed with high-tech cooking gadgets as well as sanitation devices that provide sophisticated and safe cuisine commonly prepared to order rather than being precooked. This gives food truck an upper hand in the food and service industry compared to ordinary restaurants. Therefore, local governments should introduce favorable policies that would regulate food trucks and that will incorporate food trucks into the fabric of the city (Ercolani,  2013). The proposed research study will be conducted using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, meaning that the researcher will use qualitative and quantitative research concepts. The targeted respondents in this case include 50 customers of the food trucks and 10 food truck companies. Using a hybrid of these two

Human resource management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human resource management - Research Paper Example The program intends to increase productivity and lessen operating cost by letting their employees work when they are most productive and offering them a flexible scheduling and office-space initiative that lets employees work from home or at special telecommuting centers. The program is combination of work-from-home, traditional desk time and group meetings to encourage employees to find a work environment and schedule that makes them most efficient The new work arrangement at Bank of America relates to the class in terms of being consistent with the business organization’s effort to find ways to increase productivity and lessen cost with the use of technology that would ultimately increase profit. The new work arrangement at Bank of America also shows how technology can redefine and expedite work as discussed in class. With regard to increasing productivity, flexible working terms allow employees to work in environment where they are most comfortable and efficient. Issues such as being late due to traffic will be removed by the new employment arrangement. It is also advantageous to Bank of America not only because its employees are now more productive but also it is able to save overhead and other cost associated in keeping employees in office. In fact, Bank of America projected this to reach an amount of USD 8 billion by just allowing employees to work on a flexible terms. By implementing the program, the company will spend less on electricity, furniture and other machine and equipment used by their employees when they are at work in the office. This is also advantageous to employees because it allows them to have a work-life balance as they can also attend to other things at home (such as being with children) while working. The time saved from commuting and preparing for work can instead be channeled to other life enhancing activities such as spending time with family and friends or engaging in

The reserch paper on The Euro Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The reserch paper on The Euro Crisis - Essay Example This common national currency Euro is utilised by over 300 million people in the world’s most developed economic region, which is considered as a record in the international monetary system. The common currency Euro was established by the European nations with the objectives of acquiring better integration among member nations as well as to enhance the currency value in the global economy (Feenstra & Taylor, 2012). In the year 1999, Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was also established with the motive of utilising the single national currency i.e. Euro for all the trade activities performed by the European nations. In the starting of 2002, there were 12 countries in Europe Union (EU) which include Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Finland, Italy, France, Greece, Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg and Portugal that utilised Euro as their national currency. Later on many countries also joined EU and adopted Euro as a national currency. However, three EU member countries namely Sw eden, United Kingdom and Denmark do not used Euro as their national currency. By the year 2010, there were 27 countries as members of EU. In Euro zone, the main objective of EMU was to establish a common monetary currency for EU members and to coordinate the monetary affairs of the member nations through European Central Bank (ECB). The euro zone has faced financial crisis due to sluggish economic growth as well as high rate of underemployment. Moreover, economic recession of 2008 has also raised many economic problems in the European nations (Arestis & Sawyer, 2012). Considering this aspect, the review will emphasize on the factors accountable for crisis in the European nations. The objective of the review is to recognise the reasons for Euro crisis. Moreover, review will also focus on remedies necessary for minimising the effects of Euro crisis in the European nations and other countries. The review includes other aspects related to the Euro crisis along with economic problems fac ed by the European nations. Background The Euro system of the European countries consists of ECB and 11 central banks of different nations. The Euro system has four major jobs with respect to economic growth and sustainability. The first job is to execute the monetary strategies implemented by Central Council of ECB. The second job is to undertake foreign exchange functions and the third job is to maintain money reserves of euro area nations. The Euro system is responsible for coordinating as well as managing monetary policy of EU. Euro was considered as a single common currency by EU members with the objective of acquiring a stabilised price for a long period of time. Moreover, with common currency it was expected that it would help to expand the market and also would assist in better integration of capital, goods and service. Furthermore, it was anticipated that with the introduction of common currency, Euro would be an important currency relating to foreign exchange markets (Euro pean Central Bank, 2009). Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) EMU was set up with the motive of stabilising the monetary operations as well as for prosperous economic development of the European nations. The vision of EMU is to develop an integrated framework for the financial sectors which enables the banking

How to Invest Like Warren Buffett Essay Example for Free

How to Invest Like Warren Buffett Essay Introduction Simplicity is the best word to describe the life of philanthropist and mega-billionaire Warren Buffett. The same single word also depicts his multi-billion worth of investment principles and strategies (Cunningham, 2008, p. 18). For more than fifty years Buffett was able to build a multi-billion investment empire with his simple investment philosophy. Like his more than 60 billion dollar fortune under his name, Buffett, who is by far the greatest philanthropist of all time for donating almost all of his wealth to the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, is also one of the most observed and most admired personalities in business with countless of articles, books and blogs written about him. If most common people look at him as the most generous man in the world today, people in the corporate world regard him as the greatest guru— or even ‘God’— in the realm of investment. With his great fortune, he is considered ‘God’ in investment because of his ability to spot real value when everybody focuses their attention on market movements and because of his unparalleled skills and knowledge to transform simplicity into greatness. If most billionaires like Bill Gates and Lakshmi Mittal built their business empires through managing profitable technology corporations and industrial firms, Buffett made billions by simply knowing how and when to invest his money. How He Started To know more about the investing secrets of Warren Buffett, it is necessary to look at how he managed his most precious property— his life, and how he lives it (Schroeder, 2008, p.1). He learned how and when to earn money at an early age, and he filed his first income tax return when he was only 13 (Sosik, 2006, p.149). Buffett’s value investment career started when he put his money in Berkshire Hathaway, a little known and ignored holding company based in Omaha, Nebraska in the 60’s. Now everybody is startled to know that if you invested $10,000 in the company in 1965, the value of that money today would be more than $30 million (Investopedia Staff, 2007). If his close billionaire friend Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard University to focus on Microsoft Corporation, Buffett, who is known in the business world as ‘Oracle of Omaha,’ was rejected by Harvard Business School. This experience somehow taught him a great deal not only about business but also about life. To most people Harvard is one of the best, if not the best, schools in the world, but Buffett thought otherwise— his basis of choosing school was not the institution, but the people who would impart the requisite knowledge and values. So when asked about his mentors, Buffett only had three people on top of his mind— his father, Benjamin Graham, and Phil Fisher. His father— Howard Buffett— taught him the positive values he needed to live, while Graham and Fisher taught him the basic principles in investment and how to make money in this profession. His investment style is consisted in the following rubric— think outside the box. When he graduated from college, he wanted to make money in Wall Street, but his father and Graham discouraged him (Miles, 2004, p. 30). The two believed that there were great opportunities waiting for him outside Wall Street. That was the time when everybody wanted to work on Wall Street and when everybody focused their attention on the stock market. Buffett believes that stocks are more than just an asset or capital; it is business. His Philosophy It would be futile to know the secrets of his billion dollar secrets without knowing how he thinks and what he believes in. Unfortunately, most of his biographers failed miserably to look into what is in the mind of the world’s greatest investor. In fact, a review of some literatures and articles would reveal that they just focus on the extrinsic side of Warren Buffett; they failed to look at the intrinsic aspect of his life. Many believe that his philosophy is consisted in these two major Buffet rules— first, never lose capital; and second, don’t ever forget the first rule (Miles, 2004, p. 70). It would be best to say that this does not embody Buffett’s philosophy but rather his tactical investment approach. A business philosophy is something that one holds as his primary direction in life— the fountainhead of his concepts and beliefs, the beacon of his goal, and the reason for living. Buffertt’s business philosophy can be expressed by his following simple quote— â€Å"Be feaful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful† (Hagstrom, 1997, p. 52). Essentially this buffett-line expresses the inherent nature of free-market system, which he and his friend Bill Gates have in common. Under a free-market system, it is rational and ethical to be greedy, since the primary goal of a capitalist is not just to earn profit but to expand it and ensure that it creates limitless profits and opportunities. For some this statement may sound ironic or paradoxical since it contradicts the popular or media-fed persona of Warren Buffett. With this belief— that greed is good, Buffett was able to transform his meager investment into a multi-billion dollar empire that even exceeded that of Gates and Mittal. His investment experience proves that by creatively and greedily investing one’s money— one can make a good or even great fortune out of creative value investment. So what does it take to be like Warren Buffett? Definitely it takes a rational and moral philosophy, proper knowledge, and non-conventional investment point of view to follow the billion dollar investment footsteps of Buffett. But what is the role of philosophy in Warren Buffett’s billion dollar investment strategy? The problem with most people is that they tend to mainly focus on tips, secrets, or strategies. Most successful people did not achieve their status by keeping ‘success secrets’ or ‘strategies’ but by putting into action a rational philosophy that motivates and creates values. A simple look at the life and investment career of Buffett would reveal that it is his rational philosophy that continues to motivate him— that keeps on pushing him to do what he does best. As what Fridson said, budding investors must focus on â€Å"uncompromisingly rational investment philosophy† of Warren Buffett. This is because investment secrets or strategies can be absorbed or learned in a very short span of time or even overnight, but it takes an indefinite period of time to absorb and embody a rational philosophy to translate these secrets or strategies to reality. Of course, this billionaire will not exactly say what people would like to know. Contrary to the many written articles about his investment secrets or strategies, Buffett’s secret is in fact consisted only of three simple words that should be practiced everyday— â€Å"read, research, and think† (Miles, 2004, p. 70). Vague and ambiguous as it may seem but this three-pronged strategy is what Buffet practiced and embodied throughout his more than fifty years in the world of investment. That is why it is stressed in this paper that simplicity best describes the life and investment principles of Buffett. For example, this read-research-think approach of Buffett is the essential element of his cigar-butt investment method. Buffett in fact creatively applied this three-pronged approach in his early years as a value investor. Unlike most investors, Buffett put much premium on his rational judgment than on what most people see in the market. His investment style can be likened to that of a diamond prospector. He knows how to assess which diamond is real or not in just a single glance. He reads, he researches, and he thinks. His Investment Strategy Buffett’s investment strategy is governed by two rules and a number of principles. These dual rules have been mentioned above. This sets the difference between his investment philosophy and his investment strategy. Thus in this paper, Buffett’s investment strategy is composed of rules and principles. Under his primary rule, it is not sensible or moral for an investor to invest and then later on lose his money. Thus this can be avoided by paying attention to his three-pronged investment approach— read, research, and think. By following the aforementioned approach, a young investor may be able to discover several things that are essential in investment’s decision-making process. Buffett considered Graham as his investing mentor. According to Miles (2004, p. 72), it was the Graham school from which Buffett learned not just the basics but also the quantitative principles in investment. On the other hand, he learned a great deal about Fisher’s qualitative side of investment, such as brand, management skills, soft skills, and competition. Thus he said: â€Å"I am an active reader of everything Phil Fisher has to say† (Miles, 2004, p. 72). Now every promising and even established investor is eager to hear what he has to say. Despite his unparalleled success as an investor, he still gives credit to his two mentors, as he likes to say that he is 85 percent Graham and 15 percent Fisher (Hagstrom, 1997, p. 27). The reason why it is important to read, research and think is because in investment, it is highly indispensable to consider the following aspects: a) study the business; b) know well who runs it; c) put money in profits; and the most important of all d) have self-esteem. On the other hand, Buffett’s basic steps when investing are the following (Miles, 2004, p. 70): Determine how much you own Conduct research before buying Focus on business ownership not on stock ownership Simplify investments to manageable proportions Keep a single decision to hold a stock and be a continuing holder For example, before investing his money, Buffett researched first the nature and potentials of Gillette, which is still the world’s top producer of razor blade. Warren’s holding company Berkshire Hathaway invested $600 million in Gillette in 1989; four years ago it already owned 11 percent of said company. This means that from the original $600 million investment, Warren’s holding company’s investment grew up to over $3 billion. When he decided to purchase Gillette, he did not mind its value in the market but the potential profits it could muster in the long run. As a value investor, Buffett put money in securities with low prices according to their intrinsic value. In determining the value of a stock, there is no commonly acknowledged method to get the right figure. Basically, the focus of value investors is not on what the market says but on what the company’s potentials and fundamentals offer. This is because there are some companies that are undervalued by the market yet with good potentials to grow and rake in long-term profits. This is the attitude that Buffett showed to modern investors. Markets only reflect the short-term value of a company, and it takes proper knowledge, better understanding, and courage to discover which company is undervalued and has the capacity to establish a long-term profit-making success. His investment methodology Buffett’s methodology is composed of quantitative aspects in value investment. Under this process, he considers the relation between a stock’s quality and its value. Based on his method, the return on equity is equivalent to net income over shareholder’s equity (Investopedia Staff, 2007). One thing that Buffett considers is debt/equity. Before investing, he conducts research whether a company kept away from excess obligation. This is actually a basic principle in investment— do not invest in a company with huge debt. To Buffett, a debt-ridden company has a low capacity to guarantee return on equity. Debt/equity can be measured by dividing the total amount of obligations by shareholders’ equity (Investopedia Staff, 2007). If a company has more debt than equity, it is not advisable to put money in such company since it uses debt to finance its assets and operations. For instance, a company that has a higher ratio of debt vis-à  -vis equity has an unpredictable earning capacity and is prone to high interest expenses (Vick, 2000, p. 169). When one is investing in a particular company, it is advisable to look at the long-term obligation rather than the total amount of debt. Another aspect that is considered by Buffett is the profit margin. However it is not only important to know if a company’s profit margin is high, what is more important is to know whether it is growing. The capacity of a company to earn long-term profits relies not merely on having a positive profit margin but on constantly expanding this profit scope as well. The attitude of Buffett towards investment can be explained by how he managed Berkshire Hathaway. He purchases stocks to keep the same and he does not look at stocks as a commodity that can be bought and sold but as a business entity. His investment style is simple— he buys stocks and treats them as his own business, and this business makes profits not just for a short span of time but for as long as it stays profitable. He also considers the age of the company— the longer the better. Those that stay in the business for at least ten years are good investment opportunities. Since Buffett admits that he only has a limited knowledge in technology corporations he only puts money in a business which he absolutely understands. He puts much premium on longevity, and this principle brought him where he is right now. When he invested in Berkshire Hathaway, he envisioned of a long-term business that could earn a limitless amount of profit. This is what he learned from Graham, which most researchers consider as the proponent of old school in investment. Perhaps the new school in investment is the buy-and-sell style of most investors wherein profits are short-term and limited. Interestingly, Buffett also looks at the nature of business of a particular company. If most investors usually look at numerical figures, Buffett focuses on the qualitative sides of a company. For example, if a company depends on a commodity like gas and oil, he thinks that such company only offers limited returns on equity (Investopedia Staff, 2007). If the product of a company is identical from those of its market rivals, he thinks that competition would hamper the profit-making ability of such company. To understand the importance of this approach in investment, it is necessary to look at the biggest stock holdings of Berkshire Hathaway. The holding company owns 9.5 percent of Gillette, which is the leader in razor blade industry (Jubak, 2004). It also owns 9.2 percent or $10.1 billion of Coca-Cola, which is one of the biggest companies in the beverage industry. The other companies which Berkshire has shareholdings are the following: American Express, American Standard, Ameriprise Financial, Anheuser Busch, Burlington Northern, Comcast, Comdisco, Conoco Phillips, Diageo, First Data Corp., Gannett Inc., GAP, HR Block, Home Depot Inc., Ingersoll-Rd Co., Iron Mountain, Johnson Johnson, among many others (Losch Management Co., 2006). Conclusion Billionaire Warren Buffett is indeed an unconventional value investor who thinks outside the box. At a time when most people paid attention to what the stock market says, Buffett relied only on his competent judgment, on his rational philosophy, and on his self-styled investment principles and strategies. That investment philosophy— be greedy when others are fearful put him to where he is right now, with billions of dollars in his. Despite his unmatched success, he remains humble and still retains the ethical values he learned from his father (Boroson, 2002, p. 18). In business, greed is moral and good. In contrast, fear is something that must be overcome to earn limitless profits from investment. Indeed, Buffett attained his unparalleled success by being ‘greedy’ while others cowered in fear of losing their money.   Taken as a whole, his investment tactic can be summarized into three essential principles— a) make your strategy simple and understandable; b) be consistent with your operations and approaches; c) focus on positive long-standing prospects. One interesting point to take into account is that Buffett’s philosophy and investment strategies never contradict each other. When he advises new investors to be ‘greedy,’ he means profits and business. And when he tells people who would like to follow his footsteps to read, research, and think, he would like them to rely on their own judgment and not be affected by other people’s opinion and market trends. With his more than fifty years in business, Buffett introduced the importance of self-esteem in investment. That it is important to rely on one’s moral judgment. By relying on his own judgment, Buffett maximized his profit-making capacity through Berkshire Hathaway. This means that there is no difference between the work ethics and potentials of a value investor and an industrialist. If Bill Gates and Lakshmi Mittal both create technology through their colossal industrial empires, Buffett creates limitless potentials through his creative and self-inspired investment principles. REFERENCES Boroson, W. (2002). J.K. Lasser’s Pick Stock Like Warren Buffett. New York: Wiley Cunningham, L.A. (2002). How to Think Lke Benjamin Graham and Invest Like Warren Buffett. New York: McGrawhill Professional. Losch Management Co. (2006). Berkshire Hathaway Stock Holdings 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2008, from http://www.loschmanagement.com/Berkshire%20Hathaway/Berkshire%20Holdings/2006.pdf Hagstrom, R.G. (1997). The Warren Buffett Way: The Investment Strategies of the World’s Greatest Investor. New York: Wiley. Investopedia Staff (2007, September 21). Warren Buffett: How He Does It. International Business Times. Retrieved December 11, 2008, from http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20070921/how-he-does-it.htm Miles, R.P. (2004). Warren Buffett Wealth. Principles and Tactical Methods Used by the World’s Greatest Investor. London: Wiley Sosik, J.J. (2006). Leading With Character.   North Carolina: Information Age Publishing. Vick, T.P. (2000). How to Pick Stock Like Warren Buffett. New York: McGrawhill Professional.

Concepts of Masculine and Feminine Sexuality

Concepts of Masculine and Feminine Sexuality The Issue of â€Å"The Unspeakable† In The Theoretical and Fictive Representation of Sexuality Khalil Jetha The unspeakable in the theoretical and fictive representation of sexuality traditionally refers to the weakening of masculinity and the empowerment of feminine sexuality. From a theoretical standpoint, the â€Å"unspeakable† is the bending of gender lines, the empowerment of women and the abatement of male dominance. The unspeakable in the fictive representation of sexuality is the destabilization of masculine sexuality and the introduction of femininity in a male psyche. This includes literary methods such as the metaphorical connection of male psyches with the Oedipal Complex, homosexual inclinations and subservience to female characters. Books such as Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality examine the theoretical representation of male and female heterosexuality’s innate connection to homosexuality as the â€Å"unspeakable†. The fictive representation of sexuality demonstrates the unspeakable as the switching of traditional gender roles and the appl ication of sexual foils to personalities as present in Nella Larsen’s Quicksand. Aspects of the unspeakable also translate to racial representation as shown in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye; in order to understand the difference in sexuality’s representation in both theoretical and fictive media, one cannot dismiss race as inherently connected to sexuality. Michel Foucault (1926-1984) widely criticized the traditional, Judeo-Christian perception of sexuality as outdated and inaccurate, widely neglecting several aspects of sexuality. The greatest unspeakable in European society was the notion that sexuality existed outside of a procreative dimension. As society evolved, Foucault argued, it was not the proletariat, lower class traditionally viewed as immoral that wrought the several facets of sexuality on the world. Rather, it was society’s â€Å"bourgeois or aristocratic† families who discovered â€Å"the sexuality of children and adolescents was first problematized [sic], and feminine sexuality medicalized [sic]† (Foucault 1978, p. 120). The changing perception of sexuality in Europe’s upper echelons revealed an unspeakable aspect; namely, that women and children exuded sexual identities independent of the accepted norm of domestication and procreation. The presence of sexuality in women and children lessened the degree of male dominance, hence the â€Å"unspeakable† attribute. The male fear of a loss of influence in society was most pronounced in the upper class, the primary reason high society’s families were â€Å"the first to be alerted to the potential pathology of sex, the urgent need to keep it under close watch and to devise a rational technology of correction†; â€Å"it was this family that first became a locus for the psychiatrization [sic] of sex† (Foucault 1978, p. 120). Patriarchal society’s destabilization was the reason sexuality’s existence in anyone than adult males was so widely reviled. The bourgeois considered sex to be frail, something that ought to be relegated within their society. The bourgeois fear of sexuality outside the male persona branched out, giving way to every unspeakable; more specifically, the unspeakable aspects of sexuality represented theoretically and fictively were based on any threatening idea that would compromise tradition. In what appeared to be a â€Å"struggle against sexuality,† society evolved a strategy to take advantage of the sexualities of â€Å"women, children, and men† by gearing them toward the familial unit most accepted. Female sexuality, though disturbing the procreative process, was given a voice that aimed sexuality and desire for men to coincide with the nuclear family unit. Juvenile sexuality was exploited, encouraged to blossom because its final realization would be the familial, patriarchal household unit (Foucault 1978, p. 105). In History of Sexuality, Foucault asserts that sexuality â€Å"must not be thought of as a kind of natural given which power tries to hold in check, or as an obscure domain which knowledge tries gradually to uncover† (Foucault 1978, p. 105). Sexuality develops independent of society, and each individual’s sexuality will evolve differently. Sexuality, Foucault argues, â€Å"is the name that can be given to an historical construct: not a furtive reality that is difficult to grasp, but a great surface network in which the stimulation of bodies, the intensification of pleasures, the incitement to discourse, the formation of special knowledge, the strengthening of controls and resistances, are linked to one another, in accordance with a few major strategies of knowledge and power† (Foucault 1978, p. 105-106). From a modern theoretical standpoint such as that of Foucault, sexuality is represented primarily as a revolutionary social entity. The traditions of a Judeo-Chr istian ethic system would view sexuality as a divisive manifestation, an animal instinct that should be controlled in men and eliminated from women and children. The unspeakable, from a theoretical standpoint, was its mere existence in women and children; any deviance from accepted models resulted in a compromise of male superiority. There were two primary threats: one was the existence of sexuality that deviated from traditional male sexuality, and the second was the existence of empowering sexuality outside of the male contingent of society. Precedence was always given to procreation; sex was meant only to create life, not to be used for pleasure. The threats to male dominance were clear, even in the queering of sexuality. Change is the most prevalent in the realm of the unspeakable, represented in theoretical sexuality as anything deviant from tradition. Despite the spectre caused by multiple future changes to society, Foucault noted that it was â€Å"worth remembering that the first figure to be invested by the deployment of sexuality, one of the first to be ‘sexualized’ was the ‘idle’ woman† (Foucault 1978, p. 121). The â€Å"idle woman† was one given precedence and favour over her counterparts. She retained the domestic role of her predecessors, and was the accepted female figure within society. In her foil emerged the â€Å"nervous woman,† the woman afflicted with â€Å"vapours†; in this figure, the hysterization of woman found its anchorage point (Foucault 1978, p. 121). Theoretically, the unspeakable in female sexuality was that which strayed from the accepted patriarchal model. The â€Å"nervous woman† was actually the sexually empowered phenomenon of the alpha female. The problem with a sexually empowered female was the psychological impotence of a man who would fal l under her influence. This psychological rendering is roughly equivalent to the metaphoric neutering of man and society. Contrary to the traditional view previously stated, Foucault agrees that the neutering of the genders is potentially dangerous. However, Foucault recognizes the presence of sex in both genders, and also does not hesitate to divide the two into a gender-based dichotomy. He claims that if society failed to recognize the difference in gendered sexualities, it would create â€Å"sexuality without sex,† which effectively amounted to â€Å"castration once again† (Foucault 1978, p. 151). He aims to show how â€Å"deployments of power are directly connected to the body—to bodies, functions, physiological processes, sensations, and pleasures† (Foucault 1978, p.152). The representation of the unspeakable here is countered by Foucault’s assertion that the unspeakable is a necessary part of society. In response to the historical construct of sexuality detailing the â€Å"hysterization [sic]† of women, Foucault defines the unspeakable of sexuality in thre e ways: â€Å"as that which belongs, par excellence, to men, and hence is lacking in women† but â€Å"at the same time, as that which by itself constitutes a woman’s body, ordering it wholly in terms of the functions of reproduction and keeping it in constant agitation through the effects of that very function† (Foucault 1978, p. 153). Representations of the unspeakable in fictive sexuality can also be attributed to race and gender, as evidenced by Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye as well as Nella Larsen’s Quicksand. The Bluest Eye’s protagonists’ encounter with Maureen Peal, a light-skinned black girl whose birth defects were ignored in favour of her fair complexion, demonstrates the phenomena of social racial aesthetics (Morrison 63). Most evident is Maureen’s denigration of the girls Claudia, Frieda and Pecola; Maureen subconsciously defends her birth defects as beauty because she is â€Å"cute [and they are] black and ugly† (Morrison 73). The unspeakable component here is the empowerment of white over black, but upon closer inspection it becomes the sexually empowered girl versus the sexually unwanted others. Maureen’s birth defects would erstwhile render her unwanted by men and therefore a member of the weaker contingent of society. However, the social standard me rits fair complexion over dark, empowering Maureen over Claudia, Frieda, and Pecola. Despite the fact that Maureen is technically a black girl, her proximity to the white race earns her the contempt of girls whose deep desires to be wanted by society represent the unspeakable. Maureen, though vilified in The Bluest Eye, is the least sexually threatening and exudes the least unspeakable characteristics. It is Claudia, Frieda, and Pecola, who in their desire to be pale and possess â€Å"the bluest eye† aspire to have the power that Maureen flouts in front of them. The white race equates with power and masculinity, while the black race is the powerless neuter in the world Toni Morrison portrays. Similarly, Nella Larsen’s Quicksand presents the unspeakable in sexuality with the racial and sexual dilemma of Helga Crane. Aâ€Å" despised mulatto† reviled because she could not be confined to a comfortable social norm, Helga embodies the unspeakable ambiguity traditiona l society feared (Larsen 1994, p. 5). Helga represents the same power standard as the white and black races portrayed by Morrison. If power can be ascribed to sexuality and the standard of male strength over female weakness, then Helga therefore presents to society not just a mulatto, but also a woman on the verge of becoming powerful. Larsen establishes this standard, describing such instances as shocking Helga. Helga, for example, â€Å"[shudders] a little as she recalled some of the statements made by that holy white man of God to the black folk sitting [respectfully] before him† (Larsen 1994, p. 2). Helga’s description in Quicksand is sexually favourable, suggesting the duality of a black woman becoming sexually desirable, crossing the borders established by society. Helga’s attractiveness is described in several colour references, the first description made by the narrator evoking the sentiment that â€Å"an observer would have thought her well fitted to that framing of light and shade† (Larsen 1994, p. 2). Helga is a manifestation of the disconcertment of a woman in a patriarchal society, as she â€Å"could neither conform, nor be happy in her unconformity† (Larsen 1994, p. 7). Not only is Helga unable to accept any stance on her race, she is also hard pressed to find acceptance for her sexual power. The same â€Å"parts of her that she couldn’t be proud of† ironically â€Å"visualized the discomfort of James Vayle† in her â€Å"maladjustment†; she â€Å"had a faint notion that it was behind his ready assent to her sugge stion anent a longer engagement than, originally, they had planned† (Larsen 1994, p. 7). Despite Vayle’s family and their intolerance of Helga’s familial and racial ambiguity, Helga’s fiancà © represents Helga’s exertion of power over a man. With such odds mounted against his union to Helga, the logical assumption would be his abandonment of a relationship. However, Helga’s identity as a black woman with white features empowers her to be desired by him; James cannot let go as he is dominated and has little choice in the matter. Larsen shows James’ powerlessness, describing him as â€Å"liked and approved of† in the town of Naxos, but â€Å"[loathing] the idea that the girl he was to marry couldn’t manage to win liking and approval also† (Larsen 1994, p. 7). Even Helga is cognizant of James’ helplessness, as she knew â€Å"that a something held [James], a something against which he was powerless† (Lar sen 1994, pp. 7-8). The unspeakable factor in sexuality is multi-faceted. While all types of sexuality are different, they are all unspeakable in their common root as threats to heterosexual, male dominance. Theoretical presentation of the unspeakable is largely based on the existence of non-conventional sexualities, while fictive presentations manifest themselves in different media as shown in Morrison and Larsen’s works. Though the scope of so-called sexual deviance is large, the general premise remains the same. BIBLIOGRAPHY Foucault, Michel. (1978) The History of Sexuality: An Introduction. New York: RandomHouse Books. Larsen, Nella and Deborah E. McDowell (ed). (1994) Quicksand and Passing. NewBrunswick: Rutgers U P. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.

Explore The Relative Advantages Of Both Market Driven Marketing Essay

Explore The Relative Advantages Of Both Market Driven Marketing Essay In marketing research and literature, debate has been surrounding two approaches of market orientation that firms could adopt: market-driven and market-driving. Some argue that market-driving behavior is superior to market-driven behavior in creating customer values that contribute to growth and profitability, such as IKEA, Dell and Southwest Airlines, to name a few. (eg. Kotler et al., 2000) On the other hand, majority of authors stresses that these two behaviors are complementary. (e.g. Jaworski et al., 2000; Sheth and Sisodia, 1999) Such controversy leaves open questions to practitioners: Which is the winning approach for the firms to adopt? Should these two the competing approaches or complement each other? This essay begins with an introduction of market orientation, along with the market-driven and market-driving behavior. The next section will explore the relative advantages of these two behaviors from the marketing perspective and then to draw a conclusion to suggest that these two behaviors are complementing each other of which both play important roles in generating sustainable competitive advantage in todays dynamics business environment. Overview of Market Orientation Since late 1980s, significant amount of research in marketing suggesting that market orientation is the most effective strategy of achieving and maintaining long term competitive advantage and continue to stress its importance to the firms superior profitability. (e.g., Day, 1994b; Jaworski et al., 2000; Kohli Jaworski, 1990; Kotler et al., 2000; Narver and Slater 1990) Jaworski and Kohli (1996) defined market orientation as the organization wide generation of market intelligence pertaining to current and future customer needs, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and organization-wide responsiveness to it. (see figure 1) On the other hand, Narver and Slater (1990) defined market orientation as an organization culture committed to the continuous creation of superior value for the customers and thus, continuous superior performance for the business. Narver and Slater (1990) classified the market orientation into responsive and proactive. The responsive approach, a typical response of a firm that exhibits a market driven behavior, is customer led, considering the market structure and customer preferences as given and focusing on the satisfaction of expressed customer needs. In contrast, the proactive market orientation, a typical response of market-driving firm, aims towards the satisfaction of latent needs, reshaping the customer preferences and market structure to enhance the competitive position of the company. (see figure 1) Figure Market Orientation Process (Neuenburg, 2010, p.49) Figure 2 below provides a framework adopted from Neuenburg (2010), which shows the whole spectrum of market-oriented behaviors that summarizes the discussion above. Figure 2 Marketing driven behavior vs market driving behavior (Neuenburg, 2010, p.46) In a nutshell, although there are differences in the precise definition, the market orientation is a fundamental approach for a firm to understand its markets, which represent an additional strategic dimension (Narver and Slater, 1998) and the implementation of the marketing concept (Jaworski and Kohli, 1990) that focuses the firms efforts on the needs of the market, learn about market developments, share this information within the organization and adapt the offering to the market. (Jaworski and Kohli, 1990) The Market Driven and Its Advantages Figure Conceptual Framework: Two Forms of Market Orientation (Jaworski et al., 2000, p.130) According to Jaworski et al. (2000), the term market-driven refers to learning, understanding, and responding to stakeholder perceptions and behaviors within a given market structure. (see figure 3) Specifically, the focus of a market-driven approach is to keep the status quo on existing customer preferences and behavior within an existing market structure. (Day, 1999a; Day, 1999b; Jaworski et al., 2000) The key element of market-driven behavior is to monitor customer satisfaction and analyzing customer needs, finding competitive advantage and strategic targeting. (Cravens and Shipp, 1991) Monitoring customer satisfaction allows firms to get an early indication about changing customer needs and preferences and the identification of future customer needs. Analyzing these needs helps the firms to prevent bad decisions or overlooking important parts of the customer value proposition as well as identifying its current or potential competitive advantage. (Cravens and Shipp, 1991) Firms gain advantage by matching the requirements of market segments with its capabilities to identify the best opportunities to serve its customers. (Cravens and Shipp, 1991) As markets become more fragmented the decision about which segments to target becomes increasingly important because each segment represents its own specific needs. (Neuenburg, 2010) Understanding of Markets, Customers, and Competitors Successful companies like Nestle, Procter Gamble, and Unilever are market-driven which reflects the conventional wisdom of marketing philosophy wherein they establish a clear understanding of markets, customers, and competitors. (Day, 1994b) Market-driven firms gain advantage to have good understanding of the market and how it is likely to change in the future. Furthermore, they hear the voice of the customers and develop differentiated products or services for a well-defined segment and then create combinations of marketing mix to adapt its offerings to satisfy customer needs. (Hills and Sarin, 2003; Kotler et al., 2000) As Day (1994b) argues, market-driven organizations are superior in their market-sensing and customer-linking capabilities, which enable them to understand, attract, and keep valuable customers. (Day, 1999a) When these two capabilities are deeply embedded within the organization, all functional activities and organizational processes will be better directed toward a nticipating and responding to changing market requirements ahead of competitors. (Day, 1994b) Therefore, market-driven firms are well equipped to achieve high levels of performance (Day, 1994b) and are expected to be more adaptable and perform better than less market-driven competitors because they stay in touch with existing and potential customer needs and competitor moves better than more internally focused firms. (Day, 1990) They are also predicted to be better and more successful at introducing new products to the market than their competitors. (Narver and Slater ,1990) They may not be the most innovative firm in their industry but, they will excel at adapting technologies to meet current and future customer needs. Thus, they often exhibit the adaptive characteristics of the Analyzer organization. (Miles and Snow 1978) Home Depot and Cisco Systems represent two examples of firm successfully adopting market-driven strategy of which their business focuses on putting customers first and sees themselves engage in the relationship business, not the transaction business. They strive to provide superior customer value through unprecedented customer service to increase customer satisfaction. This is how Home Deport leads with home improvement mega-stores by offering low prices and low frills but excellent services. IBM, on the other hand, failed to recognize market changes and customer preferences for personal computers which had resulted with a record loss for the fourth quarter of 1992 of $5 billion. IBM set a record for the largest annual loss in an American corporation in 1992 with a loss of $4.97 billion. Brand Portfolios as Assets In term of brand, companies with strong brands have more loyal customers, get greater return on marketing investments and are rewarded with attractive price premiums. As such, market-driven firms view their brand portfolios as assets to be leveraged and market development activities as investments rather than expenses. (Day, 1998) According to Day (1998), to manage a brand as an asset requires the deep market insights, organizational commitment and reasoned investment decisions that come naturally to market-driven firms. Moreover, the focus on long-run return from marketing investments enables market-driven firms to understand which customers are profitable to pursue, and knowing how to encourage loyalty by reducing customer acquisition costs. (Day, 1998) Creation of Permanent Value of the Existing Products or Services As quoted from Stoclhorst and Van Raaij (2004), customers do not always strive towards new and technologically superior products or services, but towards permanent value of the existing products or services so that the competition would find it hard to imitate. Hence, it is possible for market-driven firms to become irreplaceable for customers if the firms put serious focus on customers attempts constantly to offer something that are better and faster than the competitors and make the accessibility to the products and services easier. Importantly, there is support from research findings (Stull et al., 2007) validating that market-driven companies are 31% more profitable, twice as fast to bring products to market, twice as likely to lead, and enjoy 20% higher customer satisfaction rates. Furthermore, empirical results of another study (Vorhies et al., 1999) demonstrated that, the 43 market-driven firms outperformed the 44 less market-driven firms across adaptability, customer satisfaction, growth, and profitability dimensions. This finding supports the marketing literature about the capabilities of market-driven firms (Day, 1994; Day and Wensley 1988) and extends the findings on empirical research of market orientation. (e.g Jaworski et al.,1993; Narver Slater 1994) The Market Driving and Its Advantages Figure Conceptual Framework: Two Forms of Market Orientation (Jaworski, Kohli, and Sahay 2000, p.46) The term market-driving refers to changing the structure or composition of a market and/or the behavior(s) of players in the market. (Jaworski, et al., 2000) (see figure 4) It matches a proactive business logic that enhances the competitive position of the business (Tuominen et al., 2004) of which it involves the shaping of the market structure via deconstruction (eliminating competitors in the value chain), construction (adding players into the industry value chain) or a functional modification (shifting the functions performed by players in a market), and the shaping of market behavior by creating or reversing new customers or competitors preferences. (Carrillat et al., 2004; Jaworski, et al., 2000) Schindehutte et al. (2008) presented a different view of market-driving construct clarifying that it is an entrepreneurial phenomenon. They argue that the interface between the entrepreneurship and marketing offers a unique perspective on the market related decisions of firms and the observed impact of these decisions in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Schindehutte et al. (2008) further argued that the market-driving behavior reflects a strong entrepreneurial orientation (EO). It has both the dynamic advantage that creates capability and a disruptive advantage that destroys the performance outcome. (Schindehutte et al., 2008) Despite the many different views on the notion of market-driving behavior, it has appeared as an alternative to market-driven strategy which has been recognized as a successful strategy for a number of established firms such as Amazon.com, BodyShop, CNN, IKEA and Dell, all of which has a clear brand image, a strong market position, and exhibit sustainable international business growth whereby success is based on radical business innovation, ventured into new markets, revolutionized existing industries by changing rules of the game. (Kotler et al., 2000) Kotler et al. (2000) indicate that the success of market-driving firms is based on two dimensions of radical innovation a discontinuous leap in the value proposition and the implementation of a unique business system (see Figure 5 and 6). Kotler et al. (2000) define value proposition as the combination of benefits, acquisition efforts/costs, and price offered to customers. While, unique business system refers to the configuration of the various activities required to create, produce, and deliver the value proposition to the customer. Figure Types of Strategic Innovation (Kumar et al., 2000, p.130) Figure Leap in Customer Value (Kumar et al., 2000, p.130) Therefore, the market-driving advocates argued that the market-driving firms gain more viable competitive advantage with greater performance and reap vast rewards than those that are not in a number of ways. Delivering Superior Value Kotler et al., (2000) suggested that the leap in customer value involve either breakthrough technology or breakthrough marketing enables firms to create a product and service experience that overwhelms customer expectations and existing alternatives. (Kotler et al., 2000) For example, FedEx constantly led its customers to ever higher expectations for quick delivery times, leaving competitors struggling to meet the spiraling demands. (Kotler et al., 2000) According to Carrillat et al. (2004), successful market-driving firms deliver superior value that best matches with their capabilities and by exploiting the competitors weaknesses. It also allows firms to exploit opportunities that competitors cannot (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994) and that includes addressing the deep-seated, latent or emerging customer needs. (Kotler et al., 2000) The study results in the paper of Market-driving in retail banking (Martà ­n-Consuegra et al., 2008) revealed that the two characteristics of market-driving: driving the market structure and shaping the market behavior if combined together contribute positively to overall performance of retail banks, particularly in terms of enabling them to satisfy their customers latent and expressed needs better. (Martà ­n-Consuegra et al., 2008) This study further suggested that bank-marketing managers should emphasize customer understanding in pursuing proactive market orientation, which will lead to improved performance. Market-driving behavior also enables firms to benefit from free advertising via buzz network through strong brand attachment. Customers are delighted by the leap in customer value of the offerings and are excited to share their customer experience with friends and public. Traditional printed media and online social media are often publicizing the review on radical new innovation. While early adopters and opinion leaders who are enthusiastic and committed to new innovation products and services has the influential power to generate excitement and emotional attachment among their followers. Consequently, The advertising-to-sales ratio is often less than that of their established competitors. (Kotler et al., 2000). Nike is one of the examples provided by Kotler et al. (2000) Nike didnt run a single national television ad until they had 1 billion dollars in sales. Phil Knight observes they instead used word-of-foot advertising by getting the best athletes to wear their products. Further more, study of Tuominen et al. (2004) revealed that market-driving behavior contribute to higher customer intimacy and is associated with generative (explorative) learning. On top of that, market-driving firms gain the advantage to establish new industry price points for the quality or service levels they deliver, either towards higher performance at lower price points or to charge a price premium that is higher than typical in an industry. Firms like Swatch and Southwest Airlines set the prices much lower than their competitors for similar products and services. (Kotler et al., 2000) For example, Southwest Airlines charged $15.00 for a trip from Dallas to San Antonio when Braniff, the next most inexpensive competitor, was charging $62.00. (Kotler et al., 2000) Such significant price gap and low price policy has successfully attracted many of the ground transportation users to choose Southwest Airlines. Their focus to compete on the ground transportation enable them to create new business opportunities in a market segment that has been ignored by their competitors. (Kotler et al., 2000). On the other hand, CNN, Starbucks, and FedEx are those market-driv ing firms that have a value proposition that is significantly more compelling than the existing alternatives, which enables them to set prices considerably higher than the standard in the industry. (Kotler et al., 2000) Implementation of Unique Business System According to Kotler et al. (2000), the success of IKEA and Dell is not only by just delivering discontinuous leap in customer value but also is attributed to the implementation of unique and radical business system which is hard to imitate by their competitors. Kotler et al. (2000) argued that such business system creates a more sustainable advantage, as it takes time for a would-be competitor to assemble the intra-organizational and inter-organizational players needed to replicate that unique system architecture. In term of distribution and channel management, market-driving firms focus a wide range of innovative practices within their industries. For example, Southwest Airlines handles its own ticketing instead of make seats available through the standard industry computerized reservation systems such as Sabre and Apollo. As a result, only 55 per cent of its tickets are sold through travel agents compared to 90 per cent for the industry, adding up to substantial savings on travel agents commissions. (Kotler et al., 2000) Reshaping the Customer Preferences and Market Structure Market-driving firm could lead customer value opportunities in new directions to achieve superior business performance by destroying the existing market segmentation and replacing it with a new set of segments reflecting the new altered landscape. (Kotler et al., 2000) For example, Southwest Airlines destroyed the market segmentation between ground transportation and airlines, attracting many ground transportation user who would not otherwise traveled by air. Jaworski, et al. (2000) suggested that firms could shape the market behavior directly or indirectly. One of the indirect options is by changing the existing preferences of customers or other stakeholders from a positive (negative) to a negative (positive) evaluation (Jaworski, et al., 2000). Examples of products that were formerly negative but are now positive are Skoda in automotive industry and Adidas in fashion and accessory industry. (Jaworski, et al., 2000) The proactive behavior of market-driving firms would also contribute to more innovative products and services, and more new product success (Narver et al., 2004) that enable firms to pioneer new markets, which would eventually lead to market ownership. In the case study about De Beers in China, Harris and Cai (2002) explored the advantage of market-driving behavior in practice and incurred, as cited from Neuenburg, (2010), firms gain significant market control in environments where markets are immature and product preferences are not yet formed. Conclusion Clearly, each of the market-driven and market-driving behavior has its own advantages and the notion of these two is highly relevant for business marketers (Tuominen et al., 2004). It is suggested that firms should well aware of the business logic they are applying (e.g. proactive or reactive) then it should be a match with the type of market orientation they emphasized. That is, according to Tuominen et al. (2004), the implementation of the specific strategic logic presumes matching marketing capabilities and learning capability. However, to sustain success in the long run, Sheth and Sisodia (1999) provided a more convincing argument, that firms need to be market-driven and market-driving simultaneously. Jaworski et al. (2000) echo such argument and proposed that truly market-oriented firms combine both behaviors of which these two are complementary. In other words, firms should devote effort in market-driven activities, such as incremental innovation and traditional market research. Nevertheless, firms should also continue to search for their next radical business innovation to drive them into new competitive position or the market leader risks being leap-frogged and deposed by upstart market drivers. (Neuenburg, 2010)

The LASIK Surgical Procedure :: Research Papers Essays

The LASIK Surgical Procedure LASIK is a surgical procedure done on the eyes so that people can see ok better. One would not have to wear contacts or glasses anymore. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, LASIK is a surgical procedure done to reduce the use of glasses and contacts. However doctors say that if one is comfortable wearing their contacts and glasses then they should continue doing so. Why is that? There are many risks and complications with the procedure that one must weigh out before going through with it. Before I go into detail what the risks are let me explain in detail what LASIK is. LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. It is a surgical procedure that involves permanently changing the shape of one’s cornea, which is the clear covering of the eye, using an excimer laser. The procedure calls for cutting a flap in the cornea to reveal the stroma, second layer of the cornea. A laser is used to vaporize the stroma and then the corneal flap is replaced. Sounds easy, right, however, there are many complications and stipulations that go along with this procedure. LASIK is primarily for those who are myopic (nearsighted). Those who have astigmatism (blurred vision due to an irregular shaped cornea) and are hyperopic (farsighted) are still capable of getting the procedure but have to take a greater risk. The ideal individual, according to the Eye Surgery Education Council, for LASIK is one who is eighteen years of age, has sufficient corneal thickness, does not suffer from any disease that may hinder their ability to heal correctly and, one who is either myopic, hyperopic, and/or has astigmatism. The less ideal individual is one who has a history of dry eye, takes medications such as steroids or immunosuppressants and/or has corneal scarring.

Women of the Revolution Essay examples -- History, War, Feminism

Women are frequently overlooked when it comes to history in the 18th centuries. They were there in the flesh for all of the historical events, but they are rarely mentioned. Everyone has heard of the â€Å"Founding Fathers†, but students rarely hear about the â€Å"Founding Mothers† in their curriculum. Although women did not directly plan out our government, they still deserve to be given some credit for it. The roles that women played during the Revolutionary War greatly influenced the outcome of the war and the country that resulted from it. Women had all kinds of roles to play when it came to the Revolutionary War. Although their roles might not seem as important to the public as the other women involved, women at home is one of the many factors that helped keep the United States in the war. Many women just kept control of the house and farm and made sure nothing went wrong (Hanafore). Others housed wounded soldiers that were in need of refuge. A few women even started organizations that regularly sent supplies like food and clothing to the soldiers that were fighting (Zitek). There was even a woman who wrote a book to inform the public of the affairs of the war (Pavao). Esther Reed was one such woman who helped start an organization to help the soldiers who were fighting. Her organization was known as the Philadelphia Association. The Association felt sympathy for the soldiers and decided to take action. They raised money to send to the soldiers, however, George Washington did not approve of this. Instead, the women decided to send warm shirts to the soldiers. They each stitched their names into the shirts they made as a little spirit-raiser to the soldiers out in the cold. The soldiers were reminded that everyone was appreciativ... ...-war-women.html>. "Revolutionary War — Central Intelligence Agency." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 4 Feb. 2011. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. . "Women and the Revolutionary War." American History and World History at Historycentral.com the Largest and Most Complete History Site on the Web. MultiEducator, Inc.Ê, 2008. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. . "Women Spies- Miss Jenny." Spy Letters of the American Revolution. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. . Zitek, Carl. "Women in The American Revolution." SCORE History/Social Science. Sunnyslope Elementary School. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. .

Reflection on Humanities

Reflection on Humanities Art is very important in our lives. It constitutes one of the oldest form and most important means of expression developed by man. It is a language, which is charged with feelings and significance that has sprung up among men living together. For this, I am very glad to experience the beauty of arts, to meet arts within my body and soul. The teaching of the humanities is intended to make us students realize that the mere possession of knowledge is useless unless put to useful ends.Moreover, we would become aware that knowledge alone is meaningless unless it is accompanied by values, sentiments, priorities, insights, inter-relationships and other transcendent realities not subject to empirical proofs also form part of the person’s education. In the humanities, we, students are exposed to these, thus, the development of the whole person, which is the goal of humanities. The humanities are the stories, the ideas, and the words that help us make sense of o ur lives and our world.The humanities introduce us to people we have never met, places we have never visited, and ideas that may have never crossed our minds. By showing how others have lived and thought about life, the humanities help us decide what is important in our own lives and what we can do to make them better. By connecting us with other people, they point the way to answers about what is right or wrong, or what is true to our heritage and our history.The humanities help us address the challenges we face together in our families, our communities, and as a nation. I am blessed to have met Mr. Apas. I knew and realized the glaring importance and beauty of what he always tell us regarding culture and art in our humanities class. But I pray the effort for each of us to grasp at what he was aiming, might at the very least bring us to a better understanding of arts and culture.

Kimberly McCullough

Kimberly McCullough Colorado Christian UniversityCollege of Adult and Graduate StudiesBUS-301A, Business FinanceProfessor MurphyApril 18, 2018 Analyzing Your Financial RatiosIn Chapter Case â€Å"Question 1. I will provide, the current ratio measures a company's ability to pay short-term obligations. The quick ratio of S;S, which is an indicator of a company's short-term liquidity. be sure to show your work in calculating the ratios including the ratios of the company. (In Chapter 3, page 8, Finkler, S. 2017). When it comes to their financial planning at S & S Air, Inc their financial manager will be able to understand. In Chapter Case 1, with S&S Air, Inc. with this business working capital management they must work with certain banks about their contribution to their goals and their success in their business. S&S Air, Inc.2016 Income Statement S&S Air. Inc.2016 Balance Sheet Light Airplane Industry Ratios Capital Budgeting The case study presents two corporations (A and B) with different revenue values and expenses as well as variable depreciation expenses, tax rates and discount rates. When it comes to my mom and dad's business applying suitable expenditure controls to ensure that investments outlays conform with. When it comes to capital budgeting my parent's business they are determining the viability to long-term investments on purchase or replacement of property. (Dlabay, L. 2008, Chapter 3, pg.12-13)Ratios and Financial Planning at S&S Air, Inc.†Calculations Chapter Case â€Å"Conch Republic Electronics†Conch Republic Electronics is a midsized electronics manufacturer located in Key West, Florida. The company president is Shelley Conc, who inherited the company. When it was founded over 70 years ago, the company originally repaired radios and other household appliances. Over the years, the company expanded into manufacturing and is now a reputable manufacturer of various electronic items. Before launching a new series, the company need to go through the following steps as to ensure a smooth production of this new series. 1.1 10 Steps Before Launching New ProductsAs a business grows the question of the introducing new products/services arises. Launching new products/services means taking risks and managing change. Growth and change must be managed at the same time as on-going business operations. Maintaining momentum is challenging for small businesses with limited resources. (Mayo, H. 2017). QuestionsWhat is the payback period of the project?What is the profitability index of the project?What is the IRR of the project?What is the NPV of the project?All the cases are Excel-based?First, The Cost of Research & Development Second, for them to calculate networking capital for the next first two years their new smart phone company their smartphones prices generate erosion cost (negative side effect) to the existing smart phone. The loss from the total revenue of existing smart phone. The net incremental revenue of new smart phone is equal to the total revenue of new smart phone minus the total revenue loss from the existing smart phone.The Revenue Loss of Existing Smart Phone Comes from Two Parts.Part one: the sales units will be reduced, and the original price revenue on these sales unites will be gone (the sales units of the existing smart phone will fall by 30,000 units per year, and the price of the existing smart phone is $380 per unit). Part Two: In Conch Republic Electronics finding of the sensitivity of change in quantity of the remaining units will be sold at a lower price (the price of the existing units will have to be lowered to $ 210 each), and the price difference is a source of revenue. Take First Year for Example: The calculation of net incremental revenue of the second year is like the first year. Starting from the third year, there is no revenue loss of existing smart phone attributed by the new smart phone, because the production of the existing smart phone is terminated. The incremental revenue is just the revenue of new smart phone. (Brigham, E. 2016, Chapter 5 pg. 9-10)Third, when it comes to In Conch Republic Electronics cost they had to take their profitability and their credit worthiness. As a smartphone company they know that knowing the cost of capital it can make better decisions on its future investments and other such financing options. (Midgley, K. & Burns, R. 1997) The calculation of net variable cost of the second year is like the first year. Starting from the third year, there is no variable cost decrease of new smart phone. The net variable cost is just the variable cost of new smart phone.Four, when it comes to Conch Republic Electronics company they have to consider regarding asset acquisitions in other investments brought. Because it is a smartphone company calculating the fixed cost is just new smart phone's fixed cost. Chapter Case â€Å"Stephenson Real Estate Recapitalization† In this report I will be discussing the work in an AJD real estate office from different aspects: Market surveying, the standard operating procedures that be followed in the market, suggestions to improve the work of AJD office. (Huber, W. 2009, Chapter 5, pg. 10-12)1.2 Definitions:Real estate is â€Å"Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; (also) an item of real property; (more generally) buildings or housing in general. Also: the business of real estate; the profession of buying, selling, or renting land, buildings or housing. It is a legal term used in most of the formal deals in this field. (Davis, M. 2012, Chapter 5, pg. 2-10)†Stephenson Real Estate Recapitalization†In order for Stephenson's Real Estate recapitalization they have to effectively recapitalizing the companies by increasing the proportion of debt in the capital structure. Since Stephenson is an all-equity firm with 15 million shares of common stock outstanding, worth $35.20 per share, the market value of the firm is $528 million (= 15 million shares * $35.20 per share). Stephenson's market-value balance sheet before the announcement of the land purchase is:Because of the purchase, the firm's pre-tax earnings will increase by $27 million per year in perpetuity. These earnings are taxed at a rate of 40%. Therefore, after taxes, the purchase increases the annual expected earnings of the firm by $16.2 million {($27 million) (1 – 0.40)}. (Peiser, R. & Hamilton, D. 2012) Therefore, the net present value of the land purchase is $19.6 million.After the announcement, the value of Stephenson will increase by $19.6 million, the net present value of the purchase. Under the efficient-market hypothesis, the market value of the firm's equity will immediately rise to reflect the NPV of the project. Therefore, the market value of Stephenson's equity will be $547.6 million (= $528 million + $19.6 million) after the firm's announcement.Assessments and Measures Direct Versus Indirect Measures of AssessmentThe difference between direct and indirect measures of student learning has taken on new importance as accrediting agencies such as WASC have required the use of direct measures to be the primary source of evidence. Indirect measures may serve only as supporting evidence. (Linneman, P. 2010)Embedded and Add-On AssessmentEmbedded assessments are tasks that are integrated into specific courses. They usually involve classroom assessment techniques but are designed to collect specific information on program learning outcomes. (Claus, F. 2009)ConclusionWhat I have learned? This subject gave me an overview of key marketing concepts and techniques as they apply in a variety of organizations and in both conventional and online environments. Also, this subject helped me to develop my knowledge and understanding of the core role of marketing in determining the growth potential.ReferencesRoss, S., Westerfield, R., & Jordan, B. (2017). Essentials of Corporate Finance (9th ed.). Dlabay, Les (2008) Business Finance (1st Editio) Finkler, Steven (2017) Finance & Accounting for Nonfinancial Managers (5th Edition) Book – Softcover Mayo, B. Herbert (2017) Basic Finance: An Introduction to Financial Institutions, Investments, and Management Brigham, F. Eugene (2016) Fundamentals of Financial Management (14th ed.) Publisher: Cengage Learning Huber, Wait (2009) Real Estate Finance – (7th edition) Davis, Maria (2009) Accounting for Real Estate Transactions: A Guide for Public Accountants and Corporate Financial Professionals 2nd Edition Peiser, Richard & Hamilton, David (2012) Professional Real Estate Development: The ULI Guide to the Business Linneman, Peter (2010) Real Estate Finance & Investments: Risks and Opportunities Clauss, J. Frances (2009) Corporate Financial Analysis with Microsoft Excel Midgley, Kevin & Burns, G. Ronald (1979) Business Finance and the Capital Marketn.