Sectionalism

Sectionalism Essay During the 1850's, slavery, a southern necessity both socially and economically, threatened the unity of our nation essay writer site. The tension's were high between the North and South, and further increased as more and more factors contributed to the strain in the Union. As an outcome of these factors, small and big, sectional hatred began to arise and commenced the splitting of the nation; ultimately leading to the American Civil War. The very first issue that caused sectionalism in the 1850's between the North and South was the Compromise of 1850.This compromise was a package of bills, passed in the United States in September 1850, regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War. It was drafted by Whig Senator Henry Clay and was negotiated with Stephen Douglas in order to avoid secession or civil war in 1850. The Compromise of 1850 caused sectionalism in the Union because it first established California as a free state and turned d own the Southern proposal to split California at the 35 ° parallel; causing the South to be frustrated at the admittance of California.To balance out the annexation of California, the South was pleased to hear that the territories of New Mexico and Utah would have slavery decided with popular sovereignty, meaning that the people who settled there would decide whether or not the territory would be free or slave. Little did they know that they were being cheated, because the land in New Mexico and Utah was unsuited for agriculture and not fit for slave plantations.The biggest blow that caused sectionalism in the Compromise of 1850 was delivered when the Fugitive Slave Law became more strongly enforced. The Fugitive Slave Law basically declared that all runaway slaves must be returned to their masters and anyone who assisted the runaway slave would be arrested. It also gave commissioners ten dollars for every slave that was returned to its master and five dollars for every accused sl ave released, which led to greedy commissioners re-enslaving freed slaves.Lastly, the debate over slavery in the nation's capital was resolved during this compromise, it banned the trading of slaves in the capital but still allowed slavery to be practiced, which did not do much because people would just bring slaves in from neighboring states. The Compromise of 1850 was made in order to restrain the Union from splitting, but in it's attempt to please both the North and South, it caused them to develop more sectional hatred for one another. Another factor that caused sectionalism at the time came with the publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852.This book was an anti-slavery novel by the author Harriet Beecher Stowe and was the bestselling novel of the 19th century. She was an abolitionist, which means she was against slavery, and she wrote the book so the North would understand how badly the South were treating their slaves. This book stood out among all the other anti-slavery books because it was the first to develop an emotional impact on the reader and personified the slave, not as a piece of property, but as a living human being.Her words galvanized the North to take action instead of remain undecided on their view of slavery and showed the people in the North, and even other neighboring countries how devastating slavery was in the South. The South saw this book as a direct attack on their practice of slavery and developed a burning hatred for the words of Stowe because she was said to exaggerate greatly on the practice of slavery, making it seem more brutal and savage then it really was.This book caused the Union to become further sectionalized and caused more hate between the North and South; to the point where Lincoln even referred to Stowe as â€Å"the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war. † Uncle Tom's Cabin did more than awaken the North; it influenced other nations to stay out of the Civil War because they were so moved by the book and were afraid it would stir up troubles in their own countries if they picked a side.The differing views about the institution of slavery contributed to the growing rift between the South and North and was another factor that caused sectional hatred in the 1850's. A huge factor that caused the chasm between the North and South to grow was one regarding the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This act was proposed by Steven Douglas and it split the Louisiana Purchase into two and created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening them for settlement and letting them decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty.The decision to decide slavery in these territories through popular sovereignty rivaled the great Missouri Compromise of 1820 because both the territories were above the 36 °30†² parallel and yet they had a chance to become slave states if enough people voted for it. The act inflamed the slavery issue and led opponents to form the Republican Party, wh ich was supported by Abraham Lincoln and saw the expansion of slavery as a great evil.The Republican Party held all it's power in the North and caused many of the Northerners to rally to them on the grounds that the Kansas-Nebraska Act opposed the Missouri Compromise that kept those grounds sacred and untouched by slavery. This caused life in Kansas to be a mini civil war with Northerners and Southerners competing with one another for land and other resources, resulting in a lot of violence, which led to the coining of the term â€Å"Bleeding Kansas† because of the federal governments inability to contain the disorder.Douglas' plan to find middle ground between the free and slave states ended up driving the North and South farther apart because both slave and free advocates believed they rightfully had claims to the territory, the Northerners supporting the Missouri Compromise, and the Southerners supporting the new-found Kansas-Nebraska Act. The secretive Ostend Manifesto of 1854 played a small role in driving the nation apart. The manifesto contained rationale for the United States to buy Cuba from Spain and implied that the U.S. would declare war on Spain if it refused to sell Cuba to them peacefully. The annexation of Cuba was a huge goal for southern expansionists because they sought to bring in Cuba as a slave state and said that Cuba was vital to the Union's domestic interests. The document started a diplomatic firestorm, reinforcing foreign fears of aggressive American expansion and caused the Northerners who were now enlightened on the cruelty of slavery to become insubordinate to the South.This led to the coining of the term â€Å"slavocracy† which basically described the people who used their political power to corrupt slavery and spread it across the nation. Although this attempt to annex Cuba into the Union was a failure, it did represent the intentions of the South and cause the North to become agitated. This manifesto was one of th e small contributing factors to the separation of the North and South that would soon pile onto the ever growing heap of sectionalism in the Union. Another event that contributed to the sectionalism between the North and South was the famous Sumner Assault of 1856.On May of that year, the brilliant speaker, Charles Sumner made his speech that denounced â€Å"The Crime Against Kansas† along with other Southern leaders, such as Senator Butler. A fellow senator, Preston Brooks, took deep offense to the harsh word from Sumner's mouth and considered challenging the babbling madman to a duel, but then soon realized he must not stoop so low as to duel someone as scum-like as Sumner. So to solve his problem, on May 22, 1856 Preston Brooks strolls into the Senate Chamber and starts to beat Charles Sumner voraciously with his cane.This caused Brooks to gain much fame from his fellow Southerners and people even went so far as to send him personal cane's to replace his bloody broken one. The Northerners, on the other hand, were extremely outraged at this praising of Brooks and his violent acts and further supported their theory that the South were savages. In order to show support for their now injured speaker, Massachusetts reelected Sumner for another term and left his seat vacant as a reminder of southern brutality and cause the North to have more reasons to develop sectional hatred for the South.The Dred Scott Decision of 1857 was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court that caused the greatest division between the North and South. It stated that people of African descent brought into the United States and held as slaves were not protected by the Constitution and were not U. S. Citizens. Furthermore, Taney also included in this court case that the slave, Dred Scott was never free, regardless of where he lived, because slaves were personal property.This decision also went so far as to claim the Missouri Compromise of 1820 to be unconstitutional because the fede ral government had no right to prohibit slavery in the new territories. They also argued that the Constitution supported slavery because it did not outlaw or restrict it within the United States. Antislavery groups were appalled by this court decision and feared that slavery might spread unchecked and as a result, the Republican Party of 1854 fought to gain control of the Congress and the courts.The Dred Scott Decision was also a event that appealed to the people emotionally, much the Uncle Tom's Cabin, because people began to sympathize for slaves who were treated unfairly, such as Dred Scott. The court decision pleased the South because it allowed slavery to exist everywhere because the federal government has no legal power to take away property, and it upset the North because they saw it as a terrible decision that would allow slavery in their states. This caused the tension between the two to become even more strained and foreshadowed the terrible disunion that was to come.Anoth er written document that caused hostility between the North and South was the Lecompton Constitution of 1857. This constitution was one of the four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas that were made in the three years since the Kansas-Nebraska Act. During this three year period, the North and South grew increasingly caught up in whether or not Kansas would join as a free or slave state. In the end, the pro-slavery forces won control of the constitutional convention in the town of Lecompton on a day in September.This only happened because the anti-slavery group in Kansas believed the voting was rigged and refused to vote for the constitution, causing the pro-slavery group in Kansas to win the vote and pass the contribution to the Congress. However, the Congress saw something wrong with the voting sensed that the voting was fraudulent and that popular sovereignty did not work effectively because of the North's refusal to vote. Seeing that the North had not had a chance to v ote, Douglas persuaded Congress to called for a new vote on the Lecompton Constitution, and on January 4, 1858 the new vote was swept over with anti-slavery Republicans.This solved the problem of Kansas' admittance to the Union but it caused other problems such as the splitting of the Democratic Party because of debate over â€Å"Bleeding Kansas† and it also lost Douglas many Southern votes in the upcoming election. This caused the nation to further become sectional due to the Lecompton Constitution ripping apart the only political party that had a mixture of Northerners and Southerners and causing the South to become angered at the rejection of their constitution. One of the last major events in the 1850's that caused intense sectional hatred between the North and South was the execution of John Brown in 1859.John Brown was a dedicated abolitionist that commanded forces multiple times in Kansas, making him a very stern and somewhat violent man. This proved to be true when Br own led a few of his troops to Pottawatomie to kill five pro-slavery supporters. The death of these pro-slavery men only sated his appetite for justice for a small while and in 1859, Brown sought to carry out a plan that Southerners have feared for every since slavery arose. Brown took his small group of men, and on October 16 of that year, he attempted to start an armed slave revolt by seizing a United States Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry.The attack was so crazy and so unexpected that Brown and his troops took the armory easily, but their problem arose when it came to galvanizing the slaves. With the slaves refusing to fight back, Robert E. Lee and his troops overwhelmed Brown's small number of men and forced them to surrender. The South, who were appalled by Brown's crazy attempt to defeat slavery, sentenced him to death by hanging. However, John already saw his fate and found what his purpose was. He believed that he was much more useful as a martyr that would give the aboliti onists someone to fight for. His perception of his death caused im to make beautiful speeches against the institution slavery, which gained him sentiment and established a personal bond with all the abolitionists in the North. John Brown's execution gave many Northerners a reason to hate the South because they had killed a man who was brave enough to stand up for the good of the nation. As a result, tensions increased to its maximum capacity and caused the Election of 1860 to be the straw the broke the camel's back. During the 1850's, there was an overwhelming amount of sectionalism in the United States because of the differences between the North and South.Many factors, small and big, contributed to sectional hatred between the North and South, which was terribly unhealthy for the prosperity of the nation. The buildup of tension came from a variety of things, from frivolous brawls in the Congress to the publishing of a book, and everything in between. All of these tiny disagreement s continued to add up, causing hatred to fester between the anti-slavery and pro-slavery groups which began the secession of the South, resulting in the start of the bloodiest war in U. S history, The American Civil War.

Philips vs Matsushita

Philips vs Matsushita: A New Century, A New Round HBS 9-302-049 Discussion Questions: 1. How did Philips become the leading consumer electronics company after the Second World War and what were its key capabilities? (NOs-organizational development) Post-war situation: * (At the very beginning, Philips made only light-bulbs, this one-product focus and Gerard’s technological prowess enabled the company to create significant innovations. * The labs developed a tungsten metal filament bulb that was a great commercial success and gave Philips the financial strength to compete against its giant rivals. Philips started to export in 1899. * In 1912, Philips started building sales organizations in the US, Canada, and France. In many foreign countries Philips created local joint venture to gain market acceptance. * In 1919, Philips entered into the Principal Agreement with General Electric, giving each company the use of the other’s patents. Philips conducted a decentralized sale s organization with autofocus marketing companies in 14 European countries, China, Brazil, and Australia. * During the period, Philips broadened its product line significantly. During the late 1930s, it transferred its overseas assets to two trusts, moved most of its vital research laboratories and top management. Therefore, individual country organizations became more independent during the war. * Built post-war organization on the strengths of the national organizations. (NOs) * Their greatly increased self-sufficiency during the war had allowed most to become adept at responding to country-specific market conditions-a capacity that became a valuable asset in the post-war era. After War: * Cross-functional coordination capability. Foreign operations. * Decrease the number of products marketed, build scale by concentrating production, and increase products flows across NOs. * Close the least efficient local plants and convert the best into International Production Centres, each sup plying many NOs. * Close inefficient operations and focused on core operations. * Designed various businesses as core and non-core. * * In 1912, as the electric lamp industry began to show signs of overcapacity, Philips started building sales organizations in the US, Canada, and France. In many foreign countries Philips created local joint ventures to gain market acceptance. * Built post-war organization on the strengths of the national organizations. (NOs) Their greatly increased self-sufficiency during the war had allowed most to become adept at responding to country-specific market conditions-a capacity that became a valuable asset in the post-war era. * In the environment where consumer preferences and economic conditions varied, the independent NOs had a great advantage in being able to sense and respond to the differences. Eventually, responsiveness extended beyond adaptive marketing. * NOs had the real power, they reported directly to the management board to ensure that top management remained in contact with the highly autonomous NOs. Each NO also regularly sent envoys to Eindhoven to represent its interests. * International Concern Council to formalize-regular meetings with the heads of all major NOs. * Cross-functional coordination capability * Foreign operations Problems In the late 1960s, the creation of the European Common Market eroded trade barriers and diluted the rationale for independent country subsidiaries. New transistor-based technologies demanded larger production runs than most national plants could justify, and many of Philips’ competitors were moving production of electronics to new facilities in low-wage areas in Asia and South America. * Simultaneously, Philips’ ability to bring its innovative products to market began to falter. Too decentralized, slow responding to global market because of cooperation complexity between NOs and PDs (CEO words) * The European market tended to become more centralized due to the disappearance of trade barriers in late 1960s. Philips’s formal globalized organization (strategy) shows its weakness and prevents Philips from further development. * IPC to control NOs—tilting matrix to PD, more centralized * Lack of global cooperation, like more manufacturing in developing countries * No strategy—life style—downsize unrelated products Marketing problem 2. How was Matsushita able to overtake Philips? What were its strategic competences and how were these embedded in its organisation structure? * How: Matsushita recognized the potential mass-market of VCR and considerably expanded through increasing VCR sales and licencing the VHS format to other manufacture. However, at that time Philips’ ability to bring its innovative products to market began to fa lter. Even if it invented the most superior format V2000 videocassette, it failed to commercialized it and had to outsource a VHS product which it manufactured under license from Matsushita * Strategic competences of Matsushita: internal competition among small business spurs growth by leveraging technology to develop new products, strong control as well as support from Japan promoted total efficiency * Organisation structure: Matsushita used the divisional structure(small businesses, corporate funds, CRL & product development) and maintained strong control over their operations through two ways of reporting, directly to appropriate product division or to METC 3. How did Matsushita’s capabilities and structure later lead to disadvantages? * As Matsushita grows bigger and bigger, more materials purchasing from the local and overseas countries claims more localization, communication between subsidiaries and Japan became difficult and control from Japan deteriorates * Expansion faced b ottleneck and Matsushita needed more creativity to promote growth, but the operation localizations lack of innovative capability as they act primarily as the implementation arms of Japanese-based product divisions 4. Why do both firms find it difficult to build new capabilities and what advice would you offer them?

Why Marijuana should be illegal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why Marijuana should be illegal - Essay Example Many studies have consistently demonstrated a correlation between risky sexual behavior and marijuana use by the same students. Marijuana users are more inclined to take risks than do students that do not use it and other drugs. This may be an obvious statement but a propensity to take risks with their health combined with a loss of inhibitions while on drugs and the need of all teenagers to be accepted by their peers leads to an increased level of sexual activity. This problematic scenario also increases the likelihood of students having sex at an earlier age, having multiple sexual partners and decreases the chances that they will use contraception than those that do not use drugs. â€Å"Teens who have used marijuana are four times more likely to have been pregnant or to have gotten someone pregnant than teens who have never smoked pot† (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 1997). Ironically, schools are havens for marijuana available for the asking. Parents and teachers seem oblivious and are evidently powerless to control this disturbing situation. No one can deny that using marijuana can cause adverse effects to the user of any age but the effects to the teenager are especially damaging. Teenagers are in a much more vulnerable situation than are adults as they are still developing in every aspect of life. Unfortunately, it remains this group that has the most access to drugs as schools have become prolific drug outlets. The vast majority of 10th graders in the U.S., for example, claim they can easily purchase marijuana (78 per cent). Teenagers quickly learn that they can readily obtain marijuana in addition to other more exotic drugs to a somewhat lesser extent. Marijuana use often leads to other drugs. Drug abuse is costly to teenagers in many physical, mental and emotional ways. (Ault, 2001). Teenagers experience more emotional fluctuations

Perform a task analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perform a task analysis - Assignment Example One can get information about task identification by observing people using the product (or recalling how the person uses the product) or from the product’s technical documentation (especially user manual). This is followed by task classification into initial setup, product use, troubleshooting and maintenance, which is followed by task prioritization. The final part of task analysis is the development of task scenarios or task sequence, which arranges product tasks into the way they operate (Fain, 2006). This paper develops task analysis for a mobile phone. The primary goal of using a mobile phone is to communicate with other people having mobile phones by calling them, receiving calls from them, texting or receiving text messages from them. A mobile phone also stores date and time and it helps a person to know date and time. Other functions of the mobile phone include reminding a person about important activities, such as meeting, acting as an alarm to help someone to wake up as desired or perform a desired task at a given time and listening to songs stored in the mobile phone. Task prioritization is based on the importance of the task. For instance, communicating is considered the primary goal of the mobile phone, and it is, therefore given first priority. Second priority tasks are secondary tasks while third priority tasks are tertiary and are not necessary. Fain, W. B. (2006). Georgia Tech Research Institute Accessibility Monograph Series: A Study of Accessibility Issues and Potential Design Solutions for Designers, Procurement Officials, and Consumers. Georgia Tech Research

Service Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Service Marketing - Essay Example Service marketing in simple terms refers to both the business-to-business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) services and involves marketing such services as financial services, telecommunication services, all kinds of hospitality services, air travel, car rental services, professional services, as well as health care services (Lovelock & Gummesson 2004, p. 21). Thus, service marketing is a variety of the expressions and approaches of marketing ideas conducted with the hope of effectiveness in conveyance of ideas to wide range of population of individuals who receive it. As this paper is emphasizing on marketing of services, it is not good to overlook the concept of â€Å"service.† Services are the diverse economic activities offered to people or parties by another person or party. They are often time-based and effective performance brings about the desired outcomes to the objects, recipients, or the other assets of interest for which the purchasers have responsibility. The service customers anticipate value from their access to labor, goods, facilities, professional skills, systems, and networks in exchange for time, money, and effort. However, service customers do not assume ownership of the diverse physical elements involved (Lovelock & Wirtz 2011, p. 35). In the present day, every business entity is interested in promoting its business with such strategies of marketing that will foster its performance via the roof. There are numerous service sector businesses plugged with techniques of product marketing and this is the prime time for them to improve their marketing performance. In fact, services are totally different from products since they are intangible. In addition, the target audience for products and services is different hence the need of applying different strategies of promotion in order to attract potential clients. For effective promotion of services in order to generate significant buzz, service marketers are encouraged to employ 7 Ps i n their strategies of service marketing mix. The 7 Ps marketing mix is an extension of the 4 Ps marketing mix, which are the known as the marketing core strategies. The purpose of this paper is to provide advice to Mr Hirohito in his new venture of starting a high street restaurant in London. The paper shall provide information of how to develop appropriate strategies aimed at extended services marketing mix. It will also provide recommendations for action and preparation and presentation of informed, systematic, and effective marketing report as the basis for marketing decisions. Background Information: Hirohito Yamachu set up Wakaba Ltd, a London-based food company, in 2009 after being made redundant while working as head chef in Bank of Japan’s staff restaurant. The main business of Wakaba Ltd is involved in the supply of ready-to-eat ‘sushi’ meals and cooked Japanese cuisine to staff via company canteens in London City area. Currently, the business prides in its list of clients, which includes J P Morgan, Bank of Japan, Barclays, Chase Manhattan, and City Corp. While working there, his cooking was loved and much favored by the employees of the company unlike most of the other staff canteens. CEOs and senior managers even invited business clients, relations, and friends from outside for lunch in the staff restaurant. In 2008, unfortunately, Hirohito Yamachu became a casualty as the restructuring plan of the company as well as the ensuing BPR exercise reached an agreement of outsourcing in-house catering facilities. Termination of his career made him to establish his own business. Bank of Japan became his first client, as he did not need much introduction or serious marketing efforts. His cooking was done at his home with the aid of some family members

Globalization and the gains from international trade Essay - 2

Globalization and the gains from international trade - Essay Example n controlling trade is still enormous and many governments are increasingly accepting it as the norm rather than the exception (Tung and Henry, 2009). Debates in recent times centre whether globalization is diminishing trade or increasing it. Questions have been raised on the state the traditional roles and national governments sovereignty play over trade, and the effects that these portend in promoting fairness or inequality among countries. Others have zeroed on the balance of trade and trade payments the less developed countries, the developing countries vis-Ã  -vis the developed world, and the focus on the glaring policy intervention differences between the global north and the global south. This paper states at the outset that: Whereas globalization has been touching on every aspect of society today, scholars and thinkers alike have not agreed on a universal single definition of the term. Instead, a number of definitions, conceptualizations, and perspectives exist depending on which lens one views the concept. In Kemp’s world, the gains must be examined within the confluence of world tarries such that no country in the pedestal of globalization would be worse off than in the smaller customs union (Kemp, 1987). Kemp (1987) observes that the phenomenon of globalization has been extensively used in the world, specifically in admired discourses and policy issues. For him, globalization is a term that describes ways in which the world is progressively more interrelated, organized, and interdependent through a set of socially reinforced processes that is controlled by customs. These processes include among others, integration of markets, nation states and technologies to a scale that is aiding individuals, corporations and distinct governments to access and ‘navigate’ the world much more, more rapidly, much deeper an by less costly methods (Kemp and Wong, 1995). Kemp further characterizes the global economy and trade as that which is based on spread and

Children With Oppositional Defiant Disorder Term Paper

Children With Oppositional Defiant Disorder - Term Paper Example It is related to ADD and ADHD, and often, a diagnosis of ADHD leads to a diagnosis of ODD. About 30 to 50 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD also may have ODD (Lindstrom, Tuckwiller, and Hallahan 2008). ODD is considered a psychiatric disorder, and ADHD is considered a development disorder (Arzubi 2008). Oppositional defiant disorder is usually diagnosed in preadolescent children, and is sometimes lumped under other conduct disorders. Robb and Reber (2007) state a diagnosis stems from a pattern of defiant behavior continuing for at least six months and the behaviors must interfere with the child’s home life and school life. Frequency of the behavior set is the main clue. For a separate or singular diagnosis of ODD, these behaviors must not arise from a psychotic or a mood disorder. Van Acker (2007) adds that peer group variables such as bullying and isolation are also a factor, and community transformation such as influx of immigrants or concentrated poverty also have a role. In addition, there may be a genetic component or a biochemical factor (although this has not been determined by structured studies, only anecdotal evidence) and there most certainly are environmental factors at work in the child with ODD. Adopted children are twice as likely as non-adopted children to be diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (Keyes, 2008). A Minnesota study looked at 540 adolescents who were not adopted and a similar-age group of 692 adolescents who were adopted in Minnesota. The adoptee group included 514 foreign children and 178 domestic adoptions. The study found that adolescents who were adopted as infants were significantly likely to be diagnosed with ODD in their teen years; twice as likely, in fact. The rates were 7 percent for adoptees and 3.5 percent diagnosis rate for non-adoptees. Another small study (155 subjects) conducted in obese

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

Marketing Mix - Essay Example a.. Discussion on which elements of the marketing mix are still being promoted 5 b. Considerations for new developments 5 4. Conclusion 6 Annexes 8 List of references 12 . An analysis of the Pre launching strategy of Cotswold Water Park Introduction. Costswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel located near Swindon was launched in 2007and had used integrated marketing strategies in pre-launching. Purpose of this research is to analyze if marketing approaches used by the hotel sustained the success of pre-launch a. Review of the marketing mix The hotel used high level plans related to the marketing mix. Chai, Lee , (May 2009) & MacArthy( 06 Sept 2011) consider the right mix of product, pricing, place and, promotion to be assured of a pre-launching success. It is likened to baking a cake wherein there is a right proportion to come out with a desirable product. b. Discussion of the pre-launch activities. Marketing Team Direct, 2011 of the hotel first considered the creation of positioning an d message statements about the hotel. Next, they applied a segmented approach wherein they set a clear target of customers to know their needs and motivations, and travel behavior in order to get an actionable picture of targeted customers. Third, they created activities to support the launch such as marketing and sales tools. Then, they had the partnership strategy wherein they sold the product thru their distribution channel. Next,   they ensured that product infrastructure is fully developed. They also prepared for the international travelers by designing a website. Last is the preparation for the hotel operational activities and coming up with a price system.(Marketing Team Direct, 2011) c. Objectives of the marketers. Objectives set are to be assured of a ready market or advanced bookings of travelers to maintain operations during first months of opening d .What pre-launch activities are evident? Pre-launch activities were selective promotions to target customers by creating brand awareness, research on prospect’s data, and securing advanced bookings. Marketing tools used were advertising, vehicle graphics and press releases, PR and creation of a company website (Marketing Team Direct, 2011) e. Which elements of the Marketing Mix are being focused on and which are missing? Price, place, product and promotion are the marketing mix used, but the people factor is missing. MacArthy believes people or personnel should be incorporated as an approach for service oriented business like Cotswold.. Their strategy lacked the feedback support. The hotel is a service industry, and much depends on the services it offers. The campaign fails to identify the service culture that indicates â€Å"customer satisfaction is the top priority and the hotel activity should demonstrate these business objectives of the customer’. (ITIL Service Culture definition) Bruce Goff (2005), a licensed interior designer for hotel industry, uses the theory of Maslow for hospi tality design that meets hierarchy of needs. On this, he speculates that hotels should be designed to meet the basic needs of travelers then afterwards respond to higher standards of customers needs. He related the bedding wars of Hilton, Marriot, and Westin Hotel and upgrading of small amenities like soaps, towels, shampoo that give customers satisfaction. Advanced Services Marketing (2008) said that there are service standards that should be

Management Accounting and Finance in U.K. Museums and Music Dissertation - 1

Management Accounting and Finance in U.K. Museums and Music Organisations - Dissertation Example The main functions that the manager carries out comprises of decision making, planning and controlling (Bhattacharyya, 2011; Chong, 2009). In order to execute their responsibilities in an effective manner the manager needs timely accurate information. Hence, information is a vital parameter in the success of a business and in order to provide appropriate information, managerial accounting identifies, gathers, measures, segregates and reports the information to the managers in such a way that management processes are fulfilled. Therefore, management accounting is the field of accounting that looks at providing information to the management. This information includes financial accounting, information related to decision making and planning, cost management, control, performance evaluation and determination of cost for the purpose of financial reporting. Management accounting consists of the reports that cater to the need of the management (Kulkarni and Mahajan, 2008). 1.2 Overview of M useum and Art organization The museums and art organizations that falls under the culture industry, has currently aroused the necessity of accounting but the dilemma persists regarding the methodology that should be used in order to measure the accountability. The debate remains whether for financial reporting, scientific collection, heritage and culture should be valued more and the extent to which accountability can be properly served by heavily emphasizing on the general purpose financial reporting alone. The debate related to accountability in the arts organization and museum is a subject of discourse for the last few decades. This has been further exaggerated by the need for viability in the art organizations and museum for ensuring long-term survival. Accountability... The study reveals that the organizations are now looking at additional sources of income by organizing events. The events that they are planning to launch are expected to generate high amount of income for the organization. The management of the art organization have decided not only to sell tickets of the events in order to generate revenue but also look for sponsorship of the event. In this context, before organizing any event the management is setting targets in form of budget for the whole event. This budget is set as such the expected expense that the organization will be incurring and income that they will be generating are estimated. This gives them a clear idea regarding the revenue that they will be generating. Accounting techniques like variance analysis, activity based costing, budgeting and other methods are used in order to conduct the management accounting efficiently. These methods have been proved effective in achieving the future goals of the organization. This revea ls that the art organization and museums are not only focussing on generating additional income but also creating satisfaction among the artists and the customers. This essay makes a conclusion that the main challenge for the art organization is that the economic crisis has affected the funding which is very important for the organizations that are not running for profitable ventures. These challenges have made the organizations to shift their focus from profit sharing model to profit generating model. On shifting to this model the accounting techniques used by the organization has also changed.

Marketing Strategy Essay Example for Free

Marketing Strategy Essay Discuss the type of product the company will offer and identify its primary characteristics The type of product the company will offer is a bracelet called Life Alert band. The characteristics of this device are size and the ease of use along with a lifetime guarantee. The Life Alert band is light and portable that no one will even know it’s on his or her wrist. It’s the size of a thick rubber band and comes in different wrist sizes. It has one easy to access button with an emergency icon that only needs to be pushed once to alert the Life Alert call center in the event of an emergency. The bracelet has several hidden sensors that monitor a person’s pulse and blood sugar and wirelessly sends this information to the Life Alert monitoring centers. If a change is detected in any of the monitors the bracelets sends a signal to the centers for immediate action. The Life Alert medical counselors immediately call the patient to see if they are ok. If no response is received they dispatch emergency responders right away. The bracelets uses flash memory to keep the device slim and flexible. It has a flexible band that can bend slightly. The material of the bracelet is a made of hard rubber that protects the electronics and its sensors. The bracelet requires a one-time setup much like a cell phone has to be programmed by Life Alert in order to ensure communication is occurring with their monitoring centers. The device has wifi built in for local communication. Users who have a wireless network can browse directly to the bracelet using a web browser. This gives them access to all the information the bracelet is recording. Discuss the product branding strategy Entrepreneur magazine states that a branding strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy (Enterpreneur, 2011). In this case a brand is name that consumers associate with a device or service. Life Alert has many devices, all which bare its name on it. For example wireless companies such ATT sell cell phones from different manufactures but all of them have the name ATT on them and their logo. This goes for any large company that sells multiple products even if the products are manufactured by another company. Another good example is Apple. Apple has mp3 players, desktops, laptops, and other computer peripherals, all have the Apple logo on them. Therefore, the branding approach for the Life Alert bracelet will be the umbrella branding approach. The umbrella approach will help Life Alert in promoting their popular name even further. In a survey taken by ACNielsen International Research, 87% of Life Alert members said that Life Alert’s protection is a main or important factor in their decision to keep living at home rather than going to a retirement institution (lifealert911, 2011). Life Alert members on an average spend 6 more years living alone because of their services. The bracelet will not only enhance their product line but attract more customers. The introduction of this bracelet will increase their customer base and maybe appeal to those who have a serious illness. The bracelet will become the main entity of the product line with Life Alert’s name and logo. Discuss how the product fits within a product line and the depth and breadth of the line. Life Alert’s bracelet is a unique product that has carved a niche in the medical devices industry. It fits into health care products that offer emergency services for monitoring and addressing health related issues. It addresses a void in the industry and aims to support independence in aged adults by providing state of the art monitoring and emergency services. The distinctive aspect of the Life Alert bracelet is that it is both broadens and intensifies in scope in terms of its breadth and depth. It fits well into the product line Life Alert offers. It’s an extension of the current product offerings. Some of the functionality the bracelet offers cross’s over to other product categories. For example the bracelet now becomes competitive with blood glucose meters. Regardless, the bracelet extends the depth and breadth of the company. Explain how the product and target market strategies fit with the organizational strategy. The organizational strategy is based around a few key factors. The company’s business domain is clearly defined and is focused towards Mature 50+ adults who wish to live an independent lifestyle. The factors that are considered are mainly geographical location, age, retirement lifestyle and medical needs. The strategy is effective as it concentrates on a few key product and ervices. Life alert employs niche marketing to devise a product strategy aimed at that targets mature 50+ adults residing mostly in Florida, which is a popular retirement destination, who are currently living a retired lifestyle and desire a degree of independence and who may or may not have specific medical needs. The Life Alert bracelet fits into the organizational strategy for Life Alert. Introducing the bracelet will solidify the stance in the market. The organizational strategy for Life Alert is to be most innovative company in assisting the elderly. Life Alert can take advantage of its existing organizational strategy to support and market the bracelet. The company can further expand its diversified portfolio of services by using its existing infrastructure and the multifaceted use of its core resources. By including and expanding on existing product offerings the company can reduce cost and maximize return on resources. Life alert bracelet can utilize the infrastructure for Life Alert Necklace, security, monitoring and emergency response services with minor additions. All of these services employ the same core organizational set up, which is the monitoring center, which maximizes service offering with minimal investment. The marketing strategy includes Ads in local newspapers or niche publications, Opt-in web sites that make use of keywords to connect with potential customers, direct mail campaigns, as well publicity through Television developed for mature audiences. The bracelet can be incorporated under these existing marketing tools since it’s directed towards the same target audience. The ease of competitors’ entry into Life Alert’s market segment is minimal as the company employs a profitable business model where users pay an initial set-up charge for the systems and the company generates revenues each month through subscription-based monitoring costs. The company also distributes medical alert system to more than 300 resellers and is one of the largest wholesale medical alarm distributors in the nation, with over 200,000 medical alert devices in service. The bracelet can be an adjunct to the existing portfolio and use the same monitoring system and distribution strategies in use. The business strategy also supports innovation and product development and at present only a couple companies offer a medical alarm with two-way voice. With an additional service such as the bracelet the company will be a step ahead of its competitors and can utilize its RD budget to support the new product. The company’s ability to customize services and marketing different price points for packages will allow customers to use the bracelet with other Life Alert products and services. The new product aligns well with the company’s organizational strategy and the same marketing strategy can be applied towards the Life Alert bracelet.

Japan and South Korea Economic Developments

Japan and South Korea Economic Developments Japan and South Korea within several decades made their way from being destroyed by the war and poverty-ridden to industrialized, highly developed and quite rich countries. At first glance, it seems that stories of Japanese and Korean miraculous transformation are rather similar to each other. Both counties faced similar problems and challenges in the beginning of their growth path. Moreover, both Japan and South Korea received strong growth incentives from abroad. Thus, foundations of Japan’s growth were laid during the American Occupation period, whereas South Korea after the Second World War was also occupied by the American forces and received huge financial support from the United States. But were their ways of economic development actually alike and to what extent? So, let us look closer and try to answer this question. Many scholars agree that Japan’s and South Korea’s outstanding economic performance was a result of strong government policies and efficient reforms. The countries’ approaches to economic development appear to be similar in several aspects. One of the most obvious common features is interventionist policies. In Japan, the MITI shaped industrial policies, while also consulting with private actors and guiding them to the â€Å"right† direction. South Korean government also applied direct intervention in economic system by controlling prices and taking part in decision-making process of private actors. Government guidance and supervision over economic processes significantly contributed to the Japan’s and Korea’s outstanding economic performance. Comparing the main government economic development policies, several parallels can be drawn here. In both cases, high and rapid economic growth was achieved through intensive industrialization and export promotion. Japanese and Korean government counted primarily on development of heavy and chemical industry sectors as the main driving force of development. The key industries were provided assistance and various benefits, including loans, subsidies, and tax privileges, etc. At the same time, investment was strongly promoted. The success of industrialization and export-promotion policies owes to several specific policy instruments and approaches, which were effectively used both by Japanese and Korean governments. Among the most important are mobilization and allocation of capital, adoption of foreign technologies, cooperation with business conglomerates, and restriction of imports. The success of industrialization and export-promotion policies was closely linked to the efficient mobilization and allocation of capital by managing savings and investments. The Japanese and South Korean governments were particularly effective in promoting domestic saving of financial institutions, enterprises, and households by means of monetary policy instruments. Likewise, they also succeeded in channeling these funds as capital investments to industrial production (and also services sector later). The factors of production were moved from low-productivity sectors to more productive ones (Pilat 1993). While conducting industrialization and promoting export, Japanese and Korean governments paid special attention to importing foreign technologies. Investments and loans were provided ‘selectively to those firms capable of adapting and improving imported technology’ (Odagiri Goto 1993). Successful adoption of foreign technologies became a basis for modernization of Japanese and Korean industry and increased competitiveness of their goods on the international market. Within the framework of industrialization and export encouragement policies, Japanese and Korean governments maintained close relations with big business. Similarly, due to historical and cultural tradition, Japanese as well as Korean business is dominated by the large conglomerates. This tendency has become apparent in Japan since the 19th century. Although zaibatsu were dissolved by the Occupation government in the late 1940s, business conglomerates reemerged later as keiretsu. The Korean analogue known as chaebols appeared the second half of the 20th century. The rise of keiretsu and chaebols was both a consequence of state policies of industrialization and export-promotion as well as its main force. Industry and big business benefited from this policy receiving strong support from the government, which led to the growth of business conglomerates. Rise of conglomerates, in its turn, resulted into increase of industrial production and growing competitiveness of Japanese products on the international market. Thus, cooperation between government and big business conglomerates reinforced industrialization and stimulated exports, which, undoubtedly, played a significant role in economic growth in Japan and South Korea (Ohno 2006; Shin 2003). Another common feature of Japanese and Korean governments’ approaches to export promotion is trade policies, which played a significant role in economic progress in both cases. At the initial stage, governments were promoting protectionist policies. Various import restrictions, such as tariffs, quotas, and other, were imposed in order to protect domestic producers from international competition. While import was restricted, export was intensively stimulated. The combination of these policies proved to be very effective in stimulating economic growth. Foreign capital as an instrument of industrialization and of increasing exports was used both by Japan and Korea. However, the role assigned to foreign funds and their contribution appeared to be considerably different in each case. Thus, in Japan foreign direct investment was restricted from considerations of being unhealthy for Japanese economy. Foreign borrowing was practiced by Japanese government, but in moderate size. Japan mostly relied on domestic capital for financing investment, while foreign loans constituted less than 1% of the total amount. Meanwhile, in South Korean case, domestic capital could not cover the need for investment, so, to a greater extent, it was financed from foreign loans (which, interestingly, were borrowed mostly from Japan). Foreign direct investment was also strongly promoted by Korean government and supported by special legislation. Moreover, in contrast to Japanese approach, one of the main sources of financing investment in Korea was direct state investments and various state loan programs, which also constituted a considerable share in total investment (Shin 2003). Thus, both Japanese and Korean governments focused on export-promotion as a main driving force of economic development. Apparently, in both cases this policy was implemented in a quite similar way. However, there was one important difference. While promoting export, Japanese government also paid attention to domestic market and stimulated domestic consumption. In that way, newly produced consumer electronics such as TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and cars went to domestic market in the first place, and only then for export. Thus, domestic consumption became one the main drivers of growth together with export. On the other hand, Korean approach was based on export-first principle. According to this policy, ‘Korean firms were marketing their products in overseas markets rather than in domestic markets’, while many of consumer goods were inaccessible for Koreans and sometimes even prohibited to sale. For instance, color TVs were admitted to domestic market only in 19 80 (Harvie Lee 2003). The government economic development policies in Japan and South Korea were framed into economic plans. Economic planning became an important instrument in supervising economic processes and implementing policies of industrialization and export-promotion. Being used reasonably, planning played a significant role in achieving economic growth. The plans did not take a form of strict programs like in central planning economies, but served as indicators for the further development and informed the public about the government expectations for the future. Economic growth in Japan was accompanied by the several economic plans. The plans usually included the medium-run scenario of development, stated the goals and priorities of the policy, and, finally, indicated the possible line of action for the private sector. The first one – the Economic Self-Reliance Five-Year Plan was adopted in 1955. It was followed by the Doubling National Income Plan in 1960, which became the most efficient one. Aiming at doubling national income, the plan was put into practice even more successfully than it was expected. The 1970s were also marked by several economic plans; each of them was designed accordingly to the situation to address current problems. The Economic and Social Development Plan of 1967-1971 and the New Economic and Social Development Plan of 1970-1975 were focused on the problems that appeared as a consequence of the rapid economic progress and emphasized balancing economic development. Further, the Economic and Social Basic Plan, wh ich was dealing with the development of Japan internationally and welfare of society, was in force between 1973 and 1977. The first oil crisis brought changes to the Japan’s government economic policies, so the Economic Plan for the Second Half of the 1970’s introduced for the period of 1976-1980 promoted initiatives for energy-saving (Otsubo 2007). Likewise, in South Korea, economic planning was an essential element of government developmental policies. Economic plans were developed by the special agency, The Economic Planning Board, established in 1961. Altogether, seven five-year economic development plans were implemented during the economic miracle period of 1960s-1990s. Plans were establishing targets of various macroeconomic indicators, such as rate of growth, rates of investment and saving as a share of GNP, as well as exports and imports targets. The general direction of development and goals to achieve were indicated in the plans. Plans also included the development strategies. Generally, Korean economic development plans paid special attention to industrialization and exports as the main factors of economic growth. At the initial stage, emphasis was put on promotion of light industries development and import substitution, whereas later, focus shifted to heavy and chemical sector, and also exports expansion. In the las t three plans the course was taken on gradual easing of government control and liberalization of trade (The Federation of Korean Industries 1987). Although the government policies and reforms clearly made the greatest contribution to the Japan’s and South Korea’s economic growth, it is worth to mention one more important factor, without which economic miracle would not, probably, happen at all. This refers to the cultural peculiarities of the Japanese and Koreans. Japan and South Korea are both East Asian countries with strong collectivist culture influenced by Confucianism. Being the two basic cultural features, Confucian tradition and collectivism create a unique and favorable environment for economic development. Confucianism as an official ideology was dominating in East Asian countries from the end of the 13th century. By the end of the 19th century its influence became weak and limited, and today Confucianism does not exist in its original understanding as the social and political system. Nevertheless, Confucian ethics and values still remain relevant in the modern East Asian societies. The value system alon g with the social structure in Japan and Korea are strongly influenced by the Confucian tradition, which is quite evident in everyday life. Primarily, the Confucian teaching stressed the humaneness and the harmonious relations between the people. In practice, this principle means the respect to the authorities, to parents, to elder people, placing collective interests prior to the personal, and taking care of other members of the group. The dominance of the Confucian system of values contributed to the formation of the strong collectivist culture in East Asian countries, in contrast to the Western European individualism. The importance of nation, society, community and family over the individual has become the main feature of East Asian cultures, Japanese and Korean particularly. Obviously, such attitude of Koreans and Japanese to the collective interests and their strong feeling of responsibility before the community are among the main factors that contributed to the prosperity of these nations. Generally, owing to these national traits, East Asia has become the most dynamically developing region, growing stronger and gaining more influence on the international arena over the last decades (Hang 2011). To conclude, Japan and Korea came to the economic miracle in quite a similar way. Despite the deep economic crises and social and political instability brought by the wars, Japan and South Korea successfully transformed into economically advanced countries within several decades, which are quite rare cases in world history. Although sometimes different in details, Japanese and Korean approaches, generally, coincide in many aspects. Economic development in both cases was led by intensive industrialization and export-promotion implemented through the system of administrative guidance and economic planning. Consequently, it appears that this particular combination of instruments against a background of East Asian cultural tradition led to such outstanding results and created economic miracle in Japan and South Korea. Conclusion In the second half of 20th century, Japan and South Korea presented to the world two notable cases of remarkable economic transformation known as economic miracle. Many scholars agree that much of a credit for their success belongs to the government policies. This thesis has been a study of the mechanism of Japanese and Korean economic miracles in the context of government policies in historical perspective. The first goal of this research was to find out what were the fundamental policies that contributed to their economic miracles. And secondly, it aimed to determine if Japanese and Korean approaches were similar. It was supposed that economic development strategies of Japanese and Korean government were partly similar, while based primarily on policies of industrialization and export-promotion. At the beginning of their path, Japan and South Korea were heavily affected by the war and, as a consequence, plunged into the deep social and economic crises. To recover their economies, countries’ governments undertook quite similar approaches. Primarily, their development patterns were characterized by government intervention into the market processes through administrative guidance and with the help of economic plans. While not going to extremes, Japanese and Korean approach allowed avoiding both deregulation of the free-market system and over-regulation of central planning. The policy of reasonable, balanced and appropriate intervention into economy proved to be very effective in Japanese and Korean cases (Liu 2012). Economic development policies emphasized intensive industrialization and promotion of export as the basis of economic growth. The industrialization and exports were stimulated by means of effective mobilization and allocation of domestic and foreign capital, import of foreign technologies, maintaining strong relations with business conglomerates, and also restriction of imports. Noteworthy, the success of this particular development strategy in both Japan and South Korea was not accidental, but owes to the East Asian cultural background based on Confucian and collectivist tradition. Similarly to Japanese and Korean experience, other East Asian countries, including Singapore and Taiwan, also managed to achieve high economic growth within quite a short period of time through this scheme. The examples of Japan, South Korea, and other countries of East Asian region that reached high growth allow assuming that this approach forms the basis of so-called East Asian model of economic growth. To conclude, during the last 25 years Japanese economy recorded average growth rate of around 1.3% annually. Certainly, this figure can not be compared with the high growth of the 1960s. However, against a background of the world trend towards economic decline, this rate does not look that bad and is in line with growth rates of other developed countries. In spite of slow growth, Japan still remains one of the largest economies in the world. Moreover, official statistics showing economic decline do not reflect actual Japan’s reality. Japan is a highly developed and rich country with one of the highest standard of living. On the other hand, South Korea is one of the most rapidly developing countries being the 15th largest economy in the world. Korea is known as one of the Asian Tigers together with Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Over the last several years, its economy has been growing at a stable rate of around 3% per annum. Korea and Japan together are among the world lead ers of technological innovation (Blaauw 2014; Dadush 2014). Much of the present economic attainments of Japan and South Korea can be traced to their economic miracles of the second half of 20th century. Despite some recent and current difficulties, Japan’s and Korea’s history demonstrates their great potential, so it is to be believed that even better achievements are yet to come.

Dead Poets Society, Summary :: essays research papers

"The Dead Poet’s Society" is a movie about a group of kids. The conflict, characters, plot and theme are very interesting. So now I am going to tell you a little about it. In this movie there were many different points of conflict. One major conflict was with Knox and his father. Knox’s father wanted to choose Knox’s future for him. He told him everything he should do and shouldn’t. He wouldn’t let Knox be in a play. Knox participated in it anyway. His father showed up and saw Knox in the play. Knox got in trouble. His father was going to take him put of Welting. Knox got so put out with it that he shot himself. Another point of conflict was with Mr. Keating and the school of welting. The school blamed Mr. Keating for Knox’s death. Some of the students were with the school and some of them were against. The characters in "The Dead Poet’s Society" were very unique. Mr Keating was a very round character. He has a very unique way of teaching the class about poetry. Mr. Keating had went to the same school he is teaching in now. Knox was flat. He had problems with his dad. Todd was flat. He was on Mr. Keating’s side when the school tried to fire him. Cameron was dynamic. He went with the crowd. If a group of kids did one thing then he would follow right behind. The plot in the story is rather interesting. The exposition is simple. A group of students have a English teacher who is very creative in the way he teaches. One of the students finds out about a group that Mr. Keating was in when he went to the school. Him and his friends decide that they would start it again. The rising action is when the kids start to have the meetings. The students get a little more crazy than the have been before. The climax is when Knox shots himself. Everything falls apart after that. The kids start to get in arguments, Mr. Keating is blamed for his death, and the school board is very angry. The falling action is when the students start to come back together to get Mr. Keating back in the school. The resolution is when Mr. Keating goes into the classroom to get the last of the supplies.

The Arrival Of Blu-Ray Technology :: Technology

Formatting Problems The Arrival of Blu-ray Technology Blu-ray- also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format which was jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson). As compared to the current optical disc format such as DVD, this new format allows users to record, rewrite and playback high-definition (HD) video and store large amounts of data. In fact, Blu-ray’s storage capacity is five times more than traditional DVDs, which can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This high storage capability has also allowed additional content and special features such as downloading extras, updating content via the web, and watching live broadcasts of special events. In addition, when combined with the new BD-J interactivity layer, the users’ experience in watching a Blu-ray movie will be greatly enhanced. For instance, while the director explains the shooting of a scene, we are able to view the scene playing in the background simultaneously. Besides storage capacity and interactivity, high-definition is another reason why Blu-ray is better; a blue-violet laser (405nm) has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), hence the laser spot is able to focus with greater precision. Compared to DVDs, which only supports standard-definition (SD), Blu-ray supports HDTV and offers five times more detail in the clarity and sharpness of picture, and as well as better enhancement effects in HD video and audio quality. Besides Blu-ray, HD-DVD is the other new high-density DVD format competing to be the next-generation optical disc format. The HD-DVD format which is supported by NEC, Toshiba, and Sanyo, relies on the blue-laser technology as well. However, as compared, Blu-ray has a much bigger storage capacity and a higher data transfer rate for both video and audio. So do consumers prefer Blu-ray or HD-DVD? According to an independent study conducted by Cymfony (a market influence analytic company) on the new HD video formats and players, between October 1, 2006 and November 23, 2006, there are 46 percent (in a total of 17,664 posts) higher positive discussions about HD-DVD with authors stating being â€Å"impressed with HD-DVD† vs. â€Å"impressed with Blu-ray†. On the other hand, few posts has discussed the high storage capacity and advance interactivity.

Ways of Computing the Value of Alternative Projects Essay -- Finance F

Ways of Computing the Value of Alternative Projects When deciding whether to invest in a project an investor first will compare investment or sunk costs to the expected profit and based on this decision will decide what to do. Depending on the specifics of the project calculating of sunk cost and expected profit might be rather different and will play the main role in the decision to invest, wait and invest later or not to invest at all. More detailed consideration of the standard NPV rule: to invest if present value of cash flow is greater than sunk cost will show that some projects cannot be simply estimated using this idea. For the irreversible projects such as building a factory or buying an option NPV method may not be proper because it does not take into consideration the opportunity cost of waiting for new information, and, then investing. In other words, if investor knows that the price of the product producing on the factory will go down or the product will not be sold at all, because of some new competitive product, he will most likely choose not to build it at all. Now, different investment opportunities may be taken into consideration, for example, building the factory in steps or start using the factory for a different use. Let us calculate a value of the project using regular NPV rule and NPV rule that takes into consideration time effect or this opportunity to wait and invest later. These calculation have been done by many researchers, but Pindick and Dixit in their book Investment Under Uncertainty propose very easy way to compare different results. We will just use their idea but with a simpler numbers and show how different ways of computing provide different results. On this simple example we can lear... ...umption of presenting net present value as a geometric Brownian motion is the most important one and has been implemented in the financial field for a while. Empirical works by financial institutions have shown that such assumption lets investors obtain reasonable results and plan the investment in advance. This technology has been also used in reducing risk on the portfolios when hedging. The obtained results can be easily implemented in the options pricing theory and were applied by Pindick and Dixit in the works. With all the assumptions the model shows realistic results and have been used by many financial institutions since 1980s. References 1. Investment Under Uncertainity, Avinash Dixit and Robert Pindick, Princeton University Press, 1994 2. Investment timing, Robert McDonald and Daniel Siegel, The Quarterly Journal of economics, v.111, 1986

Reducing Uncertainty in Communications Essay

This paper aims to present basic discussion of Charles Berger’s Uncertainty Theory. The Uncertainty Reduction Theory basically states that strangers, in order to communicate with each other to accomplish a purpose, strive to reduce the uncertainty that they feel with each other. It begins with the motivation for the study of the theory. Afterwards, a brief discussion of the theory and presentation of some of its axioms follow. Then, a clear example shall be given to illustrate to the readers a clear application of this theory. Finally, major implications of the theory as far as communications is concerned shall be formulated. Introduction â€Å"As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know. † — Donald Rumsfeld Imagine yourself in the following scenarios. On the first day of class, a gorgeous girl sits beside you and greets you. This made your heart beats very fast. Boy, you are in love at first sight! Is there a chance or not? That’s the question. Imagine that you are an insurance salesperson. You usually sell well beyond the weekly quota but not quite this week. You need to need to close five more insurance policies. Then, you see a group of church-goers and plan to approach them. As you are about to say hi, they started to glance at you with negative looks. You become tongue-tied and do not know what to do. Imagine that you are given an errand by your law office. You are tasked to meet with the secretary of Bill Gates in order to formulate ways of winning in the new anti-trust case against Microsoft? This is the first time that you will meet a proxy of a very powerful individual. What will you do to eliminate the butterflies in your stomach? The above situations involve uncertainty, and how we manage uncertainty determines how we are going to be successful in our transactions. In many communication settings like the above, we could use the Uncertainty Reduction Theory to understand them and make inferences on the best course of action. It states that as people begin to interact, they strive to reduce the level uncertainty that they feel towards each other. The theory features seven axioms and twenty-one theorems derived from these axioms (Berger and Calabrese 1975). This paper will explore this theory in detail, discuss specific ways of applying it, and identify its major implications. Uncertainty Reduction Theory As mentioned above, strangers try to reduce the uncertainty between them. The uncertainty involved here are of two types: cognitive and behavioral. For cognitive uncertainty, strangers try to reduce the gap in their knowledge of how the other person thinks, particularly in the realm of beliefs and attitudes. For behavioral uncertainty, strangers try to predict how the other person will act based on how he or she perceives the other at present (Garlough nd). The theory assumes the following: †¢ People experience uncertainty in interpersonal settings †¢ Uncertainty generates cognitive stress. †¢ When strangers first meet their primary concern is to reduce uncertainty or increase predictability. †¢ Interpersonal communication occurs through stages. †¢ Interpersonal communication is the primary means of uncertainty reduction. †¢ The quality and nature of information people share changes through time. †¢ Can predict this type of behavior in a law-like fashion (Garlough nd) The above assumptions form the basis of the axioms and theorems of the Uncertainty Reduction Theory. For the purposes of this paper, only three key axioms shall be discussed: †¢ Axiom 1: As the amount of verbal communication between strangers increases, the levels of uncertainty decrease. As the uncertainty is further decreased, the amount of verbal communication increases †¢ Axiom 3: High levels of uncertainty cause increases in information-seeking behavior. When uncertainty levels decline, information-seeking behavior decreases. †¢ Axiom 6: Similarities between people reduce uncertainty. Dissimilarities create uncertainty. (Garlough nd) In other words, uncertainty and verbal communication is inversely proportional. Expect that two strangers talking as if they were old friends have already reduced their uncertainty levels significantly. This is Axiom 1. Axiom 3 is similar with Axiom 1. Information-seeking behavior is inversely proportional to the level of uncertainty felt. This is self-evident and appeals to intuition and common sense. Axiom 6 appears to be debatable. While it may or may not be the case that similarity or something held in common by strangers will facilitate communication, strangers meeting for the first time should look for more ways that they are the same rather than different. Case in point: A study by Goodboy and Myers indicates that students feel better if they could communicate well with an instructor and vice versa. And as such, they recommend that both students and instructors find ways to reduce the uncertainty that they feel towards each other. In particular, the instructor should be consistent in class and grading policies. This way, students could better perform in class. Application Beginning speech communication students must have heard that people do fear death the most. They fear public speaking (Rolls 1998)! Now, this forces us to question. Is there any way that the Uncertainty Reduction Theory could help reduce if not eliminate stage fright? Yes, there is. Stage fright may not be totally eliminated. As a matter of fact, a sufficient amount of it may be necessary for optimal speech performance. But it is the responsibility of the public speaker to manage speech anxiety in order to perform well and not be defeated by those butterflies in the stomach. It should be noted that the length, duration, and intensity of stage fright varies. This depends on the type and difficulty of a speech act (Witt and Behnke 2006). Here’s where the Uncertainty Reduction Theory will come. The level of uncertainty that a public speaker will feel on the podium will depend on how well (or how less) he or she knows his audience. If the speaker at an earlier point refused to follow the basic rule of doing your audience, he or she would find it hard to utter words that make sense. In return, the audience may feel uncertain if the speaker really knows what he or she is saying. Thus, credible information from the speaker is directly proportional to a good response from the audience and inversely proportional to a sense of cynicism. On the part of the speaker, a sense of knowing that your audience is receptive is directly proportional to the confidence that he or she can muster. Therefore, Axiom 1 holds as far as public speaking is concerned. For Axiom 3, a confident speaker without or with little uncertainty, would not care if the audience likes him or not. He will proceed with his talk as smoothly as he can. In contrast, even if he or she tries not to, a very uncertain speaker will notice every real or imagined little signs of disapproval. In a similar way, Axiom 34 holds for public speaking. Similarities, to paraphrase Axiom 6, facilitate communication. By having things in common, a speaker can empathize well with the audience and their needs; this makes him feel certain that he or she can with their heart. On the part of the audience, they obviously would prefer a speaker that could identify with them. But if nothing in common is immediately identifiable, Axiom 6 can guarantee a would-be speaker that he or she can gain rapport by finding or inventing something in common with the audience. Implications The Uncertainty Reduction Theory is a good framework for communication. This is especially true for shy persons. The way I see it, if it can be shown that good communication can only occur if some conditions are adequately fulfilled, i. e. the axioms and theorems of the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, then anyone experienced or not can learn how to communicate with other people more effectively. As shown in the previous section, the Uncertainty Reduction Theory can be used to analyze communication phenomena such as public speaking and stage fright. Therefore, if a particular problem could be accounted for, then a solution could be put in place. It follows that problems in public speaking could be lessened if public speakers in training would study communication theories such as the Uncertainty Reduction Theory. In more concrete terms, a communicator must be on top of the situation. He or she must take serious steps in reducing the feeling of uncertainty that the speaker and the audience feel toward each other. To accomplish this, a â€Å"spontaneous† or â€Å"extemporaneous† speech must be patterned to a well-formed formula of a speech that will surely reduce such uncertainty. Research in this aspect is an open field. Finally, by stating the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, in terms of axioms and theorems as in the language game of Mathematics, the authors of this theory have effectively placed communication as an almost exact science. Currently, communication is part of the social sciences but by improving its rigors and system of thought, it can compete side by side with science. This is a significant contribution of the Uncertainty Reduction Theory. Conclusion By understanding and applying the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, significant improvements in the quality of communication among individuals can be expected. Therefore, this theory must be taught to every student who will tread the halls of any respectable university. References Berger, C. R. , Calabrese, R. J. (1975). Some explorations in initial interaction and beyond:toward a developmental theory of interpersonal communication [Abstract]. Human Communication Research, Vol. 1(1): 99-112. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ123999) Retrieved November 17, 2008, from ERIC. Garlough, Christine. (nd). Uncertainty Reduction Theory [PowerPoint Presentation of Lecture]. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from http://www. commarts. wisc. edu/Fac/Garlough/Lectures/UncertaintyReductionTheory. ppt. Goodboy, Alan K. , Myers, Scott A. (2007). Student Communication Satisfaction, Similarity, and Liking as a Function of Attributional Confidence. Ohio Communication Journal, 45, 1-12. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from EBSCOhost Research Databases (Communication & Mass Media Complete). Rolls, Judith A. (1998). Facing the Fears Associated with Professional Speaking. Business Communication Quarterly, 61(2), 103-106. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from EBSCOhost Research Databases (Communication & Mass Media Complete). Witt, Paul L. , Behnke, Ralph. (2006). Anticipatory Speech Anxiety as a Function of Public Speaking Assignment Type. Communication Education, 55(2), 167-177. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from EBSCOhost Research Databases (Communication & Mass Media Complete).

Community Service Essay

Community service is very important because it helps build character, which is something that the Dalton School and the Detroit News would agree with me on. Having community service as a requirement to graduate is a good idea as long as the student can choose what type of community service they want to do; because it forces students to go out in their community and help others. Community Service doesn’t have to have a negative effect on people, it can and usually has a good effect. Willie Grothman and Tim Phang are two high school students who started a community service club that helped a lot of people in their community. Community service can be extremely valuable in the development of both character, academics and it gives students a chance to give back to their community. Community service builds character because after accomplishing something, it gives people a feel of satisfaction and accomplishment that makes students feel good about themselves. The Dalton School believes when an individual goes out in the world and interacts with other people in the spirit of bettering, that individual makes a contribution and will feel a sense of accomplishment. But on the other hand, some people argue that it is wrong to force students into doing community service. Arthur Stukas, Mark Snyder, and E. Gil Clary said students were less affected even if they had a choice of community service. These scientists also say that researchers have found that students who initially did not want to volunteer found that they actually enjoyed helping others if requirements were applied gently and with their input and involvement in the process. In my opinion that is what we want to happen when students are involved in community service. From graph two that Mark Hugo presents is that community service has a high rating from the students who are educationally successful which shows that community service can have a positive affect on people. In the Detroit News, they talked about a thirteen year-old boy named John Prueter and the type of community service he did and the positive affect it had on him. He volunteered at the Alterra Sterling House, an assisted living home in Hampton Township. From this experience from John, he now wants to study nursing and he said he became interested in the field because of his volunteer work. This shows the positive result of community service because it can also lead you into the career path you would have never known you liked until you volunteered. Putting time into your community is a way of â€Å"giving back†. The Dalton School says the moral center of a community, that place where we can find the values of empathy, compassion, and caring, is the basis for civic responsibility and the success of that community. In the Washington Post by Tara Bahrampour, she writes about two high school students, Willie Grothman and Tim Phang of Washington- Lee High School experienced the succ ess of community service. They formed a community service club called the Willie Grothman Club and they held things like walking for AIDS, for the homeless and for breast cancer in an event in which they took turns walking relays all night around a track in the rain. For these events they collect pledges of money from friends and family members for each mile they walked or each bowling pin they knocked down. These guys were some of the most inspiring people because they were not just helping their community, but the people in their community who were homeless, had AIDS, etc. Not only did this club change the members’ lives, but also it changed the lives of others around them, and the people they were helping. Community service does not have to be a negative because it can always turn into a positive. In the Dalton School, the Washington Post, the Detroit News, and Arthur Stukas, Mark Snyder, E. Gil Clary, and Mark Hugo, they all helped me determine that community service should be a requirement to graduate because it can change peoples lives for the better. Thank you for reading my essay but I have another question, which introduction sounds better, the one above or this one: Community service is very important because it helps build character. Having community service as a requirement to graduate is a good idea because it forces students to go out in their community and help others. Community Service doesn’t have to have a negative effect on students, it can have a good effect or no effect at all. Willie Grothman and Tim Phang – two high school students who started a community service club that helped a lot of people in their community-, The Dalton School, and The Detroit News- who did a story on John Prueter- would agree that community service is important. Community service can be extremely valuable in the development of both character, academics and it gives students a chance to give back to their community.

Childcare †Orientation Package Essay

INTRODUCTION One of the goals of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services is to help support social and economic development in Ontario by investing in and supporting an affordable, accessible and accountable child care system which helps benefit children, their parents and caregivers, and the broader community. The early learning and child care system in Ontario should: †¢ be accessible, affordable and inclusive †¢ care for children in a safe, nurturing environment †¢ foster early childhood development †¢ help support early learning and readiness for school †¢ be flexible and provide choice †¢ support children and their families †¢ provide appropriate standards of child care †¢ provide supports for parents in financial need, who are employed, in training, or involved in other employment activities †¢ support economic growth, and †¢ work in partnership with others involved in Ontario’s. early learning and child care system. This Orientation Package has been designed to provide individuals who are interested in obtaining a licence to operate either a day nursery (also known as child care centres) or a private-home day care agency in the Province of Ontario, with practical information and advice. The following information is included in this package: †¢ the process for obtaining a licence †¢ a summary of the licensing requirements to operate a day nursery or a private-home day care agency under the Day Nurseries Act †¢ a glossary of terms (Appendix 1) †¢ information to assist you in considering your decision to apply for a licence to operate either a day nursery or a private-home day care agency (Appendix 2) †¢ a list of the Regional Offices of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (Appendix 3), and †¢ a list of the Child Care Service System Managers responsible for planning and managing the delivery of child care services throughout Ontario (Appendix 4). 4 CHILD CARE IN ONTARIO The child care system in Ontario consists of a range of services for families and their children, including licensed day nurseries and private-home day care which provide supports to children and their families. The Day Nurseries Act requires any premise that receives more than five children under the age of 10 years, not of common parentage (children who have different parents), for temporary care and guidance, to be licensed as a day nursery. A person may provide informal child care to five children or less under the age of 10 years who are not of common parentage (children who have different parents), in addition to his/her own children, without a licence. This number may not be exceeded, regardless of the number of adults present or on site. When a person provides in-home child care at more than one location or co-ordinates the provision of care at more than one site, a licence to operate a private-home day care agency is required. It is an offence to establish, operate or maintain a day nursery or private-home day care agency without a licence. On conviction, the fine is up to $2,000 for each day the offence continues, or imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or both. Ministry staff have the responsibility to follow-up on all complaints about child care being provided without a licence. CHILD CARE LICENSING IN ONTARIO The Ministry of Children and Youth Services is responsible for the Day Nurseries Act and issues licences to operators of child care programs. There are two types of licensed child care programs: day nurseries and private-home day care agencies. In the Day Nurseries Act and in this package, child care centres are referred to as day nurseries. Day nurseries may include nursery schools, full day care, extended day care, and before and after school programs. Private-home day care agencies arrange or offer home day care at more than one home. Care is provided to five children or less, under 10 years of age in a private residence other than the home of the parent/guardian of the child. Homes are monitored by the agency. Role of the Operator Operators have responsibility for the operation and management of each day nursery or private-home day care agency, including the program, financial and personnel administration of the program. Operators of licensed day nurseries and private-home day care agencies are required to achieve and maintain compliance with the standards set out in Ontario Regulation 262 under the Day Nurseries Act at all times. The Day Nurseries Act and Ontario Regulation 262 are available through: Publication Services 777 Bay Street, Market Level, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C8 416-585-7485 or 1-800-668-9938 The Day Nurseries Act is available on the ministry’s website at: http://www. elaws. gov. on. ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90d02_e. htm. Ontario Regulation 262 under the Day Nurseries Act is available online at: http://www. elaws. gov. on. ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_900262_e. htm#37. (1). The Director under the Day Nurseries Act Child care licences are issued by a â€Å"Director† who is an employee of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, appointed by the Minister for the purpose of the Day Nurseries Act. The Director reviews all documents required for licensing, approves and signs the licence. The Director has the authority to refuse to issue a new licence if: †¢ the applicant or any of the officers, directors or employees of the applicant are not competent to operate a day nursery or privatehome day care agency in a responsible manner in accordance with the Day Nurseries Act 6 †¢ the past conduct of the applicant affords reasonable grounds for the belief that a day nursery or private-home day care agency will not be operated in accordance with the Day Nurseries Act, or the building in which the applicant proposes to operate the day nursery or provide private-home day care does not comply with the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act. †¢ In addition, if there are grounds, the Director may refuse to renew or revoke an existing licence. The Director may also issue a direction and temporarily suspend a licence if there is an immediate threat to the health, safety or well-being of the children. An applicant or licensee is entitled to a hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal. Role of Program Advisors Program Advisors, Ministry of Children and Youth Services staff designated under Section 16 of the Day Nurseries Act, are responsible for inspecting day nurseries and private-home day care agencies to enforce licensing requirements. In some regional offices, this position is referred to as Licensing Specialist. Program Advisors are responsible for assessing whether the operator has met the licensing requirements before an initial licence is issued. Unannounced inspections are conducted by Program Advisors for licence renewals on an annual basis or more frequently for a shorter term licences. In addition, Program Advisors conduct unannounced inspections in response to complaints related to licensed child care programs and to monitor operators who have difficulty maintaining compliance with licensing standards. The Ministry of Children and Youth Services also responds to complaints from the public pertaining to persons who are alleged to be operating without a licence (i. e. caring for more than five children under 10 years of age, not of common parentage, without a licence). The Application Process An individual or corporation can apply for a licence to operate a day nursery or a private-home day care agency. (Licences cannot be issued to partnerships. ) Types of operators include: †¢ an individual †¢ corporations (non-profit and for-profit) †¢ municipalities †¢ community colleges †¢ churches, or †¢ Bands and Councils of the Band. The prospective operator contacts the local Regional Office (see Appendix 3) to request an application package and confirm the information required before proceeding with the next steps in the licensing process. Prior to requesting an initial site inspection for a day nursery (a visit to determine if the space is appropriate), the operator submits the completed application form to the Regional Office, as well as: †¢ †¢ †¢ written verification from the zoning authority confirming the location is approved for use as a child care centre detailed floor plans, and detailed site plans of the proposed location. These plans must include room measurements, window measurements (actual glass area), location of fixed cabinets (counters and storage areas) and fenced outdoor playground space dimensions (if required). Please note that effective July 1, 2005, as part of regulatory changes to the Ontario Building Code, all building or renovation plans for a day nursery must be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services prior to a municipality issuing a building permit. It is the operator’s responsibility to determine whether the location will meet zoning, building, fire and health requirements. Written verification must be submitted to the regional office confirming that these requirements have been met prior to a licence being issued. The fee for a new licence is $15; the renewal fee is $10. If a licence renewal is submitted to the ministry after the licence expiry date, the late fee is $25. 8 Planning and Design Guidelines for Child Care Centres This guide provides information about the planning, design and renovation of licensed child care centres. It is intended to be used by persons involved in the site selection, design, and operation of a child care centre in the province of Ontario. This guide is available through the local MCYS Regional office and on the ministry’s website at http://www. children. gov. on. ca/mcys/english/resources/publications/be ststart-planning. asp. (Alternately, from the ministry’s home page at. http://www. children. gov. on.ca, you can follow the links to Best Start, then Best Start resources, then Planning and Design Guidelines for Child Care Centres. ) Obtaining a Licence To obtain a licence, applicants must demonstrate compliance with the requirements set out in Regulation 262 of the Day Nurseries Act in a number of areas including: confirmation of compliance with municipal zoning, building, fire and health requirements; the suitability of the building; availability of equipment and furnishings; conformity with space requirements and playground standards; maintenance of staff/child ratios for various age groups; staff qualifications; nutrition; appropriate behaviour management; programming and insurance. Private-home day care agencies must demonstrate compliance with the requirements set out in Regulation 262 of the Day Nurseries Act in a number of areas including: staffing and training; policies and procedures; records of inspections of providers’ homes; availability of equipment and furnishings; appropriate behaviour management and insurance. The Program Advisor makes a recommendation to the Director under the Day Nurseries Act about the issuance of a licence based on their assessment of compliance with the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act and ministry policy. The Director decides whether to issue a licence and the type and term of licence to be issued. The Director may add terms and conditions to the licence. The operator is required to comply with the terms and conditions of the licence as well as the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act and ministry policy. Operators must apply for a licence renewal prior to the expiry date of the current licence. Licences may be issued for a period of up to one year if all licensing requirements are met. Health Canada – Product Safety Program Health Canada helps protect the Canadian public by researching, assessing and collaborating in the management of the health risks and safety hazards associated with the many consumer products, including children’s equipment, toys and furnishings, that Canadians use everyday. Through their Product Safety Program, Health Canada communicates information about juvenile product hazards and recalls to protect children from avoidable risks. Advisories and warnings, juvenile product recall notices, food recalls and allergy alerts are posted on the Health Canada website. The Consumer Product Recalls webpage can be accessed at http://209. 217. 71. 106/PR/list-liste-e. jsp. Health Canada offers an electronic newsletter so that the public can receive updates when consumer advisories and warnings, juvenile product recalls, and consultation documents regarding consumer product safety are posted on the Health Canada Web site. As a prospective operator, you are encouraged to register on line for this service at: http://www. hc-sc. gc. ca/cps-spc/advisories-avis/_subscribeabonnement/index_e. html. Duration of Initial Licensing Process It may take up to 6 to 12 months to open a new day nursery or private-home day care agency depending on a number of factors, including the extent of the renovations, the incorporation of a corporation, the purchasing of equipment, the hiring of a supervisor or home visitors, the recruitment of staff, the development of policies and obtaining all required approvals. Types of Licences †¢ Regular licence – may be issued for up to 1 year if the operator was in compliance with licensing requirements when last inspected. 10 †¢ Regular short-term licence – issued at the discretion of the Director – routinely issued to new licensees (generally for a period of up to six months) or when more frequent licensing visits are appropriate to support ongoing compliance. Regular licence with terms and conditions – terms and conditions are requirements prescribed by a Director and are additional to the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act. They may reflect circumstances specific to the operation, such as half day or 10 month service. They may also be in place to minimize the recurrence of a non-compliance, such as incomplete staff medical records. Provisional licence – When Day Nurseries Act requirements have not been met and the operator requires time to meet requirements, a provisional licence (generally for a period up to three months) may be issued. This licence gives the operator a period of time to meet licensing requirements. Copies of a letter indicating that a provisional licence has been issued and a summary of the non-compliances are sent to the centre for distribution to parents. The summary of non-compliances will also appear on the Child Care Licensing Website. †¢ †¢ Child Care Licensing Website MCYS has launched the Child Care Licensing Website to provide parents with information about licensed child care in Ontario. The site is accessible at http://www. ontario. ca/ONT/portal51/licensedchildcare. A search tool allows parents to search for child care by city, postal code, type of program, age group, program name, operator name and language of service delivery. The site also provides the status of the licence and the terms and conditions of the licence for any licensed program parents might be considering or about which they might be concerned. Once a licence is issued, the information appearing on the licence of the program will be available on the website. Child Care Service System Managers The child care system is managed at the municipal level by fortyseven Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs) /District 11 Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs). Each service system manager has responsibility for planning and managing a broad range of child care services, including fee subsidy, wage subsidy, family resource centres and special needs resourcing. Prospective operators should contact their local child care service system manager (see Appendix 4) to discuss the need for child care in the area being considered and for information about funding and fee subsidy. 12 DAY NURSERIES ACT SUMMARY OF LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR DAY NURSERIES Day nurseries are centre-based programs and can include nursery schools, full day child care, extended day and before and after school programs. Organization and Management The operator of the day nursery is responsible for maintaining compliance with the Day Nurseries Act and ministry policy. This includes responsibility for the operation and management of the program and financial and personnel administration. A qualified supervisor who directs the program and oversees the staff is required for each child care centre. This person must have a diploma in Early Childhood Education, or other academic qualifications which are considered equivalent, and have at least two years experience in Early Childhood Education. The supervisor must also be approved by the Director under the Day Nurseries Act. Staff Qualifications †¢ The supervisor must have a diploma in Early Childhood Education or equivalent qualifications, with two years experience and must be approved by the Director under the Day Nurseries Act. †¢ One staff with a diploma in Early Childhood Education or equivalent qualifications must be hired for each group of children. Health Assessments and Immunization †¢ Staff immunization/health assessment, as required by the local medical officer of health, must be completed before commencing employment. 13. Number and Group Size Number of Staff required for a Day Nursery Other than a Day Nursery for Children with Disabilities Ratio of Employees to Children 3 to 10 1 to 5 Maximum Number of Children in a Group 10 15 Group Age of Children in Group Infant Toddler Under 18 months of age 18 months of age and over up to and including 30 months of age more than 30 months of age up to and including 5 years of age 44 months of age or over and up to and including 67 months of age as of August 31 of the year 56 months of age or over and up to and including 67 months of age as of August 31 of the year 68 months of age or over as of August 31 of the year and up to and including 12 years of age Preschool 1 to 8 16 Junior Kindergarten 1 to 10 20 Senior Kindergarten 1 to 12 24 School age. 1 to 15 30 †¢ All children must be supervised by an adult at all times. †¢ Ratios are not permitted to be reduced at any time for children under 18 months of age. †¢ Ratios are not to be reduced on the playground. 14 †¢ Where there are six or more children over 18 months of age or four or more children under 18 months of age in attendance, there must be at least two adults on the premises. †¢ Staff/child ratios may be reduced to 2/3 of the required ratios during the periods of arrival and departure of children and during the rest period, with the following exceptions: †¢ †¢ when children are under 18 months of age on the playground with any age group. †¢ In a full day program operating six or more hours in a day, for the purposes of staffing, the period of arrival is not to exceed two hours after the opening and the period of departure is not to exceed two hours before the closing of the day nursery. †¢ In half day nursery school programs and school age programs, the period of arrival is not to exceed 30 minutes after the opening and the period of departure is not to exceed 30 minutes before the closing of the day nursery. Criminal Reference Checks Individuals and directors of a corporation applying for new licences will be required to submit a criminal reference check to their local Ministry of Children and Youth Services Regional Office as part of the licence application. In preparation for the initial licensing visit, the operator of the day nursery is required to develop a criminal reference check policy for all full and part time staff working with the children, as well as for volunteers. Additional information about the Ministry of Children and Youth Services criminal reference check policy is available from Regional Offices. Building and Accommodation Each day nursery must: †¢ comply with the requirements of applicable local authorities i. e. zoning and building department, medical officer of health and fire department †¢ comply with the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, O. Reg. 170/03, where applicable. These provisions only apply to designated facilities with drinking water systems where 15 the water is not provided through service connections with a municipal residential water system. The requirements of this regulation are available from the Ministry of the Environment’s website at http://www. ene. gov. on. ca/envision/gp/5361e. pdf †¢ comply with the requirements for lead flushing and water sample testing (where applicable) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, O. Reg. 243/07. The requirements of this regulation are available from the Ministry of the Environment’s website at http://www. ontario. ca/ONT/portal51/drinkingwater/General? docId= 177450&lang=en †¢ comply with the requirements of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. †¢ have designated spaces for washing, toileting and separate storage areas for toys, play materials and equipment †¢ have designated space for eating and resting, preparation of food if prepared on premises or a food service area if food is catered (prepared off premises by a food catering company and delivered to the centre), a fenced playground (see page 15), storage for beds, a staff rest area and an office area if the program operates for six or more hours †¢ have play space of at least 2. 8 square metres (30 square feet) Of unobstructed floor space for each child, based on the licensed capacity †¢ have separate play activity rooms for each age grouping. A separate sleep area for infants is also required †¢ have rooms on or below the second floor where the rooms are for children under six years of age †¢ have a clear window glass area equivalent to 10% of the available floor area for each play activity room for a program that operates for six or more hours in a day. 16 Equipment and Furnishings Each day nursery must have: †¢ an adequate number of toys, equipment and furnishings for the licensed capacity. The toys, equipment and furnishings must be age appropriate and include sufficient numbers for rotation as well as for gross-motor activity in the playground area †¢ infant and toddler diapering areas that are adjacent to a sink †¢ cribs or cradles that meet the requirements of the Hazardous Products Act, for infants, and cots for older children †¢ equipment and furnishings which are maintained in a safe and clean condition and kept in a good state of repair †¢ a telephone or an alternative means of obtaining emergency assistance that is approved by the Director. †¢ Where children are transported in a day nursery vehicle, child seating and restraint systems are used that meet the requirements of the Highway Traffic Act, O. Reg. 613. Policies and Procedures Every operator must develop the following policies and procedures: †¢ Fire evacuation procedures †¢ Sanitary practices †¢ Serious occurrence policy, including child abuse reporting procedures †¢ Criminal reference check policy †¢ Medication policy †¢ Behaviour management policy, including monitoring procedures and contravention policies 17. †¢ Program statement/parent handbook †¢ Playground safety policy †¢ Anaphylactic policy, including an individual plan for each child with a severe allergy and the emergency procedures to be followed. Playground Requirements †¢ Programs operating six or more hours in a day require outdoor play space equivalent to 5. 6 square metres (60 square feet) per child, based on licensed capacity. †¢ The playground must be: †¢ sub-divided if licensed capacity is over 64 children †¢ at ground level and adjacent to the premise †¢ designed so that staff can maintain constant supervision. †¢ If used by children under 44 months of age as of August 31 of the year, the playground must be fenced to a minimum height of 1. 2m (4 feet) and furnished with one or more gates that can be securely closed at all times. †¢ If used by children 44 months of age and up to an including 67 month of age as of August 31 of the year (children eligible to attend junior and senior kindergarten), the playground is fenced to a minimum height of 1. 2 metres and the fence is furnished with one or more gates that are securely closed at all times, unless otherwise approved by the Director. †¢ Fixed playground structures (i. e. climbing equipment, slides) are not required by the Day Nurseries Act; however, if the operator intends to install fixed play structures, the structures and safety surfacing must meet current Canadian Standards Association standards. †¢ The current Canadian Standards Association’s (CSA) Standard applies to new and newly renovated playground equipment, and 18 safety surfacing. The CSA Standards also set out the requirements for routine maintenance and inspections. †¢ Playground plans indicating the type and location of fixed structures as well as the type and area of safety surfacing must be approved by the ministry before installation. †¢ Once play structures and surfacing are installed, compliance with the CSA standards must be verified in writing by an independent certified playground inspector before the structures can be used by the children. Inspections †¢ Copies of fire and health inspections are to be sent to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services program advisor and kept on file at the day nursery. Insurance Requirements †¢ The operator must have comprehensive general liability coverage and personal injury coverage for all staff and volunteers. †¢ All vehicles owned by the operator and used for transportation of staff and children must have motor vehicle insurance. Fire Safety and Emergency Information †¢ A fire safety plan must be approved by the local fire department. †¢ A written evacuation procedure, approved by the fire department, must be posted in each room. †¢ Staff are to be instructed on their responsibilities in the event of fire. †¢ Monthly fire drills must be conducted and written records of drills maintained. †¢ Tests of the fire alarm system and fire protection equipment (as required under the Ontario Fire Code) must be conducted and written records of test results maintained. †¢ There must be a designated place of emergency shelter. †¢ An up-to-date list of emergency telephone numbers including the fire department, hospital, ambulance service, poison control centre, police department and a taxi service must be posted where they can be easily accessed. †¢ Medical and emergency contact information for each child must be accessible. Health and Medical Supervision †¢ A daily written log that includes health and safety incidents is required. †¢ Any instructions or recommendations made by the fire department, public health department or other regulatory bodies must be implemented and recorded. †¢ Sanitary practices and procedures must be approved by Ministry. †¢ Children must be immunized according to the requirements of the local medical officer of health, unless a fully authorized exemption is on file. †¢ Before each child begins to play with others, a daily observation of the child’s health is required. †¢ An ill child must be separated from others and arrangements made for the child to be taken home or for immediate medical attention, if required. †¢ Serious occurrence procedures must be in place and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services notified of any occurrence. A serious occurrence includes such things as the death of a child, a serious injury, alleged abuse/mistreatment of a child, a missing child, a disaster on the premises (e. g. fire) or a serious complaint. 20 †¢ A written anaphylactic policy is in place that includes: †¢ A strategy to reduce the risk of exposure to anaphylactic causative agents †¢ A communication plan for the provision of information on lifethreatening allergies, including anaphylactic allergies †¢ An individual plan for each child with an anaphylactic allergy that includes emergency procedures in respect of the child †¢ Staff, students and volunteers have received training on procedures to be followed if a child has an anaphylactic reaction. †¢ A first aid kit and manual must be readily available. †¢ A written procedure approved by a qualified medical practitioner regarding the giving and recording of medication is required. The procedure should include the storage of medication (e. g. medication must be stored in a locked container). †¢ If a child has or may have a reportable disease or is or may be infected with a communicable disease, this is reported to the medical officer of health as soon as possible. †¢ Cats and dogs on the premises must be inoculated against rabies. Nutrition †¢ Infants are to be fed according to written parental instructions. †¢ Food and drink from home must be labelled with the child’s name. †¢ All food and drink must be stored to maintain maximum nutritive value. †¢ Meals and snacks must meet the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act. Canada’s Food Guide provides useful information about nutrition. 21 †¢ Meals are to be provided where a day nursery operates for 6 or more hours each day or where the daily program operates less than 6 hours each day and operates over the meal time. This generally refers to the provision of lunch as the mid-day meal. In day nurseries that offer care over extended hours, this may mean that breakfast and/or dinner are also provided. †¢ With the approval of a ministry Director, children 44 months of age or over as of August 31 of the year may bring bag lunches. Written policies and procedures with guidelines for bag lunches should be both posted and provided to parents. †¢ Menus must be posted with substitutions noted. †¢ Children’s food allergies must be posted in the kitchen and in all rooms where food is served. †¢ Special dietary arrangements for individual children are to be carried out according to written instructions of parents. Behaviour Management †¢ Corporal punishment is not allowed under any circumstances. †¢ The following are not permitted: †¢ deliberate harsh or degrading measures that would humiliate or undermine a child’s self respect †¢ deprivation of food, shelter, clothing or bedding †¢ confining a child in a locked room †¢ exits locked for the purpose of confinement. †¢ Written behaviour management policies and procedures which guide centre staff in managing children’s behaviour are to be reviewed annually by the operator. The operator is required to review the policies and procedures with employees and volunteers or students before they begin working, and annually thereafter. These policies must set out permitted and prohibited behaviour 22 management practices and measures to deal with any contraventions of the policy. †¢ There must be: †¢ a signed, written record of all reviews, and †¢ a written procedure for monitoring behaviour management practices of employees, students and volunteers, and a record kept of this monitoring. Enrolment Records †¢ Up to date enrolment records for all children in attendance must be on site at all times and be available to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. These records include, in part, an application, immunization records, emergency information, names of persons to whom the child may be released, parental instructions regarding rest, diet or exercise. †¢ Daily attendance records that indicate a child’s arrival, departure and absence from the program are required. †¢ The medical officer of health or designate such as the public health nurse is permitted to inspect children’s records to ensure that all required immunizations are up to date. Program In order to ensure that the program offered is age and developmentally appropriate for the age of the children being served, the following is required: †¢ a written program philosophy statement which is reviewed annually by the operator and with parents prior to enrolling their child †¢ a program statement which includes: Services, age range, times when the services are offered, holidays, fees, admission and discharge policies, program philosophy, program development, personal and health care, nutrition, parental involvement and 23  behaviour management, specialized services and activities off the premises †¢ varied, flexible and age appropriate programs that include quiet and active play, individual and group activities which are designed to promote gross and fine motor skills, language and cognitive skills, and social and emotional development, and †¢ a daily program plan posted and available to parents with any variations to the program recorded in the daily log. In addition: †¢ Any infants not able to walk are to be separated from other children during active indoor and outdoor play periods †¢ Children under 30 months of age are to be separated from older children during active indoor and outdoor play periods †¢ Children who attend for six or more hours in a day and are over 30 months of age shall have at least two hours of outdoor play, weather permitting †¢ Children who attend for.