Internet Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Internet Security - Research Paper Example the computers being used to access the internet, or the user. The subjects pertaining to the security against these threats are internet safety and internet security. There is a slight difference in internet security and internet safety, with the most basic one being that the former focuses more on the direct safety of a computer network from threats that can attack through the internet, such as viruses or data corruption, while internet safety relates more to the security and safety of the user, such as identity fraud, money scams, false information etc. Although both forms of security threats can are important to understand and counter, this paper will concentrate mostly on the more technical aspect of internet security, and will focus on the various threats that are encountered and the preventative measures taken against them. As mentioned, internet security is the necessary measures taken and rules laid out which make the use of the internet more secure for a user in terms of the safety of their computer from various threats. To understand where these threats rise from it is first important to understand the basic working of the internet. ... IP transfers the required bits of data, firs within each individual network, then between secondary levels of networks, starting from the most basic level, and then progressing regionally and then globally, thus allowing the information to reach from one point to another. TCP checks these bits of data, ensuring they are correctly being transferred and offering corrective feedback measures when they aren’t (Reed, 2004). Data threats enter this system of information management when at any of these many levels data is encrypted and corrupted. To prevent this, a number of measures are taken, which include SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), TLS (Transport Layer Security) and IPsec, with the most effective one being the IPsec protocol, which in turn further uses the AH (Authentication Header) and ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) protocols as the mechanism for its protection. AP authenticates the data and then sends it further on, and ESP provides confidentiality. All three protocols ba sically revolve around the same principal of securing communication by authenticating the sender at each level where these protocols are implemented, and by encrypting the data so that in case of unwanted interception, it is not altered. Internet security threats are also widely transferred through email messages. Again, understanding how email messages work greatly explains the reason for this. Email messages can also be considered bits of data that are transferred through the many networks of internet, with the main difference being that users can easily edit and change this data at the various levels it is transmitted to. How email messages basically work is that first a user composes a message. This message is converted into a certain standard form and is transferred to the mail

Declaration of Independence and I Have a Dream Essay Example for Free

Declaration of Independence and I Have a Dream Essay Thomas Jefferson’s â€Å"Declaration of Independence† and Martin Luther King’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† are texts that have a common denominator: the pursuit of liberty. Although both documents do not focus their context in the same historical moment, both have greatly influenced the history of the United States. Specifically, Jefferson’s purpose with the â€Å"Declaration of Independence† was to denounce the offenses suffered at the hands of Great Britain and to finally declare their absolute independence, sovereignty and liberty. On the other hand, Martin Luther King’s speech, â€Å"I Have a Dream† exhorts people to end the discrimination towards Negroes and finally, their freedom. In the â€Å"Declaration of Independence†, Jefferson employs a very clear and concise language. He used this powerful language in order to use it as an instrument of social and political change. His wordplay is a very persuasive and strong one. The language of the â€Å"Declaration of Independence† is more complicated because it is a document written in 1776 and some of the words written in it are not used so often today. In the speech I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King also used words of strong connotation. It is a speech written mostly in the form of sermon, which is influenced by King, who served as a Baptist clergyman. Both texts employ a highly persuasive language that is mainly directed to their respective audiences. When we analyze the â€Å"Declaration of Independence†, we can realize that Jefferson makes a list of statements to prove the absolute Tyranny, which is present over the States. He uses these to persuade and convince the audience. Also, he repeats phrases such as â€Å"He has†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"For†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to emphasize the facts he is presenting. Basically, the â€Å"Declaration of Independence† is a deductive argument, a form which begins with a principle and is followed by details, examples, and reasoning. Finally, â€Å"I Have a Dream† is the union of many literary techniques. King’s use of repetition in phrases like I have a dream and Let freedom ring emphasize the yearnings of Negroes and present what they mainly seek. It is a work which alludes to the â€Å"Declaration of Independence†. It also has lots of metaphors and analogies. The â€Å"Declaration of Independence† focuses its content first in its preamble, in which are written the most important and basic principles of the Declaration. Then, it is followed by a list of charges against the King of Great Britain, which are directed to demonstrate his tyranny among the States. The conclusion says that they must avoid such tyranny and declare that they have their sovereignty and therefore, their freedom. â€Å"I Have a Dream† mainly focuses on the complaint of the disenfranchisement of Negroes and the exhortation to change. Is a social proposal, a breathtaking and inspiring speech in its content. Finally, we conclude that there are more similarities between the Declaration of Independence and I Have a Dream than differences. They are texts that encourage the masses to enter and begin social movements in order to fight for their rights. These are inspiring and encouraging texts that reflect the feeling of the huge majorities in the United States. Synthesizing, the language is complex and compelling, both are full of literary techniques, and the content is social, and aimed at the masses in order to pursuit their liberty.

Inclusion Of Visually Impaired Students

Inclusion Of Visually Impaired Students Education aims to ensure that that all students gain access to skills, knowledge and information that will prepare them in life. Education becomes more challenging as schools accommodate students with diverse backgrounds and SEN needs. Meeting these challenges demands schools to have an inclusive education. Inclusive education brings all students together in one classroom and community, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential of all students. There is now greater recognition that the special needs agenda should be viewed as a significant part of the drive for Inclusive Education (Ainscow, M 1995). The idea is that the concept of integration is being replaced by a move towards inclusive schooling/education. Integration demands that additional arrangements will be made to accommodate pupils with disabilities within a system of schooling that remains largely unchanged (Ainscow, M 1995 p 2). Inclusive education, on the other hand, is a larger and prior concept (Flavell, L 1996, p 5) and aims to restructure schools in order to respond to the learning needs of all children (Male D, 1997). An Inclusive school ask teachers to provide individualised support without the stigmatisation thats comes with separation, and to provide opportunities where all students can learn together in an unrestrictive environment where the quality of their education is not compromised. Appendix 1.1 shows a model of inclusive provision (Dyson, A et al, 2004). Inclusion is not just for student and staff but for governors, parents and the local community (Flavell, L 2002). Research on effective inclusive schooling has shown schools improve thorough whole school responses and not just by teaching strategies that include all learners (Ainscow,M 1994). Appendix 1.2 shows characteristics of these schools (Ainscow, M 1991; Hopkins, Ainscow and West, 1994) 1.2 Legislative Context The amendments to the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Part IV regulations came into effect on 1 September 2002 via the Special Education and Disability Act (SENDA, 2001). It requires school to implement the part of the Act that prevents such institutions from discriminating against students on the grounds of their disability. It is therefore mandatory for all teachers, including MFL teachers to make reasonable adjustments to allow full participation by students with disabilities. Appendix 1.3 is the overview introduction to the DDA while Appendix 1.4 is the DDA Part VI. 1.3 Fullhurst Community School Policy The legislation makes it clear that all teaching staff is responsible for the provision for students with SEN and/or disabilities. (TDA, 1999) Appendix 1.5 shows specific duties under the DDA outlined by the TDA (TDA, 1999) for use by schools. Thomas (1992) states that the whole school community should be involved in developing a policy on the organisation of support in the classroom. The Code of Practice (DfE 1994) calls for all schools to have a special Education needs Policy with outlines the agreed practice at each stage in meeting the needs of pupils. As required by law all schools who receive government funding are expected to have a written SEN policy with regard to the Code of Practice. Fullhurst Community School has a comprehensive policy which is mandatory for all staff to be familiar with. It includes their guidelines, accessibility, definitions, SEN status, provisions, referral information, learning needs and conditions. Appendix 1.6 is a partial copy of the Fullhurst Community School Guide to SEN. 2. Visually Impaired Students 2.1 Inclusion of visual impaired students It is estimated that there are around 25,000 children and young people in Britain from birth to 16 with a visual impairment of sufficient severity to require specialist education service support. (www.rnib.co.uk) In the report entitled Education of the Visually Handicapped (Department of Education and Science, 1972) commissioned by the British government in 1968, it recommends that blind and partially sighted children would benefit from being educated in the same schools. It did, however, also support the general concept of integration of children with visual impairments (VI) into mainstream schools. Further reports, such as The Warnock Report (Department of Education and Science 1978) and the subsequent Education Act (1981) consolidated that right of children with SEN to placement in local schools, with the consideration of the efficient use of resources. During the 70-80s there was a steep rise in the LEA services for children with VI (visual impairment) and an increase in local schools education of VI students supported by qualified in school support workers or peripatetic specialised teachers (Douglas et al, 2009). As this enrolment increased in mainstream schools, specialised schools for the blind were closing or adapting encompassing students with more complex needs (McCall, 1997). The Code of Practice for SEN (Department of Education) accepted that the needs of most children with SEN could be met within mainstream schools but took a moderate stance on inclusion by emphasising the importance of maintaining a continuum of provision for a continuum of needs (Hornby, 1999, p 153). By 2000 inclusion of VI children in mainstream schools had become well documented in policy and practice. Legislation continued to strengthen the rights of SEN children in local schools, culminating in the previously mentioned SENDA (2001) amendments to the 1995 DDA. Appendix 1.7 and 1.8 highlight research and statistics pertaining to VI students in local schools. 2.2 Visual Impairment and Modern Foreign Languages No matter what their educational level, the visually handicapped often display a marked talent for learning foreign languages. This seems to be the result of a particular aural sensitivity and the memory training which forms part of the rehabilitation process. (Nikolic, 1986 p222) The major aspect of work in the modern languages is that while other curriculum areas use communication to teach the subject content, MFL use content to teach communication (Couper, 1996). MFL classrooms rely heavily on non-verbal method of communication and in most classrooms the visual sense plays a dominant though not exclusive role (Couper, 1996 p 7). 2.3 Adaption of teaching practise and materials In traditional MFL learning, teachers use visual projectors, flashcards, wall posters, gesturing, mime and facial expressions to teach, however literature on teaching MFL to VI advocates using different means. Realia, enlarges pictures, mobiles are recommended to introduce new vocabulary and using games such as noughts and crosses, hangman and board games to enhance knowledge. Price (1994) and Couper (1996) show that the adaption of materials for use in class is a time consuming and costly process and as such teachers often have to adapt materials themselves. Appendix 1.9 shows a self-audit for inclusive modern languages lessons: planning teaching, learning and support provided by the TDA (2009) which allows teacher to observe and try out certain methods to keep their classroom inclusive. Lewin-Jones and Hodgson (2005) outline strategies which can be used by teachers to ensure an inclusive classroom. Strategies such as using students names more frequently or touch (once pre-approved before) have been known to work effectively (Jones, 2004). Adapting the way you ask questions e.g what is the man in green doing? to what is the angry man doing? Teachers have to adapt the lesson to include repetition other than using the white boards but through the speaking and listening skills. AFL strategies such as thumbs up or down can be used simply instead of traffic lightsystem where VI students may have difficulty colour differentiating (Appendix 1.9a). McCall (1997) postulates that these changes help, not only the learning of the VI students, but potentially all students learning. From the skills in language learning: reading, writing, listening and speaking; reading and writing can be troublesome for VI students as it is difficult to skim/scan text or move between text and answers or locate specific information within texts quickly. Nikolic (1986) compounds this difficulty adding that that trouble lies in the infrequent contact a VI student has with the written form. Ways must be found for students to access these skills. In MFL it is important for mixed skill activities. This will allow VI students to team up listening and speaking, where traditionally they may be stronger with reading and writing where they may be weaker (Couper, 1996). 2.4 The learning Support Worker VI students often get accompanied to lessons by classroom assistants or specialist teachers (LSW). Their role is not to take the job of the teacher but to enable the learning of the student. It is fundamentally important that students continue to be independent and in control of their learning, the LSW can provide aid in practising dialogues, spontaneous and reading from cue cards. Studies show that the quality and quantity of the work provided by LSWs who speak French fluently is greater than those who dont (Lewin-Jones and Hodgson, 2005). 3. Inclusive Teaching in Year 7 with a Visual Impaired student 3.1 Student X My year 7 French class contains a VI student. On learning this I set about making steps to better inform my planning. I accessed the school SEN policy taking particular attention to the section on visual impairments. Appendix 1.10 shows the SEN guide pertaining to VI. I organised a meeting with the school SENCO and with the students LSW. Appendix 1.11 outlines the material provided by the school SENCO to all teachers of student X. It includes details pertaining to what s/he can see, what s/he needs in the classroom brailler, laptop, hardcopies in font N48 of anything taught on a PowerPoint or at a distance. Appendix 1.12 shows information I learned from the SENCO and the LSW in our meetings and Appendix 1.13 shows student Xs school IEP. From this information I was able to start planning knowing students Xs needs and limitations implementing inclusive strategies. 3.2 Implementation of inclusive strategies ~ Differentiation by support: LSW Student X is entitled to extra disability related funding. This allowed them to have a full time LSW with fluent French accompany her to her French classes. From my meeting with the LSW we were able to work with the scheme of work module 2 and produce a comprehensive vocab list that the LSW was able to adapt in preparation for the term. Appendix 1.14 has the schools Yr 7 SOW. In order for all materials to be correctly adapted lesson plans had to be submitted minimally 1 week in advance. However, having a fluent French speaker as an LSW allowed for ad-hoc French learning for student X. The LSW was able to explain to student X additional tasks. Appendix 1.15 is a lesson evaluation showing how the LSW explained an ad-hoc task I had the students do on something which they were having problems. (avoir v etre). My Teaching I had to adapt my teaching style. As I had no training and the school provided me with some information I had to use what I had learned from the meetings and from learn as you go and learn from your mistakes approaches. Spelling out words I was writing and also reading aloud everything that was being written on or projected onto the white board were things I quickly picked up after hearing the LSW spelling out what I was writing in my first lesson. Appendix 1.16 is a lesson evaluation form from my first lesson teaching this Yr7 class. As student X is an invaluable source of how s/he learns I had 2 meetings with student X and the LSW. Appendix 1.17 included minutes of the first meeting. Regarding AFL I implemented thumb up or thumb down policy. Appendix 1.18 shows lesson plan showing this ~ Differentiation by resource: ICT All power point and ICT work was sent to students X LSW before each class. It allowed student X to use her JAWS software (appendix 1.19) to access the information. An example of such use is appendix 1.20 where student X was able to access one of the lesson tasks and submit her answer by print while the other students handwrote theirs. As the term progressed I was adapting to use aural repetition to strengthen knowledge of vocabulary and phrases. Appendix 1.20 shows an ERF form during my placement highlighting increased use of repetition. Braille Assistive technology benefit the VI but according to Argyropoulos, Martos, and Leotskakou (2005, p 185) the cultivation of literacy skills may be delayed significantlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦., and illiteracy may be increased. Because of this it is important for student X to use braille to have exposure to the written form of French while would ensure written accuracy. Appendix 1.22 has various examples of work adapted into Braille while some of them have been corrected by the LSW, as I cannot do this. In assessment student X is therefore no longer at an advantage at spelling as they have been viewing and using the correct version through braille. Tactile Pictures One of Students X preferred methods to learn new vocab is using tactile images. This allows student X to mentally perceive the image using touch. S/he is in essence picturing the same image as the students who are seeing the image. Appendix 1.23 is a photocopy of the tactile images of animals I used while teaching animal vocabulary. Handouts As previously discussed all handouts are in a font N48. Appendix 1.24 illustrates examples of adapted hand outs for students Xs exercise book and also for listening tasks completed in class. ~ Differentiation by task: An area where some of the more reasonable adjustments were made within the classroom. Student X has no problems engaging in listening and speaking tasks once the hand outs/instructions are in braille / correct font size. However when the student is using ICT /power point to do tasks it had to be adopted for student X. Appendix 1.25. shows an example where student used information on the overhead to match questions with possible answers , while student X had the questions and answers were separately printed for them and then could join them up. Appendix 1.26 shows examples of the Differentiated by section of lesson plan where the tasks are differentiated by the students needs. The subject content is still the same just different how they work with it. Concerning assessment feedback it was essential to go through it verbally with the student. While giving positive award postcards I was able to liaise with the LSW to get the material out into braille. An example of this is shown in appendix 1.27 Student X is then able to access the feedback and comments whenever is convenient. 4. Implications of teaching a student with VI Some of the key highlights and finding I learned with my practical experience teaching VI students are outlined below. A comprehensive and effective school policy The more adaptable teachers can make their classes the more schools can become inclusive. Adapting lessons to with certain SEN can have a benefit for other SEN and all students in general. It becomes clear that planning is the key element and the earlier you have it done the easier adapting the material by experts can be. Similarly it means the easier you can change your lessons as required Teachers have to allow extra time for preparation of classes, assessments tests and exams (Ornsin- Jones, Courtney, and Dickinson, 2005). Teachers have to allow additional time for VI students to complete their work Appropriate training should be provided where there are resources and sessions within the MFL department. It is not enough for meeting but teachers need to observe strategies for inclusion of VI in practise. In terms of MFL teaching there are little resources or sharing of experiences (Stephens and Marsh, 2005). By extension schools should be able to keep on file work done in braille and differentiated resources for future use. Teachers must be confident engaging students with disabilities, especially those with additional support. Prior discussion with the support workers can help strengthen your ability to do so during the lessons and allow you to improve you teaching practices both within and outside the classroom. 5. Conclusion The success of children and young people with visual impairment in mainstream schools is heavily dependent upon the quality of support that is available to them (Mason and McCall, 1997 p 412 ) As figures show more and more VI students are being educated in mainstream schools it is therefore important to have systems in place to help train and educate teachers who are teaching VI students. Evidence shows that special schools have played roles in supporting and training when necessary (McCall et al, 2009). As children with more complex needs enter local schools, the demands on the professional skills of those supporting them can only increase. According to Sutcliffe (1997) Effective inclusion of students with VI relies not only on the provision and appropriate access using differentiated resources, support or tasks but also on the administrative and day-to-day management of the learning environment. Schools need effective policies, a drive for inclusion behaviour, and training for all staff. Also required is a creative, hardworking staff that put the needs of all their students at the top of their agenda. For individual teachers, Orsini-Jones, Courtney, and Dickinson (2005) advise that there may be tension at times due to reasonable adjustments but that if teachers can identify the barriers and remove them for SEN students then you are creating an inclusive environment and positive atmosphere. References Ainscow, M. (1994). Special Needs in the Classroom: A Teacher Education Guide. Kingsley/UNESCO. Ainscow, M. (1995). Education for All: Making It Happen. Keynote address presented at the International Special Education Congress, Birmingham, UK, 10-13 April 1995. Ainscow, M. (Ed.) (1991). Effective Schools for All. London: Fulton. Argyropoulos, V., A. Martos and B. Leotskakou. 2005. Blind students and spelling: An investigation into Braille literacy skills. Proceedings of the ICEVI conference 2005: Education- Aiming for Excellence, 180-5. http://www.icevi-europe.org/chemnitz2005/iveci-chemnitz2005.pdf. Bender, R. (1970). The Conquest of Deafness. Cleveland: Western Reserve University. Bray, M., Clarke, P .B. and Stephens, D. (1986). Education and Society in Africa. London: Edward Arnold. Carmen, R. (1996). Autonomous Development: Humanizing the Landscape An Excursion into Radical Thinking and Practice. London: Zed Books. Cole-Hamilton, I Vale, D. (2000) Shaping the Future The Experiences of Blind and Partially Sighted Children and Young People in the UK London: RNIB Department for Education (1994) Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Speical Education Needs. London: HSMO Department for Education and Science (DfES) (2001a) The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act London: HMSO DfES (2001b) The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice Nottingham: DfES Dickinson, A. 2005. Dont panic (smile)! How visually impaired students access online learning and giving realistic guidelines to academic staff at Coventry University. International Congress Series 1282 :386-40 Dovey, K. A. (1994). Non-formal educational strategies as a means of effecting positive change in instructions of formal education in South Africa. Journal of Practice in Education and Development, Vol. 1, No.1, pp. 15-20. Flavell, L. (2001) Preparing to Include Special Children in Mainstream School: A Practical Guide London: David Fulton Hmilton, Elizbeth, Kathleen Prime, Christine Gibson, Eric Caron, Jeffrey Rathlef, and HeidiFischer. 2006. Students who are blind or visually impaired accessing foreign languages. Mobility International USA. http://www.miusa.org/ncde/tipsheets/foreignlang/. Kilnkosv W., Sekowski, and M. Brambring. 2006. Academic achievement and personality in University students who are visually impaired. Journal of the visual impairment and blindness 100, no. 11: 666-7 Lewin-Jones, J. and Hodgson, J. (2004) Differentiation strategies relating to the inclusion of a student with severe visual impairment in higher education (modern foreign languages) British Journal of Visual Impairment 22/1:32-36 Lewin-Jones, J., and J. Hodgson. 2004. Differentiation strategies relating to the inclusion of student with a severe visual impairment in higher education (modern foreign languages). British Journal of visual impairment 22, no. 1: 32-6 Lomas, Janet. 1997. Support for pupils within Mainstream Provision. In Visual Impairment: Access to education for children and young people, ed. Christine Arter, Heather Mason, Steve Mc Call, Mike McLinden, and Juliet Stone,. London: David Fulton Male, D. (1997) Including pupils with profound and multiple and severe learning difficulties in Smith, B. (ed) The SLD Experience; Kidderminster: British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD). Mc Call, Steve. 1999. Acccessing the curriculum. In Children with visual impairment in mainstream settings, ed. Christine Arter, Heather Mason, Steve Mc Call, Mike McLinden, and Juliet Stone, 29-40. London: David Fulton Milligan, J. (2002) DDA Part IV Implications for visually impaired students, Visability, Winter 2002 Nicolic, T. (1986) Teaching a foreign language to visually impaired children in school, Language Teaching. Nikolic, T. 1986. Teaching a foreign language to visually impaired children in school. Language Teaching 19, no. 3: 218-31 Orinsi-Jones, M., C. Courtney, and A. Dickinson. 2005. Supporting foreign language learning for a blind student: A case study from Coventry University. Support for learning 20, no. 3: 146-52 Richardson, J., and A.W.N Roy. 2002. The representation and attainment of students with a visual impairment in higher education. British Journal of visual Impairment 20, no. 1: 37-48 Richardson,J. Roy, A. (2002) The representation and attainment of students with a visual impairment in higher education, British Journal of Visual Impairment 20/1 Stevens, A., and D. Marsh. 2005. Foreign language teaching within special needs education: Learning from Europe-wide experience. Support for learning 20, no. 3: 109-14 UNESCO (1993). Special Needs in the Classroom: Teacher Resource Pack. Paris: UNESCO. www.rnib.co.uk

A Comparison between Othello and The Trial Essay -- comparison compare

A Comparison between Othello and The Trial   Ã‚   In the same way that the concept innocence and arrogance appear at cross-purposes, a comparison between "Othello" by William Shakespeare and " The Trial " by Franz Kafka at first sight appears contradictory. On closer analysis however, both these terms and these two works can be shown to have demonstrated the same inseparable idea.    The philosophy of both times introduces the ideas. And it gives us an understanding of why they thought that way and to make us understand the writer's work better. Shakespeare birthed in the Renaissance period in the 1600's. At that time England was dominated by Anglicanism-King Henry the eighth replaced the Pope-so the king or the queen has all the power. The ruler had the power to kill a person or give him or her a chance to live. Shakespeare wrote about that power and showed it, and gave it a sense of life in his work. E.g. when Othello wants to kill Desdemona out of the whim. "Ay, let her rot, and perish and be damned to-night; for she shall not live."(Othello, act IV, scene 1) Or "Hang her! I do but say what she is." (Othello, act IV, scene 1) In these two examples it shows the power of the ruler, and how he or she could use it abusively or wisely. And how they make their decisions without any consultant. Or when Othello takes Cassio out of the force, "Cassio I love thee; but n ever more be officer of mine."(Othello, act II, scene III).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The incidents that occur in Shakespeare's work are anthropological constants that we experience them in our daily lives jealousy, love, death, hate, and betrayal. The people related to Shakespeare because they lived the role that he was introducing and describing, they understood his i... ...hen Othello knew that Cassio was drunk he took him out of the force, even though he was his companion and his right hand. And when Joseph K. struggles with the people in the office.    Arrogance, an eminence that is full of pride, and known the tragic flow. That's what each character has. Although characters have different paths in the end they both reach the same path. And when they realize they are on the wrong path it is too late to turn back. So their arrogance will lead them to their fate, and to their death.      Works Consulted    Kafka, Franz. The Trial. New York: Schocken Books, 1984. Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Updated Fourth Edition. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc., 1997.   

Haighs Chocolates Marketing Plan Brief Essay

Haigh’s Chocolate is a family owned Australia chocolatier based in Adelaide SA. They specialize in handmade and single origin chocolates from Australia and around the world. The business is the oldest family owned chocolate maker in Australia and looking to increase awareness interstate and also around the world. Therefore, you are being called in as a consultant to develop new marketing opportunities to expand the brand. You are now employed as a team of 3 – 4 (max.) marketing consultants to help design a Marketing Plan for them. However you will need to firstly understand the brand by performing a SWOT analysis and then designing the Marketing Mix (4P’s). Lastly, it is very important that you are able to foresee or predict potential problems you might have with making or launching the product. As a team, you are required to pitch your marketing plan to your class. Haigh’s Chocolate is looking for a creative, practical and fun marketing strategy! Objectives of the Marketing Plan: 1) To build awareness for Haigh’s Chocolate 2) To increase brand recognition for Haigh’s Chocolate The brief There are many occasions, celebrations and festivals in a year. Some of them are celebrated with chocolates! Your consulting firm is given the task of creating a product, or packaging its current range of products into a product especially for an occasion of your choice. For example, for Valentine’s Day you may create a bouquet of Haigh’s chocolate roses, or a World Food Day chocolate where proceeds go to a non-profit organization or to theme the chocolates with a local festival! Your team can decide on the product strategy by looking at the various marketing theories taught this semester. The challenge is to think outside the box and create a product that is feasible for the brand! Your report MUST also entail a product (chocolate) design and a poster. You can use external images, or use software (e.g. Photoshop or Illustrator) to design your product. I you should choose to, you can also bring a prototype to your class for presentation. For more information about Haigh’s Chocolate, visit http://www.haigh’schocolate.com.au/ Word count: 2500 – 3000 (+/- 10%) words Mandatory 1) Application of theory: You will need to apply marketing theories for this assignment. You can refer to your textbook to help you to write the Marketing Plan. For specific guides on writing the marketing plan please refer to Chapter 2 of your textbook. 2) Presentation: You are required to present your Marketing Plan within your tutorial class to gauge feedback from your tutor and peers. This will help you to refine your plan for the written report. 3) Template: A report template has been provided on Moodle for this assignment. You will need to follow the template and discuss your marketing plan accordingly. However, if you need to add additional information, you can put it in Appendix. Do download and use accordingly. 4) Referencing: You are expected to refer to external resources for theories, ideas or current trends. However, you will need to apply theories to your statements/claims. These will need to be justified and supported by theory. Therefore, you will NEED to have at least 5 academic references for this assignment. Textbooks are not considered an academic reference, and it is expected that you would refer to it. You will need to reference it if you use your textbook. You should use resources from databases such as ProQuest, Emerald, Science Direct, and so on. 5) Formatting: 12pt, 1.5 spacing. Appendix. Optional 1) Appendix: You may choose to include an Appendix section. However it is not mandatory. Submission You will need to submit a HARDCOPY to your tutor via your tutor’s pigeon hole. A softcopy MUST be submitted via Moodle Deadline Penalties apply for late submissions (10% per day).

Qualitative Assessing of Tongan Mothers Using WCH Books Essays

Qualitative Assessing of Tongan Mothers Using WCH Books Essays Qualitative Assessing of Tongan Mothers Using WCH Books Paper Qualitative Assessing of Tongan Mothers Using WCH Books Paper Essay Topic: Mother To Mother Over the last few decades, the backbone of monitoring child health has been the use of growth chart and childcare records (King, M. 1978). These have been more widely used in developing countries than in developed countries because of lower accessibility of health services. Since the universal promotion of Primary Health Care in 1978 (WHO/UNICEF, 1978), there has been an increase in the investment on child health monitoring, albeit insufficient, especially in deprived communities of both developing and developed countries. In New Zealand, monitoring of child health have been systematically developed through Plunket and Public Health nursing services (MOH, 1998). The focus has been the use of Well Child Health book (WCH). Over the years, the WCH book have developed from growth monitoring using weight, height and age to a comprehensive booklet to cover growth monitoring, immunization, nutritional status, records of sickness episodes and other reasons for use of health services. The latter version has also included health promotion materials for mothers and health care workers. The wide use of the WCH book has not been accompanied by stringent research to assess its efficacy. That is, the book has been widely used but to date no research have demonstrated that the health of children using the book is better than those not using the book. Much of the work done has been focussed on the utilization and coverage. This project is a pilot study qualitatively assessing the use of the WCH book among Tongan mothers. There is no ethnic specific data available to examine ethnic specific aspects of use of the WCH book among communities wherein English is a second language. This study will also contextualise the knowledge, attitude and practice of the WCH book of Tongans in Auckland. The research objectives were:  · To explore Tongan mothers attitudes towards the Well Child Health book and its usefulness  · To develop recommendations for better utilization of the Well Child Health book by Tongan mothers. What is Well Child Health book? It is an information book about health and development of child. This book is for the mother to keep and use for your child. It is part of the Well Child Tamariki Ora Program. The program helps parents and caregivers keep children well by providing:  · Support  · Information and advice and  · Regular health checks as your baby grows. All children develop at different rates. Your child will have her own state of wellness and health. The Well Child-Tamariki Ora checks is done by a nurse, doctor or midwife who has been specially trained to do immunization and child screening checks of babies and children. The Well Child-Tamariki Ora health workers include midwives, nurses, doctors, community health workers, dental therapists and vision-hearing testers. These health workers are all there to help you bring up a healthy happy child. METHODS Five Tongan mothers in the Auckland area were selected to take part in this research. Convenience sampling method was used, as they were easy to be recruited, likely to participate and respond and near at hand (Bowling, A. 1997). Moreover, there is no language problem. These mothers were recruited during a Pacific consultation for maternity review in Auckland. Having identified their names, they were then approached about the research, which they were all happy to participate. Names, phone numbers and addresses were taken so I could contact them for the interviews. The youngest respondent was 21 and the oldest was 38 years old. Of the five mothers, one was a single mother and the rest were all married. Geographically, one respondent was from Pakuranga; one from Otahuhu and the other three respondents lived in Mangere. Contact was made and time was arranged for the interview. Each prospective participant was met and explained about the research at their own place. An information sheet (information sheet enclosed) outlining the research project and what is involved was given to these respondents. Two of the respondents needed the information sheet and consent forms explained and translated into Tongan. Once consent had been obtained, a face to face interview was undertaken. The interview were semi structured (Robson, C. 1993). The interview began with an introductory talk in which thanks was extended to them for their participation, explaining the project briefly, explaining the consent form and confidential issues, explaining her right to ask questions, withdraw herself or any information from the study (Robson, C. 1993). When all the above issues were dealt with, the respondent was asked to sign the consent from (consent from attached). Questions asked were related to these areas:  · Understanding of WCH book  · Usage and usefulness of the WCH book  · Duration of use and why stopped  · Recommendations An open-ended question for each area was prepared in order to get a checklist for the interview (Robson, C. 1993). Probing questions to clarify answers and to cover the area followed each main question (Bowling, A. 1997). Each interview lasted around 30 45 minutes and took place at the participants; home. All interviews were undertaken in the participants first language (Tongan) and audiotaped with the consent of the participant. There was no objection at any point in time about being audiotaped. Relevant facts were also noted during the interview, which would help clarify specific issues. Audiotaped interviews and notes were transcribed into English. During the analysis stage, the information from the transcription was first categorized according to the main areas (David, R.T. 1996). Then the frequency of each datum was counted in order to get quantitative data set of the research. Data, which go together, are grouped so as to develop sub-categories under the main categories. Repeated scrutinizing the quantitative data set (David, R.T. 1997), the recorded tape and the transcription helped to do a qualitative data analysis, which is described in the research finding section. RESEARCH FINDINGS Research findings are presented under these main headings: 1. Understanding of WCH book 2. Understanding of usage of the book 3. Usefulness of WCH book 4. Duration of usage of book 5. Barriers to using the book 6. Recommendations 1. Understanding of WCH book According to the research findings, 3 of the 5 participants had a very good understanding of the book. One had a fair idea of what the book was about and one participant had no idea of what the book was used for except for immunization records. The five participants had different level of understandings, which depended a lot on who and how the information was explained to them. 1.1 Where the WCH book was given Four of the participants said that the book was given to them at the hospital before they left the hospital. One of the participants got given the book at home when the nurse visited the next day after being discharged. The respondent said: I saw the nurse giving the book to one of the mothers. When I left I wasnt given a book and I was worried and concerned that something might happen to baby and I wouldnt know what to do especially when this is my first baby. 1.2 Who gave the book? All the five participants mentioned that a nurse gave them the book. One responded: I was not sure what sort of nurse gave me the book because they all looked the same and they were all nurses to me. Another respondent said: There were so many nurses there, I was not sure whether they were mauli (midwife), doctor or just a Pink nurse (trainee nurse in Tonga), you know what I mean eh! All I know I got given a book by a nurse. 1.3 Explanation of the book All five participants mentioned that there was minimal explanation about the book by the nurse. The degree of explanation ranged from heres the book, go and read it to assuming that we all know about the book. Three of the participants spoke fluent English, and the other two had very little understanding of the English language. One respondent said: The nurse came and gave me the book and said, this book is for baby, take it home and read about it. Before I said anything she had walked off. I was too shy to call her again in case she gets angry with me. Another respondent said: The nurse said to me take to Plunket for her needles and she will tick, tick, and tick. All I understood was the Plunket and the tick, tick, and tick bit. Fortunately my mother was home to help me with baby but not the book. The Plunket nurse came and did just that, tick tick, ticks. All the participants mentioned that the most they heard from the nurse was about babys growth and immunization and no further explanation. 2. Understanding of the Usage of the book All the respondents were aware that the book was to be used for the baby for some reason or another. The degree of use varied from record to resource and immunization. 2.1 As record All the respondents mentioned and understood the book as keeper of records for the baby. One respondent said: I use it to keep all the records of my babys activities. Ive kept a diary since I was 13 years old, I know it is good and I want to do the same for my baby. Another respondent said: The only time I use this book for is to keep a record of my babys immunization when I go to the Plunket or the family doctor. 2.2 As resource Majority of the respondents mentioned that the book has plenty of information about babys growth, first aid, nutrition that any mother or caregiver could look up if they need any information and still feel comfortable at the end. One respondent said: As a first time mother, I feel good and confident that I can look up any information I need for my baby when no one is around until nurse comes. Another said: Even though I dont understand or speak much English, I feel ok when I see the pictures in the book until the nurse comes. 2.3 To confirm information One respondent in particular said: I have my family to support me and I use this book as a way of confirming what my family tells me about my baby. I am young and sometimes they tell me things that are old to my way of thinking. I use the book to keep the balance. 3. Usefulness of the WCH book All the participants mentioned that the book is very useful once you understand. Two of the participants who had little understanding of English said: 3.1 For me Although our English is not very good, we know that the book has lots of information for me and my baby which are useful in order to keep my baby healthy. 3.2 For my baby One respondent said: This is my Bible. I take it with me whereever I go. I feel safe with it because its just so useful; it has everything I would need if my baby were not well. Another respondent said: I dont have my mother with me all the time, so this book is good for me. I dont feel lost and I dont have to rely on my family for every thing to do with my babys health. 4. Duration of use of book All the participants had varying time of usage ranging from 0-5 years. Majority of the participants mentioned that they religiously used the book for their first baby only. Being a first time mother, you just want to do everything right for the baby, come second baby and the rest, you loose that novelty because its the same thing over again. One respondent said: Its the same old thing, why bother using the book. I am an old hand at it now. Another said: Theres nothing new, so Ill just use it for the immunization; at least my babys immunization record will be kept up to date. Another said: I stopped using the book after my first baby. I know that my Family Doctor was keeping a record of my babys health etc which is exactly what Im doing. Why should I do the same when my Doctor is doing it for me, beside I pay her enough so she should. So Ive stopped using the book since my second baby and I have four children now. 5. Barriers to using the book While all the participants agreed that the book is useful and an asset to the mother and child, there were aspects of the book they did not quite like which made them stopped using the book. 5.1 Size There was mixed feelings about the size of the book. For the mothers with 2-4 children, they felt the book was too thick and unnecessary extra weight to carry around especially when its the same thing. One respondent said: Its just too bulky. Sometimes I cannot fit it in the nappy bag so it gets left behind. Another said: It is much too thick for us mothers with many children because theres nothing new in it. It should be smaller in size for mothers with second, third babies etc. 5.2 Content All the participants stated that the content is fine for first time mothers but felt that it is boring and monotonous for second time round mothers. One said: I would like to see something different. It is boring looking at the same thing day in day out. Another said: There is no specific Tongan illness like mavaeua (natural closure of the fontanels) or tapitopito (umbilical hernina) or makehekehe (winding condition). If some of the Tongan illnesses or conditions had been included in the book, then I would use the book more often. 5.3 Presentation Majority of the participants liked aspects of the book. All stated that they did not like the cartoon type pictures and the dull colors. One said: I want to see the real thing. I want real baby pictures instead of the cartoon type, and Id like to see more bright colors used. 5.4 Language All participants stated that the WCH book should be translated into Tongan. Those that could understand English felt very strong about it. The few that could not speak English well were adamant that if the book had been translated into Tongan, they would have understood and used the book more often and more importantly more effectively to ensure their baby is healthy and stay healthy. One said: I swear if the book was written in Tongan, I guarantee my child would have been more healthily because I would have read and understood what the book was about and give my best to my baby. 6. Recommendations 1. Awareness program for hospital nursing staff on full and clear explanation about the WCH book and its use. 2. Using real baby pictures and events. 3. Use bright colors to attract attention. 4. Reduce size of book for mothers with two or more children so that its not boring and repetitive. 5. Include specific Tongan childcare practices and illness common to them and to other ethnic groups. 6. A separate card system for immunization records. 7. Keep the WCH book at the clinic. 8. Use of ethnic specific interpreters for better understanding. DISCUSSIONS The five Tongan mothers selected for this research were willing and keen to talk about the WCH book They talked openly about their perceptions and experiences both as a mother and a caregiver. They were very keen to share their likes and frustrations about the use of the book. Although the majority of the participants had a clear understanding of the book and usage, a few had little understanding which was mainly due to minimal explanation by the nursing staff at the hospital and more importantly the language barrier.

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How can Amazon Web Services (AWS) reduce cost in the healthcare Term Paper

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Personal Income Tax and Revenue Forecasting Research Paper

Personal Income Tax and Revenue Forecasting - Research Paper Example diminishing amount of revenue in the past three years in the month of December to January and April to May as the fiscal year comes to an end with an average rate of 15% and the revenue collection amount is registered high in the month of December every fiscal year. From the table of distribution of revenue collection in each year, the observation reveals that the revenue collection has been growing each year from the past financial year. Thus, given that the revenue collection amount in the month of May has the pattern of decreasing by 15% from the collection of April, then the revenue amount that is likely to be collected on May of 2001 is expected to be 586,743 - (586,743*15%) = 586,743 – 88,011.45 = 498,731.55 makka. If the amount of revenue that is likely to be collected in May is 498,731.55 makka, the revenue collection for the fiscal year June 2000-May 2001 will amount to 940,975.1 + 967,098.4 + 841,267.5 + 874,308.1 + 887,091.4 + 936,090.7 + 1,304,961.7 + 714,981 + 575,115 + 583,592 + 586,743 + 498,731.55 = 5,200,214.95 makka. Thus, the ministry target of revenue collection of 778,900 makka, given the past revenue pattern, will fail to be realized and will be required to be reviewed to a target of 5,200,214.95 makka. The factor that may affect the pattern of the revenue collection in Vadar Republic can be an economic scenario in the overall state and in the region which includes the economic trend (Baumol and Blinder 389). During the different months within the budget cycle, different economic events might be happening in some months that boost the income level of the citizen and returns of businesses in that particular period. For instance, during the month of December the country registers the highest level of revenue collection. This could be contributed to the festive season that accompanies the month of December, which means a lot of people engage in activities that increase the revenue that businesses make. A high revenue on the part of the

The temperature of these in order to get my results Essay Example for Free

The temperature of these in order to get my results Essay In this investigation I will be using CaCO3 in the form of marble chips, and will be reacting these chips with hydrochloric acid. The equation for this is below. Aim: I am trying to investigate whether or not temperature affects the rate of reaction in an experiment. The experiment which I am doing is how temperature affects the rate of gas being given off when Hydrochloric Acid is added to Calcium Carbonate in the form of marble chips. 2HCL(aq) + CaCO3(s) ? H2O (l)+ CO2(g) + CaCl2(aq) Pre-experimentation Procedures, Assessments, and Predictions. Before starting the experiments, I needed to do my risk assessment, find out some things about the chemicals I was going to be using, and make sure that I was fully prepared to do this task safely and efficiently. Hazards: Procedures: Acid Corrosive, can spit when hot Wear safety goggles at all times. Bunsen Burner Exposed flames Do not leave hair untied or let loose clothing flap The Collision Theory I predict that the hotter the acid is, then the faster the rate of reaction will be. I can back this prediction up by stating the Collision Theory, and the Maxwell Boltzmann Distribution theory. When two chemicals react, their molecules have to collide with each other with sufficient energy for the reaction to take place. This is collision theory. The two molecules will only react if they have enough energy. By heating the mixture, you will raise the energy levels of the molecules involved in the reaction. Increasing temperature means the molecules move faster. This is kinetic theory. Preliminary Work and Experiments. In the preliminary work, I was aiming to deduce what the amounts of each chemical should be. I conducted some results using more or less calcium carbonate and each time I took readings every 5 seconds in order to determine how quickly the gas was being given off. I always added the marble chips to 20cm3 of Hydrochloric Acid. To begin with, I used 1. 5 grams of calcium carbonate, and conducted the experiment at room temperature. The experiment was over in 40 seconds, which is too quick. I then tried 1g of marble chips, which took 75 seconds to complete, which is better, yet still too slow. The next day, I decided to try the experiment with 1. 25g. This should have been somewhere between the two speeds of the others, but unfortunately the room temperature was several degrees higher than the day before, and therefore it actually accelerated the experiment. Although this was a setback to getting some useable results, it did show me that because the temperature was higher, the experiment was faster; therefore it was very useful for this experiment. To make sure I had a fair test, I had to do a control. This was at room temperature, whatever that was on the day. Then, I would vary the temperature to see my results. I am going to see how fast the CO2 is given off when I vary the amount of marble chips, therefore I can get the right amount for when I do the full experiment. I set up the apparatus, as shown below, and began the experiment. Here are my first results, please note that the 1. 25g section in italics was the set of results on the hotter day. Amount of gas given off (cm3) Time (s) 1I am going to use temperature as my variable, these experiments were very useful at indicating that my prediction was right. They showed that on the hotter day, even though it had less reactant, the 1. 25g experiment was faster than the 1. 5g one. They also showed that the cold experiment took the longest to complete, which concurs with my prediction. Plan When I do the experiment, I am going to use 1. 25g of calcium carbonate, and 20cm3of Hydrochloric Acid as fixed amounts; I will then vary the temperature of these in order to get my results. To keep the temperature the same both times, and in order to vary it, I will be using an ice bath to keep it cool, and a hot water bath to keep it warm. The calcium carbonate will be measured on a set of sensitive digital scales and the acid will be measured in a measuring cylinder for maximum accuracy.

Core Values and Concept at Pals Sudden Service

Core Values and Concept at Pals Sudden Service It sells hamburgers, hot dogs, chipped ham, chicken, French fries, and beverages as theyll as breakfast biscuits with country ham, sausage, and gravy. It can easily distinguish itself from fast-food competitors by delivering competitively priced food of consistently high quality, delivered rapidly, cheerfully, and without error. Pals is the first business in the restaurant industry to receive a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The performance excellence goals and criteria for the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award offer a formalized program that defines, measures, and rewards organizations who exemplify the principles of an organization that is actively taking step and reaping the results of being a high-performing organization. Visionary Leadership Pals Senior Leaders (Chairman and President/ CEO) set their Vision and Values annually as part of their strategic planning process after carefully analyzing the market environment and actively seeking input from all stakeholders. Senior Leaders personally lead, monitor, and coach the Pals Leadership Team in interpreting their Vision and Values. Leadership is sharply in tune with customer preferences and organizational needs. Senior Leaders communicate with employees throughout the organization by: Using the Pals Communication/Feedback Process, frequently being present at the restaurants Employing an open-door policy, providing easy access to all Senior Leaders for the entire staff, reading and responding to employee e-mails, and being easily accessible by phone or e-mail. The impact on Pals organization from this leadership-driven, full stakeholder involvement approach has been rapid improvement actions, standardized processes, ongoing organizational learning, employee development, a proactive culture, and high-value business results. This employee engagement practice creates and reinforces an environment for participation, employment, and innovation. It also drives organizational agility and organizational and employee learning. Besides, the leadership team uses the Strategic Planning Process to set direction and pursue future opportunities for the business while using inputs from all key stakeholders (e.g., customers, store owner/operators, general staff, suppliers/partners), taking into account their needs and expectations. This process is used to define, align, review, and maintain a Corporate Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Key Business Drivers, Values Code of Ethics, and action plans. Through these strategic outputs, Pals Leadership Team maintains clear values, high performance expectations, and a keen focus on all stakeholder needs. Senior leaders and store owner/operators communicate and interpret these at each organizational level to define organizational, store, and individual responsibilities and to identify opportunities for learning and innovation. Innovation is driven through the Product/ Service/ Process Introduction Process. Senior leaders personally lead cross-functional teams through this systematic approach for developing new or modified products, services, or processes. Senior leaders personally lead cross-functional teams through this systematic approach for developing new or modified products, services, or processes. Leadership Team members adopted the On-line Quality Control Process (Figure 4) and routinely review its application of best practices to achieve high performance and excellence in Pals operational and support processes. This ensures consistent adherence to procedures, standards, and targets. Organisational Personal Learning The impact on Pals organization from this leadership driven, full stakeholder involvement approach to deployment has been rapid improvement actions, standardized processes, ongoing organizational learning, employee development, a proactive culture, and high value business results. Leaders create a sustainable organization by: Investing in the future by developing the people to ensure that they will be able to always meet future needs and requirements Employing a progressive capital reinvestment plan Pals brand-building Actively listening and staying tightly aligned with their customers and their needs, Building a strong and healthy supply chain, Helping the communities where they operate to grow and prosper. Pals has a process for everything organizational and operational. There are always new product introductions to hiring decisions to the design of support processes and work systems. Key learnings are captured and shared throughout the organization using the Communication/Feedback Process and the On-line Quality Control Process. Pals market research seeks comparative information relating to key issues such as (1) customers likes or dislikes concerning Pals or specific Pals competitors, and (2) reasons a particular restaurant is selected as a favorite. They analyze the comparative data for trends and shifts in buying patterns to identify needed changes in their business strategy and to target other potential customer groups and future markets. Key customer requirements and drivers of purchase decisions are determined from the application of the following listening and learning methods: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Telephone interviews à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mall interviews à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Drop-in surveys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mail-in surveys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Marketing By Wandering Around (MkBWA), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ On-site interviews à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ user-based surveys Pals frontline staff training program includes intense instruction on effective listening skills. These skills are not only critical for high performance on the food preparation line (required for order accuracy, speed, and customization), but are also beneficial for gathering valuable customer information about needs, expectations, and satisfaction (as post transaction feedback). Through the Plan-Do-Study-Act improvement cycle they conduct small-scale pilot efforts to evaluate and improve their processes for listening to and learning from customers and their ability to understand changing customer needs and buying habits. In addition, they measure and evaluate the overall effectiveness of their customer listening and learning approaches by checking the validity of their market research, customer surveys, and results against operational data, industry trends, and competitor information. They also evaluate how they are doing against their customer-focused strategic objectives by benchmarking their Key Business Drivers against competitors. Moreover, Pals staff members (from hourly worker to senior leader) have continual learning ingrained into their basic approach to performing work. They participate regularly on improvement and learning teams where brainstorming and consensus-building sessions enable them to identify problems or opportunities for improvements, analyze processes, and recommend solutions. This experience builds individual confidence, provides skills in problem solving and continual learning, and motivates employees to develop and utilize their full potential. Valuing Employees and Partners Pals aims to provide the quickest, friendliest, most accurate service available. Achieving this objective is a real challenge in an industry with annual employee turnover rates of more than 200 percent. The companys success in reducing turnover among front-line production and service personnel, who are between the ages of 16 and 32, has translated into a competitive advantage. The companys training processes support improvement in operational and business performance with the aid of benchmarking studies. Owner/operators and assistant managers have primary responsibility for staff training. They use a four-step model: show, do it, evaluate, and perform again. Employees must demonstrate 100 percent competence before they are certified to work at a specific work station. Initial training for all employees includes intensive instruction on effective listening skills. In addition, in-store training on processes, health and safety, and organizational Culture is required for new staff at all facilities via computer-based training, flash cards, and one-on-one coaching. Cross-training is required of all store-level staff to ensure their complete understanding of all production and service procedures as well as quality standards. Recognizing that most of its front-line workers are first-time entrants into the labor force, Pals management believes it has responsibility to help its workers develop knowledge and skills that can be applied in future jobs. This approach, along with competitive wages and financial incentives, has made the restaurant chain a desirable place to work for high school and college students. Pals has leveraged its reputation by implementing a statistically controlled, talent-based hiring system that helps managers identify applicants with attributes associated with effective job performance and customer satisfaction. In their work environment, where their staff meets the customer face-to-face, they employ effective job designs and a flexible work organization to encourage cooperation, collaboration, individual initiative, responsibility, and innovation. The staff at each Pals facility is organized into process. They also performed extensive market research to pinpoint customer requirements: convenience; ease of ingress and egress; easy-to-read menu; simple, accurate order system; fast service; wholesome food; and reasonable price. This data has been used to translate their key customer requirements into Key Business Drivers. Customer requirements are linked to clearly define operational processes, procedures, and systems that are continually monitored to ensure that they are meeting customer requirements. They maintain on-going communications links to their customers so that they can listen to how well they think they are meeting their needs. They also listen to learn if customer needs are changing or if new needs have arisen. Pals has three key suppliers/partners who provide the majority of their raw materials. Focusing their supplier/partner base on just three vendors has reduced product variability. It has also allowed them to develop a more positive relationship with each supplier/partner with whom they have established long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. They work with suppliers to design in quality, value and their unique flavor profile. The Key Business Drivers are mainly: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quality of products, service, and process à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Service à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cleanliness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Value à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ People à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Speed Customer Excellence Customer-driven excellence is a strategic concept imbedded in the Baldrige Award Criteria. Pals uses the industry-proven standard method of segmenting by age, gender, income, and proximity to the store location for analyzing buying patterns and defining expectations. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Age à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Gender à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Income à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Proximity Product quality, hospitality, accuracy, and speed are important factors to their customers. Pals has solidified its already strong market position on product and service performance by realizing improvement in each of these customer-linked critical areas. Pals performance in customer-rated results for food quality, service (hospitality, convenience, ease of access, menu board readability), and accuracy are consistently improving. These product and service outcomes are a direct reflection of Pals ability to understand the voices of customers and the market and to address them with menu design, pricing strategy, sudden service performance, and proactive customer contact standards. Pals order handout speed has improved more than 30 percent since 1995, decreasing from 31 seconds to 20 seconds, almost their times faster than its top competitor. Errors in orders are rare, averaging less than one for every 2,000 transactions. The company aims to reduce its error rate to one in every 5,000 transactions. In addition, Pals has consistently received the highest health inspection scores in its market and in the entire state of Tennessee. Through the Plan-Do-Study-Act improvement cycle, they are able to continually evaluate and improve their processes for listening to and learning from customers by assessing how have understood changing customer needs and buying habits. Through small-scale pilot efforts, the Customer Listening and Learning Process are continually evaluated and improved. Customer complaints are tracked at the store level on an Opportunity Log and then aggregated at the company level to indicate trends. This critical-incidents information is used to understand key service attributes from the point of view of customers and frontline employees. Also, as part of their market research, they ask customers very specific loyalty questions that they translate into key customer loyalty data. Focus on Results and Creating Value Pals begins considering user requirements during the data and information selection stage with predefined user criteria. The data selection, collection, and reporting criteria include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Meets stakeholder requirements à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Links to our Key Business Drivers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provides a balanced scorecard à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Drives action à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creates reliability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provides rapid access à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Allows rapid update à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Supports continual learning/improvement Besides, the rapid acceptance, popularity, and growth of our web site, www.palsweb.com, is another strong indicator of customer loyalty to the Pals brand. The rapid acceptance, popularity, and growth of our web site, www.palsweb.com, is another strong indicator of customer loyalty to the Pals brand. The companys Business Excellence Process which is the key integrating element and a management approach ensures that customer requirements are always met in every transaction. Pals lays emphasis on data which is the basis for sound planning and decision making. Customer, employee, and supplier feedback is central to all processes, and it is gathered in numerous formal and informal ways. For example, Pals owner/operators must devote part of every work day to marketing by wandering around. Views on how a location is performing and to solicit ideas for improvement from employees and customers are noted. Anstheyrs to predesigned questions are recorded, compiled, and later analyzed at the store and corporate levels. Owner/operators also maintain a communications log. The Communication/ Feedback Process is a progressive and rapid means of communication to/from all stakeholders. This process serves as a standard operating mode for Leadership Team members. SysDine, is a key tool, generating store-level and company-wide data on sales, customer count, product mix, ideal food and material cost, and turnover rates. This information supports daily operational decisions. It also is used to update Pals Balanced Scorecard of Core Performance Measures, which links directly to its key business drivers: quality, service, cleanliness, value, people, and speed. Managers regularly review the value of the data collected, and the company employs an outside statistician to evaluate the type of information tracked, how it is used, and how it is collected. Social Responsiblity Pals measures and pursues continual improvement in the areas of ethics violations, labor violations, sexual harassment complaints, and honesty violations. Pals Senior Leaders promote an environment of legally, morally, and ethically correct behaviors by: modeling correct decision making and behaviors, providing training in correct decision making and behaviors testing to verify that the training transferred the desired knowledge holding monthly reviews at leadership meetings, creating a culture of open-book whole-company data sharing communicating openly and honestly Food safety, which is a primary indicator of compliance with sanitation requirements established by federal and state regulations and of Pals ability to serve wholesome food products, is their key measure of industry leadership and social responsibility. Pals consistently receives the highest health inspection scores in their market. Agility Customer and Market Needs/Expectations are evaluated using market research studies and customer complaint data. These data are used to interpret customer needs and requirements, to project market trends, and to establish new strategies that will delight customers and sustain our competitive advantages. Competitive Environment and Capabilities Relative to Competitors are evaluated with data from our benchmarking process, benchmark data exchange, and competitive reviews. They use the data to identify market and industry trends, industry and competitor capabilities and Best Business Practices, competitor strategies, potential competitor reactions to our strategies, and promotional and technological improvement opportunities. Technological Risk is evaluated with data gathered from manufacturers, vendors, and industry trade associations using the following criteria: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How will the technology help them meet needs? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are any of their technologies becoming obsolete? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Do our existing technologies have new hazards/ risks? Managing by Innovation Operational Capabilities and Needs are considered by evaluating anticipated needs and capabilities for human resources, technology, research and development, innovation, and business processes. Internal capability data are analyzed against industry trends, technology developments, and performance advances, looking for ways to develop dominant positions within our market. They have focused their Human Resources strategies, plans, job/work designs, and HR processes for developing capabilities that support the key competitive performance expectations of their organization (speed, accuracy, quality, and hospitality). In their work environment, where their staff meets the customer face-to-face, they employ effective job designs and a flexible work organization to encourage cooperation, collaboration, individual initiative, responsibility, and innovation. The equipment, facilities, and technologies that Pals uses to meet customer needs are components that serve their manufacturing, service and retail needs through ongoing use of their Benchmarking, Innovation and Product/Service/ Process Introduction processes Innovation is driven through the Product/ Service/ Process Introduction Process. Senior leaders personally lead cross-functional teams through this systematic approach for developing new or modified products, services, or processes. Also, their Business Excellence Process will continue to drive them toward performance improvement over the next two to five years by maintaining their focus on strategies and plans linked directly to Key Business Drivers and derived heavily from customer/market. Pals projected performance will continue to strengthen their position as the market leader versus their leading competitor by generating additional sales, and by developing the required operating capabilities. At this time, they are the regional leader in all major areas of comparative performance (quality, service, speed, food health/safety, customer satisfaction, market share, sales, and profit). Management by Fact Pals Leadership Team has carefully designed a performance measurement and analysis system for the collection, integration, and analysis of information and data that feeds and interacts with their Strategic Planning, Continual Improvement, Benchmarking, and Management Review processes. Pals Management Information System is also used to guide the selection, gathering, integration, management, and effective use of information and data to support our key operational processes, action plans, and performance management system. Pals Management Information System gathers and integrates data and information from multiple sources (e.g., operations, customer listening/learning processes, market research, benchmarking studies, suppliers, regulatory agencies, and industry publications). Much of the data is gathered at its source (in the store) through our automated SysDine data collection, integration, and analysis system. SysDine generates store-level and companywide reports on sales, customer count, product mix, ideal food and material cost, and turnover rates. This data, which is readily available at each store, is reviewed and analyzed for use in support of daily operations. Focus on Future The Pals Strategic Planning Process is used by Senior Leaders working with the Leadership Team to provide a disciplined and structured approach for setting strategic directions to strengthen business performance and competitive position. Strategic planning is performed annually, with primary emphasis on one- and three-year planning horizons. strategic objectives and action plans with a planning horizon of up to five years are also maintained. Pals organizations strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) are addressed during strategic planning, using the SWOT analysis process and supported by various analyses of key processes, internal capabilities, and Key Business Driver data. Technological changes and risks are evaluated with data gathered primarily from manufacturers, vendors, and industry trade associations. Human resources strategies and plans are developed to recruit, staff, train, and educate personnel to build staff capacity for success; to improve work/job designs and work areas; and to build a better culture for excellence and employee well-being. Employee turnover shows that employee retention levels are clearly superior to the industry average. Pals continues to reduce employee turnover and to set the pace for other QSR operations. Their group of store Owners/Operators and Senior Leaders has experienced near-zero turnover for the past 25 years, which has provided a major advantage in leadership continuity over their competitors. Pals existing strategic objectives, action plans (short term and longer term), and target completion are carefully managed throughout the year. Systems Perspective Pals Business Excellence Process is based on the core concepts of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. These principles, which are a pervasive part of our culture, are used to achieve our action plans. They are integrated throughout our training for team skills, performance measurement, standards, continual improvement, problem solving, quality control, and benchmarking. Pals Training Program contains a variety of modules designed to support our strategic objectives, key action plans, and operational capabilities by addressing organizational and employee needs for development, learning, and career progression