Health Information Exchange

An electronic health record is a patient’s medical information stored elect-ronically instead of on paper. The concept has been around since the 1960s. Improvement of patient medical care was and is the catalyst for the electronic health record. There are several advantages to using electronic health records. For instance, access to patient medical records is not limited to the location of the paper chart, but is available at the patient point of care. The health care provider has up-to-date information regarding every aspect of the patients medical history. Including test results, medications, allergy information, ect. All of which are crucial for making informed medical decisions. Patient safety and better patient care are also advantages of the electronic health record. Illegible handwritten notes, orders, and prescriptions has been eliminated with the EHR. Now, reports to specialists or patients are comprehensible, professional, and easy to create. And because of the availability of more thorough clinical information, improved patient care is inevitable. Another advantage to the EHR is efficiency and financial savings. The elimination of paper charts alone can greatly reduce the costs of storage and retrieval for these charts. Another major source of growth in healthcare costs comes from medical imaging. Access to patients images in an EHR is an effective way to avoid duplicating expensive imaging procedures. Another cost to healthcare is the printing and mailing of checks. If all medical payment transactions were handled electronically, America could save up to $11 billion annually. For all these reasons that I have listed, I think that the advantages of Electronic Health Records far out weigh the disadvantages. The health care industry is rapidly evolving and the implementation of EHR is crucial in order for clinics and physicians to maintain extensive patient documentation to ensure that they meet†¦ Health Information Exchange An electronic health record is a patient’s medical information stored elect-ronically instead of on paper. The concept has been around since the 1960s. Improvement of patient medical care was and is the catalyst for the electronic health record. There are several advantages to using electronic health records. For instance, access to patient medical records is not limited to the location of the paper chart, but is available at the patient point of care. The health care provider has up-to-date information regarding every aspect of the patients medical history. Including test results, medications, allergy information, ect. All of which are crucial for making informed medical decisions. Patient safety and better patient care are also advantages of the electronic health record. Illegible handwritten notes, orders, and prescriptions has been eliminated with the EHR. Now, reports to specialists or patients are comprehensible, professional, and easy to create. And because of the availability of more thorough clinical information, improved patient care is inevitable. Another advantage to the EHR is efficiency and financial savings. The elimination of paper charts alone can greatly reduce the costs of storage and retrieval for these charts. Another major source of growth in healthcare costs comes from medical imaging. Access to patients images in an EHR is an effective way to avoid duplicating expensive imaging procedures. Another cost to healthcare is the printing and mailing of checks. If all medical payment transactions were handled electronically, America could save up to $11 billion annually. For all these reasons that I have listed, I think that the advantages of Electronic Health Records far out weigh the disadvantages. The health care industry is rapidly evolving and the implementation of EHR is crucial in order for clinics and physicians to maintain extensive patient documentation to ensure that they meet†¦

Obesity and Pregnancy Essay

Have you ever leisurely walked down an isle at Target and noticed a pregnant women waddling from side to side and thought to yourself man she is fat? Well she really is. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. Maternal obesity is a major risk factor in short term for both maternal and fetal complications, including maternal and fetal mortality, miscarriages, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders, marcrosomia and caesarean sections. A baby could be affected by these tragic events up until the age of 18. This rise of the obesity rate has a devastating impact on implications for the nation’s health care system and the population’s future quality of life. The normal weight for women is (BMI 19. 8– 25. 9), (BMI 26– 29) for overweight women and a BMI over 30 is considered obese. BMI is known as Body Mass Index, which is a number calculated based on weight and height. Pregnant women gain excess weight due to the lack of exercise. The majority of women do not know that they can continue exercising at least three times per week during pregnancy. Women should be more informed about everything they should and should not do during their pregnancy. The most common type of exercise for pregnant women is walking. Gardening, aerobics, and usage of exercise machines are also means of exercising. Exercise also has many other beneficial health effects such as reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and certain cancers as well as improved quality of life and emotional status1. If you conceived the child then why not exercise instead of a chance at miscarrying it? A pregnant woman’s diet is an essential part of her pregnancy. times out of 10, a pregnant woman constantly hears from her peers that she needs to eat more since she is eating for two. We forget the fact that she could potentially become obese. From a doctor’s standpoint, he should take the initiative to urge the mother not to go overboard with eating. Both mother and baby need a balanced diet full of varied fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, unsaturated plant-based fats, fiber and calcium. Refined grains, most processed foods and foods high in sugar and saturated fats should be avoided. The development of the baby’s organs and bones depend on obtaining sufficient nutrients from the mother. Despite the fact that pregnant women do not need to become obese they also do not need to diet during pregnancy. Maternal obesity is associated with an overall higher rate of labor induction, which requires higher oxytocin and prostaglandin doses than for women of normal BMI. Oxytocin is responsible for stimulation of milk ejection (milk letdown) and for stimulation of uterine smooth muscle contraction at birth. Prostaglandins are important mediators of uterine activity. It is very common for an obese woman to have a cesarean section instead of a natural pregnancy. Obese women are two to three times more likely to have an emergency cesarean due to factors such as a large baby or failure to progress. Why would you want to go through the agony of getting cut open like a dissected pig when it isn’t necessary? Maternal overweight and diabetes (gestational and type 2) has repeatedly been associated with a number of delivery complications, which includes prolonged birth, birth asphyxia, shoulder dystocia, injuries to the baby and the mother, increased use of instrumental vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections, and postpartum hemorrhaging2. Some long-term effects are also associated with obesity in pregnancy such as an increased risk of having diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. During pregnancy, serum markers of inflammation are raised in overweight and obese women when compared with their normal BMI counterparts2. Other problems during pregnancy also link with chronic inflammation. Cord blood from babies born to obese mothers also has lower mean vitamin D concentrations when compared to those born of women with normal BMI. A fetus depends on maternal skin exposure for activation of vitamin D, but if the mother is obese then it is likely that she is vitamin D deficient. There is consequently significant scientific evidence to support the requirement for maternal vitamin D sufficiency in pregnancy for normal development of the fetal brain and skeleton. Folate deficiency is also common in obese pregnant women. Folate deficiency in the general pregnant population is associated with an increased risk for fetal neural tube defect, and this risk is reduced by the use of pre-conceptual folate2. Data from the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey showed that among the women who gained more than the recommended weight during pregnancy, greater than 30% retained an average of 2. 5 kgs at 10 to 18 months postpartum as opposed to retention of 1 kg among women who gained at the recommended level1. If women are encouraged to keep weight off during their pregnancy then they won’t have to face obesity postpartum. Researchers are still in the process of finding other ways to prevent obesity during pregnancy such as efficient ways to diet. Provision of weight management services to advise and educate regarding obesity-associated obstetric risk and weight optimization prior to conception is strongly recommended2. One thing that women would not normally categorize as such a big issue is regularly monitoring their blood pressure, which would be a start of becoming a healthy mother. Screening for gestational diabetes, using a 75 g OGTT, should be undertaken in all women with BMI 30 kg/m 2 between 24 and 28 weeks gestation2. No women should want to look and feel as fat as an elephant. Therefore, it is beneficial to continue physical activity after having a baby. The measurement of psychosocial attributes in the postpartum period has largely focused on postpartum depression and social support, with little attention to the role these and other psychosocial factors may play in health behaviors associated with weight retention and activity3. During pregnancy, some women are distressed about their weight and think they have a negative body image. Some say that they feel as if they are as big as a house. Postpartum depression has received much attention among clinicians because 10-16% of women meet diagnostic criteria for major depression. Women with excessive pregnancy weight gain (>20? kg) gain up to 10. Â ±2. 1? kg of adipose tissue4. If a woman plans on having another child after being obese during the first pregnancy then she will most likely be obese during her second pregnancy. One would not believe something so detrimental to your health, such as a smoker continuing to smoke during pregnancy would produce no weight gain. It is astounding that those who don’t smoke could gain more than those who do. The Stockholm Pregnancy and Weight Development Study on 1423 women concluded that, apart from pregnancy weight gain, only smoking cessation can be considered as a predictor for persistent weight gain after 1 year postpartum4. Lactation is known as something to facilitate weight loss after pregnancy. Production of milk is an energy-requiring process and has been calculated to increase energy requirements by ~ 500? kcal per day4. This is due to the fact that the net efficiency of milk synthesis in women is high. Weight changes after delivery are dependent on factors other than lactation status. Sarah Leigh, a 30-year-old obese pregnant mother, found out she had gestational diabetes. Sarah was very self-conscious about this situation and does not wish to report anything other than her name and age. She describes the daunting changes she had to make in her day-to-day lifestyle. Sarah Leigh had to check her blood sugar levels up to six times a day. The sugary sweets that Sarah Leigh usually enjoyed would now have to be cut out altogether. There would be no chocolate and fruit even had to be eaten in moderation. Even though Sarah Leigh made the changes to her diet, her blood levels were still high and she had to be put on medication to control the diabetes. Sarah Leigh explained how even though she felt deprived of all her favorite foods she feels healthier. Sarah enjoys her new lifestyle of eating a wide variety of foods. As long as she eats in moderation then her blood sugars remain balanced. Sarah talked about how there were times when she just wanted to taste a chocolate bar, but she knew that she and the baby were better off without it. Sarah would like to express to everyone that if they feel they have a slight chance of having gestational diabetes to go to your doctor immediately. The sooner it is treated then mother and the child are in better shape. Behavioral interventions, such as advising women of the recommended weight gain ranges, and promoting healthy dietary intake and regular exercise during the prenatal and postpartum periods may prove important in preventing obesity and the related health problems later in life. People should keep in mind that body weight tends to increase with age, irrespective of whether women have children or not. A pregnancy should be carefully planned. Two lives are at stake instead of one.

History and Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History and Art - Essay Example With other major concerns such as economic crisis, war between nations, and population growth, who would pay immediate notice to the fact that behind the aesthetic beauty of an art piece, a battle is being fought against sexism and racism for the sake of the underrepresented artists? While it may be too delicate an issue to dwell on surface as to draw public attention on a larger scale, strong advocates of gender and racial equality like the Guerrilla Girls, as they call themselves, apparently, could not but admit silence is shame and argue: â€Å"You don’t have to have a penis to be a genius† (Guerrilla Girls 202). Most of us may claim to possess different perspectives on the matter and plainly express that besides the problematic social and cultural structure which basically governs the manner by which inequality prevails among sexes and races, there are other deeper troubles that deserve a more adequate focus. However, our attitude of ignoring the issue that merely a bout ten percent of museums or galleries consist of art exhibitions by women and artists of color can be held accountable for the existence of all other chief worries that fail to be attended to in proper terms due to insights and ways of living that maintain their racist and patriarchal nature. As long as there lives lack of empowerment for women and non-whites, it is self-evident that equilibrium and harmony would not settle right where they ought to be unless a balance is struck somewhere for a significant realization that in professing to improve a nation, both sexes regardless of race must come in front to execute equal control of change and progress. Upon thorough examination of the article, I suppose this is the ultimate goal that sustains the principal reason of the Guerrilla Girls for continuing to be â€Å"the conscience of the art world (203).† I admire the Guerrilla Girls for their feminist and anti-racist stance since the 80s especially because despite the gorill a masks they wear for anonymity and the rather annoying taunting style of protest for the main cause, they demonstrate an unconventional approach of hurling insults at prominent sexist and racist figures alike. Having waved their banner with jest-filled pronouncements of deviation from what they perceive as sickening norms of injustice within race and gender, such female organization serves as a degree of innovation to radical feminist groups whose overly serious actions on meeting similar ends cost lives and immunity to the point of dormancy. This is widely evident via the controversial works which earned them huge critique via statements and efforts as â€Å"When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable, What Will Your Art Collection Be Worth?† and the gradual transformation of the Whitney Museum Biennials which used to practise racial and sexual exclusion (204). By injecting a concept of provocative humor into ideals, the Guerrilla Girls manage to have weaved an object of interest to which art supporters become naturally drawn. Among the recent fruits of their endeavor I believe was Anya Kivarkis, the recipient of the Sienna Gallery Emerging Artist Award in 2007 for creations like ‘Blind Spot’, ‘Neo-Palatial: Objects of Virtue and Vice’, and ‘Extreme Beauty’. I feel that her projects reflect how the political struggle of the Guerrilla Girls has truly paid off for though female, her expertise in the field of

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Leadership - Essay Example Being a leader requires being able to make decisions along with the team and taking on the responsibility of any consequence from the decision that was made. She must also be able to inspire her team to do their best and accomplish positive results. To be able to do such a feat she must show them that she has sufficient knowledge and could establish trust and support within the group. As the person-in-charge, Courtney should realize that her team members including herself should be committed and capable. Meaning that they know what they are doing and dedicated in accomplishing their individual tasks for the collective effort of the group. Aside from this she must also see to it that the group could work well together and any conflicts could easily be ironed out (eioba, n.d.). In this regard she must be able to command respect not because she is the leader but because she is experienced, capable and a good team player who can lead the team in the proper direction to attain their common goal. And though there may be tough times, she must always be resilient and supportive of her team members who are not considered as just co-workers but as friends and

Stress Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Stress - Coursework Example If things were entirely out of my control, I would leave the matter to God understanding the fact that I have made the necessary effort. Some new techniques of stress management that I have learnt in this module include exercise and yoga. I would definitely like to try these techniques because they have many benefits in addition to relieving stress. For example, exercise keeps you physically fit and healthy while nourishing the brain (Nordqvist, 2009). Your body has a direct impact on your mind. The healthier the body, the healthier the mind gets. Likewise, yoga helps you concentrate and focus your attention, which helps relieve anxiety and depression because the mind gets free of ambiguities. My decision to start school requires me to make certain changes in my life. For example, to be able to achieve this goal, I would have to be more punctual. I would have to develop better time management skills. Furthermore, I would have to develop interest in academics and be dedicated to my wo rk to be able to achieve perfection in this

Decision-Making Models Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Decision-Making Models - Math Problem Example The researcher states that the amount of inventory that Company A needs to order can be determined with the use of economic order quantity (EOQ) model. According to Williamson  EOQ models are used for identifying the optimal order quantity. In order to do this the model minimizes the sum of certain costs that vary with order size and the frequency of orders. Williamson (2012) describes three order size models – the basic economic order quantity (EOQ) model; the economic production quantity (EPQ) model; and the quantity discount model. The basic EOQ model is used to find the order size that would minimize company A’s total annual cost. The formula and the calculations follow. Q0 = √(2DS/H) Where, Q0 is the order quantity in units D is the annual demand in units S is the order cost for each order made H is the holding or carrying the cost for each unit of inventory per year Company A’s information is as follows: - Annual demand (D) is 18,000 units per annum - Ordering cost (S) is $38 per order - Holding cost (H) is 26% of the cost of the inventory which is $12 per unit Q0 =   Ã¢Ë†Å¡[(2 x 18,000 x $38)/(0.26 x $12)]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = √(1,368,000/3.12)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = √438461.54 = 662 units   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = 662 units The results indicate that the economic order quantity that will minimize total annual cost is 662 units per order. Company A produces the goods that it sells and so the economic production lot size model is the most appropriate model for use in this scenario (Williamson 2012). The formula for performing the calculations that provide the results is as follows: Qp = √(2DS/H) √[p/(p-u)] Where, Qp is the economic run quantity p is the production or delivery rate u is the usage rate    Qp = √[(2 x 15,000 x $84)/(0.28 x $19)] √[60,000/(60,000-15,000)]   Qp = √(2,520,000/5.32) √1.33 Qp = 699.25 x 1.15 Qp = 791 The results indicate that the economic production lot size that will minimize total annual cost id 791 units per production run.

How Terorism Affects the Individual Decision Weather to Go to a Term Paper

How Terorism Affects the Individual Decision Weather to Go to a Tourist Destenation - Term Paper Example The research conducted on the topic above-mentioned, on the basis of the research findings, manifestly endorses the supposition that the terrorism surge has put the tourism activities to an imperative extent. It is therefore, there is a reverse relationship between terrorism and tourism; somehow, terrorist activities have boosted the risk management services, which exhibit a positive association between terrorism and tourism. The current research aimed to present some recommendations and suggestions after the conduction of this in-depth research process, for the further researches, so that the same or relevant topics could be discussed and analyzed in more comprehensive and wide-ranged way in future. The present research is interested in conducting study on a smaller scale by taking sixty individuals as the universe for the present research. The respondents would belong to the individuals of the age group from 25 and 55 years, the years that are considered to be the most active ones with traveling point of view. The study has been conducted in Tel Aviv region of Israel. As a result, the units of analysis have also been selected from Tel Aviv. Travel agents, visa consultants, investors, businessmen, members of the political authority and tourists would be interviewed during the research process. Interview schedule as well as participant observation techniques will be applied during the research conducting, where the trends and impact of terrorism on tourism will be minutely witnessed. After the research process, the data gathered during the process will be arrayed and tabulated in order to present it in an arranged, precise and comprehensive manner for the convenience of the readers and analysts alike. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Table of Contents List of Tables Hypothesis, Operationalization of Concepts and Research Procedure: 27 The present chapter discusses the findings of the research conducted while exploring the impact of the surge of terrorism on tourism a nd tourism risk management, which have been presented in the tabular form, as well as has been supported with figures respectively, in order to present in a precise but comprehensive manner, which could be studied in the following lines: 33 Table 1 33 Age in Years 33 Frequency 33 Percentage 33 25-30 33 13 33 21.67 33 30-35 33 12 33 20.00 33 35-40 33 10 33 16.67 33 40-45 33 8 33 13.33 33 45-50 33 11 33 18.33 33 50-55 33 6 33 10.00 33 Total 33 60 33 100.00 33 Table 1 demonstrates that nearly three fifth of the respondents belonged to the age-group from 25 to 40 years, while nearly one third of the respondents

International business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International business strategy - Essay Example However, Anthony Salim and his executive leadership group believe that being flexible to these unpredictable and changing dynamics of international culture and business competition is the key to success. Bartlett, Ghoshal & Beamish (2008) identify the concept of the coordinated federation, which is essentially a conglomeration of pre-existing core principles that have found business success at the headquartered centre of the company and then distributed equally across international boundaries. The Salim Group takes the advice of Bartlett et al. in not taking this rather unproductive distribution of core principles and then forcing them throughout the transnational environment and the business’ multiple industries. Instead, Salim advises on being adaptable to changing market conditions. This flexibility is a success factor to be more responsive to the external market environment. For example, the Salim Group faced public backlash with perceived corruption from the Indonesian go vernment between the Salim Group about its investment banking practices (Dieleman, 2006) for divesting 107 different assets to the Indonesian government. ... Though this is only one scenario that occurred with the Salim Group, it indicates that regional government and other influencing bodies in the regulatory environment continue to change the internal dynamics of how the business is operated and/or divested. This is why Salim continues to travel, personally, to different regions of the world to gain an understanding of what is driving governmental forces or cultural forces in key growth markets or existing markets so that the business can be structured accordingly or new strategies developed based on primary data research analysis. This type of flexibility by taking a proactive stand to leadership and research is a key success dynamic. Since more than one legal basis for operations drives this transnational company, such flexibility is a predictor of future success by fully understanding the forces that will impede business success or improve its competitive or public relations position. Anthony Salim is also open to being approached by new investors from multiple regions of the world in order to seize opportunities to expand the business or put it into a better financial position over the long-run. Salim fully recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of the firm, such as his indication that the group is not fluent in technological prowess, thus not having an attitude of superiority in any one division that might not be supported by actual business realities. Salim relies on synergies produced from acquired businesses or other strategic activities involving a secondary business and allows the firm to capitalize on these strengths through acquisition. In many ways, the case study reinforces that Anthony Salim is more focused on consumer relationship management and the marketing principles for

The Feelings of Betty Friedmans on Womens Rights in The Feminine Essay

The Feelings of Betty Friedmans on Womens Rights in The Feminine Mystique - Essay Example However, looking at her own experience, she felt there was something wrong with the situation that urged her to look deeper and to conclude that something was amiss somewhere. This book ignited the consciousness of women on their rights to their own happiness. The interrelationship between social factors. The Feminine Mystique published in the United States in 1963 became controversial because of its contents that were contradictory to the women’s femininity at that time. In this book, Betty Friedman argued that women suffered unhappiness on a problem that she said had no name. On this, Friedman presented several factors that she thought were the causes of this unhappiness. Her theory was that â€Å"women have been encouraged to confine themselves to the narrow roles of housewife and mother, forsaking education and career aspirations in the process.† The interrelationship between political factors. In the later years after the war, Betty Friedman observed women going back to domesticity in spite of the rights won thru the â€Å"feminist struggle†. She took note of this as coming from political campaign she called â€Å"counter-revolution† against women after the World War II. To prove her theory that the pre-conceived idea of a â€Å"Happy Housewife† was not true, she made a research that confirmed her assertions to be right. She wanted to correct the adage that â€Å"the woman’s place is in the home†. Many people countered her contentions, and sexual counter-revolution took place. For example, in the work of Reed, she cited â€Å"Penis Envy† became the popular â€Å"psychological catch-all†, and was â€Å"the answer to women’s resentment against their inferior status.† The interrelationship between historical factors and her work. The conflict of reality on the lives of women after the World War II and the propaganda of the Happy Housewife program of the government led Friedman to think of the â€Å"mystique† in relation to her own life.

The spanish conquerors Essay Example for Free

The spanish conquerors Essay By the 16th century the Spanish empire was sending expeditions to expand their colonies. With the blessing of the Pope the Spaniards sent expeditions mainly to expand their economy in the guise of spreading the Catholic Faith. Countries like Cuba, Philippines, Mexico and etc. were colonized. The Spanish fleet landed at the Yucatan and Mexican Coasts and started conquering the land in the name of the King of Spain who they say was put in power by God himself. Mexico was named New Spain and was under their rule for three hundred years. There were revolutions by the indigenous groups but none was successful due to advance artilleries of the Spanish Conquerors. Any uprising was immediately crushed by the government. They were subjected to Catholicism, slavery, tributes and other Spanish customs. Churches, Schools and other institutions where built to further pacify the natives. Friars and Dominican priests were sent to educate them and to localize the Catholic Faith so that it would be easier for the natives to make the transition. The Spanish Regime introduced the â€Å"Suffering Christ† which taught the people to be patient and endure sufferings for those who do so will be rewarded in the end. Religion was used by the Spaniards as a tool for oppression and as a way of collecting taxes. In the structure of the Spanish government, religion is regarded as more powerful than the social justice therefore everyone is subjected to the Church making it the most power institution in society. The priest on the other hand was the most powerful individual in society. Tributes were collected from the natives. All its natural resources, mainly silver, wheat, sugar cane, and etc was exploited for the purpose of export to other countries. This caused unrest since there is a flow of wealth out of the country leaving Mexico impoverished. Land was confiscated from the natives and was transformed into Haciendas wherein they planted money crops having the natives as farmers. Only a portion of the land was rented to the natives and some are even held as slaves. The crops were exported through the Galleon Trade which supported the economy of Spain. Social class was also changed in favor of the conquerors. The highest among the class were the Peninsulares which are composed of pure blooded Spaniards who where born in Spain. Next to them are the Creoles which are pure blooded Spaniards born in the colonies of Spain. Then the Mestizo which is half Spanish individuals and then the natives which are regarded as higher than the blacks. The irony of it is that the natives are the ones who rightfully own the land but they are the lowest in the social strata. They were the ones subjected to taxes, land acquisitions of friars, polo y servicio which is a required service for the government for a span of six months in a year without pay, curfews and other laws that directly undermine their rights as citizens of their country. The natives were also forced to strictly follow the religious customs and totally abandon their pagan religion and demigods. They were baptized and those who refuse to do so are called as an outcast in society which they call as â€Å"excomunicado†. The excomunicados are stripped of what little right a citizen has and at time hunted by the church and imprisoned or exiled. There was also little social mobility since the social strata was based on race. If one is born a native, there is no hope from him to alleviate his strata and will therefore suffer the same faith that his ancestors did. It was impossible to move from one class to another unless you marry those of the upper class. However this case is only applicable to native women since the Peninsulares are very protective of their women. This posted a problem for the Native men since all mothers wanted their daughters to marry a Peninsular creating a shortage in wives for the native men. High positions in the government were also limited to the upper classes which are the Peninsulares. This led to social unrest since the Creoles wanted to hold office. This created resentment and dissatisfaction among the classes. Many factors affected the declaration of freedom from Spain and some of these are the problems mentioned above. First is the inequality brought about by the case system, the flow of wealth which directly benefits Spain, the inability of Spain to support the needs of its colonies since at that time there was also crisis in their own nation, and the influx of new ideas from Europe and America with regards to Liberalism and democracy. After three hundred years of being under the Spanish Rule freedom was given to the native.

Whole School Approach To Behaviour For Learning Education Essay

Whole School Approach To Behaviour For Learning Education Essay B4L is a concept that has been developed through a review of effective behaviour management strategies. It has been identified that B4L is a result of a multitude of influences and not merely the desire of a learner to misbehave and unwillingness to learn. B4L identifies the link between students social conduct and behaviour and the way in which they learn. The study will focus on policies and practice to promote B4L. Research has identified the importance of motivating learners by improving teaching, making learning enjoyable in reducing behavioural issues and promoting B4L. Schools with good or outstanding teaching almost always have outstanding behaviour. The most successful schools set expectations of staff to deliver lessons that were varied and interesting, this has proven to increase attendance as well as reduce the incidence of unacceptable behaviour in lessons. The study identifies the importance of consistency within the application of policies, it also identifies a number of areas for improvement to promote B4L including the rewards system and use of detentions. Further research identifies the link between outstanding teaching B4L. Every opportunity to reward praise students should be taken, through verbal communication and point allocation. It is important that any policy in place is agreed and embraced by all staff to ensure that it is delivered consistently. Introduction The need to manage behaviour has long been an issue within schools. With the push on raising attainment, the development of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision and the increase in policy, to be inclusive of all learners irrespective of their academic level or their social behaviour. It has been identified that 20% of all SEN learners have Social Emotional Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) (Department for Children, Schools Families, (DCSF) 2009). The schools policy sets out high expectations of students, We expect students to reflect this in their appearance, attitudes and behaviour. We know we are moulding the citizens of the future and will encourage them to care for one another, be open, fair, honest and just. We want them to have a sense of pride in being part of our school community. (Appendix 1). Further to this the schools vision is to raise achievement by developing a culture where learning is at the heart of the school community. To achieve this vision the school identifies whole school priorities for 2010/2011 including improving behaviour and attendance. It also stated that the school will focus on incorporating Social, Emotional aspects of Learning (SEAL) practice in the classroom, which has been identified as an important key in developing learners emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1996 cited in Capel, Leask Turner 2009, p.141) providing learners with the skill set to monitor and improve their behaviour independently. It was clearly identified in the School Development Plan that Behaviour for learning (B4L) is a targeted area for improvement (Appendix 1). This was reinforced as a high priority area during staff meetings and subsequent correspondence from the Head Teacher. Issues that arose were the use of mobile phones MP3 players within lessons, consistency in the application of sanctions and use of rewards (Appendix 2). It is interesting to note that these both encompass the teacher and the learner identifying the diversity of the issues. It would be interesting to further enquire as to whether the use of mobile phones within lessons is a B4L issue or a sign of disengagement due to other factors. Understandably there is a close link between the quality of learning, teaching and behaviour, and therefore raises the question Can behaviour be improved through improving the quality of learning teaching? The school clearly identifies that there is a need to reinforce their policies on B4L. Through i nitial observation around the school it was interesting to note the overall behaviour of students occurring both in and out of lessons, there was frequent use of inappropriate language, fighting and a significant littering problem. During lessons students often refused to do any work, persistently had their mobile phones out and there was significant level of unrequired talking during lessons. This posed the question Is the school being pro-active in managing behaviour for learning or re-active to behaviour that has now reached undesirable levels? Behaviour management is often flagged as an area that Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students feel they would benefit from having greater support in when entering the profession of teaching (Buell et al., 1999 cited in Powell, S, Tod, J, 2004). This has been met by the expectations set by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) via the Qualifying to Teach, the new standards and requirements for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) (TTA, 2002). B4L is a concept that has been developed through a review of effective behaviour management strategies. It has been identified that B4L is a result of multitude of influences and not merely the desire of a learner to misbehave and unwillingness to learn. It is important to identify the theoretical principles behind the way in which learners manifest themselves in terms of behaviour (Powell, S, Tod, J, 2004). B4L identifies the link between students social conduct and behaviour and the way in which they learn. Recent national policy has moved away from a punitive system where students were punished for doing something wrong, known as being reactive, and are now working towards understanding what causes learners to be off task and display undesirable behaviour, pro-active, as supported by Weare (2004 cited in in Capel, Leask Turner, 2009, p.141) who suggested that a punitive approach tends to worsen or create the problems it is intended to eradicate. Punishment alienates children from their teacher and does nothing to build up trust which is the foundation of relationships. National policy now promotes the inclusion of a greater diversity of learners in schools irrespective of level of achievement or social behaviour (Department for Education Employment (DfEE), 1999). It is important for schools to recognise this and develop strategies to promote B4L as over 20% of SEN provisions are learners with SEBD (DCSF, 2009). SEBD learners by nature can display undesirable behaviour unless managed in a positive way, so would it not be deemed unacceptable from an education professionals view for a learner predisposed to display poor behaviour, to fall victim to punitive actions? It is therefore important for schools to have a well-structured B4L policy that coincides with the SEN policy. In order for schools to develop an effective policy they must be able to identify the complexity of factors that influence behaviour and clearly identify what is considered an unacceptable level. Do schools have a standard response to unacceptable behaviour with clear sanctions regardless of the severity of the behaviour witnessed? The Elton report (1989) defines misbehaviour as such that raises concern to teachers. This clearly has limitations as it is dependent on the individual teacher and within the context of which it occurs. This can cause numerous issues within schools as inconsistencies can arise due to teachers individual views of unacceptable behaviour, as reported by Ofsted (2006). Ofsteds (2008) report identified the importance of all staff sharing clear expectations of pupils. The report showed that the most successful schools had strong senior leaders that supported staff through training. They also had clear behaviour policies instated that are implemented consistently by all staff, which clearly proves that by providing clear instruction of policies to staff and the consistent application of them is fundamental in controlling negative behaviour in schools. Disruptive, challenging, anti-social, emotional behavioural difficulties (EBD) are widely used terms by teachers to describe a students behaviour (Capel, Leask Turner, 2009,). These however do not clearly identify the actual behaviour and the causation. It is important for teachers to not merely state that a child is being disruptive but record what they were doing to be disruptive and why. In order to be proactive rather than reactive staff need to have dialogue with the offender to discuss what happened, who was affected and acknowledge the learners views. This falls within the restorative approach and is essential in developing a learners emotional intelligence. Far too often learners are punished and do not know exactly what they were doing wrong or resolve the underlying issue. It is difficult to define unacceptable behaviour on a National whole school level due to the perceptions, tolerance threshold, and experience management approach of teachers. These inconsistencies can lead to confusion amongst pupils and lead to teachers being pin pointed as being strict and inconsistent in comparison with the rest of the school, which can cause tension and ultimately a breakdown in student-teacher relationships (Weare, 2004 cited in Capel, Leask Turner, 2009, pg141). It is therefore essential that schools adopt a well-structured monitoring and reporting policy which relates to the observable actions of pupils. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) (2001 cited in Capel, Leask Turner 2009, pg145) generated a list of 15 behaviours by which pupils emotional and behavioural actions could be defined, these were sub-divided into three categories learning , conduct and emotional. Ofsted (2008) identified persistent low-level disruption as the most common for m of poor behaviour. There is an abundance of research on behavioural management strategies. However behaviour still remains an area of concern for schools. It was also raised as an issue for newly qualified teachers (NQT) who expressed that they would benefit from additional support in behaviour management in preparation for teaching (Powell, S, Tod, J, 2004). In response the Behaviour Management Review Group (2004) conducted a review into the theoretical explanations of behaviour, in order to enhance teachers understanding of the causal factor of behaviour. By providing teachers with a theoretical framework to model their management strategies around, Initial Teacher Trainees (ITT) will not feel the need to continually find new strategies to cope with behavioural issues. The review highlighted the complexity of learning behaviour and the contributing factors of societal, family and school environments that influence pupil behaviour basing their model on Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Theory (1989 c ited in Powell, S, Tod, J, 2004) (Appendix 3) . This obviously highlights a barrier to addressing B4L, as teachers do not have input during all environments. It is therefore important that schools need to develop and maintain relationships with students, parents carers, which was identified in the Ofsted Report (2009), as still needing some improvement. The conceptual framework used within the review by the Behaviour Management Review Group (2004) identified the importance of relationships in shaping learning behaviour. The model identified the relationship of a learners with others, the curriculum and themselves. When observing a learners behaviour a teacher must consider if the curriculum is relevant in the learners eyes, does the learner feel they can achieve what is asked of them? Does the learner have a strong relationship with their teacher and peers? This is supported by Evans et al, (2003 cited in Capel, Leask Turner, 2009) who suggested the key to promoting a positive lea rning environment by improving learning behaviour is characterised through the development of positive relationships and developing an appropriate emotional climate in the classroom. It is in all teachers interest to take responsibility for B4L focusing on developing positive relationships with learners. Several reports have identified the importance of motivating learners by improving teaching, making learning enjoyable in reducing behavioural issues and promoting B4L. Schools with good or outstanding teaching almost always had outstanding behaviour. The most successful schools set expectations of staff to deliver lessons that were varied and interesting, this has proven to increase attendance as well as reduce the incidence of unacceptable behaviour in lessons. Schools reported improved attitudes towards learning and an improvement in monitoring students achievement (Ofsted, 2001; 2006; 2008). Ofsted (2008) continued to acknowledge the need to improve behaviour as 28% of secondary schools displayed no better than satisfactory behaviour. Other contributing factors to improve B4L included consistent acknowledgement of achievement and use of a reward system to promote positive behaviour. Often schools do not provide consistent administration of reward systems and it has been seen that often teachers cease to use reward systems past Yr7 and very rarely into Key stage 4 (Ofsted, 2001, pg26). This was identified within the study school during a staff meeting where senior management had gathered information during student council raising the issue that older students still liked receiving reward points, where it had been presumed by staff that it was no longer effective. The study will focus on the schools current policy on behaviour for learning and how this is implemented on a daily basis. Through a review of the schools current policy and staff views the study will hope to identify areas for improving B4L providing recommendations for the future. The study will focus on current school issues including inappropriate use of mobile phones, reward system and sanctions. Methodology The research will aim to identify the current issues within the school surrounding B4L schools current strategies to improve B4L. To gain an in-depth review of the schools current B4L issue the study will focus on the implementation of B4L strategies through direct informal observation. This allows a high degree of validity by monitoring the focus in its setting of actual use. The limitation of this is that actual situations may be skewed due to the presence of the observer and it is therefore important for observation to occur over a period of time so those being observed become less aware of the observers presence. To promote this the observer should not become involved or drawn into the social interactions with those being observed. A significant limitation to observation is that the observer will have to interpret what they witness without confirmation from the subject. This limitation will be reduced by following observations with unstructured interviews as used by Frederikson, et al (1996) which allows subjects to express a more detailed insight into the topic. Data across the school will be analysed to identify any trends in negative behaviour. A view of the whole school approach towards behaviour will be obtained through analysis of the current policies along with statistical data from the Schools Information Management System (SIMS). Further to this, interviews will be arranged with lead staff on B4L. Over a period of a week a number of lessons were observed and followed up with informal discussions with the teacher. The observations were focused on identifying the levels of engagement of students, any behavioural issues and how they are addressed by the teacher and level of teaching learning. Through further discussions post-lesson, staff members were asked on their views of the lesson and how they feel the students level of behaviour impacted on the learning. In addition to this the reward policy was reviewed and the application of it was observed in lessons. The main purpose of this study was to review existing policies on improving B4L including behavioural and reward policies and the consistency of their application. Findings Whole School The schools Ofsted report (2009) identified that students behaviour was not always as good as it should be with instances of boisterous behaviour. Inspectors found behaviour to be satisfactory overall, but variable. The report stated too many lessons lack challenge and do not take sufficient account of students individual capabilities or encourage independent learning. They also noted that the quality of marking and feedback was varied across the school. The report went on to suggest that teaching was not challenging on a whole school stage did not provide students with the opportunity to make progress, develop confidence and develop the skills to work independently. This could contribute to poor B4L as the lack of development of learners emotional intelligence can restrict learners from being able to monitor and improve their behaviour (Goleman, 1996 cited in Capel, Leask Turner 2009, p.141). The report continues to identify that teaching can be too directed and does not take into account the differing abilities of learners; the school needs to ensure that lesson activities consistently challenge students of all ability groups to make better progress and develop their independent learning skills, especially at Key Stage 4. Behaviour Policy In the first instance the school has a well-structured behavioural policy with the aims of providing a caring and secure environment by promoting positive behaviour, regular attendance, self-discipline and respect for others. It clearly states that consistent, yet flexible implementation of the policy by all is essential. This goes on to refer to special considerations for vulnerable groups such as SEN. This initially raises the issue of how flexible the policy should be whilst trying to remain consistent. As identified by the school as a high priority target, the policy states mobile phones MP3s can be confiscated when it disturbs the learning environment. The policy goes on to set out five expectations that should be maintained at all times (Appendix 4, Pg2). The policy has a clearly structured sanction system and identifies methods for recording behavioural infractions through SIMS. Through analysis of data on SIMS it is clear that teaching staff are thorough at recording behavioural incidents that occur during lesson with details of the incident. Some teachers used the data as a motivational tool in tutor time by sharing positive and negative points with students and setting them goals for the week. This was particularly effective with year 7 students who were very keen to see how many points they currently had. Sanctions The school sanction policy followed a ladder system which identified different sanctions for the level of behaviour displayed (Appendix 4, pg11). It was interesting to note that the column labelled examples of behaviour use general descriptive terms such as disruptive behaviour, persistent disruptive behaviour, disrupting the learners of other. It also groups various types of behaviour which a student may display. Many of these behaviours were identified by the QCA (2001) as either being learning behaviours, conduct behaviours and emotional behaviours and therefore individual and definitive in the way they should be met. All of the responses to behavioural issues bar the first incident result in a punitive response primarily of detentions at different levels. It is not until the fourth level when students are displaying persistent disruptive behaviour, three negative SIMS in a week in the same lesson and failing to attend a detention that meetings are set in place with the students a nd senior staff to discuss expectations. During observation of lessons the majority of incidences occur within the first three steps of the sanction flowchart which were often dealt with accordingly. It was however noted that not all staff made contact with parents as suggested when placing students in break lunch time detentions. On most occasion students are asked to stop what they are doing if disruptive to the lesson or asked to sit out as not to hinder the other students learning. The teacher then resolved the issue with the learner, by setting clear expectations of the student, then allowing them to join back in the lesson. If continual disruptive behaviour occurred, staff then proceeds to give the students a break time or lunch time detention depending on the severity of the behaviour. It was noted that the relationship between offences and consequences were inconsistent in application by different staff and dependent upon the individual learners. Often students who were kno wn to staff to be persistently difficult tended to be flagged up quicker for their behaviour compared to others. This often led to some students feeling that they were victimised by staff. During detentions in the Physical Education department students were asked to sit in an allocated area for the duration. Often this area had other students around and friends of the student in detention would come in and sit with them. It was also unclear as to the purpose of the detentions, was it time for the student to reflect on their actions or simply used to punish by taking up the students free time? Most conversations between teachers staff were one-sided and did not necessarily allow the student to resolve or discuss their actions. It was clear that the application purpose of detentions needed to be reviewed as supported by the departments views during a departmental meeting. If students repeatedly offended they were placed on report. This involved the students achieving their individually set behaviour targets each lesson. This allowed closer monitoring of the students behaviour in all lessons. The targets set on some reports were often too general and allowed flexibility in the judgement of the outcomes by teachers. The reports were useful as they facilitated conversation with the student and teacher at the end of lessons developing relationships and providing opportunity for the student to reflect on their actions over the lesson. It was noted that often students would lose their reports or not get their reports completed every lesson with little consequence when given to tutors. This raised an issue of the unimportance and disregard of the severity of being on report by students. If students ultimately did not improve their behaviour this would lead to a behavioural support program and the risk of internal and potentially external exclusion. Data Analysis Data was gathered from the school monitoring reports and SIMS (Appendix 5). Over the last three years there has been a decline in exclusions from 137 to 96 and withdrawals from 380 to 186 within the whole school. However Disruptive behaviour has returned to high levels from a dip in 2009/10 rising from 3983 up to 4424. By analysing the three areas it can be seen that although the amount of exclusions and withdrawals has decreased, this is accounted for by the contributing percentile increase of disruptive behaviour (Appendix 6). By analysing the SIMS reports for the whole school the most prevalently recorded behaviour incidents highest first were; Disruptive behaviour Inadequate work completed in a lesson Defiance Failure to complete homework, Truancy Rudeness to a member of staff Ignoring regulations Use of mobile phone/ MP3 in lesson Failure to attend detentions Dangerous behaviour Persistent lack of equipment Disruptive behaviour was by far the highest rating incident recorded, consistent with the Elton report (1989), which identified low-level disruptive behaviour as the most prevalent poor behaviour in schools. A significant number of reports of disruptive behaviour were due to talking out of turn. Disruptive behaviour levels were consistently high through all years with a decrease in years 10 11, this could be due to the responsibility of learning shifting towards the learners as they start preparing for GCSEs, and that the learners then have the opportunity to personalise their learning programme through options. Mobile Phone MP3s School data for 2010/11 identifies mobile phones as the 8th ranked occurring behaviour incident within the school. Through observation around the school it was clear that the use of mobile phones and music players had reached critical level and were continually causing disruption during lessons. Many students would arrive at lessons with mobile phones in hand and headphones in ears. It was good to see that on the majority of times students were challenged and told to put away their mobile phones and earphones at the beginning of a lesson. However this did not have a lasting affect as students often returned to using their mobile phones during lessons when the teacher was not aware of them. Some students continued to listen to music in lessons without being challenged, clearly identifying the issue of inconsistency with the implementation of the behaviour policy. It was clear that this behaviour was being communicated back to senior management, as during briefing the head teacher reit erated the schools policy and through further correspondence with particular focus on the use of mobile phones and music players (Appendix 2). In reaction to this release of policy staff started to clamp down on mobile phone use in lessons, however there were issues with the length of confiscation as this was not made clear. Some staff confiscated the phones till the end of the lesson, some till the end of the day and some even for the rest of the week. Although this revision and awareness of the policy certainly had an impact as staff soon felt empowered to confiscate students mobile phones it did not tackle the issue of as to why students were continually on their phones during lessons. It soon got to a point in some lessons where teachers were repeatedly taking mobile phones off the same students every lesson. Through discussions with students it was noted that students often resort to going on their mobile phones when feeling bored, disengaged in their learning or unsure of what they are doing. During a whole school meeting on B4L and the revised policy, various departments offered their views and strategies they have implemented to address B4L. The science department had set out a code of conduct with posters clearly indicating to students to put their bags and belongings in a designated area. This is felt to be an issue within the school as a whole as students are continuously carrying their belongings around in lessons and have them at easy reach during lessons, where it was suggested by getting students to leave their bags out of reach has helped reduce the distraction to their learning. Reward System The school operates on a house system where students belong to one of the five houses. Students can gain house points in the form of stickers to the value of 1, 5 and 10 points (Appendix 4, pg8. Each lesson students are able to gain stickers for achieving and taking part in a number of school activities. The ways in which students can achieve house points seem unobtainable on a daily basis for the majority of the school population. Through observations of tutor time students were asked to count up their points during the week, which were recorded onto SIMS. It appeared that on the whole students were receiving reasonably high amounts of points on a weekly basis including those who were known to staff as having regular behavioural problems. It appeared that the amount of points awarded were not consistent with the reward policy as students commented that some teachers were awarding high points for basic expectations of students which according to the policy only merited a single point . During the observation of physical education lessons it was apparent that the points system was not being applied as teachers expressed difficulty in physically awarding stickers during lessons due to the nature of the environment. However the staff did focus on recording positive behaviour on SIMS which the students seemed to respond to and want to achieve. Overall the observation of the reward system identified inconsistency in the administration of the house points and urgently needs reviewing and supported through discussion with staff. It was not clear within the school from a students perspective as to what the points contributed towards. There was no immediate or substantial reward for students who achieved in lessons. It was also clear that for some students particularly those who had been identified as SEN that points were awarded for demonstrating basic good behaviour which contradicts the reward policy that states, Points should not be awarded for students displaying the schools basic expectations as agreed by all staff (Appendix 4, pg9). The policy also states that individuals can have specific targets set to gain house points but this can only be sanctioned by faculty coordinators and year coordinators. Conclusion Based on the findings of this study it is clear that there is need for greater consistency in managing B4L even though the school has the well-structured policies in place. During a whole staff review meeting on B4L the head teacher acknowledged that the policy is not working due to inconsistencies in application. This is current with the rewards system, application of sanctions and addressing of poor behaviour, with particular reference to transition time between lessons and break time (Appendix 2). In order to improve levels of behaviour during break times the school could focus on providing structured sports sessions. Students currently have access to the courts and facilities which are supervised by the PE staff; however there is lack of structure. Through the Physical Education, School Sports Club Links (PESSCL) (2008) investigations it has been shown that by providing a range of clubs for the students, there has been an improvement in behaviour during lunchtime and afternoon l essons. Other schools have had success with students who have poor behaviour records and low motivation by providing them with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and then run a sporting competition. This had a positive impact on the students self-esteem and attitude to learning (PESSCL, 2008). Ofsted (2000) identified that in schools where teachers agreed to follow procedures for supervision of corridors and outdoor areas between lessons, reduced behaviour incidents and increased punctuality. As identified in this study a large proportion of poor behaviour is due to the inconsistency in applying behaviour policies. Numerous studies have identified that in order to improve behaviour the school must tackle it as a whole school approach including attainment, teaching and attendance Ofsted (2006; 2000). Ofsted (2006; 2000) also highlight the importance of providing effective teaching that is interesting, structured and works to develop personal learning thinking skills. By developing these skills students will be able to work independently and take more responsibility for their learning. It is evident that B4L is directly related to Teaching Learning practice policy. Schools that have poor behaviour have often been seen to have ineffective teaching, this is concurrent with the study school as identified in the Ofsted report (2009).Several studies have identified that good teaching can promote good behaviour, creating a positive learning environment. By providing interesting lessons with clear learning objectives, clear expectations, differentiation and recognition of individual achievement learn ers feel positive about their learning and consequently act in a positive manner (Ofsted 2005;2008). There is a need for schools and teachers to be proactive in developing learning behaviour rather than simply being reactive to behavioural problems. It would be beneficial to prioritise the development of positive relationships with lear

Comparing After Apple-picking to Apples Essay -- comparison compare co

Poetry is an attempt to describe the nature and intensity of one's feelings and opinions. Often, however, these thoughts are too vague or complex to articulate. How does a poet translate these abstract ideas into something more tangible and workable? Simple, metaphorical objects and situations can be used to represent more elusive concepts. These can be interpreted in many different ways, however, and poets often use the same symbols to produce varying effects. By comparing "After Apple-picking," by Robert Frost and "Apples," by Laurie Lee one can see how the poets coincidentally use similar subjects to discuss a broader, more meaningful issue. Both Frost and Lee use the apples in their poems to illustrate the relationship between man and nature, and to emphasize the importance of allowing natural processes to occur without interference. In addition to the use of simplified symbols, the tone of each poem and the styles in which they are written also reflect the poets' views on the to pic.   Ã‚     Frost and Lee both discuss mankind's interaction with the environment, using the apple to represent nature as a whole. Each poet achieves this differently. Frost focuses on the negative effects that occur when man disturbs nature and attempts to control it for his own gain. His poem speaks of the winter, and of an apple-picker, with his 'ladder sticking through a tree.' The narrator faces with the consequences of his actions, and realizes the severity of his mistake. 'I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight I got from looking through a pane of glass I skimmed from the drinking trough.' Frost demonstrates how quickly and harshly the cold seems to come on after the apples are unnaturally stripped away. This reflects the way the Earth ... ...h "Apples" is written reflects the empathy which connects Lee with nature. Both poets reflect their views by creating appropriate tones in their poems.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Frost and Lee illustrate the intended messages in their poems through the use of reflective tones and styles. They also use the simple symbol of the apple to represent nature on a larger scale. This allows the poets to illustrate the importance of maintaining a respect for nature and to demonstrate the effects of man's relationship with the environment. By examining Frost's "After Apple-picking" and Lee's "Apples," one is able to understand how poets often use the same subject to discuss different aspects of an issue. This is a valuable skill for communication of complex or nondescript ideas. It allows the poet to overcome the difficulty of describing the nature and intensity of his own abstract feelings.

Recommendation to Invest in the Animation Industry Essay example -- fi

Introduction After thorough research in the animation industry, it is strongly recommended that the corporation, World-Wide Investment Inc., should invest. Over the years, businesses in the animation industry have come to be known as companies that create feature films, television shows, software, comics, and more for consumers all across the globe. It is a rapidly expanding industry in today’s economy, supplying a worldwide audience with both entertainment and careers. Computer Generated Images (CGI) plays a chief role in movies, including popular films that generate millions of dollars such as the â€Å"Toy Story† series. In contrast, the majority of directors continue to use actors and actresses to play characters, but even then, they may have green screens to create a setting. This proves that animation has still not disappeared. Through business fundamentals, international business, and marketing, it is clear just how positive the animation industry’s future is sha ping up to be and why it is a worthwhile investment. Business Fundamentals The animation industry satisfies consumer needs and wants, because it provides motion pictures that the consumers want to watch like animated feature films, and television shows, and products that the consumers classify they need for survival such as t-shirts. Furthermore, the feedback that the product produces encourages the business in the animation industry to maintain the supply the consumers are obtaining, or even improve it so that there are more potential customers. As a result, they resume selecting, producing, and distributing products that they need or want. Therefore, by investing in this industry, it will expand the market, consequently making World-Wide Investment Inc. h... ....exportcanada.com>. 6. "German Language Facts." English to French, German, Latvian, Russian & Spanish Translation Dictionary - Words and Phrases with Audio - LanguageHelpers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2014. . 7. "Germany - Language, Culture, Customs and Business Etiquette | global-etiquette | resources." The Translation Agency for a complete Professional Translation Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2014. . 8. "Tourism in Germany – travel, breaks, holidays." Tourism in Germany – travel, breaks, holidays. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2014. . 9. Wilson, Jack, David Notman, and Lorie Guest. The World of Business. 5th ed. Scarborough, Ont.: Nelson Thomson Learning, 2007. Print.

Comparing the Love of Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and the Bible Ess

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No emotion has such universal meaning as love. It is an integral part of the human condition. Love is the basis for by which all other emotions can be gauged. Friendship and even grief are steeped in love. Love is so central to our lives that it is fitting and proper that it should be the topic of so much discussion. Every culture and every writer has some commentary or evaluation of love. The New Testament has its share of love commentary. The entire basis of the Christian tradition is God's love for humanity. "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." (John 3:6) Jesus preached a great deal about love of neighbor, love of God and even love of enemies. (Matt 5:44) Shakespeare's Biblical knowledge is well known and he was certainly familiar with these concepts as he wrote his plays on the subject of love. By looking closely at his works, we can analyze the nature of true love. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare gives an example of true love overcome by tragic fate. His "star-crossed lovers" are so madly in love with each other that they cannot live without being together. (RJ Prologue, 6) By contrast, in Twelfth Night the characters are so fickle that they switch love interests in the span of a few lines. By comparing the true love of Romeo and Juliet with the shallow love of Twelfth Night, it becomes clear that Shakespeare agrees with the Biblical assessment of love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is necessary, of course, to begin by explaining what the Biblical evaluation of love is. Of all the references to love in the Bible, and there are many, three sources apply best to this discussion. In the Old Testament, Song of Songs, a descriptive love poem between a woman and her true love, has many parallels to love in Romeo an... ...nd Juliet, Critical Essays. Garland Publishing, New York: (c)1993 Palmer, D.J. "'Twelfth Night' and the myth of Echo and Narcissus.'" in Shakespeare Survey 32. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: (c)1979 Parker, Barbara. A Precious Seeing, Love and Reason in Shakeswpeare's Plays. New York University Press, New York: (c)1987 Shaheen, Naseeb. "Shakespeare's Knowledge of the Bible -- How Aquired" in Shakespeare Studies XX. Burt Franklin & Co., New York: (c)1988 Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Cliff's Notes, Lincoln: (c)1965 Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Cliff's Notes, Lincoln: (c)1965 Summers, Joseph H. "The Masks of Twelfth Night" in Twentieth Century Interpretations of Twelfth Night. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs: (c)1968 Vyvyan, John. Shakespeare and the Rose of Love. Chatto & Windus, London: (c)1960   

Disclosure Analysis Paper

Individual – Disclosure Analysis Paper ACC 422 Intermediate Financial Accounting II February 25, 2013 Toys â€Å"R† Us, Inc. is the company that I will analyze. To analyze the disclosures of the company’s financial statement is important because it allows one to understand the position of the company. Toys â€Å"R† Us is one largest in the world toy retailers offering a selection of toys and baby products for families around the world. For more than 60 years, Toys â€Å"R† Us has been an all-time favorite for kids and grown-ups with many kinds of toys, games, learning aids, electronics, apparel and furniture.Merchandise is sold in 872 Toys â€Å"R† Us and Babies â€Å"R† Us stores in the United States and Puerto Rico and in more than 645 international stores and over 150 licensed stores in 35 countries and jurisdictions (About Toy â€Å"R† Us Corporate). One category to analyze is cash and cash equivalents which are the most liq uid current assets. On the statement of cash flows, cash has a much broader definition than just seeing it as cash on hand and cash in the bank. It cash equivalents plays an important role within. Cash equivalents are short-term investments that are easily converted to cash but treated like cash.In the third quarter, Toys â€Å"R† Us showed $2. 3 billion of liquidity which included cash and cash equivalents of about $399 million and available lines of credit that totals about $1. 9 billion. The amount of cash used in the operating activities totaled to $449 million which was lower than the previous year (About Toy â€Å"R† US Corporate). Toy â€Å"R† Us along with other companies is responsible for disclosing components of cash and cash equivalents along totals from the cash flow statement with the equivalent items showing in the balance sheet.Extraordinary items, interest and dividends, taxes on income and foreign currency cash flows and non-cash transaction sh ould be disclosed separately. Accounts receivable is another short-term liquid asset that results from credit sales to customers. Credit is offered to increase sales, uncollectible accounts associated with credit sales should be charged as expenses in the period in which the sales are made. A small number of customers account for a large share of Toy â€Å"R† US net sales and accounts receivable. Toy â€Å"R† Us receivables in 2012 are $236 million. Total current receivables make up 4. 6 percent of total assets for the year.Accounts and other receivables consist primarily of receivables from vendor allowances and consumer credit card and debit card transactions. The accounts receivable turnover compares the level of receivables with sales. Its allowance for doubtful accounts reduced to 2. 9 million in fiscal year 2011 to 2012. Toy â€Å"R† Us capital expenditure plays a major role of it long term toy and juvenile strategy (Toys â€Å"R† Us, Inc. ). By the end of the quarter the company had about $2 billion of liquidity, including cash and cash equivalents of about $6 million and unused available for lines of credit totaling $1 billion.Inventory is another current asset of a company. Inventory represents items held for resale that will go into the manufacturing of goods to be sold. Toy â€Å"R† Us financial disclosures states that the inventory balances of $3,551 on October 27, 2012 and $2,232 million on January 28, 2012. This financial disclosure wants investors to know that inventory on this statement were at completion. Toys â€Å"R† Us offers customers the Toys R Us Credit Cards, both by GE Capital Retail Bank.Toy â€Å"R† Us maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure and maintain information that is required to be disclosed in the financial reporting. The purpose of the disclosures notes to the financial reporting presents information which cannot be presented on income statemen t, balance sheet and statement of cash flows. Analyzing the disclosures contained within the notes to the financial statements is mainly conducted in order to identify the company financial performances, such as, cash and cash equivalents, receivables and its inventory.Toy â€Å"R† Us wants to be committed to maintaining and conducting its business with integrity ensuring that each asset, liability, expense and other transaction are disclosed accurately. The disclosure analysis defines whether or not the company under analysis is a good or bad investment for the company interested in acquisition (ehow. com). References Kieso, D. E. , Weygandt, J. J. , & Warfield, T. D. (2010). Intermediate accounting (13th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. About US – Toy â€Å"R† Us Corporate, retrieved February 25, 2013 from http://www. toysrusinc. com How to Write a Disclosure Analysis Paper | eHow. com

Imports of Pakistan Essay

An import is any good or service brought into one country from another country in a legitimate fashion, typically for use in trade. Import goods or services are provided to domestic consumers by foreign producers. An import in the receiving country is an export to the sending country. Imports, along with exports, form the basis of international trade. Import of goods normally requires involvement of the Customs authorities in both the country of import and the country of export and is often subject to import quotas, tariffs and trade agreements. When the â€Å"imports† are the set of goods and services imported, â€Å"Imports† also means the economic value of all goods and services that are imported. The macroeconomic variable I usually stand for the value of these imports over a given period of time, usually one year. [pic][pic] Pakistan Imports Pakistan is a fast growth country given that it is in a tough neighborhood. For the last 5 years it has averaged 6-7% growth. Pakistan has been burdened with a costly arms race with the 8 times larger India. This has placed severe strain on her resources ever since her independence. However, there are signs that the country is trying to work its way out of the costly foreign policy and move towards greater economic development. Pakistan imports were worth 3649 Million USD in February of 2012. Pakistan imports mainly petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel and tea. Its major import partners are: European Union, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and United States. This page includes: Pakistan Imports chart, historical data and news. Major Imports of Pakistan 1. Machinery. 2. Petroleum. 3. Chemicals. 4. Vehicles and spare parts. 5. Edible Oil. 6. Wheat. 7. Tea. 8. Fertilizers. 9. Plastic material. 10. Paper Board 11. Iron ore and steel. 12. Pharmaceutical products. Imports of Pakistan Pakistan’s imports are also highly concentrated in few items namely, machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, edible oil, iron and steel, fertilizer and tea. These imports accounted for 73% of total imports during 2006-07. Among these categories machinery, petroleum/petroleum products and chemicals accounted for 53. 4% of total imports. Direction of Imports of Pakistan Pakistan’s imports are highly concentrated in few countries. Over 40 percent of them continue to originate from just seven countries namely, the USA, Japan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Germany, UK and Malaysia. Saudi Arabia is emerging as major supplier to Pakistan followed by the USA and Japan. The shares of USA and Japan, with some fluctuations, exhibited a declining trend because of the shift in the import of machinery/capital goods and raw materials to other sources. On the other hand, the share of Pakistan’s imports from Saudi Arabia has been rising due to higher imports of POL products. Malaysia share has shown rising, as well as, falling trends over the years mainly on account of fluctuations in palm oil prices.

IMC Plan Essay

Executive summary The strategy of this IMC plan is to extend Abercrombie & Fitch target audience, young generation, to the senior segment; the reason by doing this strategy is because there are more potential customer that haven’t been discover yet, so if we can reach to those people, the brand can expand its market and gain more profit. Furthermore, the current image that A&F holds in people mind might be a brand that provides casual luxury products or a brand that is only for young people, but if the brand can have the opportunity to upgrade its image to compare with those high-end brands, the brand value will increase dramatically. And so by, we must add the element of maturity into our brand image and appeal senior customer to purchase our product. In order to carry out this strategy, this IMC plan will use different marketing communication tools such as product placement, event marketing, advertising and public relationship to accomplish this goal. Eventually, after execute this new strategy for A&F, more and more senior will consider A&F is a brand not just for teens but also for them. Business situation review * Brand introduction: Abercrombie & Fitch, also known as A&F, is a renowned worldwide fashion brand that provides people the sense of causal luxury; it has a variety of product from the shoes that you wear on foot to the hat wear on the top, even fragrance and those exquisite accessories you can buy one at the store as well. Nowadays, A&F has more than 300 branches within the U.S, and several stores around the world. The reason why A&F is so popular recently is because the style of the product is unique and modern; furthermore, the products also possess high quality as well. Additionally, another reason that A&F has such high popularity is because the affordable price, take the T-shit for instance, the average price is 25 to 30 dollars, if we compare A&F to those famous brand such as Armani, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, we can find out the price that A&F stands is much friendly than the others. * Target market: The main market of A&F is target at those young adults, from the age 18 to 25, different nationalities, color and characteristic, and those people who love fancy stuff but can’t afford extremely expensive brand. One of the things that A&F attract people is the image that displays the personality of vivid, young but a great sense of mature. Many people might consider a brand that is for young population as premature, the massage that, however, convey from A&F is the sense of fashion and the high-class feeling. Furthermore, due to the affordable price, young adult Can have the ability to buy such a brand that provides the sense of fashion and distinguish themselves among others. * Competitive Among the retail-clothing industry, there are various of brand that possess almost the same brand image as A&F, but the reason why A&F still can distinguish from those brand is because the unique brand equity that it stands. Therefore, although there are some attributes that similar with A&F, we still can scrutinize into those nuance and seek out some different between each others, and that’s quite important to execute before doing our own IMC plan. Therefore, those brand listed below are similar with A&F, and all in the same category. 1. H&M H&M (Hennes & Mauritz AB) is an international fashion brand, which comes from Swedish. The target market of H&M is for men, women, teenagers and children, and those people who love fashion products. The feature of this retail-clothing company is to provide fast-produce product that provides consumer the fast pace of trend, it means that the time from the design process to the product been displayed in the store is short. Because of that, consumer can enjoy those fashion products at the very first hand. The company has more than two thousand chain store around the world. Meanwhile, H&M often co-branding with other fashion designer such as MARNI, VERSACEï ¼Å' LANVINï ¼Å'JIMMY CHOOï ¼Å'ROBERTO CAVALLI, etc. This strategy makes the product more valuable than before, and triggers the collecting enthusiasm among those consumers. 2. ZARA ZARA is one of the most famous fast-fashion brands in the world now, it owns by Inditex Group, a giant Spanish closing retail company. The company claims it only takes two week from producing a new product to any chain store. One of the marketing strategies that ZARA possess is that they don’t execute any commercial advertisement, instead of doing that; they transfer the capital to set up another branch. The target audience is those people prefer enjoying fast pace fashion product, and want to be distinguishes from other people. 3. Forever 21 Forever 21 is a fashion brand that from the U.S., and it has many branches in major cities around the world. The brand offers trendy clothing and accessories to those people who love exquisite product, especially the female market. The price position that the brand stands is quite friendly compare with those high-end fashion brands such as Armani, Gucci, LV, etc. 4. GAP GAP is a brand that owned by The Gap, Inc., an American clothing and accessories retailer. The target market that the brand focus at the first place is only on blue jeans and T-shit, but later the brand expands its product category to suit the needs of men, women and children. The personality of GAP is more general than those others brand such as H&F, A&F, Forever 21, and the spectrum of age for using GAP’s product is much broader as well. * SWOT analysis for A&F STRENGTHS: 1. Acceptable price The price strategy is a very essential factor that determines the brand position. One thing that makes A&F so popular is the affordable price; more people can enjoy certain level of luxury or fashion based on a friendly price. Because of the affordable price, fashion is not a privilege hold by those rich people. Take the price of a pair of jeans for instance; compare with a 190 dollars jean that DIESEL sale, the price of the jeans that A&F is only around 70 dollars. Therefore, the friendly price is a factor that can strengthen this brand, and make more people interest in it. 2. Specific market audience Abercrombie & Fitch creates a very specific target segment that helps the brand to focus on certain consume. The target audience consists of various people, but the most important factor is all about the young generation. Meanwhile, due to the specific marketing segment, the brand can come out with more specific strategy that makes them easier to reach through the consumer. 3. Strong distribution strategy There are several ways for A&F to distribute its product; the first one is the brick and mortar store, such as those stores inside Macy’s. Second, the consumer can purchase the product online due to its own online store, allowing those busy people to shop instead going to the store. Meanwhile, some times there are some special promotion only carries out on the online store. 4. Unique atmosphere for shopping in store The atmosphere within the store provides consumer a really pleasant circumstance to shop, moreover, the unique decoration and the aura makes the brand distinguish from the others. 5. Stylish design The image that shows on A&F’s product is simple but stylish. However, maybe there are fewer picture or character on the product, but the design that shows on all product convey a sense of modern and fashion, and that’s the reason so many people get appeal on this amazing brand. WEAKNESS: 1. Few branch chain store in the Asia and Europe market The number of the chain store within Asia and Europe market is way below the number in the U.S. First of all, during the past ten years, the closing market in Asia has growing extremely, and due to A&F is an international fashion brand, the distribution strategy should emphasize on this booming area more in order to generate more profit and enhance the brand awareness and loyalty. Furthermore, when talk to fashion; the first place that pops out in your mind will definitely be Europe, such as London, Milan, Paris, etc. Thus, in order to strengthen A&F fashion image, letting more people aware of this brand is necessary. 2. Provoking image In order to make the advertisement more attractable; A&F usually use the idea of sex to appeal consumer. Lots of advertisement or picture imply some kind of sexual implication that some times makes people feel unpleasant especially those conservative. 3. Untruthful information via on-line advertising When A&F is doing some kind of promotion via the on-line store, some time the information is not clear and not congruent with the information that they promoted in the brick and mortar store. 4. Similar design concept with the competitor Some time is a little bit hard to distinguish A&F’s product from those competitor, not because the design but also the attributes of the brans parity, especially when the target audience is similar with each other THREATS: 1. Losing senior market Because the target market that A&F holds is focus on the young generation, therefore, senior might not consider A&F as the brand when they want to shop for garment. 2. Generate negative brand image The advertisement that A&F usually conduct is by using sexual appeals to attract people, or using macho male or sexy female to enamor consumer. This, however, tactic might creates some negative feeling among the brand, the consumer; especially those parents might deems A&F as a bran which is not ethical. 3. Losing market share due to brand parity There are several brands that possess similar product or design with A&F. Therefore, how to distinguish each other will be the most important things that the brand needs to take into consider. Otherwise, the consumer can’t recognize the difference between A&F and the others. 4. Losing market share due to few chain store oversea There are over 300 stores within the U.S, but just couple branches in the international market. In comparison with A&F, many brand expand their chain store all over the world, letting more people enjoy the pleasure of shopping their products, such as H&M, ZARA, GAP, etc. The sake of setting branches around the world is not just generate company’s revenue but also build up brand awareness in people’s mind, forcing people to familiar with the brand image and strengthen the brand loyalty. OPPORTUNITIES: There are many possible opportunities that A&F can deal with, and each opportunity can set up different positive consequence that will provides somewhat benefit to A&F and give the brand various direction to manage their strategy and fulfill the mission they possess such as adding the â€Å"Green† concept to the product, offer free modification among all pants, enhance the on-line system that gives more access for customer to shop or some special event like Issuing limited products. However, within this IMC plan for Abercrombie & Fitch, the main idea that I want to express the most is the target market exist some certain possibility to generate more profit or brand awareness by playing more attention on those seniors. Based upon this idea, there are several opportunities that we can follow: 1. Make A&F more suitable to senior by redesign the products The reason that redesign the product can appeal more senior customer is due to the style or graphic that display on the product might be deemed premature by those senior. Therefore, if the brand can place more effort on designing the right style senior likes, the brand can expand its target market to a higher level. 2. Change the stereotype that A&F is a brand for young generation In the mind of people who love fashion product, A&F always be considered as a brand for young people, not because the product itself, but also the image that the commercial present to the public. Thus, A&F should dedicate more on the image, the image that convey more maturity. As a result, it will attract more senior customer to purchase A&F’s product. 3. Positioning A&F as a brand to senior Abercrombie & Fitch can be the brand that provides not just the casual feeling but also the high level of exquisite perception. Expanding the product category to more mature product might be a way to strengthen the image of maturity. Meanwhile, A&F can make itself be seemed as the level of those high level fashion brand such as Gucci, LV, PRADA, etc. This move will give the massage to the consumer that A&F can also suit the need of their desire for the product that is fashion and also possess the personality of mature. Marketing objective According to the 2010 Form 10-k, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. provided by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the revenue of A&F is $ 3.469 billion, and it’s getting better compare with those previous years. In order to, however, make the company generate more profit and brand loyalty, we must scrutinize into those potential opportunities and carry out the best one, therefore, the marketing objective within this IMC plan is that Abercrombie & Fitch will increase the revenue and develop more potential customer from expand the target market which is from the young generation to those senior consumer, by three years later. As we know, the target customer for A&F is focus on those young generations, especially from the age 18 to 25. Thus, by extending the target audience, A&F can attract more potential customer and gain more profit. 1. Product Within this IMC plan, we are not selling any particular products or item but rather the brand or any products that associated with A&F. The idea of this plan is to expand the age segment in order to attract more senior customer than before. Therefore, how to make the products appealed to those older customers is the concept that me need to take into account, in addition, putting more mature element in the design process will give the final product a sense of maturity and a bit more fashion. Thus, the marketing objective at this part will be adding more mature flavor to the product and strengthen the product image to a high level that indicate the sense of maturity. After the fulfillment of this objective, Abercrombie & Fitch will not just the brand only focus on young people but also justify the reason why the brand suit the senior as well. 2. Price Sometimes the price is the hardest part to decide in the process of setting objectives. Different brand price range from cheap to outrageous high, one of the reason that why A&F is so popular is due to the affordable price, the price that most of the people can afford it. However, affordable price is not equal with the normal quality, adding value to the price, make the price value beyond the price itself. There is several ways to accomplish this concept such as providing a higher quality of customer service in order to enhance the relationship between both sides, or strengthen the brand image by making people believe A&F is a brand that provides high quality merchandise. Eventually, the goal is to convince consumer the value of the price is way beyond the actual one. 3. Place Most of the time when shopping in the store, it’s obviously that the majority of customers are teenager, and one of the reason might be the environment is designed to attract the target market (young people), therefore, all the decoration or the aura inside the store is more like a young generation style, such as the picture on the wall usually are those macho men and sexy female; the perfume inside the store is so strong that you can smell it after you leave the store and the light is a little bit gloomy that some time make people feel dizzy. As a result, all the reason that I mentioned above might be the causes that hesitate senior to shop in the store. Therefore, the marketing object of this part is to create a better and comfortable environment for senior. Meanwhile, it’s important not just to provide a suitable circumstance to shop but also an understandable way to reach through. 4. Promotion One of the problem that we need to solve with the promotion is to break through the generation gap, this gap might seems nothing seemingly, but it sure does matter the way that the promotion take place. The reason that I mention it is because the way senior see through the promotion process is totally different than young people, therefore, the marketing objective is to concentrate on the meaning of the promotion, providing information that will attract senior customer to the store and also form the knowledge that A&F is a brand not just for kids but also for adult. As a result, by using the proper promotion, A&F can attract more people to generate more reputation, and boost the revenue as well. The central strategic idea Among those fashion brands, A&F is the one that focus on the casual luxury segment, many people willing to buy its product due to the quality product and the fashion brand image, because of that, A&F become one of the most popular apparel brand among the world nowadays. However, when talking about the position that A&F stands, most of the people will consider A&F as a brand that only suit for young people, most of the product that display in the store are hoody, T-shirt or jeans, those product usually deem as for children, but that is only the stereotype among all of us, if A&F can attract more people that is older to purchase the product, the image will eventually change, and the brand will be widely consider as a mature brand such as Ralph Lauran, Tommy or Calvin Klein. As far as I’m concerned, the reason why I think expand the target market from young people to senior is a proper strategy for Abercrombie & Fitch is because there still exist a great amount of potential custo mer that can bring a huge profit to A&F; having a bunch of young loyalty customer is not enough, the best way to build up a phenomenal reputation is to provide service to both junior and senior, make the brand broadly acceptable. Furthermore, when talk to those renowned brands such as LV, Gucci, Armani, we won’t consider them as a premature brand or a bran that is only suit for young generation or some certain group but a brand that provides high quality of exquisite product. The purpose of this strategic idea is not putting Abercrombie & Fitch at the same position as those fashion brands that I mentioned above. The reason of this strategy is to elevate the brand to a higher level that provide the mature feeling that can attract senior customer, meanwhile, when more and more senior customer enjoy A&F’s products, the brand image will become more solid and convince people that A&F is a brand that not only suit for teens but also for adults. However, before starting this strategic idea, there are several thing that we need to reconsider, such as the communication situation, how’s the current communication channel looks like? What’s the tactic that Abercrombie & Fitch utilized to reach through customer? Is the current tactic suit for our new customer? Those questions are the one we need to elaborated, and come out with a more specific plan that can appeal more people, especially senior, to purchase our product. Furthermore, we have to redefine our customer, make sure me know the attributes of their shopping behavior or even the style that those senior prefer, this effort will give us the knowledge to know our customer deeper and better. Communication situation analysis According to this strategic plan for Abercrombie &Fitch, the main problem for senior to shop for A&F’s product is the wrong cognition that the brand is only suit for young people, and because of this reason, most of the senior will rather choice other brand that will provides them the sense of maturity and possess the fashion feeling at the same time. Therefore, based on this obstacle, we need to convey the right information to the right person. Thus, the information must be via the right channel and the massage must be tailor to match what seniors needs. Nowadays, most of the information exposed through different media, and it’s easy for people to see. However, there is no such a No.1 option, different media has its own function, it can’t just apply to every one’s need. For A&F, we can grab the message from various ways, such as the commercial lunched on the TV, the picture issued inside the magazines, the image display on the giant billboard, the store that we shop on-line or even the massage within the store. Those channels all can make a very well impression on us; therefore, the detail inside those channels will be the key factor to change people’s attitude. Take the magazine for example, in order to appeal senior customer, the picture inside the magazine can’t just use young people as model, it has to show some grownup that is mature enough to bring out the specific feeling. Target audience analysis When speak to Abercrombie & Fitch, the first image or feeling that pop out consumers’ mind is the perception of vitality and youth, thus, the target audience for A&F is focus on those young generations from the age18 to 25. Meanwhile, except the age, there are several attributes that possessed by those people, such as the tendency of collecting fashion products, or owning the ability to purchase fashion items to make themselves looks better. However, based upon the new marketing strategy, the final goal is to extend the age segment and bring more senior customer to this market, therefore, the new target audience among this marketing plan is the age from 30 to 50 and possess the following characteristics: 1. Self-Independent on the economic status Generally speaking, most of the young customers can’t afford to purchase a great amount of products at the same time because they are not self-independent on the economic status; they still rely on parents’ income to supply their daily cost, and subject to parents’ order. However, if the target audience is focus on those seniors who have a greater power of consumption than those youth, they can purchase more products and make the purchase decision by their own. Moreover, due to this customer characteristic, there will be more consumption either inside the store or the on-line purchase, and the revenue will have a sharp increase as well. 2. Live in the urban area There are several good parts that benefits the customer that live in the urban area, the first one is the people can have more access to purchase A&F’s product. Although the Internet is so popular now, we can even purchase the product at the on-line store just for a click, but we still can’t have the virtual contact with the products. For customers, sometime is better for them to see the product by itself and give the product a try to make sure whether the item fits the person or not. Furthermore, most of the population lives in the urban area, and the majority of A&F’s store locates at the central of the city. Therefore, the people lives in the city can have more opportunity and convenience to reach its products. Second, the latest trend and fashion info often starts from the urban area; the people lives inside the city can gain the first-hand information about the latest fashion trend. 3. Care about personal image No matter male or female, the target audience must have somewhat narcissism in her or his personality. They believe that wearing good-looking cloth and the right brand can creates the sense of confidence, and that’s the reason why they choice A&F to be the brand they want. 4. Interesting in the fashion domain People who love fashion tend to pay more focus on the apparel industry, because there is a strong connection between each other. Every time there is a new product release or a product co-branding with a famous designer, the person will follow the news and try to participate in the event, and there’s a high percentage that the person will purchase the product. Positioning strategy analysis Positioning Statement: Among all the people from age 30 to 50, who love fashion products and enjoy wearing casual luxury apparel (Target audience) Abercrombie & Fitch (Product/Service name) Is one of the most famous causal-luxury apparel brands in the fashion industry (Competitive set) That performs confidence, vitality and uniqueness to customer (Benefits proposition) Because of the high quality product and the stylish design (Product support) 1. Target audience In the positioning statement, the target audience is not just for those young people but also focus more on the senior market. Based on the Strategic idea of this IMC plan, the perfect age group is from 30 to 50, because they possess several preponderance such as having a job and a more stable income than those young people, thus, they have more opportunity to purchase A&F’s products. Moreover, seniors usually have a better taste on closing than juniors, therefore, if A&F can make those seniors become its loyalty customer, it can transfer the image that the brand is not just for young people but also for those mature adults. 2. Product/Service name According to this IMC plan, there are no specific products that the company wants to promote or use as a strategy to boost the sale. Our mission is to promote Abercrombie &Fitch ‘s name and appeal senior customer to use our product. Therefore, the goal of this plan is to redress the image and promote the concept that the bran is more likely for senior. 3. Competitive set For Abercrombie & Fitch, our competitive set is not just in the apparel business, but also the whole fashion industry. The products for A&F are miscellaneous, so that’s the reason why A&F can compete with different kinds of fashion brands. Furthermore, because the brand has already well known by the public, so they don’t have to put extra effort on creating brand awareness. 4. Benefits proposition The people who wear A&F cloth or use any of its products can feel a sense of fashion and confidence due to its unique position in the market. The feeling that elicit from the product can be somewhat energetic and mature, and that’s the feeling, which appeal to most of the consumer to purchase its product. Meanwhile, based on the new strategy, we want customers to have a different experience than before by means of a much mature image that can persuade senior to get involve in it. 5. Product support The reason why A&F is so popular around the word is because the stylish design and the unique image that convey to the world. Those apparels or products that design by A&F are usually simple but modern; there is no fancy figure or glary color on it. Therefore, the brand is easy to distinguished from the other competitors, and also that’s the reason why I think the strategy to expand the age segment to a higher level is feasible, because usually the more simple trait that the product possess, the more easy for the product to be considered mature, and that’s the thing our new potential customer wants. Communication objectives and strategies Although there are various brands within the fashion industry, different people choice the brand that suit them the most, sometime is based on status, some time is based on personal taste; however, the reason why so many people, especially teenagers, appealed by A&F is owing to its stylish design and vigorous image. However, the problem of this IMC plan is how to get seniors involve in this brand and turn them to up hold A&F’s products. Thus, the communication object is to send the massage to the target audience and boost the revenue by convincing people that the brand is not just for teens but also will be the best choice for seniors to purchase when they need closing. In order to accomplish the communication objective, there are several strategies that listed below: 1. To create a suitable environment for senior to visit A&F stores In order to fulfill this strategy, we must conduct some research to realize what’s the key element that triggers senior to shop and what’s the condition that make them feel comfortable while they doing purchase. The reason for doing this strategy is because the current environment is designed to attract young consumer, therefore, in order to attract senior customer, the company must figure out the best shopping environment to appeal them to come. 2. Promote the idea that Abercrombie & Fitch is a brand for senior Refresh the original image of A&F and put the sense of maturity into the brand whereby senior feels like this special brand is for them. In order to execute this strategy, we must use different marketing tools and various mediums to accomplish this mission. More details will be illustrated in the last part of this IMC plan. 3. Move Abercrombie & Fitch’s image up to those high-end fashion brand such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauran. The purpose of this strategy is to let people build the connection for A&F to those high-end brands in order to increase the brand value. By strengthen the brand value, more people, especially senior, will consider A&F as a phenomenal brand to purchase. Program of tactics and executions With regard to this IMC plan, there are various tools to accomplish this mission; different tactic has its own advantage so we need to slice them together then maximize the great amount of benefit from it. There are so many disciplines such as advertising, personal selling, PR, etc. Therefore, sometimes we just can’t use them all; we have to select some of the most effective ways to conduct the strategy that we came out with. And so by, according to this plan, several tactics will be elaborated in the following paragraph: 1. Product placement The reason why this alternative marketing tactic is a great choice for this strategy is because by using this method, not just the product of A &F can expose to the customer but also the image. When the products display inside a movie or commercial, the audience will have a chance to see and have the perception of it. Meanwhile, this tactic has been so popular for quite a long time and most of the company considers this tactic as a great ways to promote their brand or product, so the potential influence on customer is quite huge. Therefore, based on our strategy, we will expose our product or our brand image to the public, but we need to place it in the right place and person. We will execute our plan by putting A&F’s products or logo on senior who take part in the movie or commercial, the reason why we are doing this is because we want the customer who is in front of the TV or computer to deem the brand is looking good on those people. Generally, we seldom saw A & F’s product wearing on senior among any program, so that’s the notion we want to convey to people. Furthermore, in order to illustrate more specifically, we will choice certain people or program to expose our brand image, take the actor for instance, when choosing the people to wear our product, we might consider senior more than young guys, the actor such as Gorge Clooney or Sarah Jessica Parker will be the best candidate for translate the new image of maturity to people. In addition, we must pick the right movie or TV program to place our brand into it, because some time if the movie or program is for teens or children, the purpose of this action will be not successfully accomplished. 2. Advertising There are various ways in advertising, each of one has it own advantage, however, in this case, there will be only few channel that appropriate to accomplish this goal, such as: * Television In nowadays, people can get a slew of information from TV, and it is also the best way to create awareness. According to this channel, the best way to convey the information that the brans is not only suit for young people but also adults as well is to launch a commercial that carry the image of senior wearing A &F product and shows how confidence they can be just because the brand can bring the sense of fashion and maturity. When people, especially seniors, see the commercial frequently, they will gradually change the original brand image in their mind. * Magazine There are tons of different magazine in the field now and it has possess several advantage such as high marketing segment, longer attention to ads, high color quality, etc. We, however, can’t put our advertisement in all of them, we must be specific, choosing the right one that can reach the right person, therefore, according to the strategy, the target magazine will definitely be those fashion one such as Elle, Ebony, Vogue, People and FHM. Furthermore, in order to promote the perception of mature and professional, those famous magazine such as TIME, Economist, ADWEEK will also be taken into consider. Take TIME for example; in order to give the audience an explicit impression, we might consider buying a whole page for our ad, thus, once the reader start to read, the image of our brand will unfold in front of them. * Outdoor The place that can display the ads are not just in the TV or magazine, there are many places we can use in the public area to show our brand image and product advertisement, such as the giant billboard out side, the bus stop next to your house, even on the public transportation can have a space to make advertising. Therefore, we will display our brand image in those places that people gather the most; make sure our exposure can reach people as much as possible. To make this tactic more specific, A &F will runs this method by putting out senior celebrity image such as Gorge Clooney; the image of him will mostly convince people that A&F is a brand that fits on senior and it looks good as well. 3. Public Relations In the tactic of PR, our goal is to build the right image we want, and let people feel positive that this new brand image is positive. Therefore, by using all the tools of PR such as the news release, annual report, news conference etc. we want people to know the brand is extending its image to a higher level, and will provides customer a better feeling that will appeals to those senior customer. To execute this strategy by using PR, we might have to combine different tactic to maximize the outcome. For instance, in order to spread the new image out, we might need to set up some event or co-branding with the others. And so by, we might need to set up a news conference or launch a press release to run our story to the public. In addition, one of the functions of PR is to create positive image and strengthen company’s reputation, so by sponsoring special event such as the Oscar ceremony, LPG golf tour and the Grand slam series; the image of A&F will be seen not just a brand that provides causal luxury apparel, but also a brand that possess high-end perception and the sense of maturity. Furthermore, in order to let people understand the reason why the company comes up with this idea, and to convince senior to use its product; the company can release some article that is relevant to this topic, getting people familiar with the new idea. 4. Celebrity Endorsement By using well-known people to promote its product can make the brand image more clear and gain more attention. In order to make our brand shine and bright among the public, the company is imperative to choose the right person for endorse its product, several condition such as the person need to have a positive image that well accepted by the public, the person’s personality needs to match with the brand or the product; otherwise, people will think the brand has no connection with the person, and that will make the credibility decline. So, in order to fulfill the condition and match the strategy we set up, we will invite celebrity such as Gorge Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Robert Downey Jr. to be our spokesman; and by using their mature charisma, more people will convert their first image of A&F and turn in to the perception as the strategy we wanted. 5. Event marketing In order to promote the strategy and boost the sale, we can create several events to accomplish this goal; more detail will be elaborated in the following paragraph: * The â€Å"A† membership To create loyalty customer and reward them for their purchase, we will conduct a membership program that give them the benefit as a return. The program will run first with applying our membership card and join the A&F club; after applying, every time when they purchase a certain amount of money, they can get some credit, and after collecting enough credit, the person can enjoy a perpetual 30% discount on every purchase afterward. Moreover, the person who gets a perpetual membership can receive a 100 dollars gift card on his or her every birthday. * The â€Å" I want to fly fashion† event In order to strengthen the function of our perpetual membership, we will co-brand with United Airline and American Express; every time when you take a flight with United Airline or purchase product from A&F by using American Express, the person can receive bonus from it, and can use the bonus to purchase flight ticket or products within A &F store. Conclusion Nowadays, Abercrombie & Fitch is one of the most famous fashion brand in the world, the brand has it own unique image and special value, the trend of buying its product is not just happen in the State but also around the world. However, besides the current situation, the company has more opportunity to enhance its brand equity by expanding the customer segment to a higher level. In order to make the brand more accepted by senior, we must create another image that can appeal to them, make them feel the brand is not just for cool teenagers but also for mature adults. Therefore, the strategy of extending target customer to the senior segment can bring more profit to the company and form a new brand image, providing customer another high- end brand to shop and make them feel special.