Barnes% Noble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Barnes% Noble - Essay Example Another factor affecting the component of publishing is the steady increase of the price of oil and natural gas. In printing, most of the raw materials used for printing like inks are derived from oil. Its mail order catalogue is also affected by the rising cost of postage. In printing, which composes the bulk of Barnes &Noble’s expenses, one of the problems aside from rising cost is the large amount of paper used and the toxic waste it produces such as solvents and inks. Likewise the industry sees the digital technology rather expensive and cuts their profit. As to availability of transportation and shipping airlines, I see no problem as to its availability since there are available companies like Fedex and other airline companies. The only problem seen here is the cost of freight, and insurance. As to employment, Barnes and Noble recognizes the efforts of employees by giving them a rewarding career experience. Competitive compensation, benefit package and promotion. It provides employees a financial security plan, sick leave and disability pay, life insurance, continuing education, transit benefits and discounts (Barnes & Noble, n. d.). They believe that it is rewarding to discover new writers. Average annual revenue of a printing press employee is $145,000.(First Research) while pay for writers is not disclosed. A supplier has bargaining power if he possess the capacity to dominate the contracting partner due o its influence, power, status or size, or through a combination of various tactics. Barnes & Noble who owns the largest chain of bookstores in US, has the power to command the price of books and to control

Erp implementation and change management

Erp implementation and change management ERP Implementation and Change Management Abstract In this research paper, we will analyse the problems and issues faced by a business / enterprise during the ERP project implementation project. And why is there a need for a proper change management as part of their ERP project implementation. As businesses are reengineering their business processes, they are expected to readjust their business methodology to suit the need or demands of market. Business will need a highly reliable management system to support their daily business processes, to reduce inefficiency and inaccuracy within the organisation business process. During the project implementation process, organization will commonly faces unwanted resist from the potential users. The study wills reveals what are the pitfalls and approach needed when organisation are facing resistance to ERP, which could lead to implementation failures. INTRODUCTION As business getting more competitive in today world, it is not enough for business to get content with producing only better and more reliable product and services. In order to provide better customer service internal or external, minimise or reduce overhead, daily production and operation costs, they need the assistance of a better, highly reliable information system to provide a more efficient management over the business processes. ERP Systems are introduced to handle more complex transactions as a highly dependable system. (Lukman Susanto, 2003) The enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a set of integrated Business Applications that provides support for core business process activities such as Manufacturing Production and Logistics, Finance and Accounting, Sales and Marketing, and Human resources. An ERP system integrated and helps the different departmental units of the organization to share data and knowledge, reduce costs, and improve management of the business Processes. (Adel M. Aladwani, 2001) Despite of having so many benefits, lot of ERP projects still fail (Stratman and Roth, 1999). Most of the ERP system implementation that fail are due to workers resistance. A good and careful change management strategies are requires facilitating a successful ERP implementation. (Adel M. Aladwani, 2001) The goal of the this paper is to show how â€Å"change management† could play a significant roles, how to market the ERP within the organization and what are strategies available that are useful to overcome workers resistance to ERP implementation. What is change management? Change Management is a planned change approach within an organization. The goal of Change Management is to maximize the benefits and lower the potential risk for the organization related to changes due to ERP implementation. In any ERP implementation undertaken by a business, Change management is one of the biggest tasks are heavily involved by the organization. Not only that this require a significant amount of funding from the organization but also require a high level of commitment throughout the whole organization. It is a deliberate approach to ensure a change in peoples expectations towards the major changes in the work process bring about by the implementation of ERP to move the business forward smoothly. (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania). An effective change management must touches on all aspects of psychological reaction, such as resistance within an organization, which the potential users are going through. Measuring attitudinal changes are part of the key process in Change Management in the ERP implementation to record how people feel and their expectation towards the anticipated changes in the technology implementation. This will definitely help the organization to know how to manage the shift. Huge amount of communication, and training for the users are needed. WHY IS IT CRUCIAL TO AN ERP IMPLEMENTATION? The whole concept of change management involvement in ERP implementation is building mutual trust and understanding between the organization and its employees throughout the business component, during the implementation phase. The focus of change management in the business should be customer oriented managing expectation of the potential end user rather than technology or product oriented. End user will not be amazed with the state-of-the-art equipment, if the new ERP system or business process failed to fulfil peoples expectation. While ERP implementation requires the business to standardise its business processes, change management will be needed to make sure the damages can be avoided / minimised that are caused by transformation. With proper change management strategy in place, businesses can minimise costs involve due to rapid changes to bring in new system within the organization, while trying to maintain the consistency and existences of its employees. Change management can also help the company to deal with future changes with increase in the business flexibility, thus increase the business productivity as well. (Mark Schweiker Jeff Beatty) REASONS FOR RESISTANCE TO CHANGE This is part of the human nature to resist. According to Bonnie Mincu   â€Å"resistant to have their expectation disrupted† (Bonnie Mincu, 1999). How the top management handle and deal with the resistance is important. Resistance are unavoidable but can be manage. The two basic reasons why people are resisting change are(Bonnie Mincu, 1999): Ø Lack of motivation If the employee are not well informed on the purpose of the change and how it may beneficial for them, people will not feel motivated to change and support the new system. A good communication and vision sharing are needed to resolve these issues. Ø Lack of ability People may understand and agree on the reasons on why there is a need for change, but if they do not have the needed ability, this will add unnecessary resistance and anxiety to all the mist of changes around them. Good proper structure job base training is needed for individual who will be operating the business on the ground within the organization. Ø Change in Habit People who are so used to do their daily job in a familiar business process, will find it a hesitant and hard to break out of it and need some time to adjust to the new system and business process. Majority of people by default would prefer to do their jobs in ways they used to, instead of being innovative or to find a better way to get things done. (Adel Aladwani, 2001).   If businesses fail to handle such conditions, this might upset the employees and valued employees might leave the company. Thus a good project leader must be able to carry a good change management to avoid this unfortunate scenario. Change management Strategy Just like other system implementation, the role of change management is to build trust and understanding throughout the organization, so that the potential users in different separate functional area, where the change will be applied, such as finance, human resources and manufacturing, will understand the benefits and are well prepared to accept the change will be applied. (Island Consulting, 2000). Problems will surface the moment when the actual implementation of the system started, and for a successful implementation its use would require a lot of communication and collaboration within the well-established departmental organization. Although they maybe aware that the purpose of implementing the ERP system was to eliminate unnecessary double or redundant operationally work within whole organizational structure. (Kemppainen, Ilkka, 2000) Most of the project implementation potential risks related to the company are connected with the factors like the level of acceptance or support from company personnel and the top management. Factors like working skills, knowledge, and experience will also affect the outcome of the ERP project implementation. One typical potential risk factor is the resistance to change. People who are going to run the business or potential user may not see how the benefits of the system will help in their own work and, may not be fully committed to the new business model. With the mindset of resistance to change in place, people will not be using the system in a disciplined manner. Normal daily business activities also disturbs the ERP implementation, and people working on the ground may not be willing to put time or effort to assist the development work due to busy schedule. Without strong top management support for the ERP project, the project is set for failure. Beside those factors having a good project manager is also critical for ERP project implementation success. (Pà ¤ivi Iskanius, 2009) In change management things like synchronisation or communication between management and operation level with the project team are very important. The management need to focus and prepare a proper appropriate strategies, communication channels or plan to gather feedback and market the new ERP system that is going to be implement and a proper structure training program or schedule for the potential users to ensure the daily business activities are not being disrupt and able to achieve the desire expected outcomes / results. The organization needs to make sure that the employees are carefully instructed to help them overcome all the challenges during the mist of changes during the ERP project implementation. Effective change management strategies are (Island Consulting, 2000): Ø Communications Strategy Constant communication is a need between the key person in the management and those in working in the daily business operation. The organization needs to ensure a thorough approach in their project strategy such as preparing for their project plans, project costs analysis, project progress reports as well as employees training to prepare the workers for the new system. Good working collaboration will help in resulting a better outcome of the project. The purpose of communicating is not to make everyone happy and it is not possible to make everyone happy, but to deliver the message and request for possible cooperation within the organization. Constant communication can effectively help in reducing the worries and anxiety on the management and the people on the ground on the changes. Ø Impact Analysis Impact Analysis is a method to determine the impact on the current business system and how the business environment will be affect by the new ERP system. Data flow / work flow diagram will be included as part of those formal and informal information to show how business flows and tasks are being run and carried out within the organization. Information like job description and history are being documented will help the project team to make comparison on how the actual business processes to what has been documented (Island Consulting, 2000). With all the information gather above, the project team can analyse the impact the ERP implementation may bring, who are the personnel that will be affected by the implementation and the sort of training are required to ensure a smooth transition to the new system that is being implemented. Ø Skill Analysis Proper training program and schedule are very important in ERP implementation as well. With the implementation of a new system, majority of the operator / end user will need to go for specific job training to get them ready to work on the new system. In order to find who are the individuals need to be train, the project team need to work with all stake holders, usually departmental head to perform skills analysis. Those employees who might need to work with the new ERP system will be audited by their qualification, skills and experiences to allocate the most suitable and best position for each of them. And at the same time, to ensure the business process operates adequately, the company might need to hire new staff or external consultants. The analysis will produce a list of detailed results on appropriate personnel for each position, training required and the cost in training.   CASE STUDY Case Study 1 Marine Cargo Specialist (Kemppainen, Ilkka, 2000) Marine Cargo Specialist is a relatively small global company, which provides marine cargo flow handling solutions and products. Their customer base mainly consists of companies like shipyards that provide services such as building of new ship, modernisation or upgrading and conversation of older ships for the ship owners or ship operators. All the old existing operational IT systems were deliver, maintained or supported by the local IT departments and their local suppliers. No common standards were established for such systems, thus the decentralised information systems architecture made it very difficult to share information on a global basis. Global business activities are often delays due to unavailability of quality, accurate and timely information. Due to the complexity of the new ERP system, problems started to surface gradually. The ERP project team did not place too much attention to these problems initially, as they are considered not critical. Instead, the main focus was on getting the system configuration completed and the system up as soon as possible. But to their dismay, for the potential users of the new ERP system, proper coordination and communication were fundamental. Soon frustration between the project and reference teams start to surface. With the numbers of unsolved issues keep increasing; mistrust and frustration start to grow among the project team and reference team. And project team find it harder to get approvals from the reference teams for crucial design due to other outstanding unaddressed issues. Eventually the system configuration was not being able to be completed, due to inadequate information and resources. And there was a clear indication that the consultants hire did not had a true knowledge and understanding of the system. Majority of the external consultant were kicked out of the ERP project in the process. The level of commitment and support for the project from the top management, started to diminish ad the project was clearly running into problems. CFO of the company as example, who used to be the true sponsor or supporter of the ERP implementation project, seem to be trying to move away from the project involvement. In 1997, due to the result of ownership change in the company, a new board of directors together with a new company CEO was appointed. The new CEO evaluated all the projects carefully and appointed an external consultant to assist him. The new CEO clearly demonstrated and shows his commitment towards the ERP implementation. And with the CEO support, the ERP project was back on the agendas of the senior management. The new CEO even made it clear on his vision of having a more integrated business system with a common, shared values and culture. He even initiated a management development program to address all openly cultural and trust related problems. Thus after the adjustment of implementation methodology result in better match for the changed circumstances. After so many struggles in the project, the implementation was now considered successfully amazingly, by not just the organization itself, but by other external parties from consulting companies as well as SAP. Case Study 2 WZM Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH (Benjamin R. Hoetzel, 2005) WZM Wekzeugmaschinen GmbH (pseudonym name) is a German manufacturing company that specialise in producing tools for presses in the automotive sector. It has two production sites in Germany, which employs 120 people. In 2004, driven by the fast expanding business growth and second plant being set-up. The company faced additional pressure to expand its production. But the growth also mean there was a need to redesign their business process with the implementation of a new ERP system in order improves control over the processes, and the need to reduce costs. Resistance started to evolve as the project advanced. Especially from the key administration users, who were not willing to do their daily work with the ERP system. Reasons for the resistance were clear: Ø The computer experience of some of these employees who 50 years old and above were limited. Ø Due refusal to abandon old habits, some employees are not ready to accept the change of their processes. Due to changes in the workflow, there was strong resistance during the post-implementation phrase from the finance department, including the financial director.   Some employees for example are not willing to accept the new screen layout of the ERP software and it will be difficult to let those employees to abandon their old habits and adapt to the new system. Without realizing the importance of this change, WZM Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH, started the project without a full time project leader to lead the project. Instead, tasks were divided to some of the employees on top of their daily operational work. Beside that, they engage the services of two consultants to assist and lead the project in the integration of the new ERP into the company workflow. To make things worse, the employees were also not convinced that the consultants were competent. WZM Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH fail to identify what are the problems and evaluate actual needs, and be attentive to people and their social behavior before implementing and adapting a technical solution. The company also fails to provide proper support, education or training to its employees in the ERP modules. The finance department of WZM Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH for example, opposed the change heavily due the very fact that they lack the necessary skills for using the new ERP system. In the case of WZM Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH, People focus was missing, which explain why their ERP projects fail. Conclusion This research paper has show that in order for any ERP system implementation to be successfully, good fully functional change management must be establish within the organization or company. Strong and committed support from the management, and a good change management strategy and plans are required for preparation of any existing businesss resources such as human resources and infrastructure to match ERP system needs and requirement. There are various aspects that need to be considered when establishing change management. For example the nature or type of the business, size of the company and the geographical area of the business. Rush implementation of ERP is not recommend as ERP itself is a complex system, which requires a lot of careful analysis or study as well as depth understanding before proceeding to implement. Without a proper change management planning in place, ERP implementation will cause disaster and big lost for the company.

Social psychology seems to have many origins; critically discuss the hi

There are many explanations for the origins of modern social psychology. It is therefore important to consider that social psychology cannot be traced back to one single source of origin (Burr, 2003). Hence, this is the reason why there are debates of what social psychology is. Allport (1985) described social psychology as â€Å"the study of people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours which are influenced by the actual, imagines, or implied presence of others†. As seen from this definition there is a direct link between social science and the individual psychology (Sewel, 1989). Social psychology cannot be seen as a linear phenomenon. This is because social psychology has derived from combination of influences. The development of social psychology can be discussed in two different ways. Firstly, social psychology is argued to be found upon political movements and social philosophies in the United Stated of America (US). Secondary, it can be argued that social psychology developed due to the response of social and political needs. 3. There have been debates regarding whether social psychology should be dealt as a natural science or not. The ideology of natural science is very important as it affects the way the social psychologist deal with situations. For example, if there are specific scientific objectives then the study is laboratory based and uses experimental procedures in order to gain knowledge. Psychologists who use this positivistic method are classified as experimental social psychologists. On the other hand, critical-social psychology has competed with experimental-social psychologists. The strength of the critical-social psychologists is that they use a range of different methods in research, and are not limited to scienti... ...ocial psychology now has a great impact on social cognitive approach. Social cognition includes attribution, stereotypes, autism, (Striano & Reid, 2008). The European roots of social psychology have led to social constructionism and social representation. The modern social psychology is now constructed with the American and European doctrines. However, due to the political events and developing researches in social psychology, the disciple has only been able to contain within America (Cartwright, 1979). On the other hand, Gergen (1973) argued that social psychology cannot be interpreted as a science because social psychology is historically and culturally specific, which is the reason why the discipline is continuously changing. Critically speaking, there is an advantage of different approaches to social psychology, as it views dilemmas in different perspectives.

Leadership Theory and Assessment Essay

Emotional Intelligence Mark Orvidas Walden University Introduction I have to say that getting back to considering emotional intelligence has been a bit of a walk down memory lane. When I was working for J&J, I was invited to attend a leadership workshop on emotional intelligence. As you might imagine, and probably have experienced, there were many individual and group exercises. I particularly remember a talk given by Daniel Goleman, he stresses the social aspects of leadership, and how it emotional competencies may trump intellectual competencies once a certain knowledge threshold is achieved. Later, we all receive a personalized copy of his new book, Working with Emotional Intelligence, which was the fall of 1998. New Insights Self-awareness is a basic competency that requires being in touch with our feelings, and using those feelings as a guide to decision making (Goleman, 1998). Being self-aware can help build self-confidence as a leader. While taking the assessment I felt like a Likert scale might be a more accurate scale since I found myself answering a version of â€Å"sometimes† to many questions (Nahavandi, 2012). Consequently, when this happened, I answered false, for to be â€Å"true† it should always be true. That said, my score on the self-awareness subsection was by far the worst (5 of 8). I realized that I really don’t create opportunities to learn about myself, nor do I analyze events that affect me. I usually don’t take things too personally and move on to the next challenge (unless it really was my fault! ). I have to say that I scored pretty well in the other categories, none â€Å"perfect† and I think this is due to the fact the my job for the last 20+ years requires a high degree of self-motivation, self-regulation, understanding and above all, social skill: although, my next lowest score was social skills (12 of 15). I don’t do to well with handling difficult people, and I don’t feel like I am all that persuasive. Usually, I just let the facts speak for themselves. New Impacts I think I will take these results and pay more attention to the details of how a scenario has unfolded and put myself in a position to ask what I could have done differently. Use the opportunity to assess strengths and weaknesses and learn about myself. I feel like I am a pretty humble, easy-gone person but can be hard on myself when the mistake is mine. I feel that as a public health leader, I would share my missteps with my team and perhaps others may do the same so we all can learn from each other in a non-threatening environment. In doing so, perhaps I will be a more authentic leader and be able to share my vision from a credible position, and others will be inspired to follow my lead. Reference: Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York, New York; Bantam Nahavandi, A. (2012). The art and science of leadership (6th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Library Leaders

Virginia Proctor Powell Florence occupies a special place in the history of the African American population. She was particularly a big inspiration to the women of Africa descent in America being the first woman to pursue successfully a career in the library studies. She was born on the first October 1903; she went to a local public school in Wilkinsburg Pennsylvania. Her parents died when she was still at her tender age. She was living with her aunt. In 1915, she cleared from high school and proceeded to join Oberlin College graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English. She secured a job in Minnesota working as a secretary as the persistent racial discrimination hampered, temporarily, her dreams to work in her former high school (Kinder, Sean, 2008) She had a big dream of pursuing library science and she applied for a place in the Camegie library school, successfully completed her diploma studies in 1922. However, being a pioneer among blacks, she could not be awarded a diploma, this only happened after a number of years later. Her dream career commenced in the New York public library for a number of years before her appointment into Seward high school Brooklyn, as a librarian. She got married to Charles, her fiancà © who had greatly supported her in her career. She still pursued her career working at Cardoza High, Washington DC. She then moved to Maggie L. walker senior high still as a librarian. A look at her life reveals a strong-charactered lady who was able to trend a path that had been shunned by many, winning admiration across the racial divide and no doubt propelling the importance of education in the community to higher level. Even at the time of her death, in 1991, Virginia proctor Powell Florence, an educationist and a career librarian was an inspiration to many. Meeting this respected lady is truly humbling. There are a number of renowned educators that I would like to see join Virginia Proctor Powell Florence and I for tea. Among the famous black American educators, I would most respectably like to meet Virginia lacy Jones and Joseph Henry Reason. There are prominent figures in library leadership, on top of Powell Florence, I admire greatly. So humble and yet so giving. They have contributed eminently to education (Dawson, 2000). Doctor Joseph Henry Reason and Virginia Lacy Jones CVs’ run long, with academic qualifications, experience and personal accomplishments. They both have such inspiring profiles that cannot be matched by many in their generation. Overcoming so many odds to claim a place in the academic circles and history. Dr. Joseph H. Reason lived a life committed to extending knowledge, at the time of his death; he had been the director of Howard university libraries for over twenty years, with strings of accomplishments and projects in the university. Born in 1905, Joseph has many degrees to his name that only can dream of. He has been to New Orleans, Howard, and in the university of Pennsylvania, he took a Bachelor of Science degree specialising on library science then went ahead to get his PhD from the catholic university of America (Http://Www.Allctr.Edu/Documents/October2007oo1.Pdf). He was also the director of number university libraries including A&M university libraries. He helped initiate a number of university projects and building sites. He was a trustee in the Eckerd College. He has also featured in a number of taskforces and under his tutelage, saw the approval of Howard university library as a member in to the association of research libraries. (ARL). The list of his accomplishments run long, but is clearly inspiring. Meeting such a person would be a dream come true considering I don’t usually meet such high calibre persons in academics (Marcus Bruce Christian, 2007). Virginia lacy Jones accomplishments are equally impressive. She was born in 1912 and died in 1984. She received her degree on library studies. She was brought up in West Virginia with Ohio being her birthplace. Her first job in the library was in the Louisville municipal college. She was later to return to the home of her former school, Hampton institute library to get her degree, which she did in social studies. She went back to Louisville to her former workplace and helped found the Kentucky Negro Education Association in Louisville. In 1936, she was appointed to head a program that sought to initiate training to blacks for librarianship. Amidst much opposition from whites over her pay, as she was being paid similar amounts, she made it through and was promoted in to the position of head librarian back in the municipal college (Reinette F. Jones, 2002). Immediately after this promotion, her friend and mentor, Florence Curtis helped secure a master scholarship in library science. She got the masters from the University of Chicago in 1938 and was to get a place in the Atlanta University as the cataloguing librarian. She was named a member of the faculty. She got her PhD in 1945 and at the same time married a French professor. She was the second woman among the blacks to get such high qualifications in academics. Her accomplishments after that run long and she was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on one of the library presidential advisory committees. With such impressive rà ©sumà ©s who would not want to meet these three distinguished figures. References Reinette F. Jones, 2002. Library Service To African Americans In Kentucky. Mc Far Land. Top Shelf, October 2007. The Newsletter Of The Robert W. Woodruff Library Of The Atlanta University Centre. Vol 3 No 2 Retrieved On 07/03/2008 The African American Registry 2005. Florence Powell Loved Kids and Books Retrieved On 07/03/2008 from Http: www.aaregistry.Com Arna Boztemps, Marcus Bruce Christian, 2007. A chronology of Event In Black Librarianship Dawson, ALMA, 2000. Celebrating African- American Librarians and Librarianship. Retrieved On 07/03/2008 from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-68273895.html Kinder, Sean, Anticipated Spring 2008.â€Å"Virginia Proctor Powell Florence.† African American National Biography. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press (W.E.B. Du Bois Institute).   

How to Write a Sports Term Paper The Guide from Qualified Academic Writers

How to Write a Sports Term Paper The Guide from Qualified Academic Writers What Is a Sports Term Paper? Students learning sports-related subjects often find it interesting to research a topic for the advancement of their knowledge on the question. The sports term paper aims to enable the student to reveal the depth and clarity of understanding of the studied course. Therefore, such work is often assigned at the end of the semester for the student to apply theories, concepts, and terms within the research of a suitable field. The directions for sports term paper subjects are tenfold, ranging from the medical input in the industry to psychology in team roles or nutrition. It is significant to write a term paper that pertains directly to the needed topic. While it may be interesting to write about the favorite sport or its history, a sports term paper demands the support of personal opinion with research. Below there are selected advice on writing a sports term paper that will assist in managing the writing process, choosing a suitable topic and understanding the expectations of the prescribed work. How to Choose a Sports Term Paper Topic? The choice of a topic for a sports term paper depends on a wide range of factors. For instance, when learning specifically about a sport, such as a football or a basketball, it would be suitable to write a structured report with updates on recent achievements, analysis of the sphere, the interaction between teams. However, when studying subjects related to medical science, dietary, general physical training or sports physiology, it is necessary to focus on finding topics that relate directly to the chosen field. These are the most common sports term paper topics: The Impact of Steroids on the Immune System of Sports Players; The Evaluation of Methods in Assisting with Arm Trauma; Rehabilitation of Football Players After Brain Injuries; Injury Prevention Strategies for Powerlifters and Bodybuilders; Effects of a Balanced Diet on the Performance of Gymnasts in the Olympics. Thus, the topics may pertain to an array of studies. It would not be a mistake to coordinate the topic choice with the professor. Pre-Writing Tips Once the topic for the sports term paper is selected, there starts preparation for the research and writing. The critical advice relates to the need for understanding the limitations, controversies or inconsistencies in reporting of data of the chosen subject. It will assist in providing a novelty to the research, what in turn would support its validity. However, to write compelling arguments and lucid interpretations of ideas, it is necessary to conduct preliminary research. Further, before the beginning of the writing process, it is advisable to manage the personal timetable in a way that would allow working consistently on the term paper throughout an extended period. As term paper requires up to a dozen pages, devoting time to research and writing will simplify the coordination of the process, and enable to evaluate own arguments. Leaving the term paper till the deadline would lead to the constrained research along with lack of clarity, logical sequence, and organization. How to Conduct Research for a Sports Term Paper? Research is the most critical part of working on the sports term paper. The goal of such work is to learn valuable and relevant information about the chosen topic. It involves reading academic literature, such as books, journal articles, scientific magazines, reports, or other. The following sources relate directly to varying sport-related fields of study that could be used in the research: Vos, B. C., Nieuwenhuijsen, K., Sluiter, J. K. (2017). Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury in Professional American Football Players. (https://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/Fulltext/2018/03000/Consequences_of_Traumatic_Brain_Injury_in.1.aspx) Mitchell, L., Hackett, D., Gifford, J., Estermann, F., O’Connor, H. (2017). Do Bodybuilders Use Evidence-Based Nutrition Strategies to Manipulate Physique? (mdpi.com/2075-4663/5/4/76/html) Mackenzie, C. (2018). Ironic effects in softball pitching: How knowing information about an opponents strengths affects athletic performance under pressure(https://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ACCESSION_NUM:akron1523274403849214) Oliveira, W., Couto, A., Santos, M., Santos, V., Silva, F. (n.d.). Influence of biological maturation on the body mass index of young soccer players. (https://search.proquest.com/openview/6e5edd10927137eb095750a2288d5df9/1?pq-origsite=gscholarcbl=616555) Mills, J. P., Boardley, I. D. (2016, December 19). Advancing Leadership in Sport: Time to Actually Take the Blinkers Off? (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-016-0661-3) These sources are either accessible to read for free or require membership of the database. However, the majority of universities holds library partnerships with such databases. Therefore, to get the scholarly sources for the term paper, a student can contact the college library. Further, a researcher should take notes when reading. It will help to identify the critical points of each reference to utilize in writing. While it may be convenient to conduct online research, a writer should not hesitate to take printed journals from the university’s library or purchase books in the stores to get the most up-to-date information. Structure of a Sports Term Paper Depending on the guidelines of the task distributed in class there will be several suitable structures of the sports term paper. However, there are common sections that are present among the guidelines in the field related to sports. For instance, the article could start with an abstract that will define the critical areas of the term paper. In other formats, a summary would be excessive. Therefore, the introduction paragraph will be enough to provide an overview of the selected topic. Further, a sports term paper will hold several body paragraphs. A writer should be eager to give sub-headings to different sections of the work. Finally, there will be a conclusion providing an overview of the results of the research, followed by the reference page. If a researcher chooses to sustain elaborated arguments with empirical research, he or she should consider adding methodology, discussions and results sections with an appendix following the referencing. Title Each sports term paper should be headed with a title. Depending on the complexity of the selected topic, the title will vary. However, it is necessary to avoid turning a title into a thesis statement or abstract. It should reflect the studied theme and core subject of the term paper. The following sentences provide several examples of suitable titles: Development Strategies of Nutrition Plans for Football Players Evaluation of Impact of Organic Steroids on Gymnasts Performance Coordination of Team Spirit in Transformation of Sports Teams Morale Differences in Male and Female Injuries During the First Year of Varsity Basketball Assessment of Illnesses and Injuries of Canadian Male Hockey Players from 1990 till 2015 The title will be different depending on the selected topic. It should describe the subject directly and openly. A successful title will consist of several words providing relative information while avoiding going into too much detail. Outline After the research on the topic is finished, it is possible to start drafting the outline. The role of this element is to establish a clear understanding of the way the term paper will be structured. It will be helpful to set the critical ideas into varying sections to establish their logical sequence. In contrast with an argumentative paper or an essay, a term paper does not require the description of contrary ideas to the stated claims. Thus, an appropriate practice is to concentrate on issuing one argument and drafting an outline with notions that reinforce it. The framework will hold the main discussions and, at least, three supporting claims for each. Finally, it will provide the core structure to be further filled with topic sentences, summaries, conclusion, and other sections. Thesis Statement The final sentence concluding the introduction is known as a thesis statement. It provides a concise overview of all arguments discussed in the term paper. Avoiding oversimplification or excessively composite sentence structure is essential. Primarily, a researcher should identify at least three claims to issue in the term paper, combining them with the background for them and solution. The following sentences refer to properly-written thesis statements: Evaluation of impression management techniques will provide measures for leadership advancement, interaction and tactics of the Lakers team for active play in the 2019-2020 NBA tournament. Amateur athletes are at the highest risk of injuries in CrossFit due to the unsupervised consumption of waste-shrinking, image-enhancing, and weight-loss steroids. The balance of nutrients in football player’s diet can be attained through the careful count of calories, individually selected food and considerate consumption. It is vital to focus on the main arguments of the term paper to succeed in thesis statement writing. The following examples refer to sentences that represent a poorly written thesis: Healthy food is important for sports players. Identification of prevention strategies will help the team. Football is one of the most traumatic sports. Therefore, a writer must devote extra time to writing the thesis statement and correlate each part of the sentence with the structure of the term paper. Body Paragraphs The body paragraphs should provide the core information about each argument. It is significant to maintain the structure of a body paragraph to at least five sentences with referencing in the middle sentences to elaborate on the chosen research source. For instance, injuries in sports can occur in any setting including playgrounds, backyards or hobbies related to physical activity. To establish the claim in a body paraph, a writer will need to reinforce the stance using statistics or metrics that support such a notion. As a result, it will be evident that each claim is not subjective, but supported by data from research. Separate body paragraphs should reinforce its’ strengths, proving the objectivity and validity of data. Methodology The methodology section of a sports term paper will be relevant to students who decide to add empirical evidence to their writing. For example, it could be used while researching the demographic changes in the injury prevention of the college’s basketball team. In research, a writer can decide to set a survey for the current players to assess their consideration and strategies to promote the safety of the play. In the methodology section, it would be useful to describe the reasons for choosing to survey the team players. Furthermore, there is a need to explain the process of drafting questions, evaluations answers and incorporating them into the term paper’s subject. Each correlation, comparison or assessment should be supported with charts, graphics or tables. The methodology section is where a student will explain the process of handling such a notion. Results and Discussion The final section of the sports term paper with empirical research refers to the results and discussion. The first part of the results section applies to the identification of the primary outcomes of the study. For example, a researcher writes about the matters that you learned during the investigation, provide an evaluate the strengths of solutions to the concern, or other. In the discussion section, he or she should focus on the overview of the context of the subject. Then, predict the value of the topic for the future years, assess the solutions and clarify the research need for continuing studying the selected issue. These sections provide an overview of the results of the term paper. They aim to reveal the authors’ evaluation skills and knowledge of theories to apply to the researched field. The term paper is not a Ph.D. work. Therefore, there is no need to feel challenged by such sections. Post-Writing Tips from Our Top Writing Experts After finishing the last writing sections of the sports term paper, it is necessary to read the complete draft several times. Such process relates to proofreading and editing. The former refers to the identification of grammar or style mistakes. These are minor notions that can be easily missed while writing. Proofreading provides an opportunity to double check the spelling, punctuation, and usage of articles. The critical idea to consider when editing and proofreading is the logical sequence of arguments. Each paragraph should provide the considerate and precise description of the evidence without motivating readers to submit additional questions to clarify the final stance on the subject. The next stage is checking the formatting requirements to comply with the guidelines outlined in the assignment guidelines. The title should be capitalized and personal information listed on the cover page. Further, the reference page has to be edited correctly with the required italics, capitalizations, and punctuation. References The final page of the sports term paper is the list of references, works cited or bibliography section. The goal of this part of the term paper is to provide the sources used throughout the term paper to support given claims, ideas or quotes. A reference implies a line with information about the author of the reading, its title, publication, and other relevant information. There are several referencing formats generally used in class. For instance, these include MLA, APA, Chicago Turabian, Harvard, ASA or other. However, the most commonly assigned referencing style for sports term papers is APA. The reference below is a proper citation of a book to use in a sports term paper. Yesalis, C. (2000). Anabolic Steroids in Sport and Exercise (2nd ed.). New York: Human Kinetics. A rule is to cite each source used in the term paper in the alphabetical order. In the APA writing style, there is no need to provide footnotes. However, there is a requirement to paste in-text citation. They would appear in the end of the sentence, where the writer uses the source in the following way: (Yesalis, 2000). Overall, a sports term paper requires concentration, time, research and a clear understanding of the selected topic. Before starting to write, it is necessary to organize an outline that will save time on connecting the parts of the paper. Moreover, the visual separation of the writing parts will simplify the research. It is vital to find relevant scholarly sources to support the writer’s ideas. The listed advice on referencing sources is an essential notion for a proper grade. Students should not hesitate to write several drafts and share them with their professor to get feedback before turning it to the final version. Furthermore, the ordered work should be original. Therefore, avoidance of plagiarism is a critical notion of keeping in mind while writing. Sports term paper is a useful task to prepare for a further sports research paper. While instructors do not expect to receive full-scale research, incorporation of the basic research principles will boost the final grade and enhance the additional work on the research paper.

Fear and Horror in the Works of Poe Essays

Fear and Horror in the Works of Poe Essays Fear and Horror in the Works of Poe Essay Fear and Horror in the Works of Poe Essay â€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity†. This quote by Edgar Allan Poe portrays his true feelings, emotions, and his psychological state towards people and society because he could not handle the reality he was living in. Since there were so many deaths revolving around his life, he could not help but feel lonely and depressed all the time. Perhaps his tragic life enabled him to write stories such as â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†. Through these stories, he was able to show the readers the violent and cruel actions a man can do just to satisfy their own desires. Poe established an atmosphere of fear and horror in both stories by using the setting, mood of the character and story, and the mental state of the characters. First of all, both stories make it easy for the characters to kill because of the setting. In the story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, the readers do not know much about the old man, and his relationship with the narrator. However, it is clear that he dislikes the â€Å"Evil Eye† and wants to get rid of it. The setting of this story is just a room in the old man’s house, but Poe successfully creates a dark and scary mood by making the readers imagine what is happening. Moreover, killing the â€Å"Evil Eye† or the old man in a dark room on his bed made it effortless for the narrator to murder him. Thus, the setting in the story actually helped the narrator to kill the man with ease. On the other hand, in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, the story takes place in a carnival in Venice where people should be enjoying their time by merry-making. Usually, people who seek revenge would kill someone in a silent or rainy night so that there would be no witnesses , but Montresor decided to do it when people less suspected it. Carnivals are places where you can celebrate your freedom, and for that reason, you can do whatever you want. However, it is ironic that Fortunato loses his freedom :

Top 3 Supreme Court Cases Involving Japanese Internment

Top 3 Supreme Court Cases Involving Japanese Internment During World War II, not only did some Japanese Americans refuse to relocate to internment camps, they also fought federal orders to do so in court. These men rightfully argued that the government depriving them of the right to walk outside at night and live in their own homes violated their civil liberties. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the U.S. government  forced more than 110,000 Japanese Americans into detention  camps, but Fred Korematsu, Minoru Yasui, and Gordon Hirabayashi  defied orders. For refusing to do what they’d been told, these courageous men were arrested and jailed. They eventually took their cases to the Supreme Court- and lost.​ Although the Supreme Court would rule in 1954 that the policy of â€Å"separate but equal† violated the Constitution, striking down Jim Crow in the South, it proved incredibly shortsighted in cases related to Japanese  American internment. As a result, Japanese Americans who argued before the high court that curfews and internment infringed upon their civil rights had to wait until the 1980s for vindication. Learn more about these men. Minoru Yasui v. the United States When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Minoru Yasui was no ordinary twenty-something. In fact, he had the distinction of being the first Japanese American lawyer admitted to the Oregon Bar. In 1940, he began working for the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago but promptly resigned after Pearl Harbor to return to his native Oregon. Shortly after Yasui’  arrived in Oregon, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942. The order authorized the military to bar Japanese Americans from entering certain regions, to impose curfews on them and to relocate them to internment camps. Yasui deliberately defied the curfew. â€Å"It was my feeling and belief, then and now, that no military authority has the right to subject any United States citizen to any requirement that does not equally apply to all other U.S. citizens,† he explained in the book And Justice For All. For walking the streets past curfew, Yasui was arrested. During his trial at the U.S. District Court in Portland, the presiding judge acknowledged that the curfew order violated the law but decided that Yasui had forsaken his U.S. citizenship by working for the Japanese Consulate and learning the Japanese language. The judge sentenced him to a year in Oregon’s Multnomah County Jail. In 1943, Yasui’s case appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that Yasui was still a U.S. citizen and that the curfew he’d violated was valid. Yasui eventually ended up at an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho, where he was released in 1944. Four decades would pass before Yasui was exonerated. In the meantime, he would fight for civil rights and engage in activism on behalf of the Japanese American community. Hirabayashi v. the United States Gordon Hirabayashi was a University of Washington student when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. He initially obeyed the order but  after cutting a study session short to avoid violating the curfew, he questioned why he was being singled out in a way  his white classmates were not. Because he considered the curfew to be a violation of his Fifth Amendment rights, Hirabayashi decided to intentionally flout it. â€Å"I was not one of those angry young rebels, looking for a cause,† he said in a 2000 Associated Press interview. â€Å"I was one of those trying to make some sense of this, trying to come up with an explanation.† For defying Executive Order 9066 by missing curfew and failing to report to an internment camp, Hirabayashi was arrested and convicted in 1942. He ended up jailed for two years and did not win his case when it appeared before the Supreme Court. The high court argued that the executive order was not discriminatory because it was a military necessity. Like Yasui, Hirabayashi would have to wait until the 1980s before he saw justice. Despite this blow, Hirabayashi spent the years after World War II getting a master’s degree and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Washington. He went on to a career in academia. Korematsu v. the United States Love motivated Fred Korematsu, a 23-year-old shipyard welder, to defy orders to report to an internment camp. He simply did not want to leave his Italian  American girlfriend and internment would have separated him from her. After his arrest in May 1942 and subsequent conviction for violating military orders, Korematsu fought his case all the way to the Supreme Court. The court, however, sided against him, arguing that race did not factor into the internment of Japanese Americans and that internment was a military necessity. Four decades later, the luck of Korematsu, Yasui, and Hirabayashi changed when legal historian Peter Irons stumbled upon evidence that government officials had withheld several documents from the Supreme Court stating that Japanese Americans posed no military threat to the United States. With this information in hand, Korematsu’s attorneys appeared in 1983 before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco, which vacated his conviction. Yasui’s conviction was overturned in 1984 and Hirabayashi’s conviction was  two years later. In 1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act, which led to a formal government apology for internment and payment to of $20,000 to internment survivors. Yasui died in 1986, Korematsu in 2005 and Hirabayashi in 2012.

The Criminal law system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Criminal law system - Essay Example This means that even those who enact laws or promulgate policies are not exempt from the objective purpose of the law-that anyone who commits any crime or aggression must be brought before the courts of justice and be given fair and impartial trial according to non-arbitrary legal procedures. Justice, in the strictest essence of the word, means that all men are equal under the aegis of the law and have the opportunity to develop and to achieve free from state compulsion and threats and intimidation of others. If a person's right is violated and that the law penalizes such violation committed by another, the state may step in to protect the rights of the aggrieved and penalize the aggressor. This, in effect, is the role of criminal justice system There are main major components of criminal justice system. These are the following-1) the existence of law enforcement; 2) the establishment of courts of justice; 3) and the existence of clear objective penalties. These components must be in accordance with the rule of law so that government agencies and institutions tasked with the protection of criminal justice system must act in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, that the courts' duty is to secure the accessibility of justice to all individuals, and that penalties must be fair, non-arbitrary, never excessive, and be meted out only to the guilty. In free and democratic countries like the United States, criminal justice system is defined by laws and policies promulgated by the state through the legislative branch. One of the mechanisms to strengthen criminal justice system is the President's Commission on Law enforcement and Administration of Justice issued in 1967 whose purpose is to prevent and combat crime (McCord, 1997). Every country in the world has its own criminal justice system. This is because sound and efficient criminal justice system will guarantee peace and orderly society, as well as the economic progress and political maturity of a nation. There is an undeniable connection between effective criminal justice policy and good governance, the same way that there is symbiotic relationship between the first and economic development of a nation. Corruption One of the aspects that largely undermine criminal justice system is the practice of corruption, which is a criminal offense since it is perpetrated to defraud the government and the taxpayers. Though generally committed by government officials, private individuals, particularly those who enter into contracts with the government, may also perpetrate corruption. There are manifold forms or facets of corruption, a dim reality that makes it hard to detect and deter. This is the reason why the government must establish effective mechanisms, as well as institutions and agencies, designed to detect graft and corrupt practices and to punish perpetrators. The clever schemes of corrupt individuals, both public and private, including their illegal activities and practices, must be detected and deterred by anti-corruption government agencies in order to discourage impunity and deter future crimes. Based on the report of Transparency International (2007), corrupt practices constitute of the "abuse of entrusted power for private gain." The intent of the

Smart phones Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Smart phones - Research Paper Example enhancements in technical specifications such as battery life screen size, storage ability, and connectivity of broadband increases the sustainability of smart phones (Berkman, 2012). Cell phones history is both interesting and mysterious. The beginning of cell phones, just as the computers, was with humungous cell phones which first diminished in size from small to smaller to smallest as the years passed by. The pioneer of screen resolution focused was iPhone as it marked the beginning of growth of size of cell phones again. Mobile revolution started in 1973 when Martin Cooper first invented the cell phone. At that time, this cell phone was a colossal machine which was capable of making and receiving calls. The History of smart phones is a lengthy one. It al first began in 1946 when AT&T fist established the first ever mobile phone network. June 17. 1946 was the first time a truck driver made the first ever cell phone call (Berkman, 2012). With improvements in technology and mass media in the entire world, mobile phones were also positively affected by these activities. They also went through a process of innovation and development where their electronic functions abilities enhanced, better functionality of antennas, and other features allowed them to travel forward to this new dimension of the smart phone world (Zheng, 2006). Smart phone concept was then institutionalized in 1974 when Theodore George Paraskevakos patented the fundamental concept of smart phone. The paperwork was filed in U.S Patent office in 1972 for the mechanism for making and transferring digital information. Subsequently, IBM followed the suet and combined the PDA making the Simon personal Communicator and cell phone in 1994 with combination of text messaging, emailing, and faxing. Additionally making calls was added to this list. This device was sold for $1099 but again only for $899 if a two year contract was signed up by the retailer (Berkman, 2012). This decade that is called the 90s

Focus Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Focus Strategy - Essay Example case, when a business decides to venture into a new and unique line of products or services, the initial costs incurred in developing them does not affect the overall returns. This suggests that the consumers may be willing to pay a premium price for the differentiated products and services that will help offset the costs incurred in making the new products. Furthermore, is because the uniqueness of the products and services allows the firm to enjoy a large percentage of the market share, allowing for immediate returns. The results also indicate that the focus strategy in itself is sufficient to generate returns to the business. This view actually contradicts what was suggested by Michael Porter, who claimed that the focus strategy is not sufficient to assure returns to the business. Therefore, a business may decide to use either the differentiation or the focus strategy or both and still be assured of returns in the short and long term. Secondly, it is clear from the article that when a firm explores strategies that represent unique and rare resources, it is likely to gain a competitive advantage. This is based on the idea that the resources cannot be duplicated by the firm’s competitors. Furthermore, such resources cannot be substituted, making it difficult for other firms to match the competition. If a firm makes use of a resource that is possessed by its competitors, it is likely that the competitors will exploit that resource in a similar way, making it difficult for the firm to use it to gain a competitive advantage. This suggests that for a business to use this strategy, it is important to understand the resources that exist in the business and understand how these resources can be made more profitable by either improving them to make them unique or exploring a completely unique set of resources. This calls for a careful examination of the market trends and the needs of the customers. This will help un derstand the unique products and services that can be

Law Client Letter of Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Law Client Letter of Advice - Essay Example Accordingly, we have examined various pros and cons of a legal case that you are possibly contemplating to launch against the parties responsible for causing this fiasco. We are pleased to offer our views and advice on the further course of action as under: As we see it, the basic issues emerging from the episode include the following - (1) Your promotional day show at West End Juicy Bones store ended in an embarrassing finale, causing loss of reputation and damage to your business interests. (2) The situation stemmed from the fact that two unsolicited electronic mails from viagra.com and bitem.com.au suddenly popped up on your work computer and interrupted your promotional PowerPoint slide show, which annoyed and turned away your customers. (3) During the PowerPoint show, you also arranged for playing of Snazza music in the background by using P2P (peer-to-peer) software that enables download and sharing of music. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) refers to the sharing of music, audio, and video files by two computers that have similar access privileges on the network without the support of servers1. Governments across the world have woken up to the dangers posed by the increasing use of P2P by criminals for peddling of pornography, luring of children, and such other cyber crimes.

Financial Reporting and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Essay Example NBA franchise and other intangible assets have a value of $164,703 $164702 and $165 035 in years 1996, 1997, and 1998 respectively. This shows that the method of amortisation reflect the pattern of the usage of assets in generation of income. NBA intangible assets are defined in cost less amortisation that has accumulated. Straight line method spread over the useful estimated lives of the intangible assets which is generally 3-7 years provides the amortisation. b) Discontinued operations are referred to as parts of an entity that has been sold or has been put into held for sale grouping. While evaluating the future success prospects of an organization, an investor who has existed or a potential investor who will invest in future would remove the discontinued operations from consideration because these items have no bearing or effects on the future. The concern of the management is that some operations are discontinued to improve the results of the continuing operations. The operation s and cash flows of the part has been removed from the ongoing operations and the entity will not have a significant involvement in the operations of the discontinued part after the transaction of disposal is made. c) Team costs and expenses increased between 1996 and 1997 from $27,891,264 to $40,941,156. This is because of after discontinuing some operations, it would require a major effort to re-establish the operation and requires significant effort and budget to continue the operations as before. This may need extra marketing, extra staffing. There can be a possibility of increase in the cost of living between the two years which would subsequently raise the amount of team costs and expenses. d) Net income was $420,306 and $12,267,317 in year 1997 and 1998 respectively. This was a hefty rise in the value of income. This is because of higher revenue that was gained. Higher revenue resulted from ticket sales and also from Television and radio broadcasting fees in 2008. By constant winning of games, heavy promotion and advertisement through the television and broadcast and also through reaching a wide fan base by selling many tickets resulted to the higher income. Through maintaining lower expenses such as team costs and expenses, selling and promotion, general and administrative in the year 1998 resulted to an increase in net income. e) Noting that net income was higher in 1996, distributions declared were higher in 1998 than in 1996, with $0.50 per unit. Distributions are that portion of corporate profits that is made by a corporation to its shareholders. Net income can either be re-invested in the business or distributed to stockholders. In 1996, the main source of the net income was from the discontinued operations income. This income was better invested back to the business instead of distributing it to the shareholders. This would help avoid double taxation and be realised as capital gains. Case 10-7 Cash movements and Periodic Income Determination a) I ncome determination is not an exact science. It is the best estimate of determination of what will be the base of individuals’ income on the evidence the individual presents. The base period can be the month for which revenue verification and identification of an individual is a requirement. Month’s income is used for the projection of income. Income averaged and a conversion factor can be used to reach at a quantifiable monthly income. b) Cash flow estimation is the prediction whose main purpose is the anticipation of the disbursements and receipts of cash. It is a fixed amount of time that it covers. Cash sensitivity and aggressiveness determines the penetration

Business Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Plan - Term Paper Example The business is to be set on rented premises within the University. The current target market has no serious competition basing on a study that clearly indicated that no individual or institution had seriously considered kitting fans (Kurtz, MacKenzie, & Snow, 60). This is with respect to their sports with the aim of encouraging them to actually participate in the events at leisurely levels as opposed to watching and cheering from the sidelines. The niche is cut by the fact that fans only put on new replica outfits meant to identify with their teams but majority rarely try out their respective sports of interest. Provision of cheaper outfit should encourage participation hence a new market. This can also be seen as a way of offering excellence personal training kit for the very active and lively sportsmen at the expediency of their training grounds (Kennedy 2000). Through provision of carefully sourced used equipment not easily found within the city, Brave hearts intends to command personalized customer attention at an affordable price hence a great business opportunity (Hiebing & Cooper, 89). The Student has secured a central location in the city for easier correspondence with external customers. This should provide a collection point easily accessible from any part of the city through all available means of transport. Proper shop layout combined with Student’s knowledge and interest should make Brave hearts Sportswear Investment a worthwhile and profitable venture. Four years from now, Brave hearts Sportswear Investments will be one of the best suppliers of used but quality sports gear within the country with a fully satisfied customer base. This should translate to annual revenues of over two million by being consistent in timely delivery, reasonably priced products and organizing sports events for both professional and regular sports enthusiasts.

Financial Reporting and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Essay Example NBA franchise and other intangible assets have a value of $164,703 $164702 and $165 035 in years 1996, 1997, and 1998 respectively. This shows that the method of amortisation reflect the pattern of the usage of assets in generation of income. NBA intangible assets are defined in cost less amortisation that has accumulated. Straight line method spread over the useful estimated lives of the intangible assets which is generally 3-7 years provides the amortisation. b) Discontinued operations are referred to as parts of an entity that has been sold or has been put into held for sale grouping. While evaluating the future success prospects of an organization, an investor who has existed or a potential investor who will invest in future would remove the discontinued operations from consideration because these items have no bearing or effects on the future. The concern of the management is that some operations are discontinued to improve the results of the continuing operations. The operation s and cash flows of the part has been removed from the ongoing operations and the entity will not have a significant involvement in the operations of the discontinued part after the transaction of disposal is made. c) Team costs and expenses increased between 1996 and 1997 from $27,891,264 to $40,941,156. This is because of after discontinuing some operations, it would require a major effort to re-establish the operation and requires significant effort and budget to continue the operations as before. This may need extra marketing, extra staffing. There can be a possibility of increase in the cost of living between the two years which would subsequently raise the amount of team costs and expenses. d) Net income was $420,306 and $12,267,317 in year 1997 and 1998 respectively. This was a hefty rise in the value of income. This is because of higher revenue that was gained. Higher revenue resulted from ticket sales and also from Television and radio broadcasting fees in 2008. By constant winning of games, heavy promotion and advertisement through the television and broadcast and also through reaching a wide fan base by selling many tickets resulted to the higher income. Through maintaining lower expenses such as team costs and expenses, selling and promotion, general and administrative in the year 1998 resulted to an increase in net income. e) Noting that net income was higher in 1996, distributions declared were higher in 1998 than in 1996, with $0.50 per unit. Distributions are that portion of corporate profits that is made by a corporation to its shareholders. Net income can either be re-invested in the business or distributed to stockholders. In 1996, the main source of the net income was from the discontinued operations income. This income was better invested back to the business instead of distributing it to the shareholders. This would help avoid double taxation and be realised as capital gains. Case 10-7 Cash movements and Periodic Income Determination a) I ncome determination is not an exact science. It is the best estimate of determination of what will be the base of individuals’ income on the evidence the individual presents. The base period can be the month for which revenue verification and identification of an individual is a requirement. Month’s income is used for the projection of income. Income averaged and a conversion factor can be used to reach at a quantifiable monthly income. b) Cash flow estimation is the prediction whose main purpose is the anticipation of the disbursements and receipts of cash. It is a fixed amount of time that it covers. Cash sensitivity and aggressiveness determines the penetration

Case Analysis for North American Warehouse Clubs Essay Example for Free

Case Analysis for North American Warehouse Clubs Essay The competitive environment has changed drastically since the BSG case was originally written. The United States (US) continues to decline in the market as opposed to several years ago, but due to certain qualities it continues to remain very competitive in the market. One factor which gives the US a competitive edge is innovation. US companies are highly sophisticated and innovative. For the purposes of this analysis, the focus will be on innovation. Modern technology with information systems and applications with state of the art information and communication technologies are leading factors in the success of businesses today. Many newer businesses use e-technologies as a tool that not only improves efficiency, but gives them the competitive edge against those companies which are still running operations with outdated technology. Companies who have been around for decades are forced to implement new systems depending on their business needs. Changing technology is an initiative that is generally high cost, taking time to implement. There are numerous options available today that if the implementation of a new system is not strategically planned it could ultimately place a business in a financial deficit forcing businesses to reduce operations and sometimes shut down. It is important for businesses to invest in research and development (RD) when deciding to develop new processes to maintain a competitive edge. Looking at the case, it is apparent that Costco was the leader in modern technology compared to the other two competitors. Costco began to grow its business with two websites in 2004 in the US and in Canada. Costco’s e-commerce sales more than tripled over several years, reaching sales of over $1.2B in 2007. BJ’s began upgrading technology in 2007 which was fully implemented in 2009. Although net sales increased from $8,792M to $9,802M during the implementation years, net sales have seized to take an impressive incline with the new system. Net sales only increased $152M from 2009 to 2010. The case did not report on any innovations related to technology for Sam’s Club. Some of the problems Sam’s Club faces compared to the other competitors can be directed at the location of warehouses, their competition with Wal-Mart and their low scale target market. One way to improve would be to focus on their target market by offering upscale merchandise which will target upscale clientele. Sam’s Club could purchase BJ’s which already sells high quality brand merchandise. Merging with this competitor would tighten the market share even more. Focusing on members through this type of merchandising strategy will increase profitability. Another way to improve would be to reduce the amounts of international imports and focus on using American made products. Reducing import/export costs overall will increase revenue growth and financial performance. References World Economic Forum. 2012. The Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Available at www3.weforum.org//WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2012-13 Wall Street Journal. Sam’s Club CEO Launches Charge on Rivals, Updated October 31, 2012, 1:44 p.m. ET http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203335504578089131653808580.html By SHELLY BANJO version of this article appeared October 31, 2012, on page B7 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Sams Club CEO Launches Charge on Rivals. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-43940823/sams-clubs-risky-move-into-sma

Strategies of Negotiations

Strategies of Negotiations Abstract Since early childhood we have learned to negotiate although we probably didnt really realize it. While the tactics we used when we were young were more on an emotional basis we still knew what we wanted and how to get it. We continue to negotiate throughout our daily lives. Negotiation takes proper planning in order for it to be successful. Negotiations often fail for numerous reasons however mainly because we either fail to plan or fail to listen. Therefore it only makes sense that successful negotiations are often driven by the planning and listening. Negotiations are affected by the way individuals communicate, their influencing styles and the way they prepare. While most negotiators go into a negotiation looking for a win-win agreement there are times when companies choose to use hardball tactics no matter what cost. Its important to identify these tactics and know how you will deal with them when confronted. Negotiations In our daily life we negotiate whether its debating what time your child needs to get up for school, with your boss over a project or what to have for dinner. How we handle each one of those negotiations varies based on who were negotiating with. At home we usually dont go through the steps of planning for the negotiation as we must at work. Not because we shouldnt but because of the type of negotiating were doing. In this paper well discuss what negotiation is. Then well discuss how to prepare for negotiations by gathering as much information as possible. Even when you prepare there are reasons negotiations fail and those will be addressed along with how they succeed. Well also discuss things that affect negotiations like communication, influencing styles and preparation. Finally well discuss how not every negotiator goes to the table looking for a win-win bargain. Negotiation is a process when two or more parties who have their own objectives, goal or viewpoint seek to find a common ground and reach an agreement to resolve a matter of common concern or resolve a disagreement. Although individuals may not always realize it negotiations take place several times throughout the day in our every day lives. Anyone who needs to persuade another is the negotiator. From a very young age we have learned to negotiate in order to get our way. Most parties choose to negotiate because they feel they can get a better deal versus settling for what the other has/wants to give. Companies are no different. Companies want the most â€Å"bang for their buck† so to speak. Many companies are better at negotiating than others. That may be due to the individuals they have negotiating on their behalf or it may be because of what theyre negotiating for. Since companies dont divulge their specific strategies, tactics and techniques they use in negotiations one mus t have a plan. This plan must be created outside the negotiation room. According to the Essentials in Negotiations, â€Å"Effective strategy and planning are the most critical precursors for achieving negotiation objectives. (Lewicki, Barry, Saunders. 2007. P. 85) Many times parties go into a negotiation unprepared and end up making concessions that compromising diminishes the profitability of the agreement. â€Å"Research shows that you can achieve the best negotiation outcomes by spending 5x longer preparing for a negotiation than you will actually spend in a negotiation.† (Schroth. 2009) An important part of planning is having a clear and concise proposal before entering into the negotiation. There are many areas you need to consider a few of them are knowing your objectives and the other sides objectives, determining what concessions you can make, how will you achieve your objectives, what will influence the result of the negotiation. It is frequently stated that information is power. Therefore its important to have certain information during a negotiation. You need to know what information you know that the other side does too, what information you know that the other party doesnt have, what information do you have and does the other party have to have prior to negotiating with each other. This is very important when you negotiate with parties who focus on price. Theres other information that is important for instance whats important to the individual youre negotiating with, why do they need to close the deal, how is business for the company during negotiations and how critical is it that they do business with you. The planning phase of negotiation entails all parties finding out as much information as possible prior to discussing any particular deal or alternatives. For example, if you knew that your company was the only one that could meet the requirements, its possible that you could negotiate a more favorable price. If you knew that the other party recently increased their production capability, you might be able to negotiate more favorable terms in return for promising to purchase a definite quantity over a specific time period. By taking the time during the planning stage and listing what information you know and what youll need to know, you will have a better opportunity to negotiate well on your companys behalf. During the bargaining process it is unlikely for the parties to reach an immediate agreement since they usually dont have the same objectives. Usually, agreements must be made where each party must give and receive concessions and it is this is where the payoff of the end result will be determined. When getting ready for negotiations, its recommended you create a reasonable assessment of your perception of the end result. Decide what limitations you have based on your power in the negotiation then figure out what you are ready and capable of conceding to so that you reach an agreement that is , which pleases all involved. Concessions contain two parts; cost and value. Although the words can be used interchangeably they do not mean the same thing. There are times when something is of low cost but great value and vice versa. Therefore its important to know when going into negotiations what is of cost and what is of value to you and your company. During negotiations its possible to concede issues that have minimal dollar cost to you because they may be of great value to the other party. These are the types of concessions you want to proceed with. However, you want to avoid conceding to issues that are of great cost to you regardless of what their value is to the other parties. When planning for negotiations you need to ensure you know what could you reasonably achieve, what is the probable outcome, what is your authority is, what concessions can you concede to and what is their value to both sides. Once that is completed you can then work on planning your strategy. Another part in the planning process is creating a strategy. Youve already established what your objectives are and now you need a plan on how to attain them. During the strategy planning you need to ensure you look at the negotiation from both sides. You cant go into a negotiation with blinders on only looking at it from your viewpoint. If so, you will most likely fail. You need to look forward and think about the other parties strategy. While planning you must be cognizant of the different negotiation tactics and figure out which ones you are comfortable using and realize which ones are being utilized by the other party. We learn to negotiate at a young age in order to get what we want. The tactics used for children are emotional outbursts, stomping our feet, or drawing attention to ourselves in public in order to manipulate our parents. Its amazing that at such a young age we know what we want and what to do in order to obtain it. This approach is considered the positional negotiation and is one-sided. This type of negotiation is holding a strong position and not wanting to know what the basic needs are of the other party therefore we are determined to get the work the best deal at any expense. However, the emotional outburst approach needs to be left to the children and those characters on television. You can not have a relationship and a win-win situation with that approach therefore your negotiation has failed. Negotiations fail for many reasons. Depending on what is being negotiated, who is doing the negotiation and what is at stake. One of the main reasons negotiations fail is due to lack of planning. There is a saying â€Å"failing to plan is planning to fail†. That is exceptionally true when it comes to negotiations. Planning will ensure youre conscious of your objectives and requirements. Although you will need to be a quick thinker and be flexible, in case the other party makes a decision you didnt plan on, you cant just be spontaneous. You have to realize that both parties are interested in mutual problem solving. Remember that youre entering into a relationship therefore you need to be aware of the long-term implications of any decision you make. Negotiations also fail because one person does all the talking and they fail to listen. Its best to listen first and then speak after hearing what others have to say. In John Maxwells book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, he discusses how positional leaders speak first and need the influence of the real leaders to get things done. The real leaders speak later and influence the entire audience. (Maxwell, 2007) This is very important during negotiations if you want to influence the other party. Its important to clarify the agenda prior to solving serious problems. You want to ensure everyone is on the same page and there is no confusion. You do not want to catch the other party off guard and bring up issues theyre not ready to deal with. This will put them on the defense as if youre trying to trick them. You also must elucidate your authority. If you dont have the authority to make certain decisions the other party needs to know that upfront. You will be wasting everyones time if you have to get back with them after conferring with someone who does have the authority. During negotiations its important not to put down others and use threats that cant be carried out. This again will cause the other party to be defensive and create an unfriendly atmosphere. Deliberations will be limited and youre less likely to get what you want. One example of this as stated by Osama El-kadi is when the owner of Harrods, Mr. Al-Fayed, wanted the price to be reduced for Estee Lauder merchandise carried in his store. Mr Al-Fayed that demanded the Chief Executive Officer of Estee Lauder lower the price or he threatened that he would no longer carry the products in his stores. The CEO called his bluff by stating he would have all the goods picked up the following Monday from all his stores. Mr Al-Fayed realized that he made a common negotiator blunder and asked for forgiveness. He also apologetically asked that the CEO not pick up all the goods. Due to the amount of business that Estee Lauder did in Mr Al-Fayeds stores they had the advantage when they went into the negotiation. Mr Al-Fayed used a threat he wasnt ready to carry out and it would have been detrimental to his business and Estee Lauders CEO knew this therefore he called the bluff. That is why you must be willing to go through with a threat if you make it. That is whe re analyzing your position and planning comes into play. Negotiations must be written down. That way both parties know what theyre agreeing to and neither party can argue that something wasnt part of the deal. This also avoids any confusion or misconstruction. Dont hold back information. That doesnt mean talk too much and give up everything however you must let them know what is on your mind. Sharing information helps to create a relationship between both parties. Dont compromise too quickly. Although you want to make a deal you dont want to be to hasty. Now that we discussed why negotiations fail well discuss how they succeed. Negotiations succeed because of proper planning. By spelling out your objectives, requests and what youll settle for youll be more prepared when going into a negotiation. Dont forget to know the same for the other party. Negotiations arent short term. You must be prepared to gain ones trust and create a long term relationship. If you wouldnt want to be treated specific ways make sure youre not behaving in that manner. You need to be, share information and concerns as well as listening to the other parties. Clarify any issues or questions you may have. By knowing the agenda you can prepare prior to the negotiation. Successful negotiations are made by understanding the other party. Look at the other parties viewpoint and you will be able to come up with a solution that is acceptable to all. As stated earlier listening to what the other party is saying so you can understand where theyre coming from. It is natural for one to want to talk but during negotiations its best to listen to the other party. In todays society we come across people with many different backgrounds. As much as wed like to think that everyone is the same were not. You need to be aware of the diversity that is encountered whether it is culture or language. People from different societies may have a different perspective and belief on how a negotiation should go. In some cultures its important to gain a relationship and not discuss the negotiation right away. In America were quick to get right down to business and forget the getting to know one another piece. By knowing the culture and or language you can have a successful negotiation by breaking the barrier and preventing any misinterpretation of what is said. Although the negotiation isnt a legal document make sure you write it down. Be brief, and concise about what was agreed upon. This will ensure you remember what the agreement was between the parties. In order for the negotiation to be a success you need to know what the what the position is of the other party and why they have that position. This will allow you to for create a win-win solution for all involved. Osama El-kadi states that â€Å"Successful negotiation is all about shaping the game before hand. This is what differentiates the men from the boys when it comes to major negotiation. This approach is called tactical-positioning leading to winning (El-kadi.).† Mr El-kadi explains this with an example of how to create a winning position prior to the negotiation. He gives a story of Mr Al-Fayed and his decision to purchase Harrods. Mr Al-Fayed didnt decide one day to walk in and purchase Harrods. He had designed a plan which took three years before he moved on it. He worked for someone on the board. He befriended board members, created credentials, gained trust, and when the time was right he advanced on his plan. By this time he was friends with the deputy chairman of the House of Fraser Group. He went to him one day and asked how much the company was worth. When the deputy stated they had an offer Mr Al-Fayed made a counter offer for almost twice the original offer. By Mr Al-F ayed was fully prepared by establishing a winning position prior to the negotiation. There are many things that affect negotiations. Negotiations are affected by the differences in people or the difference portrayed by people. First is communication. Communication is Any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that persons needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes. (National Joint, 1992, p. 2) During negotiations the most visible and sometimes the most important type of communication is the non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communications are those visual signals which include facial expressions, body language or even the intonation of your voice. In the Essentials of Negotiation book it discusses three important non-verbal behaviors. They include making eye contact, body posture and encouraging. Eye contact can say a lot about someone. Many times people who are shy or dishonest do not look people straight in the eye when they speak. They look up, down or around so people cant see in to them. Looking someone in the eye is important so they know you are listening to them. However, you need to know the party you are negotiating with because â€Å"in some cultures such as the Japanese, prolonged eye contact is considered rude and is generally avoided (Payne, para. 2).† Body posture is another way to let people know youre paying attention. If youre slouched in the chair and look lackadaisical business negotiations arent going to go well because it will appear to the other party as you dont care. Lastly encouraging is non-verbal communication used by nodding your head or moving you hand to let the other party know you hear what theyre saying. Although you may not verbally be saying anything during the negotiation your body is saying a lot. Those non-verbal communications could make or break your negotiation. Besides non-verbal communication the language can affect your negotiation. Many people go into negotiations trying to use big words to either impress or possibly confuse the other party. Its important that everyone in the negotiation can understand what is being said. Trying to sound as if youre educationally above the other party is going to affect they way they think of you and the outcome of the negotiation. Also with diverse society we have and the number of different cultures its important everyone understands what is being conveyed. What you believe you may be saying may mean something totally different to someone of another culture. Even if they can speak English the translation is different. According to Great Scope Consulting, â€Å"studies show that successful influencers use two clusters of language styles during negotiations.† Just like in the supply chain management they are the push and pull style. You have a high push and low pull style if you give new ideas, information or shut the other person out. On the other hand you have a high pull and a low push if you seek information, build on ideas from others and test understanding. The style of influencing used will be dependent on the negotiation and it is important to be able to use either style. The suitability and characteristic of each style varies. The push style is more of a high risk, low commitment and wins-lose situation and is best used for short term negotiations. The pull style is more of a low risk, win-win situation and best utilized for long term. Another area that can affect negotiations is preparation. This has been reiterated a number of times throughout this paper because it is so important. Negotiations begin way before you sit at the table. It is a procedure that develops over time. It isnt a one time occasion. Gathering information and having adequate time to negotiate. You cant expect to go into a room and have a final agreement in 30 minutes. Negotiations take time. The whole purpose of a negotiation is to reach a win-win situation. Therefore you need to be aware of the win-lose styles and avoid them. Sometimes companies may not appear to be looking for a win-win situation and will use hardball tactics during their negotiations. As a negotiator you have to be able to identify the hardball tactics and decide how you want to handle them. An example of a company who often uses hardball tactics is Costco. Although most of the negotiations with suppliers are kept private lately Costco has been announcing their view on the situation. Recently Costco pulled the Coca-Cola products off the shelf to prove a point. The companies are negotiating over the price customers should pay for the products. â€Å"Costco never accepts a price increase from a supplier without examining every alternative possible to hold the line on price. At Costco, nothing is ever marked up 14% above costs. (Sarasohn-Kahn. 2009, para 7) Costco feels that if they cant give the value their customers deserve than they wont sell that product. Even though Coca-Cola is a large company and a valued supplier Costco is willing to take the risk and publicly announce the issues it is having at the negotiation table. This is one hardball tactic used. Coca-Cola now has to decide whether to ignore the tactic, continue with discussions or reply with a different hardball tactic. The negotiation between Costco and Coca-Cola hasnt been finalized so whether this hardball tactic works in this situation has not yet been determined. When playing this way it is important to understand the possible impact if this approach fails. Although negotiations can be successful this way if you really want to be successful during your negotiation process you must find out what the other party wants and figure a way to give it to them while getting what you want too. From our childhood years we negotiated with our parents to manipulate them into giving us what we wanted. Whether that was candy in a store, letting us stay up late, or buying that toy we really didnt need. At a young age we didnt really know what negotiation was all we knew was what we wanted and how to get it. As we figured out what negotiation was it was then that we had to start preparing for it. We couldnt react on an emotional level and expect to get what we wanted. Even though we should plan for negotiations they sometimes still fail as they did with Mr Al-Fayed who didnt realize he was weaker during his negation process. In his case he actually failed to plan and know what is position was prior to entering into the negotiation. However if you do the proper preparation you will most likely succeed in your negotiation. Negotiators need to be knowledgeable about what affects negotiations like verbal and non-verbal communication and push/pull influencing styles. It may not always be what you say that determines whether you create a win-win situation. Lastly, we discussed how some companies choose to use hardball tactics regardless of the potential impact therefore you need to be able to identify them and know how to handle them before you go into the negotiation.