Athletes Should Not Be Paid For Their Skill - 1703 Words

Division I intercollegiate athletics is no easy feat. Whether it is basketball, softball, baseball, soccer, or gymnastics, athletes devotion and sacrifice is innumerable. Athletes spend countless hours throughout the year training and performing in competition. According to the NCAA bylaw 17.1, athletes can only spend 20 hours a week with a maximum of 4 hours a day on athletically related activities. This rule excludes pre-season and post-season training which account for the other 50% of the year. Although most athletes get enjoyment out of simply playing, some athletes feel they should be paid for their skill. There is an arising controversy regarding athletes not being paid for the amount of commitment they put into their sport. While†¦show more content†¦There have been many scandals where athletes were arrested for betting on sports events and fantasy sports. For example, in 1997 two basketball players from Arizona state, Stevin Smith and Isaac Burton, pleaded guilty to point shaving on four home games. These two players intentional missed shots and cut points in games for money. They made almost up to $100,000 from point shaving. Ultimately, money made them lose sight of the purpose of playing college athletics which is for enjoyment. Instead of playing for another two years, Stevin Smith and Isaac Burton served a year in prison. If athletes are paid, more athletes will face the same fate as Stevin Smith and Isaac Burton because they will be able to bet without the consequence of the NCAA rule. Although the rule will not longer be in place, betting on sports is illegal in every state except Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana. Therefore, the NCAA would face repercussions because more athletes will be arrested on gambling charges. In turn, this will jeopardize the integrity of the intercollegiate sports. Instead of being seen as respectable and admirable athletes, intercollegiate sports will be seen as full of money-hungry athletes. Although athletes help generate money for athletic programs and institutions, money distributed to athletes would limit the amount of money available for other necessities. Many people believe athletes deserve a share of the money they generate through the sale of

The Ministry Of Catholic Educations - 1424 Words

The Ministry of Catholic Educations says that youth ministry is a â€Å"response to the mission entrusted by Christ.† God told his disciples in Matthew chapter twenty eight verse nineteen ‘Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.’ And youth ministry is one of the many ways the Catholic Church is doing this. As stated in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, recreational workers create programs that can be altered to specific age groups. Being a youth minister you encounter many different things. Like recreational workers, youth minister put together programs for both middle school and high school. The Arch Dioceses send a lesson plan of what the students should know by the end of the year. The youth ministers will then branch together similar topics and make that the main focus for the night. The themes revolve around the four pillars of the Catholic Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church these four pillars are faith, liturgy and sacraments, morality of our life and prayer. This program is a fun an interesting way to bring these teenagers to Christ. A typical night starts with snacks and games to start building a community and then officially starts with a prayer. One of the reasons we pray is to calculate disengagement which is transitioning the students into a more pra yerful mode for the rest of the night. After prayer we go into a talk prepared by the minister and sometimes having aShow MoreRelatedCritical Planning And Catholic Healthcare Association944 Words   |  4 PagesCritical Planning and Catholic Healthcare Association By far, the Catholic Churches Healthcare Systems is one of the largest integrated health care systems. Catholic Healthcare Associations (CHA) integrates the progression of the Catholic health ministry of the United States with caring for people and communities of all faiths and believes. 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In this scenario, the women wonder if what they are doing is enough; however, they again make more advances to help the people because they did not try to preach to anyone. Their ministry was one of healing, and Leah Price recognizes this when she hides for protection in their mission. Missionaries have been exploring theRead MorePublic School Boards Vs. Private Schools993 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish school boards and 29 English Catholic school boards (Ministry of Education, n.d.). There are also 4 French Public school boards and 8 French Catholic school boards (Ministry of Education, n.d.). Public school boards or private schools are the ones who hire elementary school teachers (Elementary School Teacher., n.d.). In 2014-2015, there were about 115,156 full-time teachers, about 74,960 elementary schools and 40, 196 secondary teachers (Ministry of Education, n.d.). During the same time, thereRead MoreMinistry of Fear- Seamus Heaney Analysis909 Words   |  4 PagesUsing Ministry of fear and another appropriately selected poem explore the sense of place Heaney conveys with reference to the troubles in N.I, with particular reference to the effects of any political and social context and Heaney’s own views. Ministry of Fear is from Heaney’s ‘North’ collection, written in 1975 while Heaney was staying in Wicklow, Casualty was written shortly after in ‘Field work’ in 1979. Through these two poems Heaney conveys a strong sense of place, namely Northern IrelandRead MoreCesar Chavez Rhetorical Analysis1248 Words   |  5 Pagesa firm foundation to lead his organization to success. He was the leader of the Mexican-American Community in Delano, Ca. Cesar went through a spiritual fasting, in which he did not eat due to the hazardous chemicals in field fruit. Chavez was a Catholic and used his morals for a nonviolent protest to better working conditions for field workers. Chavez had many helpers from different communities, but his own. The Mexican-American organization was let down by their own church. This escalated to suchRead MoreThe Call, Os Guinness1490 Words   |  6 Pagesour secondary calling is. Sadly, there is a distortion within the modern church tha t refutes this idea. The distortion that Guinness addresses in â€Å"The Call† can be categorized in two different ways; one, the â€Å"Catholic distortion†, and two, the â€Å"Protestant distortion†. The first, â€Å"Catholic distortion†, separates life into two areas, the â€Å"perfect life† and the â€Å"permitted† life (Pg. 32). This view separates people that are â€Å"called† to be priests, monks and nuns from the people that are â€Å"merely† soldiersRead MoreAfrican Catholic Church And The Church Of South Africa1608 Words   |  7 PagesAfrica (UCCSA). Their arrival opened the missionary field to other churches namely the Dutch Reformed Church (1871), the Lutheran Church (1891), the Anglican Church (1900s), the Methodist Church (1940s), the Seventh Day Adventists (1922) the Roman Catholic Church (1928) and Pentecostal Churches (1930s). It should be noted that though Christian values have permeated every aspect of Tswana society, Batswana C hristians continue to observe a great deal of African traditional religious practices alongsideRead MoreConversion Therapy And Its Effects On The Lgbtq Community1218 Words   |  5 PagesSouthern Baptist, Mormon, Roman Catholic, and other religious organizations to promote conversion of homosexuality (Baxter, pg. 1, 2015). Love in Action, which was one of the first religious based organizations to participate in conversion therapy, was founded in 1973. By 1976, Exodus, a national coalition of ex-gay ministries was founded. There were hundreds of participates over the years and most went back to homosexual life. Interestingly enough, ex-gay ministries do not keep statistics on theRead MoreThe Call, Os Guinness1497 Words   |  6 Pagessecondary calling is. Sadly, there is a distortion within the modern church that refutes this idea. The distortion that Guinness addresses in â€Å"The Call† can be categorized in two different ways; one being the â€Å"Catholic distortion†, and the other being the â€Å"Protestant distortion†. The first, â€Å"Catholic distortion†, separates life in to two areas, the â€Å"perfect life† and the â€Å"permitted† life (Pg. 32). This view separates people that are â€Å"called† to be priests, monks and nuns from the people that are merely

Operation overlord Essay Example For Students

Operation overlord Essay Operation OverlordBy 1944 World War II had lasted nearly four and a half years. The entire war nowdepended on the success or failure of an invasion of France. The first three years of the warhad almost entirely been a chain of Nazi victories. They had succeeded in crushing Poland andforcing France to surrender. Hitlers attempts at capturing England were halted by the RAF,Royal Air Force. After the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war onthe United States and forced Italy to follow. By November of 1942 Hitler began to pay for his string of mistakes. In Egypt his favoriteGeneral, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, had been defeated at The Alamein by the British EighthArmy, after being trapped between two armies. Hitler, fearing he would be captured, orderedhim back. The fighting in Russia had been so severe and deadly that Marshal Stalin wasdemanding an allied landing in France, so as to force Hitler to move his troops from Stalinsdivisions in the East. The line of trust between Stalin and the allies was thin, but fearing Russiawould leave the was, the United States and Britain send Canadian soldiers and Britishcommandos to raid Frances Port of Dieppe. Nearly five-thousand troops were either dead,wounded or captured by the alert German forces, it had been a disaster. Britain and the United States were butting heads on whether to invade Europe at theearliest possible opportunity. Britain argued that a failure of not capturing a strong hold on abeachhead could set them back two years. In August of 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill met inQuebec, Canada and the invasion was approved. The plan included the landing of allied troopson different beaches, and also the battles that would follow, on the quest for Berlin. Theshortest route would be Dover to Calais, but that would be a place where Germany wouldexpect an invasion and would be heavily guarded. Now all eyes were pointing towardsNormandy. The distance was almost twice that of Dover to Calais. The final review of Operation Overlord was held on May 15,1944 at the St. Pauls schoolin West London. The plan had taken nearly two years to plan. Attending the review waseveryone who had a role in the plan. Some in attendance were King George VI, WinstonChurchill, General Dwight Eisenhower and General Bernard Montgomery. Many of the Britishcommanders in attendance had served in the first World War and were weary of sending massamounts of troops into a battle where the enemy may be laying and waiting for them. The plan was complicated, precise and heavily relied on the element of surprise. Timingand coordination were of great importance, a failure at one of the hundred points could sendthe whole balanced plan in to chaos. The first assault wave would have eight division, close to80,000 men. Three of the eight divisions, 1 of Britain and two of the United States, would beairborne paratroopers and glider troops that would be dropped at night. The other five divisionswould be Infantry divi sions and would land on five beaches at the crack of dawn. After theAtlantic Wall had been broken by the first assault and a stable beachhead was obtained, morethan thirty-nine divisions would rapidly pour in. Capturing a strong hold of a beachhead was crucial to the success of the invasion. Thebeachhead would need to be able to hold back the inevitable counterattack of strong Germanforces. A port would have to be seized to be able to supply necessary supplies for land invasion. A strategic drop was to be made at the Contentin Peninsula of Normandy because its North wasCherbourg a major harbor. Unless this mission was successful, supplies would have to beshipped through open invasion beaches subject to attacks by guns, planes and buzz bombs. British Admiral Sir Bertram would be responsible for five-thousand ships that wouldcarry the assault troops across the channel, bombard the enemy defenses threatening thebeaches, then send troops to landing crafts. Never in history had such a large fleet beenassembled. Chief Marshal Trevor Leigh-Mallory had many concerns about the plans. The24,000 allied paratroopers and glider forces would be in unarmed and unarmored transportplanes, a mere thousand feet above the ground. Over a thousand twin-engine, slow planeswould each carry about twenty paratroopers and be towing a glider. The gliders would carry notonly a glider infantry but also extra ammunition, land mines, antitank guns, cannons and jeeps. If the Germans caught on too quickly and counter attacked happened too soon, it could costthem three-quarters of their airborne troops. When it came down to it Eisenhower had to makethe decision to let the airborne divisions take their chances, because if they did not make theirpositions, the whole invasion could quite possibly fail. The weather, was one of the biggest factors on deciding the date of the invasion. Theweather could not be accurately predicted until three or four days before hand. The date of June5, was set as the beginning of Operation Overlord. If the weather was not suitable they couldpostpone for a maximum of forty-eight hours. Now that the date had been set, Keepinglocations and plans a secret was the main objective. Only a few senior officers knew the exactdate of the invasion, but by the fifth of June over a hundred thousand troops would beinformed. Keeping the plans and date a secret was a hard task for some, and Germany had a fewopportunities to find out about the invasion. At a cocktail party, a United States Airforcegeneral man an indiscreet indication to the date of D-day. On another occasion an army postalclerk accidentally mailed his sister a package of overlord reports instead of the intended gift. Souls of black folk EssayEight miles inland from Sword was Caen, the key town. It wasnt taken the first day and theBritish troops prepared for counterattack. At the same time the British 6th airborne was fightingto hold onto the Orne Bridges. At 9:30 a.m. allied headquarters announced what was already happening in Normandy. 1Under the command of General Eisenhower, allied naval forces, supported by strong airforces, began landing allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France.Many peoplein the United States were asleep and didnt get word of the invasion until morning. Churchbells rang, sirens were heard and many people wept and prayed for loved ones fighting inNormandy. The public was not informed of the success, failure or given any information onwhat was going on. They had to wait and hope for the best. Meanwhile, Von Rundstedt decided to call Berlin and demand Hitler release two Panzerdivisions begin held back. Hitler was sleeping and his officials refused to wake him. When hewoke it was to late to repel the invasion. IT was late afternoon before the tanks began to fillCane. The Germans began to try to make it to the gap between the British hold on Juno andSword beaches. It was too late, the Germans had waited too long. The Germans fought to reachthe gap and the British fought to reach Ca en. Allied planes came to relieve some troops in theCotentin, and planes and naval gunfire cut off the Germans. It was a stalemate. When Hitlerawoke and released the two divisions, he thought it would be enough to rid the allies inNormandy. The Panzer divisions got word at 5 p.m. and were ordered to move out at first light. It was too late. By June 8th, the holds on the beachheads were strong. 155,000 soldiers werepoured into Normandy on the first day alone. No accurate number of how many allied troops died in Normandy can be determined. After fifty-five days the allied troops had reached where they should have five days after theinitial invasion. Still they prevailed. D-day had been the beginning of the end for the Germanrule. Today signs of the massive, and deadly battles that took place on the Normandy beachescan still be seen. Rusting hulks of ships still sunk in the sea can be seen. But the most visible, isthe military cemeteries and the rows of carefully placed white crosses that remind people thecost of the invasion that day. Words/ Pages : 2,711 / 24

Case Study Grunfolds World of WaterPumps

Question: Grunfolds World of WaterPumps is a manufacturer of water pumps, which are sold to plumbers and retail outlets. The home office is in Melbourne, which is also the headquarters for the main sales office. A sales office is also located in Albury. The company has two manufacturing plants in Australia: one in Melbourne, and another one in Albury, NSW. Distribution centres are also located at each of the current manufacturing plants. The company has recently added a China sales force in Beijing, on January 6, 2011. This also includes a manufacturing facility. The facility includes a distribution centre. The company is keen to expand into India a niche market in which to sell a variety of green waterpumps. In the past, each of the manufacturing plants has acted as an independent company maintaining separate sets of books and operating more or less autonomously. The company thinks an ERP system will allow for process standardisation and to enable centralized procurement and sales functions. They also want to be able to consolidate financial statements as well as look at sales by product. Selling of the products is done with a sales force that calls on plumbers, Bunnings, Home Hardware stores and other home hardware retail outlets. They also handle replacement parts, and have been looking into starting a home shopping cart web site where they could sell parts directly to farmers, plumbers and plumbing outlet stores. Current Situation: Grunfolds is a company that requires a progressive enterprise system that will enable it to support its growth over the next decade while improving their decision-making capabilities. Grunfolds World of WaterPumps is yet to develop a green water system that will help them meet their growth objectives and which can be used in third world countries. The key strategy for Grunfolds is its commitment to customer satisfaction by delivering the product(s) at the right time, right place, and at the right price. Grunfolds is organized around processes that are focused on the value added to customers. Some additional high-level facts about Grunfolds are as follows: Produce standardized components for waterpumps to stock. Products are customized for VARs (value added resellers) by application of the companys logo at assembly. Individual customers do not have direct influence over the product or its function, shape, and size; however this is something that the Board of Directors is considering changing in the future to allow individual customers the opportunity to create specialised pumps. CEO and Board of Directors want to increase productivity and have access to new technology Sales planning and product design are determined by management in cooperation with other staff members. Grunfolds currently sells in Australian/US currency only, even though they do business with companies globally. Grunfolds operates under one common set of general ledger accounts. Costs are allocated among departments and are managed centrally at Grunfolds headquarters. Management will use this information to collect and analyze costs/departmental performance and marke ting requirements. Grunfolds wants to track profitability and manufacturing costs of each of its products. At the main headquarters the board of directors of this public corporation likes to review one consolidated financial statement. In addition, management wants to know which of their products were profitable in the market. The marketing department needs sales reports for each region, product, and distribution method. Grunfolds currently produces two components internally and procures one product through a contract manufacturer. The products are sold directly on a contract basis. The products and parts information are as follows: Solar thermal water pump comes in two output sizes 50 litres and 100 litres per hour and can be powered by electricity or diesel; a standard water pump comes in three capacities: capacity 1 is capable of producing up to 1,000 litres of water per hour at 12rpm from a depth of 20 meters, it is effective up to a depth of 60 meters and can be used for farm u se; capacity 2 is capable of producing up to 1,200 litres of water per hour at 14 rpm from a depth of 30 meters, it is effective up to a depth of 80 meters or capacity 3 which is capable of producing up to 1,400 litres of water per hour at 16 rpm from a depth of 40 meters, it is effective up to a depth of 100 meters. Parts and sub assemblies for the waterpumps are onsold to contracted retailers. Some of the raw materials and subassemblies are purchased from China, Korea and Vietnam; this has helped to reduce the cost of the waterpumps. Additional business drivers behind the implementation: Be competitive with their nearest company rival who has just implemented SAP Enable online customer orders and customer order transparency Enable on line vendor managed inventory stocks and communicate effectively with their overseas vendors Build and supply products in China Be able to perform current data analytics for marketing and decision making purposes Be able to interact with business partners using up to date software technologies Integrate 15 legacy systems with the new system The company has approx 10000 staff worldwide; this includes 20 top level managers, 35 middle managers and 25 operational managers and a large variety of contractors. As well as 8,250 users of the system from a variety of departments; such as, warehouse, production and manufacturing, research and development, call centre personnel, sales and distribution and HR staff to name a few. These end users can be broken down into four main groups with vari ous levels of computer literacy: experienced ERP system users, inexperienced core users, inexperienced casual users, and users requiring simple system awareness. These end users will be impacted by the implementation in various ways. RequirementsYou are employed as a Business Systems Requirements Analyst on a contractual basis. You have had some experience with SAP implementations in manufacturing organisations, you are a certified SAP TERP10 consultant and an expert in manufacturing business processes. Your knowledge in this area includes: Materials management software Inventory and warehouse management software o Procurement Sales and Distribution Answer: Schedule Work Breakdown Structure WBS Task Name 1 SAP Implementation 1.1 Necessities, Strategy Development 1.1.1 Requirement Gathering 1.1.1.1 Questionnaire prepared for the gathering of resources 1.1.1.2 Interviews conducted with major business owners 1.1.1.3 Focus group interviews with major business owners 1.1.1.4 Availability of resources understood with brainstorming sessions 1.1.1.5 Extent of employment frozen 1.1.2 Strategize 1.1.2.1 Identification of major success factors 1.1.2.2 Identification of important indicators of performance 1.1.2.3 Acceptance of all strategies and CSF/KPI documents 1.1.3 Hardware Sizing 1.1.3.1 Present hardware configuration identified 1.1.3.2 Hardware redundancies identified 1.1.3.3 Estimation of upgrade of hardware configuration 1.1.3.4 Fit-gap analysis of hardware configuration to be done 1.1.3.5 Suggestion for required upgrade given 1.1.3.6 Preparation of budget for upgrade 1.1.3.7 Selection and identification of vendor required for upgrade 1.2 Analysis Design 1.2.1 Analysis 1.2.1.1 Present environment study 1.2.1.2 Business workings study 1.2.1.3 All accounting processes and structures study 1.2.1.4 Required customization study 1.2.1.5 Present 3rd Party Applications study 1.2.1.6 Readiness for change study 1.2.1.7 Fit-gap analysis done 1.2.1.8 Impact analysis done 1.2.2 Business Blueprinting 1.2.2.1 Future system landscape preparation 1.2.2.2 Workings of various processes preparation 1.2.2.3 Blueprinting workshops 1.2.2.4 DoD RICE Concept of Operations confirmation 1.2.2.5 SAP Bolt-On Evaluation completion 1.2.2.6 Specifications development 1.2.2.7 Custom specifications development 1.2.2.8 Specifications acceptance 1.3 Implementation 1.3.1 Finance 1.3.1.1 Basic planning 1.3.1.1.1 Unique company code defined 1.3.1.1.2 Fiscal year variant to company code assignment 1.3.1.1.3 Posting period variant 1.3.1.1.4 Period variant to company code assignments 1.3.1.1.5 Sample Document and postings creation 1.3.1.1.6 Recurring entry document and postings defined 1.3.1.1.7 Account assignment model and posting creation 1.3.1.1.8 Line layouts for display of General Ledger line items configuration 1.3.1.1.9 Individual documents and accrual and deferral documents reversal 1.3.1.1.10 Transactions in foreign currency posting 1.3.1.1.11 Interest on short-term and long-term term loans calculation 1.3.1.1.12 Accrual/Deferral documents 1.3.1.2 Accounts Payable 1.3.1.2.1 Vendor account groups 1.3.1.2.2 Number ranges to vendor account groups assignment 1.3.1.2.3 Void reasons creation 1.3.1.2.4 Issued checks cancellation 1.3.1.2.5 Purchase returns 1.3.1.2.6 Automatic payment program configuration 1.3.1.2.7 Vendors paid by Automatic Payment Program 1.3.1.2.8 Correspondence account statements created 1.3.1.3 Accounts receivable (AR) 1.3.1.3.1 Customer account groups+B111 1.3.1.3.2 Customers tolerance 1.3.1.3.3 Customer master creation by blocking unblocking of vendor master 1.3.1.3.4 Customer transactions posting 1.3.1.3.5 Advance payments set 1.3.1.3.6 Statement of accounts defined 1.3.1.3.7 Bills of exchange 1.3.1.3.8 Sales returns posted 1.3.1.4 Asset Accounting (AA) 1.3.1.4.1 Depreciation chart 1.3.1.4.2 % tax codes creation 1.3.1.4.3 Multi-level methods created 1.3.1.4.4 Period control methods defined 1.3.1.4.5 Main asset records created 1.3.1.4.6 Sub-asset records creation 1.3.1.4.7 Acquired fixed assets accounting 1.3.1.4.8 Sale of fixed assets accounting 1.3.1.4.9 Transfer of assets accounting 1.3.1.4.10 Assets scraping accounting 1.3.1.4.11 Depreciation process 1.3.1.5 ew General ledger Accounting 1.3.1.5.1 Parallel ledger 1.3.1.5.2 Document Splitting 1.3.1.5.3 Segmentation 1.3.1.6 ports 1.3.1.6.1 Financial Statement reporting 1.3.1.6.2 General Ledger reporting 1.3.1.6.3 Accounts Payable reporting 1.3.1.6.4 Accounts Receivable reporting 1.3.1.6.5 Assets status Report 1.3.2 Human Resources 1.3.2.1 Organizational Management 1.3.2.1.1 Organizational Management Introduction 1.3.2.1.2 SAP HCM structure defined 1.3.2.1.3 Define Objects 1.3.2.1.4 Define Relationships 1.3.2.1.5 Menu, Open and Action guided methods defined 1.3.2.1.6 Objects and Relationships edit 1.3.2.1.7 Validity Period defined 1.3.2.1.8 OM Info type defined 1.3.2.1.9 Define Objects Number Ranges 1.3.2.1.10 Define Evaluation Path 1.3.2.2 Personnel Administration 1.3.2.2.1 OM and PA integration 1.3.2.2.2 Development of enterprise structure 1.3.2.2.3 Define Company Code 1.3.2.2.4 Define Personnel Area 1.3.2.2.5 Define Personnel Sub Area 1.3.2.2.6 Define Personnel structure Definition and Assignment 1.3.2.2.7 Define Employee Group 1.3.2.2.8 Define Employee Subgroup 1.3.2.3 Payroll Area and Control Record 1.3.2.3.1 Define Financial Accounting Global settings 1.3.2.3.2 Define Global Parameters 1.3.2.3.3 Define Fiscal Year Variants 1.3.2.3.4 Define Info type Menus 1.3.2.3.5 Activations and use of additional action 1.3.2.3.6 Define Customizing User Interfaces: 1.3.2.3.7 Modification of Info type screen 1.3.2.3.8 Modification of Type Header 1.3.2.3.9 Administrator group 1.3.2.3.10 OM and PA mapping 1.3.2.4 Time Management 1.3.2.4.1 Applicability with Enterprise Structure of holiday calendar of business 1.3.2.4.2 Define Factory Calendar in HR Perspective 1.3.2.4.3 Work schedules 1.3.2.4.4 Define Counting Rules for attendance 1.3.2.4.5 Define deduction Rules 1.3.2.4.6 Define Time Management Info types 1.3.2.4.7 Payroll 1.3.2.5 Payroll periods generation 1.3.2.5.1 Payroll processing 1.3.2.5.2 Relevant data maintained for payroll process review 1.3.2.5.3 Wage type model defined 1.3.2.5.4 Basic pay info type configuration 1.3.2.5.5 Annual salary defined 1.3.2.5.6 Other configuration payroll info 1.3.2.5.7 Multi Country payroll defined 1.3.2.5.8 Benefits 1.3.2.5.9 Benefits Area defined 1.3.2.6 Benefits provider defined 1.3.2.6.1 Plan categories 1.3.2.6.2 Define Pre- Requisite and co- requisite plans 1.3.2.6.3 Define Benefits Adjustment 1.3.2.6.4 Define Employee eligibility 1.3.2.6.5 Define Benefits info types 1.3.2.6.6 Benefits of payroll defined 1.3.2.6.7 Results in Payroll checking 1.3.2.6.8 Training Event Management 1.3.2.6.9 Training requirement 1.3.2.7 Defining training cost 1.3.2.7.1 Set up of business events 1.3.2.7.2 Business Event Group and type 1.3.2.7.3 Maintaining the employee data w.r.t. event type 1.3.2.7.4 Manufacturing 1.3.2.7.5 Material Planning 1.3.2.7.6 Safety time range of coverage and period profile 1.3.3 Master Resource Planning defined 1.3.3.1 Material bills 1.3.3.1.1 Material master processing 1.3.3.1.2 Bills of Material processing 1.3.3.1.3 Work center and routing display 1.3.3.1.4 Production Planning 1.3.3.1.5 Production material scheduling 1.3.3.1.6 Material master processing 1.3.3.2 Material BOM processing 1.3.3.2.1 Material requirement planning 1.3.3.2.2 Work center and routing display 1.3.3.2.3 Planning calendar maintenance 1.3.3.2.4 Production lot maintenance 1.3.3.2.5 Quota file maintenance 1.3.3.2.6 Demand management 1.3.3.2.7 Cost Accounting 1.3.3.2.8 Cost elements defined 1.3.3.2.9 Standard, Simulated and budgeted cost calculation 1.3.3.3 Actual production costs calculation 1.3.3.3.1 Variance analysis 1.3.3.3.2 Repetitive Manufacturing 1.3.3.3.3 Repetitive manufacturing master data display 1.3.3.3.4 Repetitive production plan, sequence and schedule change 1.3.3.4 Production line work process recording 1.3.3.4.1 Logistics and production cost analysis 1.3.3.4.2 Build Install 1.3.3.4.3 Setup development instances 1.3.3.4.4 Conversions, Reports, Interfaces and Enhancements coding 1.4 Initial run conduct 1.4.1 Create Security Authorizations 1.4.2 Test scripts and code preparation 1.4.3 Conduct unit testing 1.4.4 Design Instructor Training Material 1.4.5 Training Programs for the end users 1.4.6 Review and feedback 1.4.7 Training content Acceptance 1.4.8 Data Migration, Testing Training 1.4.9 Data Migration 1.4.10 Historical data migration 1.5 Data Archiving Planning 1.5.1 Testing 1.5.1.1 Testing instance setup 1.5.1.2 System and integration test cases and scripts creation 1.5.2 Conduct integration testing 1.5.2.1 Conduct regression testing 1.5.2.2 Conduct User Acceptance Testing 1.5.2.3 Acceptance of test scripts and SIT/UAT 1.5.2.4 Training 1.5.2.5 Setup training instance 1.5.2.6 Train power users 1.5.3 Train end users 1.5.3.1 Training and training content review 1.5.3.2 Acceptance of training and training content 1.5.3.3 Go-Live Support 1.5.3.4 Pre-Go-Live Activities 1.5.3.5 Conversion Planning Preparation 1.6 Recommendations Assessment 1.6.1 Go-Live Quality Assurance / Check planning 1.6.1.1 Final Preparation Acceptance 1.6.1.2 Go-Live 1.6.1.3 Configuration Production Environment(s) 1.6.1.4 Install Quality Assurance (QA) Environment 1.6.1.5 Support 1.6.1.6 stablish Service Level Agreements 1.6.1.7 Help Desk 1.6.2 Continuous Improvement Plan 1.6.2.1 Post Implementation Review 1.6.2.2 Provide Production Support (Help Desk) 1.6.2.3 Develop Continuous Improvement Plan 1.6.2.4 Produce and Deliver Program Management Status Reports 1.6.2.5 Post Implementation Review Gantt chart Staff management Cost estimation Labor costs Resource Name Type Material Label Initials Group Max. Units Std. Rate Ovt. Rate Cost/Use Business Analyst Work B 100% $80.00/hr $50.00/hr $0.00 Project Manager Work P 100% $90.00/hr $78.00/hr $0.00 Technical consultant Work T 100% $75.00/hr $60.00/hr $0.00 Functional consultant Work F 100% $70.00/hr $55.00/hr $0.00 Finance Consultant Work F 100% $90.00/hr $65.00/hr $0.00 HRM consultant Work H 100% $75.00/hr $60.00/hr $0.00 Service Expert Work S 100% $55.00/hr $45.00/hr $0.00 Developer Work D 100% $70.00/hr $60.00/hr $0.00 Senior Tester Work S 100% $55.00/hr $50.00/hr $0.00 Tester Work T 100% $45.00/hr $40.00/hr $0.00 System Analyst Work S 100% $80.00/hr $55.00/hr $0.00 Element Cost Labor cost $679,840 Project Management cost $1,200 ERP software $300 Forms and report modification $500 Estimated trips $1,500 Operational costs $3,500 1. Project manager First of all the responsibility of a project manager is that ofauthorizing as well as approving all the expenditures relevant to the current project. Thenext important responsibility is to make sure that every work related activity fall not only under the acceptability criteria but also under the acceptable variance range. The manager is again responsible for reporting timely about the status ofthe project, which ought to according to thedesigned communication plan. Lastly, evaluating and monitoring the performance of the team members in his team and informing this torespective functional managers is the ultimate duty of a project manager. 2. Technical consultant an Implementation engineer is responsible for implementing, distributing and monitoring the total network related up gradations. An implementation engineer shall be working with a network engineer for ensuring the coding of any required software goes according to the plan andsecurity regulations. 3. Functional Consultant Functional consultants aren't members of the company's functional team, yet they keep providing resources for carrying out the staffing plan of a particular project. Functional managers ought to work alongside the project manager to determine the skill sets required for resource assignments. 4. System/Network analyst System/Network analystsanalyze the system configuration and alsodevelop animplementation plan for upgrading the plan. Theirwork is to develop an accessibility criterion for the much needed network planning. 5. Tester Network- the engineers are to test out the network plan that has been drafted by a network analyst and have to be implemented by an implementation engineer. 6. HRM consultant - A HRM consultant generally acts as a medium of interaction between the new applicants and a company. Since they are aware of the internal working as well as the information of a company, they also specialize in giving out information about the organization, the personnel administration, and the payroll generation, management of the timesheet, training and also event management. 7. Service Expert- A service expert's main duty is to ensure the outcome of flawless service, which includes figuring out the demands of users and if the demands are met. 8. Business Analyst - The Business Analystengages in solving the crucial issues of any information problem related to an organization, the design computer programs, and suggests protocols along with system controls. Furthermore, he determines the objectives of an organization on analyzing its business functions and gathering sufficient information. An analyst will simultaneously be responsible for evaluating his/her output requirements. Designs a brand new computer program on just studying and observing the requirements and then by creating appropriate workflow diagrams and charts. Business Analyst strives to improve the already existing practices of the systems and the design modifications. Also, recommends appropriate controls on analyzing the critical problems and points out the exact needs of any particular project on identifying the milestones, the phases and the form project team.

Darkness Be My Friend Essays - Tomorrow Series, War Novels

Darkness Be My friend Title: Darkness Be My Friend Author: John Marsden Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Publishing Date: 1996 Setting: This book is set in fairly modern times about 1990. I know this because the teenagers speak the same way my friends and I do and dress just like people do now. I also know this because of the way they describe the country town they live in. It sounds just like the average country town in our time. I think it is set is in a country town in Australia away from the cities. I think this because of the way the place "Hell" is described and the way the teenagers talk like Aussies. It also says that it is Australia. When they are in New Zealand Iain asks if they will go back to Australia to help them. I think it is very important where it is set because if it were set in America or another place it would be a lot harder to be invaded. For one reason America and other places have massive armies compared to Australia and could defend their country. Another reason is that there is a much bigger population in America and other places and they would need hundreds more soldiers to patrol areas. Another reason I think it is very important where it is set is that if it was set in another country the place "Hell" would be described differently because Australia is the only place I know that has such amazing land features and such amazing landscapes. If it was described differently the whole book wouldn't make you feel the way you do when you read it and you wouldn't get the eerie feeling you get when they are in "Hell". Plot: Darkness, Be My Friend is the fourth book in John Marsden's series consisting of Tomorrow, When the War Began, The Dead of the Night and The Third Day, The Frost, in which seven teenagers are in the middle of a violent war. Ellie, Fi, Kevin, Lee, Homer, Robyn and Corrie go camping to a remote part of their district. They find their way into a remote valley surrounded by dangerous cliffs and difficult terrain, where they are completely safe and cut off from the rest of the world. When the teenagers return to their homes, they find that all the families in the district have been abducted and locked into the show grounds by armed soldiers who are taking over Australia. After finding this, they perform many dangerous activities around the district to hold back the enemy's progress. These including blowing up a bridge on a major convoy route and attacking an important bay used for shipping supplies. In this book the teenagers set out from New Zealand to help a small group of New Zealand soldiers attack the new airbase that has been built in the teenagers home town. The New Zealand soldiers disappear without a trace and the teenagers have to attack the airbase themselves... The teenagers decide to look for the soldiers but end up getting trapped on an open paddock with a few trees. The only thing they could do is climb up the trees and wait till night. Once it was dark they got the horses in the paddock and rode them in pitch dark and at full gallop away from where they were. They ended up at the school and stayed there for a few days. When they left the school the tried to attack the air base by putting sugar in the petrol supply which was planned to make the planes crash while the were flying. Unfortunately It was a huge disaster because they couldn't get the lids of the petrol trucks to put the sugar in. Main Characters: Fi: Fi is beautiful, intelligent, kind to her friends and she is perfect in every way. She is light and graceful, has beautiful skin and looks like she hasn't done any hard physical work in her whole life. Fi is the kindest person but she is quick to tell Ellie when she is being annoying or stupid. Fi has been in this story from the first novel "Tomorrow when the war began". She is now Ellie's best friend since Robyn died. Kevin: The impression I got about Kevin is that he can be a real pain because he is a chicken and he is always scared but generally he is out of peoples way because he likes to be alone. Kevin has a really wide mouth,

Atlantic Puffin essays

Atlantic Puffin essays The Atlantic Puffin is member of the Alcidae Family. These birds can be found abundantly, estimated 14 million, in the North Atlantic ocean. They can be found on both sides of the Atlantic ocean, but a much larger population is found in Greenland, Iceland, and Norway. They only come ashore to breed and raise a chick. Puffins range in size from 11.5-13.5 inches in length, and their wingspan 21-24 inches. Their weight is usually no more than 490.5 grams. They have been given nicknames like sea parrot and clowns of the sea because of their multi-colored bills. Atlantic puffins were once used by humans for their feathers, which were used in ladies hats. Today they are a common food item in Iceland.( ) Something else that makes these birds so unique is their eyes. They are set deeply in the skull with round full cheeks. Around the eye there is crimson ring and above it a small triangular blue, horny plate and below it a bar similar in color. However it is only during breeding season that the Atlantic Puffin sports its colorful red, yellow, and blue beak. Once nesting season is over the color disappears. During the winter months both adult and juvenile have a dirty gray face, usually the juveniles is even darker. From September through February these birds can be located from the North Atlantic into the Mediterranean Sea. While at sea they can swim easily, riding the waves even in the roughest weather. Puffins feed on small fish mollusks, and crustaceans. They are able to catch these animals from wither the air or water. They dive down and swallow the animals underwater. Towards the end of February and early March the start to arrive at their nesting grounds . They usually gather just offshore in rafts. As the season advances , and more time is spent on land, the birds bond with eat other, cooing and nibbling. Both male and ...

Complete this as a formal analysis ( There should be three paragraphs Assignment

Complete this as a formal analysis ( There should be three paragraphs to this analysis) - Assignment Example What Terry lacks in the duration of her experience, she more than makes up for in anecdotes, a very practical asset in her presentations. Throughout her talk, Terry gave excellent anecdotes to give emphasis to her points. She used no graphics which, if added, might have made her presentation better. Presentation Two is one delivered by the noted economist, John Kenneth Galbraith, who addressed a convention several years before he died. It is probably obvious that Galbraith can be forgiven for some of the shortcomings of his talk. At 92, he displayed some of the characteristics of his advanced age, but these took away only very slightly from his talk. For example, after his presentation was complete, he took questions from the audience. After he finished with each answer, he would step back to the high stool that he sat himself on until the next question was asked. In a way, however, this added to the meaning of his answers, since after each question was asked, he would put his hand t o his chin, as if in deep thought, and only after he rose and lumbered to the podium did he answer the question. This gesture gave emphasis to the thoughtfulness of the answers he was giving to the questions prior to answering He used no graphics in his presentation, but his knowledge of the subject was first-hand and colorful.

Widows of the New Testament Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Widows of the New Testament - Essay Example With this concept in mind, the purpose of this essay is to discuss how the New Testament represented these women, given the context of the time as well as deciphering what message was intended by including the tales of these widows in the Bible. Although widows are featured in the books of Luke 7 and 18, Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 5, this essay is going to focus on another selection that discusses widows in the book of Mark, chapter 12. Through an analysis of this text, as well as some secondary references, this paper will discuss how widows are represented in the New Testament, if the context of both the era and culture attribute to this representation and hypothesize about what message the Bible is intending to impart to readers through the inclusion of these tales about widows. In beginning this essay, it is first essential to summarize the text of Mark 12. Amid the lines of Mark 12, there are certain key lessons and parables that emerge. Aside from the parable of the vineyard and the w icked husbandmen, another key part of the chapter is the parable of the widow’s mite. ... Through this parable, there are several key issues that come to light. First and most obvious, the widow is portrayed as a person of kindness and generosity. As Jesus speaks of this widow women, he notes how she was not well off financially but, still found the ability to give all she had in an effort to pay homage to the church and God she loved and revered so much. This aspect about the widow highlights the fact that Jesus seems to be showing readers the gentle and giving nature of women, in this case a widow. By using a widow for this parable, it is evident that Jesus is attempting to demonstrate that even those women who have lost their partners in life still maintain the often feminine traits of unyielding compassion and maternal nature to care and give to others. Through featuring women this way, the parable begins with the widow being immediately established as a woman with a giving and caring nature. In addition to this initial view of the widow, a more complex analysis of th e context of the era surrounding this time leads to the discovery that the widow was in a very desolate position. During the time of the New Testament, poverty levels were at literal desolation. To indicate that someone was particularly poor meant that they were at the lowest level of society possible (Study Light). As Jesus did this in regard to the widow with the two mites, readers can decipher that she was a person who literally had nothing to live off of and struggled just to find food everyday. With this realization, it makes the message of the parable even more astounding that someone in this situation could find it within themselves and their faith to give

Rewrite Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rewrite - Case Study Example The protection also encompasses biodiversity conservation. 2. It fosters the process of furnishing the economic earnings to country, the region, and the local community. In essence, the protected area provides resources for conservation. 3. It provides financial resources for the conservation of other protected natural areas lacking tourism perhaps because they are unknown or because of their fragile ecological balance. 4. It can make protected areas more profitable thus encourages government or private investment in the establishment of other equally protected areas. 5. It can contribute to conservation if used as a tool of environmental education that sensitizes visitors so they can learn to conveniently value Nature, and respect not only the area they visit but also any other natural area. 6. It gives local communities alternatives to extractive activities that damage the ecosystems and endanger the natural resources. 7. It can help conservation process in other countries that emu late the success in the neighboring countries. Objectives of the Study: I. To secure and maintain the habitat and conditions necessary to protect significant species, groups of species, biotic communities or physical features of the environment where these require specific human manipulation for optimum management II. To facilitate scientific research and environmental monitoring as primary activities associated with sustainable resource management III. To develop limited areas for public education and appreciation of the characteristics of the habitats concerned and that of the work of wildlife management; IV. To eliminate and prevent exploitation or occupation inimical to the purposes of designation V. To deliver such benefits to people living within designated areas in line with the objectives of management Farwa MPA The Farwa MPA is located on Latitude 33Â ° 04' N and Longitude at 11Â ° 50' E to 33Â ° 08' N and 11Â ° 32' E (Approx) from Abu- Kamash in the east to the Tunisia n border in the west. It consists of Farwa lagoon, the largest lagoon on the Libyan coast that covers an area of 32 km2. The Farwa MPA, particularly Farwa lagoon, has meadows of Posidonia and Cymodocea sp., owing to certain economically significant species (shrimp, sponges, and fishes) as well as some endangered species that essentially make it an important area for larva and juvenile protection. In the biodiversity of Farwa MPA it is arguably easier to distinguish several economically important species and certain endangered species. Thus, it is imperative that this area gets adequate protection. The utmost altitude of the land on both sides of the lagoon is about 2-3 m (Sand type). Furthermore, the mean annual temperature varies from one month to another owing to the recent closing of the east side of the lagoon. The minimum mean temperature in winter is 10? C whilst the maximum mean temperature in summer is 27?C. The prevalent direction and speed of wind is largely NW and NNW. Ho wever, a hot southern wind sometimes blows from the Sahara. The Meteorological conditions of the region are those of the western part of Libyan coast. In such conditions, the winter season extends from November to April and is normally very cold and rainy with unstable winds blowing from different directions. The summer season (June to September) is rather hot and dry. The wind is more stable N and NW. Incidentally, spring and autumn are very short transitional periods. The lagoon is separated from the sea by some 11-km

Importance Of Product Strategy Marketing Essay

Importance Of Product Strategy Marketing Essay This chapter gives an overview of the dissertation and the importance of the subject matter. The importance of product strategy, the textile industry and a brief introduction on the Diesel Jeans sector will be presented. Problem formulation, research questions, hypotheses formulation, research aim, research objectives, reasons for choosing of the topic, previous studies, and format of the study will be spelt out. The research is focus on the product strategy implemented by Diesel Jeans in Mauritius. 1.2 Importance of product strategy The value realised by a firm from selling its products is determined to a large extent by the strategy that is used to bring the products to market (Chesbrough, 2003). Organisations that launched flourishing products such as Apple and Microsoft have been credited with adopting the right product strategy for their products (Wall Street Journal, 2006). Consequently it is imperative for firms to recognize the impact of the product strategies formulated. A product strategy is the critical vision of the product and affirmed where the product will cease. When a product strategy is developed, it becomes easy for firm to determine the direction of the product efforts. The product strategy forms the basis for executing a product roadmap and consequently product releases. However company is able to concentrate more on a target market specifically and set feature. Bantel (1997) suggests that particular product/market strategies are effective at achieving particular performance goals to the exclusion of others. The role of product strategy is to make an association between the companys product development and its business strategy (McGrath, Anthony, Shapiro, 1996) and according to McGrath (2000) it guarantees that the firm and its products is engaged in the right markets from a strategic viewpoint. Product strategy is referred as the consequence of making important decisions in managing new product development (Krishnan and Ulrich, 2001; Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel, 1998). The product strategy process involved the process of decision making within a company. 1.3 Textile Industry in Mauritius The textile industry is among the most significant pillars of the Mauritian economy. In the earlys 70, the government created the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in order to fight unemployment. Many changes have occurred almost forty two years of its existence. Mauritius manufactures products of quality like Boss, Ralph Lauren, Next, Gap, Mark and Spencer and others trade mark for export towards the Europe and USA due to the high skilled labour force and efficient management practices. According to the Mauritius Export Association (MEXA) report 2012, the export sector contributes around Rs 45 billion revenue to the Mauritian economy representing around 14% of GDP and generates approximately 60 000 direct jobs. It has been resilient to the difficult global economic situation and has achieved a modest growth of 7.8% during the year 2011. Table 1.1 below shows the domestic export of textile products through the year. Table 1.1: Domestic Export of Mauritius for year 2008 to year 2011 Domestic Exports 2008 2009 2010 2011 Cotton articles not knitted Mens trousers 6576 7126 6395 7507 Mens shirts 11796 10742 11017 13691 Womens trousers 2043 2722 3445 2971 Womens blouses 886 1170 968 931 Cotton articles knitted Mens trousers 444 217 363 177 Mens shirts 6384 3671 3883 4010 Womens trousers 622 1226 1779 2495 Womens blouses 2081 1170 968 937 Source: MEXA Report 2012 1.4 Diesel Jeans in Mauritius Based on a report of the Diesel Heritage web site, Diesel is viewed as an innovative international design company, making a wide-ranging collection of jeans, clothing and accessories. Diesel is a leader in pioneering new styles, fabrics, manufacturing methods and quality control to assure an excellent product. The company is present in over 80 countries with over 5,000 points of sale and more than 300 monobrand stores (200 of which are company-owned and the rest in partnership with local distributors). Diesel operates through franchise in Mauritius since 1994, and now runs three shops on the territory. The company imports its entire ready to wear products from its country of origin, that is, Italy. Diesel expanded its design to bags, watches, footwear, sunglasses, belts, to bring more options to the customers. Lately more diversified designed products have been added to its portfolio for example designer helmets for motorcyclists and earphones. Competitors of Diesel in Mauritius are Calvin Klein, Guess, Celio, and Levis and the target market of these competitors are the same as Diesel. They are still expanding their branches simultaneously with building close relationship with customers. Figure 1.1 shows the number of products that the Diesel Jeans imported to Mauritius and those products are classified into two seasons, that is, Spring Summer and Fallwinter. Figure 1.1: The import of Diesel Jeans products from 2008 to 2012. Source: Fieldwork 1.5 Statement of the problem The rapidly changing culture, politics and economics of modern life deeply influence the industrial environment, particularly consumer industries such as textile and clothing (Lowson, King and Hunter, 1999).The problem is that nowadays the consumers control the marketplace in order to customise the style, fit and colour of the clothes to purchase, and require high quality personalised products at low prices. Therefore many organizations adopt aggressive product strategies to survive and maintain market share and surpass their competitors to satisfy consumers. However, seasonal and highly volatile market industry is always vulnerable to the concept of fading out and sometimes difficult to survive. Meeting multicultural consumer requirements by supplying the right products and services in a global market is an ongoing challenge for marketers, retailers, and suppliers. Now, various clothing industries due to the effect of globalisation, were keen to benefit a larger market, within their country of origin, and also in other markets with high potential. (Kim, Forsythe, Gu Moon, 2002) Moreover the Diesel Jeans is a global brand and it should seek to become part of the local culture and difficulties may rise according to the new designs and new collections of clothes that the organization brings to the Mauritian culture. Hence it would be worthwhile to study the product strategy of Diesel Jeans in the context of Mauritian culture. 1.6 Research question The research question of this project is Whether the product strategy of Diesel Jeans suits the Mauritian market? 1.7 Hypotheses formulation Five hypotheses were formulated to test whether there is any difference between product strategy and customer satisfaction in Chapter five under section 5.5. 1.8 Research aim To study the product strategy and it dimensions for customer satisfaction. 1.9 Research objectives The main objectives of the project are as follows: To review the literature on product strategy dimensions. To assess the product strategy of Diesel Jeans in Mauritius. To measure customer satisfaction. To make recommendation within the context of the study. 1.10 Reasons for choosing the topic The reason why the topic was chosen was the authors interest in product strategy adopted by a global branded clothing industry. The author has chosen global industry to show how the brand integrates the lifestyle of people and fashion in Mauritius. In order to be successful a global brand should seek to become part of the local culture, adapting to the unique needs, values and desires of the targeted group. 1.11 Previous research Table 1.2 Previous studies of the subject matter Title Author University/ Institute Year Product strategy in response to technological innovation in the semiconductor test industry. Robert W.LIN Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2004 Product strategies under durability, look-in and Assortment Considerations. Sreelat Jonnalagedda University of Texas at Austin. 2009 Enterprise Product strategies and employer Demand for skills in Britain. Geoff Mason National Institute of Economic and Social Research 2004 Source: Fieldwork 1.12 Format of the study This study consists of 6 chapters and it is organized as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter provides a background of the textile industry in Mauritius and the study the importance of product strategy. The research question, problem statement, reason for choosing the topic and previous studies on the topic are cited. Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter reviews theoretical view on product strategy. Chapter 3: Company Profile The chapter provides details on the company. Chapter 4: Research methodology This section will mainly describe all the methods and tools used in carrying out the entire research. Chapter 5: Data Presentation and Analysis It provides presentation of the data collected through charts, tables and graphs for better understanding. Chapter 6: Recommendation and conclusion The final chapter will make necessary recommendations and the conclusion of the dissertation related to the findings. 1.13 Conclusion This chapter has given an overview of the business climate in Mauritius. A brief detail is given on the Diesel Jeans Company in Mauritius and on the textile industry which is one of the main pillars in Mauritian economy. Furthermore the problem statement, the research aim, research objectives and the research question are spelt out for the purpose of the project. The next chapter will review the literature about product strategy and its dimensions. CHAPTER 2 Literature review 2.1 Introduction The aim of this chapter is to provide a detailed explanation of the product strategy concept and how it evolved. Firstly, the marketing concept and product is well defined. Furthermore the review describe the important aspects in the product strategy for the success of a product such as the market segmentation, product development, product differentiation, product attributes, brand strategy and brand awareness , product packaging, product quality, product price product diversification and customer satisfaction. Textbooks and Journals were used for the study and are considered as secondary information sources (Schindler and Cooper, 2001 p.166). 2.2 Marketing concept According to Kotler, Armstrong, Wong and Saunders (1996) the marketing concept is a philosophy. However the central attentions of all activities of an organization are the consumers, as no organization can continue to exist without the support of its consumers. The marketing concept asserts that the organization should make every effort to satisfy the needs and wants of the customers at the same time meet the companys goals and objectives set. The needs, wants, and satisfaction of all customers should constantly be the first concern for every manager and employee. Marketing is not a function of business, but a view of the entire business seen as the economic organ to provide goods and services (Drucker. 1954, p.38-39). In other words, it is important to understand that the marketing concept refers to sell satisfaction rather than to sell a product or a service only. Kotler (1998) stated that the marketing concept is based on the following pillar, target market, customer needs, integrated marketing, and profit through customer satisfaction. In line with Kotler, Walker, Boyd, and Larreche, (1992, p.22) asserted that the marketing concept is a useful way of getting a competitive advantage and to achieve company objectives that set off the planning and coordinating all activities for satisfying customers requirements. In summary, marketing concept can be viewed as a consumer focus characterized by the capacity to identify basic requirements of targeted customers. And satisfying them by constantly providing and bringing superior value supported by a firm which deeply involved it efforts of all practical areas within the organisation by reaching long-term goals and objectives. 2.3 Dimension of Product A product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need, which comprised physical objects, services, persons, places, organizations, and ideas (Kotler and Armstrong, 1990, p 226). Consequently a product is the main element in an organization and without a product there is no place, no price, no promotion, and no business as it refers to the most important ingredient of the marketing mix. Similary Assael (1993) asserts that a product is the most fundamental component of the marketing mix. Kotler and Keller (2006) define a product as a bundle of attributes and benefits provided to satisfy the customer. Kotler and Keller (2009, p.358) defined five levels a product. Figure 1.2 illustrates the five levels of a product. Figure 2.2: Five levels of a product http://train-srv.manipalu.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/clip-image00217.jpg Source: http://train-srv.manipalu.com/wpress/?p=42740 The core product is the main benefit, service or need satisafaction, required by the customer. The basic product is the physical product, made up of the core product or service and includes all physical aspects of the product or services that are brand name, packaging, styling, features and quality. The expected product is a common set of attributes and conditions where buyers expect when they purchase a product. The augmented product is the consumer services and benefits added which exceed customer requirement such as installations, warranty, after sale services and delivery and credit services. And the potential product cover all the possible augmentation and changes the product might experience in the furture. 2.4 Definition of product strategy In order to launch a product in the marketplace firm needs a well-established product strategy. The executed product strategy must include all that is required in planning, manufacturing, advertising, selling and distributing the product from production to customer service. According to Teece, Pisano and Shuen (1997), a strategy is the technique that an organisation used to positions itself, in order to get a competitive advantage on the marketplace. However the achievement of a strategy is to assure the success of the firm by executing specific tasks at a right time and it should acquire the significant purpose of the product. The term product strategy attempts to capture the decisions made by organisations about product within particular markets. Product strategies are decisions settled to improve products to satisfy market requirements and determine in which way to gain competitive advantage for products (Steinhardt, 2010, p.50). Kotler (1991) asserts that product strategy is the heart of the marketing mix. However product strategy formed part of the product management process. Thus McGrath (1995) states that product strategy is involved in the decision and management of the different levels of a product, product platforms, product lines and individual products. And according to Lehmann and Winer (1994, p. 205-206) the main function of a product strategy is to supply managers the path to pursue for running a business. Taggartand, James and McDermott (1993) asserts that product strategies are composed of the categorisation of a differentiated product by the organisation in respect of the needs and wants of the customers and the satisfaction they aim to obtain from the product. For a product strategy to be successful, it should facilitate the classification between different aspects in a way to make a product successful. In addition, within an organization a product strategy aids to depict in what way resources should be allocated and demonstrates how products may reach a high market positioning. Handscombe (1989, p.234) insists on the point that a product strategy should essentially describes the firm that the set of product represent. Following this further groundwork is required for single product decisions, the plan for product development, marketing strategies and development of manufacturing strategy. However assigning resource for particular product, and to segment the market and areas, the product strategy should be able to recognize the priorities of the market. McGrath (2001) broadly describes product strategy and according to him a product strategy is opened to a core strategic vision that demonstrates the directions that an organisation takes. A product strategy is the result of the strategic vision, the platform strategy and the product line strategy and lastly the new product development. However the product platform strategy is obtained from the core strategic vision and the product line strategy referred to the product offering for a specific product platform. And the new product development determines the capabilities for new product offering that is suitable to the product line strategy. The core strategic vision sets the answers to the strategic questions such as, where are we going? How will we get there? Why will we be successful? The first question requires having a balance between the goals and short term objectives. The main purpose of the goals is to set the general directions of movement, whereas objectives state the specific measures of accomplishment. The goals refer to profit, growth, and market share, which potentially can be conflicting. Therefore, the product strategy normally focuses on only one of the goals respectively (McGrath, 2001). The second question refers to the core of the product strategy which involves elements like customer targets, competitive targets, and differential advantage. Besides the choice of customer targets depends on the nature of the goals and objectives selected when answering where an organization wants to go. However, as Krishnan and Karl (2001) assumed that the aim is to boost up the market growth and therefore the targeted group should be from a new segment of population. The third question three is the most important question to be answered for a competitive product strategy, as the answer is related to the differential advantage aspect of the product positioning. A solid product strategy is required to provide concrete arguments for the reason of its success in the light of customers preferences and competitive targets. All the definitions demonstrate that product strategy is a set of decisions or processes that aim at making the product flourishing. Hence the product strategy should always take into account the market and current state of the company when making the decisions. A product strategy is a management process, consequently a product strategy cannot be dependent on individual manager, it must become a systematic way of working. Hence, product strategy process must be an integrated process within the organization. 2.4.1 Scope of product strategy The level of product strategy referred a  set of decisions; the product platform determines how to develop the right platform for a global market. Generally different products with attributes are derived from the product platform and they are developed for a product line. Subsequently the product line from the product platform, defines the width, length and depth in every line. And there is also the individual product with its classification and packaging features (Gabrielsson, 2004). According to Meyer and Lehnerd (1997, p.39), A product platform is a set of subsystems and interfaces that form a common structure from which a stream of derivative products can be efficiently developed and produced. The function of a platform strategy is always essential for the purpose of a successful implementation and development of product lines. 2.4.2 Product line Product line is a group of products that are closely related because they function in a similar manner, are sold to the same customer groups, are marketed through the same types of outlet, or fall within given price ranges (Kotler, Wang, Saunders and Armstrong (2005). According to McGrath (1995, p.61) product line strategy is describes as a temporary time-scaled plan for the chain of developing products within a product line and the strategy is based on four primary functions. The first one describes products variations designed to an explicit segment from a market. The following one, attempted to support strategic advantage for a firm compared to its rivals, to be the first one to launch a product at a particular moment within a lifecycle of a product line. The third one brings direction for product development department and made successful productive response to the requirements of particular markets. Finally, product line strategy facilitates in scheduling the introduction of product development and provides the apparent time and setting up of each product. However because managerial and financial resources are restricted, the number of product lines are limited as well (Gabrielsson, 2004, p.35). 2.5 Market segmentation Smith (1956) first established the concept of the market segment that turn into an essential part of the modern marketing. Market segmentation means dividing a market into distinct groups of buyer who have different needs, characteristics, or behaviours, and who might require separate products or marketing programs (Amstrong, and Kotler, 2011, p.78). Another definition Kanuk and Schiffman (1994) state that market segmentation is the method of partitioning a promising market into different subsets of individual with familiar needs or behaviours and choosing one or more segment to target with a separate marketing mix. Furthermore market segmentation is a driving force that leads an organisation effort towards the utmost opportunities. The function of market segmentation is to recognise the taxonomy of consumption pattern by dividing a market into several uniformed sub markets. Markets can formulate product strategies, or product positions, tailored specially to the demands of these hom ogeneous sub-markets (Lin, 2002, p.249). Based on Pollock, Jones, and Brown (1994) point of view, market segmentation should be describes by four primary categories stood on the types of variables applied to define submarket like socio-demographic segmentation, geographic segmentation, product-related segmentation, and psychographic segmentations. There are a number of different ways for segmentation, and the three conventional approaches employed to segment the market are mass marketing, differentiated marketing, and niche marketing. Mass marketing is a segmentation strategy for which the market is treated as one segment. Mass marketing is mainly suitable for commodity products but, it is rare that a firm employed this approach (Ferrell, Hartline, and Lucas, 2002). Since mass marketing is built on a single product or services, however it is not a simple task for firm, since markets contain many different consumers. Differentiated marketing is engaged in partitioning the market into homogeneous submarket which stand on customer requirements and addressing specific marketing plan to the homogeneous submarket. To succeed for a differentiated marketing strategy the behaviors and requirements of consumers for each submarket in particular should be familiar since simultaneously having different needs and characteristics across the different groups. Meanwhile differentiated strategy is the offering of a firm as an original product on the market by evidence that it gives a different advantage over its competitors. Companies that applied this approach must develop an original marketing mix for every subgroup recognised within the market. According to Ferrell, Hartline, and Lucas (2002) both medium and large firms applied differentiated marketing strategy, for the reason that they have the resource needed to provide various products and promoting many marketing mixes that are not common to reach the requ irements of several segments. Finally differentiation is viewed as an art to plan a bundle of significant distinction to differentiate the offering of the organisation from those of its rivals. Kotler et al, (2005) state that niche marketings focal point is to find subgroups of customers. The niche marketing strategy is based on merely a single segment and builds up a marketing plan that matched for the specific subgroup. The niche marketing strategy necessitates an absolute consideration of the requirements of the segment matter because the possibility for the market share to increase in this market gap can surpass the small size of the market. 2.6 Product development Littler (1984, p.20) states that product development is ascertaining the attributes that target customers seek in products and developing products to meet the market requirements. However product development leads to modify an existing product or its presentation, or formulation of an entire new product that satisfies customer or market niche. Product development is critical for the performance of many companies. The success of product development efforts can determine the viability of companies and economies (Ulrich and Eppinger, 2000). Product development consists of three critical elements, namely strategic processes to specifically address the effective management of product development assets, the selection of a target market and a structured product development process. (Bean and Radford 2000, p.3) According to the above definition there are different levels at which the product development process takes place. The purpose of the process is essentially to identify the market needs and the development of the products in order to suit potential customers. The product development process includes a set of activities required for the formation and design of a product, from the detection of a market opportunity to its delivery to the final client. The main focus of the product development process is to convert customer requirements and needs into a design solution. The purpose of the product development process is to make a recipe to produce the product (Reinertsen, 1999). The recipe includes the product, manufacturing process, supply, distribution, and the support systems. (Browning, Deyst, and Eppinger, 2002) The success of product development is vital to the performance of any organisation. And Ulrich and Eppinger (2004) points out that fast and novel product development may be a critical competitive advantages to firms. In addition a successful product development process requires the effective control of the work developed by the persons involved. There are a variety of methodologies for understanding and improving the effectiveness of the product development process. Smith and Morrow (1999) defines product development as a method to transform any objective and market requirements into the information needed to how a product can be manufactured. Even that each product development process is distinctive there are still familiar characteristics that are administered among different tasks. 2.7 Product differentiation Lancaster (1990) asserts that product differentiation study has drawn significant interest in economics and marketing. Product differentiation is concerned to alter the marketing mix of a product so as to differentiate it from what the competitors is offering. Scheuing (1974) defines differentiation by, adding variations of one product which will compete with it within the same market. According to Kotler (1998) differentiation is the introduction of differential features, quality, style or image of brands as a basis for commanding a premium. A product becomes different at the consumers eye when it has some features, which make it different from others products and services offered by competitors, of course the product should be unique and difficult to imitate (Murphy, 2007). Firms that employed product differentiation strategy form a perception between some target groups of the product or services offered by the company. And therefore assured that the products or services are somehow different with the value added that is not available from competitors. Consumers may perceive the product sold by an incumbent firm to be superior to that offered by prospective rivals. Based on this perception consumer is willing to pay more for the incumbent firms product (Browning and Zupan, 2003, p.314). Product differentiation is classified into three categories such as, vertical differentiation, horizontal differentiation, and mixed differentiation. Vertical differentiation arises in a market where various goods which are present can be ordered according to their purpose quality from the highest to the lowest. And horizontal product differentiation is termed as products that have different features which cannot be ordered in an objective way. Features for horizontally differentiated products are often based on colours, styles, and tastes (Piana, 2003). Mixed differentiation is described by vertical and horizontal differentiation. Consequently, mixed differentiation includes products that have distinct quality dimension which is similar to the vertical one and are included diverse characteristics like colour, taste, shapes as well as styles which relate to the horizontal differentiation. And customers pay attention to these prominent aspects when buying a product. Product differentiation is particularly important to undertake any kind of business, because of the economic principles that have been demonstrated time to time again in nearly every market place. If the public perceives no difference between two competing products, then the only possible means of competition is through pricing. 2.8 Brand strategy and Brand awareness The American Marketing Association (AMA) definition of a brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors(Keller 2004, p.3). Within this view the author asserts that a brand refers to a product and that each new feature or benefit added in order to differentiate the brand somehow from others products designed to satisfy the same need. According to the definition a brand can be seen, as simple and clear function identifiers. Supporting Kellers view of a brand linking it to the tangibles of the brand, Doyle (2002) states that brand is a particular name, symbol or design or generally an amalgamation of these that is utilized to differentiate a specific p

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Essay -- business trip, aristotle

The tragic tale Death of a Salesman fulfills Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy to a great degree. The play conforms to Aristotle’s definition seamlessly for the factors of plot, thought, diction, and spectacle, satisfying all of the key necessities for each section. Character, also, fits well with his definition, but there are a few deviations from Aristotle’s perfect tragedy that prevent a seamless fit. The use of a chorus is completely ignored in this play, but being one of the least important elements, it does not affect the overall worth of the play. When the individual parts of the play are examined, it satisfies Aristotle’s requirements for a perfect tragedy. In Aristotle’s definition of a perfect tragedy he delegates plot as the most important component of the play. According to Aristotle, plot can be defined as the cause-and-effect chain that presents the incidents to the audience. This chain must have rising action, a climax, and falling action, as well as being self-contained, complex, and contain a significant meaning (McManus). Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman satisfies all of these stipulations completely. The structure of Death of a Salesman has a beginning, middle, and end as required by Aristotle, however the order of these are not necessarily true to form. Some events that occur in the middle of the play should be at the beginning if examined as purely a cause and effect chain, and some events at the beginning should be at the middle. The inciting action when Biff discovers his father’s infidelity during one of Willy’s business trips. The climax of the play is the argument between Willy and Biff where Biff realizes that Willy is a cause of his short comings. Biff’s statement, â€Å"And I never got anywhere becau... ...financial situation in which they live, enticing pity from the audience. This limited use of spectacle would be applauded by Aristotle. Arthur Miller succeeds as playwright with Death of a Salesman, at least according to Aristotle. He successfully blends the elements of plot, character, thought, diction, and spectacle in to a tragic tale that Aristotle would deem perfect. He took all of Aristotle’s requirements and with a few deviations put forth a true tragic tale. All things considered, Aristotle would commend this as a perfect tragedy. Works Cited Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Dir. Volker Schlöndorff. By Arthur Miller. Perf. Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich. CBS Presents, 1985. DVD. McManus, Barbara F. "Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy." Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy. The College of New Rochelle, Nov. 1999. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.

Mass-elite theorists and subcultures

Academic writing is usually best when it takes a dispassionate attitude to its subject; when it reviews the several contesting scholarly opinions around a question, before judging the value of each of them. But sometimes a writer is given a question that allows him to write destructive criticism, and to champion the merits of one argument only. This present question is such a question. If one takes a supercilious attitude towards it then he might expel it at once by arguing that neither Matthew Arnold nor F. R. Leavis – men who sought the promotion of culture through the study of high literature and the reform of education – would have descended at all to study the subcultures of Goths and Trekkers. These groups have produced no serious literature and they have done little to reform education. And so one can easily cement such a fierce attitude into a strong essay – though one that would sadly be very short and unmarkable! If instant dismissal is not appropriate, then a writer who has studied Arnold’s and Leavis’s definitions of culture can argue ceaselessly that neither man would have thought Goths and Trekkers a positive development for culture. A short statement about definition. There are of course manifold definitions of culture. Many recent writers define culture in terms of mass-culture, within which all groups and subcultures belong. If culture is defined like this then Goths and Trekkers are both part of culture and can be said to expand culture by pushing it wider and making it more diverse. Arguments like this are possible; but they are not possible for our present question. In this essay one has to measure these groups against the definitions of Leavis and Arnold only; and leave aside the merits of any modern definitions. Let us then examine the definition of Leavis and Arnold. Matthew Arnold famously defined culture as to ‘†¦ know the best that has been said and thought in the world’. Someone who is cultured has learnt to perceive beauty, perfection, truth and justice through literature and art. In Culture and Anarchy and Essays in Criticism Arnold argues that culture is centered upon education: thus the expansion of culture is possible only if it is accompanied by an equal expansion of education. So: somebody who is highly cultured is also highly educated. F.R.  Leavis had a very similar definition of culture. Leavis argued even more explicitly than Arnold that there is an unbreakable bond between knowledge of the humanities and the acquisition of culture. As G. Steiner says ‘The commanding axiom in Leavis’s life-work is the conviction that there is a close relation between a man’s capacity to respond to art and his general fitness for humane existence.’ Despite the esoteric sound of these words they do say something vital about culture. The key word is humane. Someone who has studied great works of literature tends to have better judgment and is kinder to his fellow man than people who have not. Leavis says ‘†¦ thinking about cultural and social matters ought to be done by minds of some real literary education, and done in an intellectual climate formed by a vital literacy culture’. In short: a healthy culture and society depends upon a large number of its citizens studying and thinking about the classics. Leavis famously defined these arguments in his controversial Richmond Lecture – should we say polemic? – against C. P. Snow. The lecture is Leavis’s proposal for the future of culture in England. Leavis wanted a small, economically weaker England that would be highly literate and cultured — instead of a huge commercialized and capitalistic society that would be less literate. Thus we see in Leavis, as in Arnold, a definition of culture as a society that knows intimately great works of art. According to this definition, any group that progresses culture must go beyond the culture that has gone before. Do Goths and Trekkers then add to what we can learn from Homer, Shakespeare and the Bible? (This is a fair question if measured by the definition above). The answer must be no. The Goth and Trekker subcultures have not produced one serious piece of literature or music; even if one stretches Star Trek into some definition of art, the movies and show are not the invention of Trekkers, but the object of their devotion. Goths claim to have a passion for literature; but this passion has not created any literature of their own. Likewise – even though it is not one of their aims – neither of these groups has done anything to reform education or our universities. We cannot study Goth culture from its literature, because there is not any. But we can examine some of the statements of Goth members to see whether there is any sign of culture as defined by Leavis and Arnold. The following article called ‘A Short Treatise on Goth subculture’ is taken from the internet. The author, Chameleon, says that Goths are defined by ‘a morbid sense of humor’, ‘appreciation of the darker side of life’, ‘tolerance of lifestyles considered weird by the masses’ and an ‘apolitical attitude towards society’. Rus Haslage, the President of the International Federation of Trekkers, says that the philosophy of trekkers is that ‘†¦everyone is different, and it is those differences that make us special. And, it is those differences that make meshing our sparks even more beneficial to us all.’ In both these statements the common feature is vagueness of meaning and purpose. Goths and Trekkers feel some solidarity with each other in their interest in the ways of the Goth or Star Trek; but there is no clear or precise thought about the identity and purpose of these groups. To be fair to each group neither claims to add to the wisdom that the great works of literature and art that the West has accumulated; but, if we judge this admission of non-achievement strictly according to the definition of Leavis and Arnold, then the existence of such groups has either no effect or a regressive effect upon culture. Bibliography Books: P. Hodkins,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goth: Identity, Style and Subculture M. Arnold,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Culture and Anarchy M.Arnold,  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Essays in Criticism H. Jenkins III, Star Trek Rerun, Reread, Rewritten: Fan Writing as Textual Poaching F.R. Leavis,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Mass Civilization and Minority Culture, (1930) F.R. Leavis,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Nor Shall My Sword: Discourses on Pluralism, Compassion and Social Hope (1972) G. Steiner,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Language and Silence, Faber and Faber, 1967 Websites: www.iftcommand.com www.religioustolerance.org      

Private Ownership of Guns essays

Private Ownership of Guns essays Topics for conversation in this report will include: Gun control assumes some fundamental things to hold true. It assumes that all people are law abiding, responsible, and well intended; we know this is not the case or their would not be a gun debate. Since the above does not hold true we have markets that will work against gun control, called Black Markets. Gun control works for the normal market, where there is a series of checks and balances to keep guns out of the hands of known criminals and people with mental disorders through background checks and waiting periods. What happens with the people that are not allowed to buy a gun because of their background? They say OK and are kept from buying guns. WRONG this is where some, not all, turn to the Black Market. The Black Market has only one check and balance, risk vs. reward. How much can be charged for a gun vs. the legal problems that can be caused for the seller and buyer. If the risk is worth the reward we have a Black Market where people can buy and sell guns without the controls of the normal market, but are under pressure of legal action if caught. The stronger the laws are restricting gun ownership in our Normal Market the more demand for Black Market guns will grow. This market shift was seen during the probation of alcohol and the resulting Black Markets for production and distribution of the contraband. We should remember the social unrest that accompanied that Black Market occurrence. The argument Polsby makes is the higher the number of victims a criminal assumes to be armed, the higher will be the risk-the price-of assaulting them. This is what I call victims vs. criminal evaluation. This creates yet another market, the one of victims. I see ...

Psychology Adolescent Depression Essays - Abnormal Psychology

Psychology Adolescent Depression Essays - Abnormal Psychology Psychology Adolescent Depression The Under Acknowledged Disease Depression is a disease that afflicts the human psyche in such a way that the afflicted tends to act and react abnormally toward others and themselves. Therefore it comes to no surprise to discover that adolescent depression is strongly linked to teen suicide. Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer (Blackman, 1995). Despite this increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly underdiagnosed and leads to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment which may often continue into adulthood. How prevalent are mood disorders in children and when should an adolescent with changes in mood be considered clinically depressed? Brown (1996) has said the reason why depression is often over looked in children and adolescents is because children are not always able to express how they feel. Sometimes the symptoms of mood disorders take on different forms in children than in adults. Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood swings, gloomy thoughts, and heightened sensitivity. It is a time of rebellion and experimentation. Blackman (1996) observed that the challenge is to identify depressive symptomatology which may be superimposed on the backdrop of a more transient, but expected, developmental storm. Therefore, diagnosis should not lay only in the physician's hands but be associated with parents, teachers and anyone who interacts with the patient on a daily basis. Unlike adult depression, symptoms of youth depression are often masked. Instead of expressing sadness, teenagers may express boredom and irritability, or may choose to engage in risky behaviors (Oster & Montgomery, 1996). Mood disorders are often accompanied by other psychological problems such as anxiety (Oster & Montgomery, 1996), eating disorders (Lasko et al., 1996), hyperactivity (Blackman, 1995), substance abuse (Blackman, 1995; Brown, 1996; Lasko et al., 1996) and suicide (Blackman, 1995; Brown, 1996; Lasko et al., 1996; Oster & Montgomery, 1996) all of which can hide depressive symptoms. The signs of clinical depression include marked changes in mood and associated behaviors that range from sadness, withdrawal, and decreased energy to intense feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. Depression is often described as an exaggeration of the duration and intensity of normal mood changes (Brown 1996). Key indicators of adolescent depression include a drastic change in eating and sleeping patterns, significant loss of interest in previous activity interests (Blackman, 1995; Oster & Montgomery, 1996), constant boredom (Blackman, 1995), disruptive behavior, peer problems, increased irritability and aggression (Brown, 1996). Blackman (1995) proposed that formal psychologic testing may be helpful in complicated presentations that do not lend themselves easily to diagnosis. For many teens, symptoms of depression are directly related to low self esteem stemming from increased emphasis on peer popularity. For other teens, depression arises from poor family relations which could include decreased family support and perceived rejection by parents (Lasko et al., 1996). Oster & Montgomery (1996) stated that when parents are struggling over marital or career problems, or are ill themselves, teens may feel the tension and try to distract their parents. This distraction could include increased disruptive behavior, self-inflicted isolation and even verbal threats of suicide. So how can the physician determine when a patient should be diagnosed as depressed or suicidal? Brown (1996) suggested the best way to diagnose is to screen out the vulnerable groups of children and adolescents for the risk factors of suicide and then refer them for treatment. Some of these risk factors include verbal signs of suicide within the last three months, prior attempts at suicide, indication of severe mood problems, or excessive alcohol and substance abuse. Many physicians tend to think of depression as an illness of adulthood. In fact, Brown (1996) stated that it was only in the 1980's that mood disorders in children were included in the category of diagnosed psychiatric illnesses. In actuality, 7-14% of children will experience an episode of major depression before the age of 15. An average of 20-30% of adult bipolar patients report having their first episode before the age of 20. In a sampling of 100,000 adolescents, two to three thousand will have mood disorders out of which 8-10 will commit suicide (Brown, 1996). Blackman (1995) remarked that the suicide rate for adolescents has increased more than 200% over the last decade. Brown (1996) added that an estimated 2,000 teenagers per year commit suicide in the United States, making it the leading cause of death after accidents and homicide. Blackman (1995) stated that it is not uncommon for young people to be preoccupied with issues of mortality and to contemplate the effect their death would have on close family and friends. Once it has been determined