Macbeth and ‘throne of blood’

‘Throne of Blood’ is a close adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth to the life style and culture of feudal Japan; a 1957 film in black-and-white contrast that has been acclaimed as one of the best plot transposition of the Macbeth. It depicts the deceit, and greed associated with ambitious fervency to acquire power and engage in tyrannical acts. No doubt, there are similarities between the two plays; however, one of the original script was used in ‘Throne of Blood’. Instead, Washizu Taketori replaced but not as violent and deadly as Macbeth; Lady Macbeth was replaced with Washizu’s wife, Asaji a master-schemer far less humane as Lady. Macduff was not represented in the plot. But the threat for the throne was halted when General Miki was killed; but the latter returned as a ghost Unlike the Macbeth where the king was killed in a fight as prophesied by the three witches, Washizu was shot by his own archers, a nemesis reward of betrayal for a greedy and treacherous leader. Washizu’s fate was prophesized by a malevolent ghost, and not witches. Indeed, the film depicts clear eerie scenes of interactions marked by evil at high places, extensive use of symbols and mystic prowess to carry the viewers from ‘the Island’ to the intricacies of Japanese culture and practice. The theme of the story was not altered in any significant way; it clearly shows the fate of greed and craze for power. The characters employed used the uniqueness of the contemporary culture to relay the message of Macbeth: greed for power never pays; beware of friends, they can become traitors. The force of language lost in this translation was however replaced almost adequately with vivid imagery and sound. The film is great; and a must watch for lovers of Japanese culture, marshal arts especially Samurai styles.

How Far Does the Poet Want Us to Symphatize with Miss Havisham Essay

How Far Does the Poet Want Us to Sympathize with Miss Havisham? The poet wants us to sympathized Miss Havisham greatly, but not entirely. Her own trappings of her strong need to revenge and her morbid existence that has destroyed her carries a symbolic meaning of self – absorption and destruction. This poem introduces us to Miss Harvisham’s character, who has become a type of embittered woman who was disappointed in love and enjoys withdrawing from the world. First of all, this poem is written in a first person’s point of view. She begins by telling the reader the cause of her pain and suffering – her â€Å"beloved sweetheart bastard† which gravitates into a sense of bitterness and vengeance/retribution. In addition to that, the use of oxymoron in the above-said phrase indicates a contradiction of words. The words â€Å"beloved† and â€Å"sweetheart† indicates a very admirable personality, but the word â€Å"bastard† gives us a completely conflicting quality. Besides, she tells us that she not only wished him to be dead, but instead she prayed for his death, evidently by â€Å"Not a day since then I haven’t wished him dead. Prayed for it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She prayed so hard that she had â€Å"dark green pebbles for eyes and ropes on the back of my hands she could strangle with.† She uses metaphors here to explain to us that while she prayed, she had her eyes shrunk hard and felt that her hands were strong enough to strangle someone, which fits her murderous personality. It makes us feel piteous for her as seeing that she has suffered a great amount until it has reached insanity, but at the same time it makes us feel really disturbed by her mad identity. The second stanza symbolises her â€Å"self-absorption† and â€Å"self-pity† behaviours. She started off with a strong word: â€Å"Spinster†. The use of caesura in beginning of this stanza shows how much she emphasizes and detests this word. Besides, the feeling of abhorrence has been further strengthen by the use of trochee can be seen in the word â€Å"Spinster† as the first syllable is stressed. Moving on, Miss Havisham is also aware of her own stink as she does not ever change her clothes. This show how withdraw she is from the world. Moreover, she stays in bed all day and â€Å"caws† in denial, which shows how she was on the verge of irrationality and stupidity. In the end of this stanza, she ended with â€Å"who did this†. She knows very well that she was a big cause to this problem, but I feel that she also wanted to put the blame on the ex-fiancà © as she only completed her question in the next stanza. This stanza makes us feel really sorry for her seeing  that she cannot get over her past as it keeps haunting her. In the third stanza, she started to dream about her lost lover in a tenderly manner. â€Å"Some nights better, the lost body over me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  suggests that she misses her lost lover enormously. She fantasizes about herself enjoying her time with her ex-lover, but it did not last long as when she finally regain her conscience, her hatred and ager returns, evidently by â€Å"then down till I suddenly bite awake.† This stanza truly reaches out to me because I can feel that deep inside she tries to recover the wonderful memories they may have had together but she eventually decides to ignore it as she still had that tinge of anger inside her that she cannot let go. The last stanza is mainly talking about how her rage and abhorrence restores. It is somewhat similar to the first stanza, but she seems more furious in the last stanza. Thinking of how she actually â€Å"stabbed a wedding cake† shows us that she is plotting a huge revenge on a â€Å"male corpse† which we all postulate that it is her lover. This stanza makes me feel a little frightened by her as her attitude is rather alarming. Overall, I really do sympathized Miss Havisham deeply, but I do criticise some of her actions. For instance, I do not like the fact that she wants to inflict pain on others just because it is for her own sake. By praying for someone to die and planning a revenge on someone is not the right way to solve a problem. However, I do greatly pity her because of the phase she is going through. It is not easy getting over someone. In conclusion, the poet wants us all to sympathize her greatly, but only to a certain extent. We commiserate her for her peculiarity and her self-indulgence, but her sullenness and vindictiveness make us feel that she is a very vivacious and debauched person.

3D Printing Technology for Computing Systems - myassignmenthelp

The 3D printing goal has been realized through integration of various technologies, materials, and emerging processes and tactics which make interaction with 3D printing ecosystem at times difficulty. Contrally to that, the technology has come with a lot more in terms of benefits more so to the manufacturing. To start with, production cost through 3D printing has been cut largely while overall production being increased and made easy. Profit maximization being the objective of any organization, 3D printing has been embraced by many manufacturing firms because of its role to ensuring that firms achieve this objective. The technology has also emerged with its disadvantages also, for instance considering that manufacturing 3D products was tiresome and technical to some extent, many people could occupy such a sector of production. Therefore, emergency of 3D printing led to unemployment. Different authors have had different reactions towards 3D printing technology which is normal as each of them express his own opinions. Some have reacted negatively towards the technology while others have expressed their satisfaction. However, both reactions have been embraced by the readers in accordance to their sense. In this paper we take a look at two authors, Mike Scott and Terry Wohlers and their opinions towards 3D technology Mike Scott, 2017, May. 3D Printing Will Change the Way We Make Things and Design Them In 2017. In  Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems  (pp. 497 508). Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2017/01/25/3d-printing-will-change-the-way-we-make-things-in-2017/#33dc4f6e310e In his opinion, Mike predicted 3D printing to have a big impact on the sector of artificial technology, because 3D printing had widened its scope from consumer side where its focus used to be to potential industries. He expresses the manner in which the technology would be advantageous by quoting a case scenario of 3D printed graphene, which would be able to make materials lighter than the atmospheric air but very strong. Such materials would be used to make lightweight products like aircraft and filtration devices which would create a room for saving fuel, costs and reduce emissions Mass production in industrial sector is another advantage he praised 3D printing technology with, he used case study of Dubai based startup, Cazza in this scenario which had reported to have the ability of printing 200m2 of concrete in a day. Therefore, the company could be able to establish structures at a faster rate than conventional methods could allow. Mike gave some examples of companies which had experience change under this technology, like Siemens which through the technology reported benefits on the sector of greenhouse gas emissions reduction, resource use reduction and reduction in time which could be taken in production previously. The company associated its past experience with the limitations of manufacturing process. Mike termed the main factor holding the progress of 3D printing as the risk-averse mindset of the designers. And which he saw as the reason as to why the technology has not been able to have firm bases in the manufacturing sector. One of the shortcomings of Mike’s insights in this journal was his tendency of pointing out mistakes and leaving them without a suggested solution. Considering that the important side of any problem is its solution, Mike could have suggested a solution to the factor of risk-averse mindset of the designers which he termed as the main drawback to the progress of 3D printing technology. Terry Wohlers, 2016, August. The 3D Printing Landscape: Then and Now. Designing brand identity: An essential guide for the whole branding team  (pp. 320 430). Available from: https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/stories/news/26620 In this journal, Terry aimed at enlightening his readers on the history of 3D technology and its progress over the years. Terming this technology to slowly being appreciated and being embraced by different companies under manufacturing sector, he quoted some of the companies like GE, Airbus, Lima and Stryker which have specialized in producing metal parts useful in sectors like bridge construction. He also enlightened on the modern applications of 3D printing   like in soft and hard tissue print outs which are implanted on animals and human beings as well. He proceeds to give hope to people who accidentally face organ challenges in their lives that through this technology replacement of organs such as fingers, liver and kidney are possible. He foresees the future of electronics as bright under this technology. As through the technology handheld electronics will be 3D printed to conform to product shapes without having to design such products around circuit boards, and this would be a way of making work easier, courtesy of 3D printing technology. He also expresses his excitement towards 3D printing technology on its ability to produce digital inventories which enables companies to manufacture on demand. Although Terry managed to drive his point home on the 3D technology, his journal was too brief for any new reader in 3D printing technology to understand what the technology was all about. This limited the scope of his readers as a result, in that the only readers who could be able to benefit from his journal were the veterans under 3D printing technology. Expounding more on his ideas would be a huge milestone to filling the gap. Mike Scott, 2017, May. 3D Printing Will Change the Way We Make Things and Design Them   Ã‚  Ã‚   In 2017. In  Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Systems  (pp. 497 508). Available from:    https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2017/01/25/3d-printing-will-change-the-way-we-   make-things-in-2017/#33dc4f6e310e Terry Wohlers, 2016, August. The 3D Printing Landscape: Then and Now. Designing brand   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   identity: An essential guide for the whole branding team  (pp. 320 430). Available from:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/stories/news/26620

Group Decision Making Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Group Decision Making - Term Paper Example Thus, in cases where decision making involves technical aspects, tools and applications come in handy to the group members, whereas in situations that warrants identifying potential issues and challenges, brainstorming and discussions play an important role. How do groups arrive at decisions that are mutually understood and accepted? What are the different dimensions involved in the group decision making process? These are some of the questions addressed in this paper that illustrates the dynamics of group decision making through practical insights and examples. Group dynamics and decision making process Groups comprising of number of individuals provide an effective platform for enhancing performance at workplace or achieving common goals and objectives that form the primary reason for forming a group. Working in a group is riddled with challenges since individuals from different backgrounds, attitude and opinion come together to work towards common goals (O’Connell & Cuthber tson, 2009). Coordination and cooperation among the group members can be challenging since arriving at a single decision requires mutual understanding and empathy between the group members. The diversity in opinion, outlook and perspective clash at each stage of the decision making process – thereby causing conflict and failure to arrive at a single decision. However, the benefits associated to working in groups cannot be undermined since collaborative ventures can be more fruitful and have expanded potentials in terms of achieving the desired outcomes (foundation coalition, 2011). In order to overcome these challenges decision making process within groups is guided by certain norms and statutes that help the group in arriving at a decision. The effectiveness of decision making in groups is realized in the fact that an individual could not have taken the decision alone, the decision provides a perfect solution to the problem, the decision is based on unbiased inputs provided by group members and contributes to the group objectives (foundation coalition, 2011). Johnson and Johnson in their book (2009) describe five distinct methods of decision making that include decision making by authority, decision making by majority, decision making by minority, decision making by expert and decision making by consensus. Among these methods decision making by expert and consensus are widely used in most scenarios. Group discussions and problem solving processes in groups are often presided by experts who can provide their valuable opinion and views in context that helps the group in making the final decision. Often the expert is one of the members of the groups and in some cases an external individual might be consulted or asked to preside over the discussions to enable the group to take judicious decisions. However, the primary challenge in this decision making approach lies in identifying a key member of the group or external individual who is acknowledged as an ex pert in the given context by all members of the group. â€Å"Group members who do not view the expert as an authority may be reluctant to implement the recommended decision† (O’Connell & Cuthbertson, 2009). Decision making by group consensus is commonly applied in teams working towards common goals and objectives. The term consensus implies that all members of th

Global tourism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global tourism - Assignment Example Every winter Oslo hosts numerous winter sports competitions in the famous Holmenkollen National Ski Arena. Thus, Oslo is an outstanding tourist-friendly location, which has much to offer. The capital of Norway is multinational and diverse city, which is not very typical to Scandinavian cities as for a long time emigration prevailed immigration. Now Oslo is one of the fastest-growing cities in Scandinavian countries that is why the population increases rapidly, and the city authorities has to tackle a number of social problems, and high immigration rate is one of the first (Kemp, 2008). In the last two years the population exceeded in 2%, and the number of residents is expected to grow in 40 % in the next few decades. Such boost of population is explained by higher life expectancy and rising birth rate (Savage, 2014). Norwegian economy continues to grow in spite of European crisis attracting migrant labor from less developed countries. Therefore, immigrants from Poland, Latvia, Pakistan and other countries become new residents of Oslo. This will cause additional demand for working places in the country, and the tourist sphere will be the one which will be able to offe rs such places. The capital immigration flow started in 60-s when oil was discovered in the North Sea, thus the city has already elaborated its mechanisms of integration for the new comers. Oslo was ranked as the second in the Intercultural Index Cities list, which means that it has managed to establish stable and effective policy framework with recourses and actions implemented in life (Oslo intercultural profile, 2012). Two years ago the city has introduced a new policy directive â€Å"City Government Decision 152/12 - Diversity Opportunities†, that is a modern statement of the city’s goals and perspectives, developing along with a direction first represented in 2001 with the founding of the OXLO Oslo Extra Large campaign. Encouraging immigrant inflow into the

Mainly Othello(Shakespeare) with comparison from Medea(Euripides)- Essay

Mainly Othello(Shakespeare) with comparison from Medea(Euripides)- Drama as Literature class - Essay Example speare in his play as we watch Lago and Roderigo complaining to Brabanzio that his daughter has been not only been stolen but also married to Othello. It is through his efforts that Brabanzio finally discovers that truly his daughter has been married to Othello, an act that is totally against his wishes for his daughter. Once more, Shakespeare is displaying how far characters in the play are attempting to go far in mixing issues of love with heroism in their respective lives. Brabanzio further gets officers to find Othello and bring him to his attention. Brabanzio is putting his efforts to using his fame and recognition in the society so as to report Othello to the Senate in connection with his missing daughter. It is for the very first time that the play allows the viewer to have love being handled single handedly without any connection to fame and heroism. The senate is not at all interested in judging the matter from the heroic point of view of Brabanzio but offers Othello some sympathy by allowing him a chance to clarify himself. It is at this point that Othello is given a very fair chance to explain himself before the Senate. It becomes very clear before everyone that Othello did not steal away Desdemona using witchcraft as the father has reported but used his heroic stories in the military to woo her into marriage. Desdemona also enters the room at this particular point and confirms that her loyalty is now totally to her husband and not her father. The Senate is surely convinced about this point of view that is being expressed by Othello (Shakespeare 11). It is although brought towards the attention of the viewer that Othello too used his military heroism to capture the love of Desdemona. At this point, it is for the very first time that love and heroism are being mixed and the product being a successful one. Othello has succeeded in pursuing his love by the use of the heroism that he has gotten from his military operations. Just as it was the case with

Choosing Technology to Meet a Need Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Choosing Technology to Meet a Need - Essay Example include: a high quality display system to showcase finished design projects, a central unit that is compatible and with modern day design soft wares, command input devices, a safe back up storage system, cooperate display system, image capture and internet connection (Labuz 47). The core i5 processor is provides great graphics and multi-tasking platform because it mechanically speeds up since it has an incorporation of Intel turbo boost technology. The boost and a 4 way multi-tasking processing ability can enable it handle very high memory demanding graphic software without slowing down. The wake fast Intel responsive hard disc wakes up very fast- within seconds- hence the ability to resume to work without delays. The same capability is essential because it minimizes power consumption-since it operates on a ultra-low consumption. Adobe Photoshop and adobe illustrator are graphic design software’s with modern design tools this enables easy, quick manipulation of images and editing with the high quality outcomes in a professional set

Buying Versus Leasing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Buying Versus Leasing - Assignment Example More significantly, capital budgeting is more commonly used in management planning as it gives an outlay of the long-term implication of purchasing or leasing a new car. Therefore, the main aim of the thesis of this paper is to not only evaluate the suitable choice of acquiring cars, but to also analyze the financial and non-financial factors that influence decision making. Executive Summary Investment decisions are based on economical and effective factors that make the purchase of cars more viable as compared to leasing a car. More significantly, application of capital budgeting in deciding on purchases takes into consideration the viable choice after carrying out appraisal based on the expenses related to buying and leasing and their cost respectively. As a result, capital budgeting is more commonly used in management planning as it gives an outlay of the long-term implication of purchasing or leasing a new car (Thomas & Maurice, 2011). More so, considerations should be undertaken based on the provision economic decisions based on interest rates, sources of finances, end of lease fees, loan terms, personal guarantees and operating cash while making decisions on whether to procure or lease a car as related to economical costs. Even though, leasing allows for payments within small intervals it is considerably expense as the payments accumulate over time with no long-term benefit being derived. Definition In the acquisition of new assets, there are two choices based on whether to lease or purchase. More considerably, leasing comes either as operational or capital lease depending on the terms of the contract. In capital leasing, an individual is allowed to finance the maintenance and use of the car while at the end of the agreed lease term take up ownership after undertaking a nominal buy out lease. On the other hand, operational lease allows for renting of the car, and as a result, there is no ownership entitled at the end of the contract as the lease term allo ws for monthly payments (Powell, 2009). Nonetheless, purchases allow for payments to be made at the initial purchase and ownership of the asset is transferred immediately to the buyer. Even though, the leasing of a car seem viable it involves regular payment of the leasing fee as the returns of the vehicle passes back to the initial owner, when the lease term comes to an end as compared to purchases where upon payment of the purchase price legal ownership is issued immediately to the buyer of the car. As a result, there is a significant difference in terms of payments and ownership term in the purchase and leasing of a car. More considerably, to understand about leasing agreements, it is essential to understand about the lessor as the leasing company in which they deal with leasing of cars based on rights that govern the contract (Powell, 2009). While the leaseholder, or lessee is an individual who utilize services of the leasing company through leasing of vehicles. As the lessee us es the vehicle, they make payment based on calculated monthly lease charge this payment made are considered to cover the interest that is charged by the leasing company for services offered. As a result, the leaseholder makes a choice on the type of lease to undertake. If an individual chooses capital lease, it is known as closed-ended lease because the leaseholder does not get a guarantee of

Compare and contrast the labour forces of the preindustrial and Essay

Compare and contrast the labour forces of the preindustrial and industrial ages - Essay Example For conducting the comparative analysis, the era prior to industrial revolution has been considered as pre-industrial age, whereas the period starting since industrial revolution has been considered as industrial age. Before embarking on making any comparison between the pre-industrial labour force and industrial labour force, it is necessary to look at the major features of labour market of pre-industrial age as well as that of industrial age to form a clear idea about the features of labour force during these two periods. Characteristics of labour market at any point of time can be viewed in terms of labour force composition, production process, division of labour, labour market institutions, wage structure, etc. The present paper will first discuss the major characteristics of labour market in the two periods under consideration, which are preindustrial era and industrial era. In the pre-industrial period, economies were mostly dependent on agricultural sector and to some extent on home based industries, like manufacturing, construction etc. Industrial sector did not flourish on a commercial basis largely. There existed only a few industries, which ran their business on a commercial basis, like iron or textile industries, etc. Consequently, most of the labourers were agricultural labourers or were employed in home based industries. Labourers mostly concentrated on rural areas, because during that period the notion and extent of urbanization was very limited. As far as, gender perspective in labour force participation was concerned, it was found that males mostly dominated that labour market. Female participation in the labour force was very low. In this context, one interesting thing can be mentioned that in pre-industrial era, women used to be involved in doing household activities even because most of them belonged to very poor families. In addition, mo re earning members were required to meet the daily needs of living

Hand book customer service Essay Example for Free

Hand book customer service Essay Policies: policies (structure, use, focus, customer requirements/expectations, product and service knowledge, consultation, confidentiality, customer perceptions and satisfaction, monitor customer service and satisfaction, influences affecting implementation, effective communication) Quality of service: methods of assessment; customer expectations; standardised procedures; codes of practice; staff levels (staffing levels, staff competency, flexibility, reliability and responsiveness) Evaluation: purpose; sources of feedback; accuracy; relevance; reliability; validity; methods of data collection; improvements; staff training and development Hospitality industry: industries within the hospitality industry eg hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs, contract food service providers, hospitality services, membership clubs, events 2. Understand the purpose of promoting a customer-focused culture Communication: types eg verbal, non-verbal body language, written; types of response; use; effect Customer: central role; customer service culture; identifying and analysing customer requirements and expectations; influences of service provision on customer perceptions Benefits of improved service: customer satisfaction, repeat business, improved reputation, increased profit  3. Be able to investigate customer requirements and expectations Requirements: sources of information eg customers, staff, management, customer records, past information Module Handbook C. Ugoji Sept, 2013 Page 2 Unit Handbook Unit 4: The Customer Service Primary research: primary research eg sampling, qualitative, quantitative; interview eg individual, group, survey, observation; contact methods eg mail, telephone, personal Secondary research: internal eg sales records, yield data, financial information, client databases; external eg government publications, trade journals, periodicals, professional associations, national organisations, commercial data Satisfaction levels: planning; strategy; assessment of options using researched information; role of the business and services manager; staffing levels; motivating staff; improvements 4. Be able to provide customer service within business and services contexts to meet required standards  Types of customers: different age groups eg the elderly, children; different cultural backgrounds; special needs eg physically disabled; satisfied; dissatisfied; under influence eg drugs, alcohol, medication Customer needs: customer needs eg products and services, urgent, non-urgent, special requirements, quality of service, value for money, cultural, social; trends eg fashion, ergonomic, equipment, training, products and services, consumer protection legislation Customer service: consultation; advice; personal selling; complaints procedure; reception skills; confidentiality Learning Outcomes: To achieve this unit leaner must: 1. Understand customer service policies within business and services contexts 2. Understand the purpose of promoting a customer-focused culture 3. Be able to investigate customer requirements and expectations 4. Be able to provide customer service within business and services contexts to meet required standards. Teaching strategies used: Following are the different teaching and learning strategies, a description of how they work, where they have been applied, results, and where to find more information from individuals, books, web sites, and other resources. Lecture Notes The most basic way of supporting teaching in this module – a place for students to access lecture notes. The main advantages are reduction in the amount of college Module Handbook C. Ugoji Sept, 2013 Page 3 Unit Handbook Unit 4: The Customer Service photocopying and students can access notes prior to lecture and prepare themselves. Presenting Lectures Displaying these lecture notes with the addition of projectors using power point presentation slides to visualize the information to the students. An increasing variety of ways are utilizing to reach students of all different learning styles, to help the students to understand complicated concepts and remember them better by using master graphic tools both on whiteboard and on computers. Interactive Tutorials A set of questions have been designed for each session in assessing student learning of subject matter using both paper based and computer based assessment techniques. The web and web authoring  Students are directed to use the advanced search engine to navigate the correct and legitimate information for their assignment. Different search engines compile information using different criteria and have access to different databases. Applying technology to develop students higher order skills and creativity to manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment. Group Discussions The students will be give topics and some cases with the use of case study that relates to the topic covered in each session. There will also be a follow up on the discussion using group presentation and class assessment as the case may be. Summary of lecture For every session, there will be overall summary at the end teaching session. Attempting the passing criterion in class The student must attempt one or more learning outcome question covered in each session and the evidence will be documented

Customer Relationship Management At Dell

Customer Relationship Management At Dell Introduction Customer Relationship Management (CRM), as defined by Anderson and Narus, is the bundling of customer strategy and processes, supported by relevant software, for the purpose of improving customer loyalty and, eventually, corporate profitability. Consultants Rigby, Reichheld and Schefter have mentioned the imperatives of CRM as acquiring the right customer, crafting the right value proposition, instituting the best processes, motivating employees, and learning to retain customers. This can be substantiated by studying the particular case of Dell, which has used internet and other direct media to develop an efficient model of CRM. This report will bring out the details of CRM process followed by Dell, and how it has helped in sustaining loyal customers and build customer satisfaction. About Dell Dell is a leading technology company which offers a broad range of product categories, including mobility products, desktop PCs, software and peripherals, servers and networking, services, and storage. As per a Gartner research report based on second quarter PC shipments in 2009, it is the number one supplier (26.0% market share in US) of computer systems in the United States and the number two supplier worldwide (13.6% global market share). The mission statement for Dell is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience. Since Dell is a global wide company, its direct approach is relevant across product lines, regions and customer segments.  [1]   Dell is organized geographically into the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Japan, and Europe. The corporate headquarters is located in Round Rock, Texas, near Austin. In the mid-1990s, the company decided that in order to manage a company that was growing at 50% a year, it needed to decentralize decision making rather than try to control everything from the U.S. Therefore, each of the regions has its own regional headquarters (Japan has a separate headquarters), its own manufacturing facilities, and its own IT infrastructure. Ongoing Customer Relationship Management at DELL Monitoring, Evaluating and Reassigning Accounts Dells business activities are organized in each region around different customer segments. These generally include (1) relationship (large corporate) customers, (2) home and small business (sometimes called transaction customers), and (3) public sector (government and educational) customers. This segmentation is evident in Dells product mix, which has different product lines for each segment, in its marketing strategies, which vary by business segments, and in its e-commerce and Internet strategies. For instance, services such as Premier.Dell.com extranets are geared toward large relationship customers, while a more limited set of online services is offered to home and small business customers on Dell.com. For large enterprise customers, Dell maintains a field sales force all over the world. There are dedicated account teams, including field-based system engineers and consultants, which form long-term relationships to create a single source of assistance for their largest customers, develop custom solutions for them and get important customer feedback. There are several programs to provide single points of contact and accountability with global account specialists, special global pricing and consistent global service and support programs. There are separate sales and marketing programs aimed at federal, state and local government agencies, and specific healthcare and educational customers. For small and medium businesses and consumers, marketing is done primarily by advertising on television and the Internet, print media and mailing a wide range of direct marketing publications such as promotional materials, catalogs and customer newsletters. Relationship and public sector customers account for about 54% of Dells revenues overall. All these accounts are initially serviced by field-based sales representatives along with a support team of telephone service reps dedicated to these accounts. Small businesses and consumers are served by several thousand phone reps who can look up historical sales records to help the customers in ordering systems that match their prior purchase pattern. Figure 1: Dells four customer aligned business units  [2]   Dells CRM Applications The Internet and e-commerce are fundamental to Dells business, as expected from a company that defines itself as an Internet infrastructure company. The e-commerce has been adopted into the core of the business in three ways: 1) in its relationships with end customers, (2) in coordinating its value web, and (3) in communicating its market message to emphasize its ability to provide e-commerce solutions to its customers. As per Anderson and Narus, some of the emerging applications of CRM, (that we can also observe in Dell) are in: Customer acquisition, retention and growth Synchronizing marketing efforts Updating delivered value Customer Acquisition, Retention and Growth Dell has involved the Internet in all aspects of customer relationships, ranging from customer acquisition, retention and growth to marketing. The internet is used in supporting existing channels such as the direct sales force and call centers by providing them with real time information and automating their routine tasks. It has also developed self-service tools for customers, using which they can order online, track order status or solve a technical problem through the Internet or an extranet. Acquisition Dell sells its own products at the dell.com website. On the homepage, customers in the U.S. are segmented into home and home office, medium and large organizations, Internet providers, health care businesses, federal government, state and local government, and education. Each customer segment has a different mix of products and services available. Customers can choose and price different configurations with Dells online configurator. Once they are ready to buy, their order is sent to a shopping cart. They can also choose various addons such as software, peripherals, digital cameras, PDAs, etc. on the Gigabuys or DellWare sites and add those to the same shopping cart. Once an order is entered, the customer receives an order number that can be used to track order status until it is delivered. Premier Pages are customized for every customer and they include capabilities for procurement, asset management, software upgrading, and even technical support. Large relationship customers can have Premier Pages customized even further to link to their own internal procurement systems, allowing their orders to be sent directly from the customers office information systems to Dells order management system. Dells account teams work with such customers to set up Premier Pages, setting access levels and registering user names and passwords for employees, and customizing the information and the kind of services that will be available. Dell also provides a few tools for customers to create their own pages. The various services available through Premier Pages include: _ Purchase history reports: The complete history of a customers purchases from Dell, including PO number, order number, date, SKUs, quantity, shipment dates. _ Standard configurations: To make a customers PC administration processes simpler (installation, upgrades, help desk, technical support), the customer can specify a definite set of configurations for different employees. These are made available for ordering on the customers Premier Pages at the price negotiated between Dell and the customer. _ Paperless online purchase orders: Dell and the customers sign a legal agreement that allows the customer to place orders without mailing or faxing a signed purchase order. This lets the entire ordering process, from configuration to payment, to be done online, saving time for the customer. _ ImageWatch: A roadmap of future product release plans made available to large enterprise customers to help them plan their own IT strategies. Dell relaunched its Premier Pages as DellPremier.com in September 2000 in the U.S with a new look and better navigation tools. Retention and Growth Service and support are normally quite an expensive and labor-intensive activity for PC companies, which need to provide technical support for complicated systems with a wide range of hardware and software configurations. Dell has an advantage here because most of its business is with large organizations that have their own MIS departments and technical help desks to support users. Home and small business support is usually provided directly to the end user, and costs more per PC to provide. Online support was originally developed by the Support Technology Online (STO) team, which grew up in the HSB (home and small business) segment as support.dell.com. In late 1999, Dell created separate STO groups for relationship and transaction customers, each part of those groups service organizations. Dell offers several service tools online. These are available online to home and small business customers at support.dell.com, and to relationship customers on the DellPremier.com extranet: _ Order status tracking Once an order is placed by the customers, they can track it until it is delivered. _ Resolution Assistant A software which is pre-loaded on a Dell PC that gathers information and sends it to a Dell technician when the customer faces a problem. The information is matched against an automated knowledge base. Whenever possible, a MAP, an executable module that automates resolution, is sent to the PC and the fix is done automatically. Resolution Assistant reduces the length of service calls and improves accuracy in diagnosis. _ Dell Knowledge Base A Dell database including product information, frequently asked questions, third party knowledge and other relevant documents specific to a particular Dell product. _ Ask Dudley A natural language searchable database of technical information which uses a customized version of the Ask-Jeeves search engine. _ File Library Downloadable drivers, utilities and other updates for Dell PC systems. _ Dell Software Tips -A library of hints and tips for operating systems and office applications. _ Pro-active services Pro-active notification services on warranty status, system age related information, file drivers, and the order status. _ Dell Talk-a monitored community forum for Dell customers to share information. Dell has built a community where its customers and loyalists can help each other with technical problems and questions. Dell doesnt censor the discussion on the forum, but monitors it regularly to ensure accuracy. If any user gives out incorrect information, Dell intervenes with the correct information. The users of this service are almost equally divided between relationship and transaction customers. With the launch of Dell Premier Support.dell.com in September 2000, Dell renamed its Help Tech service as Premier Support for relationship customers. Technical Support for corporate and public sector clients is handled by the Relationship Support Technology Online (STO) group. The primary customers for the Relationship STO are those individuals that support the end users belonging to corporate and public sector. This includes the personnel from help desks, MIS departments, IT professionals and technicians. Dells relationship customers have access to all of the online tools available to HSB customers, and also have customized applications relevant to their account for multiple systems and platforms. Unlike individual users, help desks and MIS organizations must deal with many systems, and with specific problems that arise from networking and client-server environments. For some large accounts, Dell itself may act as the help desk function for Dell equipment, as Dells technicians and o nline offerings have rich experience in troubleshooting and diagnosing system issues. Recently in February 2008, Dell launched its ProSupport portfolio of services. In this new framework, customers are able to self-identify the type of customer they are end users of IT professionals. Once the customers have self-identified, they are able to choose the features they need in the support package, thus customizing the support experience to their specific needs. The customer profile and history is very important in providing service and support. If the user enters a customer number or system identification number, he or she can get a personal support site that has the machine configuration and the history of what has happened with that machine since it was bought. The support strategy is based on what Dell calls virtual integration- getting customers closer to the knowledge, and inside out/outside in-giving the internal technicians the same set of tools and knowledge content as the outside customer. Dell gives customers a choice of venues for support, including phone and online support. They like people to use the web, but dont force them to. The breakdown of help incidents for HSB customers as of mid-2000 was as follows: _ 37% of incidents use the web alone for support _ 13% use both web and phone _ About 50% use the phone alone Dell finds that people who buy a PC online are more likely to get service and support there, while people who buy by phone will use phone service. Synchronizing Marketing Efforts The sales and marketing efforts of Dell are organized around the evolving needs of its customers. Its direct business model provides direct communication with its customers allowing it to refine its products and marketing programs for specific customer groups. Customers may offer suggestions for current and future Dell products, services, and operations on an interactive portion of its website called Dell IdeaStorm. This constant flow of communication allows Dell to rapidly gauge customer satisfaction and target new or existing products. For instance, Dell used a concept called free-range marketing  [3]  : allowing the community to drive the excitement and story about the new product, to create a buzz in social media using blogs, forums, communities etc. for the launch of their Inspiron 910 in September 2008. Updating Customer Value Dell interacts with more than 3 million customers every day, so it made sense for it to create a community to capture feedback from both customers and its 80,000 employees. Dell launched IdeaStorm, an interactive portal, to let customers share ideas that influence product development, services, and operations. Within the first week, IdeaStorm had collected more than 500 ideas; within the first month, it had 2,500 ideas.  [4]  Customer feedback on IdeaStorm led the company to build select consumer notebooks and desktops preinstalled with the Linux platform. Dell also decided to continue offering Windows XP as a preinstalled operating system option in response to customer requests. Dell also launched EmployeeStorm, a secure community employees can use to post ideas regardless of their position within the company. In the first 2 weeks, the company gathered more than 700 ideas. EmployeeStorm breaks down the silos typical in corporate life and increases collaboration Sustaining Customers through Connected Relationships Value Chain Dells core value chain for its PC business is different from that of a traditional value chain. Like others, it concentrated on building and selling PC systems, relying on others to supply components, software and services. However, it sold directly to the end user, cutting out the distributor and reseller. (Figures 2 and 3) Suppliers PC Maker Distributors Retailers, Resellers, Integrators Final Customer Figure 2: Indirect PC Value Chain Suppliers Dell Final Customer Figure 3: Dells Direct PC Value Chain However, with the expansion of Dell beyond selling simple PCs, its simple value chain has evolved into a new model that we call the value web or the virtual corporation. Value Web Figure 4: Dells Value Web: A virtual company There are three key aspects of the value web model of Dell: Dells central role in coordination and control of the value network, which is a result of its direct relationship with its end user. Being in direct touch with the customer requirements, Dell controls the flow of information to its business partners who provide the actual service. As shown in Figure 4, all the information flows are channeled through Dell. The close physical integration of Dell with its business partners and suppliers. The suppliers are normally located close to the plant and their personnel are located on the plant floor ordering material from their warehouse, based on information on Dells extranet. Such integration of material and information flow reduces inventory costs and creates an efficient supply chain, ultimately benefiting the end customer in the form of lower prices. The importance of internet and other electronic communications in allowing Dell to coordinate the web of close relationships through a constant flow of information between Dell and its partners. For example, if a customers hard drive crashes, the information travels from Dell technical support into Dells internal service and support systems. A new hard drive is ordered and dispatched to a Dell service provider, which sends a service engineer to install the drive. The information about the drive that crashed enters Dells databases and is conveyed to the supplier and plant that provided it for corrective actions. Customer Satisfaction For well-designed e-commerce services, the cost savings are not necessarily thought to go along with customer satisfaction. However, Dell has demonstrated that not only does it save money by selling directly on Internet, but also satisfies its customers better than any other sales model. Many business customers of Dell see Premier.Dell.com as a valuable management tool, helping their purchasing and IT departments to control purchasing decisions and enforce technology standards. Some customers (like Boeing) have integrated the Dell.Premier.com with their own ERP systems to allow online purchasing, making the ordering process much easier and more efficient for them. Not just purchasing, but also financial and IT departments of the customers benefit from Dells ability to provide a history of their purchases from Dell. All such benefits lead to better satisfaction among Dels core customer group of large business enterprises. While it is difficult to relate customer loyalty and repeat sales directly to the Internet and ecommerce, there is strong evidence that the Dell Premier.com services are a factor in helping Dell gain repeat business and achieve sole supplier status with some large customers. Some of this is from the convenience provided by Premier services and some from customer lock-in created by the electronic linkage of business processes between Dell and its customers. In a 2007 survey, Forrester  [5]  asked 565 PC decision-makers at North American and European enterprises about their satisfaction with their primary PC supplier on various parameters. The performance of Dell and its main competitors on these parameters is shown below: Dell HP Lenovo Overall Product features 44% 38% 46% 43% Product quality 51% 49% 59% 52% Price 43% 38% 33% 40% Product support 46% 31% 46% 43% Business relationship 37% 27% 45% 37% Repeat purchase of desktops 86% 74% 71% -NA- Repeat purchase of laptops 89% 75% 75% -NA- From the table, it is quite evident that Dell leads the industry on Price and Product support. It is rated on par with Lenovo on Product features and Product quality, however, it lags behind Lenovo on the key parameter of business relationship. The survey found that the most likely reason for this is a lack of communication, combined with rotating account representatives. Another reason was the absence of a product roadmap which would help the customer managers to prepare their corporate IT environment for the next few years. However, Dell scores very highly on a critical indicator of customer satisfaction i.e. a repeat purchase. The enterprise buyers gave big thumbs up to Dell on this front, with 86% ready to repeat purchase of desktops and 89% for laptops. CONCLUSIONS Dell has performed admirably on its efforts towards ongoing Customer Relationship Management. It has developed efficient systems and processes for customer acquisition, retention and growth, using online tools such as Premier.Dell.com, ProSupport and IdeaStorm. Therefore, many of the concepts discussed by Anderson and Narus in Business Market Management are substantially demonstrated in the case study of Dells CRM process. There are many lessons learned from Dells experience. These lessons can be transferred to other companies in the industry. Ensure better customer service is offered. Dell has become an industry leader in service and reliability. Dell has used CRM to its advantage. This has instilled trust into their customers. By custom-building a computer that the customer desires, this has created a very strong relationship with the customers. Implement technology in a phased fashion Dell tested key tasks in each of its regions prior to deployment. It set-up mock environments to develop, test, and support the i2 systems in patches without disrupting the live version. Dell was able to bring on one piece of the i2 system at a time. As one part became more efficient, then Dell added other components in stages. Dell ensured that each stage of the process performed well and allowed for future growth before rolling out the entire system. This minimized the risk, while at the same time increasing efficiency. Extend the connection from the customer to the supplier Dell was able to extend its build-to-order model from suppliers to the customer while continuing to maximize operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Customers were able to save money while being able to purchase a customized machine because Dell passed on the savings, which resulted from efficient inventory management, no excess inventory or inventory shortages. It was able to share, in real-time, information with suppliers about customer demands and buying patterns.

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Essay -- Tourism Hospita

The need for high-quality leaders in the hospitality industry has been readily recognised and is seen as critical to the long-term well-being of the industry. In recent years, the industry has undergone something of a sea change in its gender composition, with increasing numbers of females graduating from hospitality and tourism management courses. This suggests that the gender composition of managerial ranks is likely to change in the medium term, with concurrent changes in the typical leadership style valued in the industry. This article seeks to explore and quantify the differences in gender-based perceptions of leadership styles and outcomes in the hospitality industry. Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ; Bass & Avelio, 1995), a well-established self-administered instrument, the researchers used a "snowballing" technique to recruit a self-selected sample of 264 hospitality employees. These employees work in a variety of sectors in the hospitality industry, includ ing large international-style hotels, small franchised motels, food and beverage operations and contract catering, and at levels ranging from junior staff to senior property and site managers. The data indicated that despite their similarities, there were a number of subtle but significant differences between males and females in terms of the behaviours used and the extent to which various behaviours contributed to successful leadership outcomes, One potentially confounding result was the high emphasis placed upon the "contingent reward leadership style" by females and may be explained by the female's desire for clear, open and transparent communication. More generally, the differences between males and females were manifested in the form of the males placing greater emphasis on "confronting" and "sporting" leadership styles while the females placed greater emphasis on leadership styles which are built upon clear and concise communication and a greater focus on personal consideratio n for the team members. However, these subtle differences warrant further investigation--possibly using a more holistic approach-such as a 360 degree assessment or semi-structured interviews. ********** This study sought to explore and quantify the differences in gender-based perceptions of leadership styles and outcomes in the hospitality industry. Leadership studies in the hospitality industry ... ...use, R.J., & Shamir, B. (1993). Toward the integration of transformational, charismatic and visionary theories. Leadership theory and research perspectives and directions (pp. 81-107). New York: Academic Press. Howell, J.M., & Avolio, B. (1993). Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, locus of control and support for innovation. Key predictors of consolidated business unit performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 891-902. Manning, T.T. (2002). Gender, managerial level, transactional leadership and work satisfaction. Women in Management Review, 17(5), 207-216. Tejada, M.J., Scandura, T.A., & Pillai, R. (2001). The MLQ revisited. Psychometric properties and recommendations. The Leadership Quarterly, 12, 31-52. Tracey, J., & Hinkin, T.R. (1994). Transformational leaders in the hospitality industry. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 35(2), 18-24. Correspondence Paul Whitelaw, Senior Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, Faculty of Business and Law, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, Vic 8001, Australia. Email: Paul.Whitelaw@vu.edu.au Paul Whitelaw and Romana Morda Victoria University, Australia

Sex Education in American Schools Essay example -- America Public Scho

Every year in America, one million teen girls become pregnant and at least three million teens become infected with an STD (Donovan, 1). Though these numbers slightly fluctuate, problems facing American adolescents today, like HIV/AIDS, other STD’s, and teen pregnancy. This means that some needs to change. These problems will decline when sex education is revamped everywhere in America, by making the curriculum completely comprehensive in addressing problems facing adolescents today such as teen pregnancy, STD’s, rape, pressures and emotions dealing with sex, and give teens good communication skills. Right now teachers approach these subjects on their tip toes, dance around the issue, and not fully give out all the information. Meditation. To find out what needs to be change we should look at what is being taught. In Levine’s book, Harmful to Minors, she discusses the curriculums being taught in public schools today, by breaking them down into two categories. Abstinence-only and abstinence-based. Both of these programs do teach about health, physical education, home economics, and biology, but both can really differ when dealing with the different â€Å"sensitive† issues. Abstinence-only education, promotes postponing sex, but when it comes to issues like contraception, it is taught how affective it is, but not where to get it. Abstinence-only curriculum promotes more education through the family, instead of through school. Some abstinence-only curriculums do deal with comprehensive issues, but mainly try to avoid the subject. Some teachers even make up lies to try and scare kids away from sex. Abstinence-based is more comprehensive. The curriculum does promote that abstinence is the only 100% full proof method, but ... ...’s. Numerous sexual partners later, she found out she had Chlamydia. These are great examples when comprehensive sex education is needed. Kids will be kids, and kids have sex. Educating the youth will only have them making wiser decisions and protect themselves. There is no doubt that change is needed. Comprehensive sex education is the answer. Informing the youth will have positive repercussions for not only the youth, but for society in general. Evidence does not lie. Abstinence-only education does not work, and there is no evidence that supports it. Comprehensive sex education does not give adolescents the wrong ides. They already have the wrong idea, but still America doesn’t get it. Educating is the only way we have a fighting chance. When the youth has all the information and resources available, they will make informed responsible decisions.

Love :: essays research papers

. Background Information   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Timothy is the student that I have chosen to develop this portfolio on. Timothy is seven-year-old child in first grade at the elementary school that I do my fieldwork at. Timothy has not yet been selected for special education, as it is his first year in school. In the classroom Timothy struggles with most of what he is asked to do. He has very poor concentration, and has great difficulty in following directions. Timothy is very fidgety and extremely disorganized. The socioeconomic status of this student is much the same as the other students in the class. Most are children from middle to upper middle class families in the West Islip neighborhood. When I spoke with the classroom teacher Mrs. Dragelin, I obtained some information related to Timothy’s family. Both of his parents do live at home and there was mention of drug use during pregnancy. As far as Timothy’s attendance in school, so far this year the student has missed 1 day out of 36 days. Timo thy has not been retained in any grades, due to being in 1st grade. Timothy on average is usually prepared for school. He has forgotten books at home that were needed the next day for class, and left books in his book bag when they were needed at his desk. II. Types of Interventions Provided at this Time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At this time Timothy is involved with a pullout program for remedial reading. Timothy attends the remedial reading program five days a week for thirty minutes. At this time Timothy is not assigned to the Resource room, speech, counseling, or any health related programs. The classroom teacher has suggested that an auditory trainer could be helpful to capture Tim’s attention. That device consists of a radio-microphone worn by the teacher and four speakers are setup in the classroom to broadcast the teachers voice. This device has not yet been implemented in the classroom by the school. III. Testing Data   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At this time there is no official testing data on record for this student. Many of the evaluation testing is done in the first grade. This year’s test are scheduled for May 1st 2001. At that time standardized IQ test will be taken and specific areas in need of direct instruction will be identified. At this time with out testing I would suggest direct instruction in language arts. Timothy has no recognition of letter sounds; he displays little to no comprehension of sentences.

One Writer’s Vision: Jane Austen Essay

Admiral Croft who was among the nouveau riche, had the financial means to rent Kellynch Hall from Sir Walter, one of the so-called landed gentry. What does Jane Austen’s treatment of class and social mobility reveal about these men and their women such as Anne Elliot and Mrs. Smith? Which group fares better and why? In her novel, â€Å"Persuasion,† Jane Austen sends a clear message that times are changing and what was once the â€Å"upper crust† of society is gradually losing its foothold. Her portrayal of Sir Walter, alone, would be enough to make a case for this. Here he is, a member of the landed gentry, who has squandered his money away and has to rent out his home in order to make ends meet. Nevertheless, he clings to his ancestral position, as described in the â€Å"Baronetage,† the only book he deems worthy of his time. Clearly, he is a bit blinded by his position in society. This puts it mildly. He is so much more! He is the embodiment of the ever changing, instability of the social classes and a walking depiction of the folly of it all. Oscar Wilde once said, in his play A Woman of No Importance that the Peerage is â€Å"the best thing in fiction that the English have ever done.† It is worth taking the time to examine Sir Walter a bit more closely for while it would be easy to cast him aside as a mere caricature, not someone to take seriously, apparently Jane Austen told us a very lot about her opinion of the class system in England, through the character of Sir Walter. As in all the characters in this novel, I find that there is much more than meets the eye. First and foremost we consider him the fool. He saunters about with a mirror always at hand so that he can admire his own handsomeness as if this is quite an achievement. â€Å"Vanity was the beginning and end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character: vanity of person and of situation.† (Persuasion, Chapter 1). Sir Walter is a snob of the first order whose hollow values include appearance and titles and beyond that, nothing more. He deplores the navy as demonstrated in the passage: â€Å"Yes; it is in two points offensive to me; I have two strong grounds of objection to it. First, as being the means of bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, and raising men to honours which their fathers and grandfathers never dreamt of; and secondly, as it cuts up a man’s youth and vigour most horribly; a sailor grows old sooner than any other man. I have observed it all my life. A man is in greater danger in the navy of being insulted by the rise of one whose father, his father might have disdained to speak to, and of becoming prematurely an object of disgust himself, than in any other line. (Persuasion, Chapter 3) The only characters in this novel that seem to capture the attention and imagination of Sir Walter are his cousins, the Viscountess Dalrymple (what a name!) and her daughter, the Honourable Miss Cataret. Ironically enough these two, look upon Sir Walter as a pesky flea that they would prefer to shoo off but cannot, because of propriety. Even more ironic is the fact that the Honourable Miss Cataret is considerably ugly, a trait that is anathema to Sir Walter in any other case but this. I think that through the character of Sir Walter, Jane Austen shows us what she really thinks of the class system of her time with its entailments and primogeniture. Now we have Admiral and Mrs. Croft, the nouveau riche who become the tenants of Kellynch Hall. Up until this point we have considered the wealth and position of the man in the household as the be all and end all: not so with Admiral and Mrs. Croft. While it is true that it was he, who was enlisted and employed in the navy, it was Mrs. Croft who accompanied him to sea many a time. She was much more, however than a companion to him on his voyages. When it came time to discuss the terms of the rental of Kellynch Hall, this is how she is described by Mr. Shepherd, Sir Walter’s lawyer: â€Å"And a very well-spoken, genteel, shrewd lady, she seemed to be,† continued he; â€Å"asked more questions about the house and terms, and taxes, than the Admiral himself, and seemed more conversant with business;† (Persuasion, Chapter 3). So we see that in this depiction of the nouveau riche, we are treated to another type of change in society; here the woman has a say in the financial dealings of the family; a very refreshing change, I’m sure, to Jane Austen who was subject to the restrictions of entailment in her own family. In sharp contrast to this we have Mrs. Smith, who, like the majority of women at the time, have had their entire life circumstances subsumed under their husband’s authority. They seem to live lives of â€Å"quiet desperation.† Whatever decisions, good or bad (in this case bad) have been made by the men in their lives are of extreme consequence to the unempowered woman. And so, to answer your question, it seems clear that the women of the nouveau riche do fare better than those of the antiquated class system which is so surely entering the realm of obscurity in this novel and moreover in the real times of Jane Austen.

Industrial relations in European Union

The European Economic Council ( EEC ) which is now known as the European Union was established in the mid twentieth century as a consequence of the Treaty of Rome. It was set up after the World War II and it seeks to guarantee peace and betterment among member provinces. The European Union has some establishments that help in the transporting out its maps. These establishments include the Parliament, Council, Commission, Court of Justice and Central Bank. The European Union comprises of 27 member provinces which include Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands at its beginning in 1951. United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland besides joined in 1973 because of the success of the European Economic Commission. Other states to fall in were Greece ( 1981 ) , Spain and Portugal ( 1986 ) , Austria, Sweden and Finland ( 1995 ) . Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta besides joined in 2004 while Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007 ( EUROPA, 2009 ) . European integrating sought to better trade and investing every bit good as remove people barriers among its member provinces ( Hall and Marginson, 2005 ) . Each member province has ballots for the Council and seats in the European Parliament depending on its size. Since the 1980s, the European Union ‘s determination devising procedure has become a multi-level one which involves the different stakeholders on the determinations to be made ( Hooghe and Marks, 2001 ) . Multi-level administration believes that the province does non hold full control over regional degree policy devising. Decision devising is jointly made by histrions at different degrees in the supra-national establishments ( Hooghe and Marks, 2001 ) . This paper seeks to look into the European Union to see how it patterns multi-level administration looking at its methods of operation, and its establishment like the European Commission and the European Works Councils. It besides looks at the European Union to see what occurred before multi-level administration and the different types of multi-level administration. Before the coming of multi-level administration, the European Union was said to be based on state-centric administration which believes that European integrating does non restrict but instead strengthens the power of each member province ( Hooghe and Marks, 2001 ) . It is believed that since the integrating is driven by dickering among member provinces, no authorities is forced to make more than it wishes because dickering provides the lowest benchmark of operation. They see national authoritiess as autonomous determination shapers giving small authorization to the European Union to accomplish policy ends. Member provinces are seen as the bench because they determine whether or non the policies decided upon are implemented in the provinces. Multi-level administration is nevertheless, now seen as prevalent in the European Union in the sense that the Union ensures that authorization and decision-making are shared among the â€Å" sub-national, national and supra-national † degre es of authorities with the parts being the sub-national, the provinces the national and the European Union being the supranational degrees of authorities ( Hooghe and Marks, 2001 ) . Bache ( 2008 ) besides sees multi-level administration as an emerging tendency which was made to counter the state-centric position of the European Union between the 1960s and the eightiess. He stated that multi-level administration does non contend the major function of the authorities in member provinces in the decision- devising of the European Union but instead sees them as the most of import. In 2004, Bache and Flinders stated that there are two major types of multilevel administration, the Type I and the Type II. The foundation of the type I multi-level administration is seen to be federalism where the powers for decision-making are shared among the different stakeholders with power apportioned in hierarchal order – the parts holding less power than the state province, the state province ho lding less power than the Union and the European Union holding the highest signifier of authorization. They besides believe that the country of control of the parties involved does non overlap. Type I multi-level administration besides wants to cover all the facets of the European Union rank understanding. Type II multi-level administration on the other manus, sees the function of members as inter-related and inter-dependent. There is no hierarchy to legal power as it assumes that authorization is about equally shared between the Union and its members. The design is flexible because the understanding is seen to cover merely specific parts of the Union ‘s understanding and non in item, all facets of rank. Each degree of legal power has peculiar undertakings assigned to it ( Bache and Flinders, 2004 ) . The European Union is hence seen to rehearse type II multi-level administration because it is believed that no 1 has absolute power, but determinations are made with all members come together to dialogue ( Bache, 2008 ) . Harmonizing to Samecki, European Union coherence policy is based on different degrees of partnership affecting the Union, its member provinces and the parts. The policy considers different fortunes and develops schemes that will enable the policy to work better and more efficaciously in each district. The Lisbon Treaty seeks regional and local co-operation among the Union ‘s member provinces. Bachtler and Yuill ( 2001 ) stated that since the origin of the Union, the focal point of its regional policies has been a narrow one aimed at commanding economic activities through industrial ordinances. Business AIDSs and substructure were the signifiers of aid provided by the Union and the criterion of operation was top-to-bottom. Decisions that concerned policies such as design and bringing were taken by the cardinal authorities. Demand was what drove the policies and made them proactive. By the 1980s, the policy focal point was changed and placed accent on liberalization, deregulating and denationalization of markets. Regional brotherhood was encouraged in order to cut down economic disparities. There was a displacement from the top-to-bottom attack to the bottom-to-top ( soft touch ) as member provinces could develop and implement their policies to cover with turning economic affairs. From the mid-1980s, regional growing was seen to be caused by betterment in originality which was through acquisition and interaction. Trade, labor and capital barriers were besides removed and Foreign Direct Investment was apparent. By 1988, regional strategic planning was seen, with each part fixing its program and later showing same to the European Union. These programs were carried out through local and regional partnerships ( Bachtler and Yuill, 2001 ) . Local and regional partnerships could besides be said to intend multi-level administration. Multi-level administration strengthens the democratic dimension of the European Union and increases the competency of its procedures. The Committee of Regions in the European Union considers multi-level administration to intend coordinated action. The focal point on administration in the European Union includes the rule of flexibleness and legitimacy. The image of the European Union encompasses its member provinces as there is truly no difference between national, regional ( European Union ) and international alteration drivers ( Kohler-Koch cited in Bache 2008 ) . The European Union takes off the power of liberty from the province by leting corporate decision-making among province authoritiess through assorted European establishments ( Hooghe and Marks, 2001 ) . Vertical associations in the European Union, chiefly in Britain were seen in the Restoration of the English grade between 1987 and 1997 ( Bache, 2008 ) . In these times, structural financess constricted the â€Å" standard parts † as the official boundaries for the English regional dimension through the incorporate Government Offices ( GOs ) . Horizontal multi-level administration besides deals with corporate decision-making among member provinces and it besides encourages partnership as a manner of administration by supplying fiscal inducements for major histrions. The European Union ‘s policy coherence has mobilised stakeholders by supplying information every bit good as act uponing processs below the regional degree bring forthing a perpendicular consequence that streng thens the regional degree by supplying regional control ( Bache, 2008 ) . The European Commission has used different schemes to advance the coherence policy although these policies themselves do non alter in signifier ( Bache, 2008 ) . The European Commission is the civil service or administrative organic structure of the European Union. It is the decision-making arm of the Union and its place is in Brussels. The Commission is responsible for guaranting that the involvement of the Union is put above the involvement of single member provinces. It encourages societal spouses ‘ engagement in policy development. In 2006, the European Commission wanted to cut down unemployment among its member provinces every bit good as surrogate growing. This determination was made with peculiar focal point on research and development and to guarantee best patterns among member provinces and societal security ( EUROPA, 2009 ) . The Commission has the duty of urging new Torahs in the Union, while the Parliament and Council seek to guarantee the acceptance of these Torahs. On September 22, 1994, the Council of Ministers agreed to the European Works Council Directive ( EWC Directive ) and it was passed in the national statute law by September 22, 1996. An employer is obligated to set up a European Workers Council if the employer provides work for a lower limit of a 1000 employees within member provinces and at least one hundred and 50 employees in each of two member provinces ( FEDEE, 2009 ) . The company must react within six months to a documented petition from at least 100 employees or their representatives in at least two constitutions in at least two member states. A ‘special negotiating organic structure ‘ ( SNB ) will be set up. It will hold between three and 17 members. All member provinces where the concern has employees must be represented by at least one member. Simple bulk will be used to find the result of the vote. Management will in a written understanding with the Particular Negotiating Body determine the capacity, work, maps , and proviso of office of the European Works Council ( FEDEE, 2009 ) . The Particular Negotiating Body may be helped by other people and administrations and may besides make up one's mind, by two-thirds bulk, to halt dialogues. Financial duties for the dialogue between the Special Negotiating Body and the direction are borne by the latter. The direction and the Particular Negotiating Body will run into in order to make an understanding on how the Works Council will run. Workers involvement must be reflected in the meeting. If direction fails to take action in response to a legitimate petition within six months, or both parties are unable to wrap up an understanding within three old ages from the day of the month of the petition, a default contract which will be set out in an extension to the Directive shall use. The European Works Council ( EWC ) is to be used by Europe to rehearse planetary unionism ( Blapain and Dickens, 2008 ) among Multi-national Corporations. This Council seeks to increase international commonalty among its member provinces every bit good as addition the range of labor and employment ordinances. The European Works Council seeks non merely to supply information to the employees of big trans-border administrations but besides to see if European ordinances are followed in the administration every bit good as the impact on the international employees. Under the European Works Council, it is likely for direction to keep back some critical information which if discussed would damage the operation of the endeavor concerned. The Particular Negotiating Body is dissolved after the Works Council is formed. In states like Germany and the Netherlands, the Works Council are statutory commissariats by jurisprudence and the determine employee rights refering some issues while the United Kingdom is yet to subscribe the European Works Council Directive into jurisprudence. The European Works Council is hence seen as an avenue for corporate bargaining between the employers and the employees as they are the two societal spouses involved in decision-making in that administration. It will make an avenue for the staff in the United Kingdom particularly, to hold the legal right to be up to day of the month and discuss affairs refering to concern and employment dealingss if they so desire ( Marchingt on and Wilkinson, 2008 ) . The European societal theoretical account involves societal spouses in the development of policies and initiates societal duologue at the European Union degree. Social duologue, harmonizing to the European Commission ( 2002 ) is the driving force behind successful economic and societal activities. Social duologue at the Union degree got to its extremum with the debut of the â€Å" dialogue path † into the Maastricht societal chapter which enables the Commission to do directives in the signifier of adhering ordinances out of the understanding reached among societal spouses. Since the 1980s, the European Commission observed that the development of European Industrial Relations required â€Å" strong and capable societal spouses † and societal duologue was thereby used together with other directives to accomplish this end ( EC 1988:88-89 cited in Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . Social duologue was seen as really of import because it helps the European Union in construc ting its establishments and is besides seen as a possible joint regulative process ( Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . There are two types of societal duologue understanding – the dialogue path and the independent understanding ( EUROPA, 2009 ) . The dialogue path involves the European Commission confer withing with the societal spouses on subjects and issues that need to be discussed in order to make a common land. If these societal spouses agree, so their determinations are adhering but if they fail to hold, the concerned establishment ( s ) intervene based on the European Union ‘s directives ( EC 2002a: 17 and EC 2004 cited in Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . Different understandings have been reached at different times, they include parental leave ( 1995 ) , fixed term contract ( 1999 ) , nomadic working in civil air power ( 2000 ) , ( Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . Autonomous understanding on the other manus, involves determinations being made with the Commission ‘s invasion and are carried out by co-operative understanding or Council determination requested by societa l spouses ( EC 2003 cited in Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . Examples include tele-work ( 2002 ) and work related emphasis ( 2004 ) . Marginson and Sission ( 2006 ) stated that the European Union purely adhered to the impression of corporate bargaining. Corporate bargaining could take topographic point with one employer, different employers in the same industry or across the different industries within the state or brotherhood. It can besides take topographic point with the trade brotherhood entirely, trade brotherhoods and authorities and with the plants council or groups. It can cover with different issues runing from rewards, restructuring of the administration, employment state of affairss among others. Corporate bargaining can assist the employers every bit good as other stakeholders of the administration to make understandings about the assorted issues that affect them ( Marginson and Sission, 2006:55 ) . Corporate bargaining is besides seen to assist set up the manner cer tain issues that pertain to industrial dealingss should be handled such that there is sensible benefit to all the spouses in the society. Corporate bargaining besides helps in transporting out understandings that have been reached by the spouses ; illustration is the 1993 Working Time Directive ( Marginson and Sission, 2006:57 ) . European Employment Strategy ( EES ) makes usage of the engagement of societal spouses as they are considered of import to governance. Member provinces are expected to guarantee good disposal of employment policies every bit good as wide partnership for alteration by the meeting together of parliamentary organic structures and stakeholders. ( Council 2005a: 23 cited in Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . Soft ordinance is now in pattern to back up the result of the cross-sector societal duologue even with new possibilities of dialogue envisaged by the Maastricht Treaty. The European policy is based on a theoretical account of a European public assistance p rovince where societal policy is seen as portion of economic policy. The Open Method of Co-ordination ( OMC ) got its derivation from the Lisbon European Council but before so it occurred in other council meetings like the Luxembourg, Cardiff and Cologne where different policy enterprises started. ( Hodson and Mahner, 2001 ) . It entails mark scene and sees societal duologue as a end affecting marks across a scope of indexs. Social duologue is now seen as a signifier of managerialism ( Cutler and Waine, 2000 cited in Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . Social spouses sometimes give response to guidelines ( EC, 2002a: 14-15 cited in Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . In the Open Method of Coordination, societal spouses in each member province provide advice, consult and negotiate on the assorted avenues that can be used to make labour market marks. The Luxembourg procedure made the proviso of the Employment Chapter of the Treaty. It was made to further efficiency in the labor market by supplying equal chances, doing both sides of the industry adaptabl e, encouraging entrepreneurship and bettering employability. ( Hodson and Maher, 2001 ) . The procedure begins with the European Council following â€Å" employment guidelines † that shows the employment policy ‘s precedences. Each member province will do its ain National Action Plan on how it aims to prosecute the guidelines. The Commission and the Council will so look into the programs and base on balls recommendations where necessary on the public presentation of each member province ( Hodson and Maher, 2001 ) . In Denmark, Belgium and Ireland, all societal spouses are involved in the procedures and process for decision-making with peculiar mention to the issues that relate to them while in some other states like Spain and Greece, merely some societal spouses are involved, for illustration the Employers ‘ Confederation ( Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . The Lisbon Council defined the Open Method of Co-ordination as utilizing cosmopolitan benchmarks and doing European Union guidelines unique to the states and parts by taking the differences between member provinces into history in order to supervise, measure and reexamine states ‘ public presentation on a regular footing ( Council 2000: parity 1:1837 cited in Gold, Cressey and Leonard, 2007 ) . In decision, the European industrial dealingss will non wholly wipe out industrial dealingss in the member provinces but instead, it will go on to develop ( Streek, 1998 ) . The different organizational constructions that exist between the European Union and its member provinces will still go on to be as the European Union does non hold full authorization over the financial and pecuniary policies of its member provinces ( Streek, 1998 ) . Multi-level administration can hence be seen to be in employment dealingss to the extent that merely some societal spouses in the employment relationship like the European Works Council, the Employer Organisations and other European Trade Unions are involved in some determinations made about the Union. The states besides play a important function because states like Germany France and the Netherlands have embraced quite a figure of the European Union ‘s Directives and have improved on them doing their industrial dealingss policies better than states like the United Kingdom which follows merely the barest minimal criterion of the European Union ‘s Directives. The Working Time Directive for illustration was signed by the European Union in 1993 but was non implemented in Britain boulder clay 1997 and besides, the issue of the European Works Council which will non be implemented till April 2010. However, Samecki ( 2009 ) suggests that since the European Union wants to accomplish promotion, multi-level administration should make the grassroots so that single citizens would be encouraged to acquire involved. Multi-level administration is progressively being seen to capture the shifting and unsure forms of administration in the European Union.MentionsBache I. And Flinders M. ( 2004 ) , Multilevel Governance ( ed. ) , Oxford University Press, New York.Bache I. ( 2008 ) , Europeanization and Multilevel Governance: Empirical Findingss and Conceptual Challenges, University of Oslo, April 15, 2008, Arena Centre for European St udies, .Bachtler J. and Yuill D. ( 2001 ) , Policies and Strategies for Regional Development: A Shift in Paradigm, Industrial Policy Research Paper, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, 46.Benz A. ( 2007 ) , Accountable Multilevel Governance by the Open Method of Coordination. European Law Journal, 13,4.Blapain R. , Dickens L. et Al ( 2008 ) , Challenges in European Employment Relations ; Employment Regulation, Trade Union, Organization, Equality, Flexicurity, Training and New Approaches to Pay. Kluwer Law International, the Netherlands.EUROPA ( 2009 ) , Gateway to the European Union, hypertext transfer protocol: //europa.eu/institutions/index_en.htm accessed November 25, 2009.FEDEE ( 2009 ) , Employees Work Council, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fedee.com/ewc1.html accessed November 25, 2009Gold, M. , P. Cressey and E. Leonard ( 2007 ) ‘Whatever happened to societal duologue? From Partnership to Managerialism in the EU Employment Agenda ‘ , European Journal of Ind ustrial Relations, 13, 1: 7-25.Hodson D. and Maher I ( 2001 ) , The Open Method as a New Mode of Governance ; The Case of Soft Economic Policy Coordination in Wallace H. ( erectile dysfunction ) , The Changing Politics of the European Union. Journal of Common Market StudiesHooghe L. and Marks G. ( 2001 ) , Multilevel Governance and European Integration. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Maryland, USA.Marchington M. And Wilkonson A. ( 2008 ) , Human Resource Management at Work ; People Management and Development, CIPD, London.Marginson P. and Sisson K. ( 2006 ) , European Integration and Industrial Relations ; Multilevel Governance in the Making. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.Samecki P. ( 2009 ) , European Commission Responsible for Regional policy, Multilevel Governance in European Commission. Probationary Hof-Bruges ( Belgium ) , September 22, 2009. Conference on Multilevel Governance in European Commission. SPEECH/09/417

Personal Explorations Paper Essay

Over the course of 7 modules, different personality aspects of mine have been tested and evaluated and have even revealed things about myself that I was not aware of. The surveys and questions that I answered dug deep into decisions and choice I make, how I think and how I feel to reveal certain characteristics about myself, some of which I was aware of and others that I was not. Things such as my expression of sexuality, different levels and aspects of my psychology, my personal reactions to certain social situations, and the way I pursue and value my career were all evaluated by answering questionnaires. In the end a lot was revealed about the way I handle and look at things and even my overall personality. My expression of sexuality was not really a huge surprise to me. My values and my religious beliefs I believe played a huge part of expression of sexuality. I believe that sex is something that was designed by God exclusively for marriage. Although that has not always been what I valued or walked by in my life, it is now my beliefs since I am not married. My intermediate and low scores concerning sexual esteem, sexual depression, and sexual preoccupation didn’t surprise me, but I do feel that because of my beliefs and how I now view sex that my responses automatically made it seemed as if I struggled with the sexual esteem, depression and preoccupation which is not the case. I view sex as a temptation that I cannot indulge into until I’m married. If I were surprised by anything it would be that my scores were not lower. Positive psychology was another aspect of my personality that I was  questioned and evaluated on. The questions yielded 4 scores, my orientation to pleasure, to engagement, meaning and to victory. My highest score amongst the 4 orientations scores was orientation to meaning. This I feel was very reflective on to how I feel and how I view my life. Meaning embodies all the feelings, hopes, joys and outlooks I have on life, my life and the meaning attached to it. I believe every person is born into this world with a God given purpose. Everyone’s life has meaning although not everyone during his or her lifetime accept, recognize or fulfill his or her meaning. What I do with my life should be a direct reflection of the love of Jesus within me. All of those things contribute greatly to how I view my life and the meaning attached to it. My lowest score was victory and I believe that is also an accurate depiction of my personality. I am not a person who values or lives to compete with others, be better than others or outdo what others have done or gotten. Doing so, in my eyes, takes away from the meaning of one’s life. I see it as the lower the victory score the more the person is in tune with the meaning of their lives. My person reactions to social situations is an area I believe that I have certain seen personal growth and development in for myself. I found myself tested by 2 different questionnaires, The Self, and Friendship and Love. I believe if I would have answered some of these questions earlier this summer my responses would have been a tad different and I would have probably scored a number that reflected how badly I handled and felt in social situations. I was surprised to see myself get a low score on the Friendship and Love assessment because I believed that is one area I have definitely seen myself grow in. I believe gaining confidence in myself allowed me to handle social situation differently then before. I believe that this year has been the year of tremendous personal growth and the development of a stronger and wiser person that I have stepped into an embraced. The way I have handled situations has definitely improved from the way I used to handle and approach things. The assessment on Careers and Work, I saw myself score an 89, which is considered low. I contribute that low score from a lack of wisdom, knowledge and experience. I have been in the Air Force since June 2009, so since then  I have yet to transition back into the civilian world and workforce. My need to job hunt and my techniques on how I do so are pretty much non-existent but this is definitely an area I am currently seeking to grow and become more knowledge in because I do not plan on making the military a career after my contract ends. Growing in this area will set me up to have a successful transition into the civilian world. I have definitely seen areas of personal growth and developments reflected in most of the scores and believe they are direct reflections of how I feel inside. A few scores I believe did not accurately paint the picture of myself that I thought it should paint and that made me reflect on my characteristics and personality traits. These past 7 seven weeks, I have evaluated my life and observed my reactions to various situations and I believe personal growth can be found in the midst of that.

Information Technology Management Emphasis Essay

The Master of Business Administration—Information Technology Management is specifically designed for experienced business professionals and managers seeking upward career mobility in the information technology arena. The program prepares you for a mid-level to upper-level information technology management position in business, industry, and non-profit organizations. MBAITM Understanding the Competency-Based Approach Practically speaking, what does it mean when we say that WGU programs are competencybased? Unlike traditional universities, WGU does not award degrees based on credit hours or on a certain set of required courses. Instead, students earn their degrees by demonstrating their skills, knowledge, and understanding of important concepts through a series of carefully designed assessments. Progress through your degree program is governed, not by classes, but by satisfactory completion of the required assessments that demonstrate your mastery of the competencies. Of course, you will need to engage in learning experiences as you brush up on competencies or develop knowledge and skills in areas in which you may be weak. For this learning and development, WGU has a rich array of learning resources in which you may engage under the direction of your mentor. You will work closely with your mentor to schedule your program for completing the assessments. (We discuss assessments in much more detail later in this guide.) You will work closely with additional faculty members as you proceed through courses of study that are designed to lead you through the content you must master in order to pass individual assessments. The benefit of this competency-based system is that it makes it possible for people who are knowledgeable about a particular subject to make accelerated progress toward completing a WGU degree even if they lack college experience. You may have gained your skills and knowledge of a subject on  the job, accumulated wisdom through years of life experience, or, indeed, took a course on a particular subject. WGU awards a degree to you based on the skills and knowledge that you possess and can demonstrate, not the number of credits you have on your transcript. Accreditation Western Governors University is the only university in the history of American higher education to have earned accreditation from four regional accrediting commissions. WGU’s accreditation was awarded by (1) the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, (2) the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, (3) the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and (4) the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The university’s accreditation status is now managed by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The university is also accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), and the WGU Teachers College is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The Degree Plan The focus of your program is your personalized Degree Plan. The Degree Plan is a detailed blueprint of the learning resources and assessments that comprise your program. The length of your program depends on both the amount of new information you need to learn and the amount of time you plan to devote each week to study. Students will vary widely in the specific skills and information they need to learn. For example, some may be highly knowledgeable in a subject matter and would not need to engage in new learning opportunities. Others may find that portions of the program require completely new learning and that they may need to take an online class or participate in a study module to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to pass the program competencies in that area. Some individuals may be able to devote as little as 15ï€ ­20 hours per week to the program, while others may have more time. For this reason, you will complete pre-assessments to help your mentor form a profile of your prior knowledge and experience for use in creating your Degree Plan. WGU’s Mentoring Approach ]Our mentoring approach is a powerful component of the WGU educational experience. When you enroll at WGU, you will begin interacting with your personal mentor, course mentors, and support staff. Your mentor takes an active role and a personal interest in your success. Whether by e-mail or phone, your mentor will be your ―point personâ€â€" of communication throughout your program. Your mentor will help motivate you to work hard to complete your program. When you have questions or concerns, your mentor team will help you resolve them. You and your mentor will work together to evaluate your educational background, strengths, and weaknesses. With this analysis, your mentors will help determine in which areas you are already competent (and can move quickly to assessment) and areas you need to work on; this will become your personalized Degree Plan. Your mentor will direct you to the Courses of Study that contain the best learning resources for you (courses, texts, independent study modules, etc.) and are supported by course mentors that serve as your content experts for each area of study. As you proceed through your academic program, you and your mentor will determine when you are ready for the required assessments. If you are ready, your assessment will be scheduled. You will follow this same process as you proceed through each domain. Connecting with Other Mentors and Fellow Students As you proceed through your Degree Plan, you may also have direct contact  with other faculty members. These communications can take a variety of forms, including participation in learning communities, office hours via the courses of study, and webinars. As a WGU student, you will have access to your own personal MyWGU Student Portal that will provide a gateway to courses of study, learning communities, and program communities where you will have interactions with faculty and other students. Courses of study and communities are specifically designed to support you as you develop competencies in preparation for your assessments through the utilization of threaded discussions, blogs, and chats that are guided by content experts. You will access your program community during the Education Without Boundaries introductory course to network with peers who are enrolled in your program and to receive continued support through professional enrichment and program-specific chats, blogs, and discussions. WGU also provides a Student Services Associate to help you and your mentor solve any special problems that may arise. Education Without Boundaries Orientation Education Without Boundaries (EWB) is a required orientation that focuses on acquainting the student with WGU’s competency-based model, distance education, technology, and other resources and tools available for students. You will also utilize tutorials, message boards, online MBAITM chats, and other activities to connect with other students in your program. This orientation is completed before you start your first term at WGU. Transferability of Prior College Coursework Because WGU is a competency-based institution, it does not award degrees based on credits but on demonstration of competency. However, if you have completed college coursework at another accredited institution, you may have your transcripts evaluated and may be able to have some lower-division or co-requisite assessments cleared. The guidelines for determining what will  Ã¢â‚¬â€¢clearâ€â€" through transfer vary based on the degree program. The following transfer guidelines generally apply to graduate programs: Graduate domains (i.e., subject areas) cannot be cleared through transfer. Requirements in the domains that can be considered the degree major cannot be cleared through transfer. Furthermore, WGU does not clear any requirements based on the student’s professional experience and does not perform a â€Å"resume review† or â€Å"portfolio review† that will automatically clear any degree requirements. Degree requirements and transferability rules are subject to change in order to keep the degree content relevant and current. Remember, WGU’s competency-based approach lets you take advantage of your knowledge and skills, regardless of how you obtained them. Even when you do not directly receive credit, the knowledge you possess may help you accelerate the time it takes to complete your degree program. Continuous Enrollment, On Time Progress, and Satisfactory Academic Progress WGU is a ―continuous enrollmentâ€â€" institution, which means you will be automatically enrolled in each of your new terms while you are at WGU. Your terms are six months long. Longer terms and continuous enrollment allow you to focus on your studies without the hassle of unnatural breaks between the shorter terms that you would experience in a more traditional environment. At the end of every six-month term, you and your mentor will review the progress you have made and revise your Degree Plan for your next six-month term. WGU requires that students make measurable progress toward the completion of their degree programs every term. We call this On Time Progress – denoting that you are on track and making progress toward on time graduation. As full-time students, graduate students must enroll in at least eight (8) competency units each term, and undergraduate students must enroll in at least twelve (12) competency units each term. Completing at least these minimum enrollments is essential to On Time Progress and serves as a baseline from which you may accelerate your program. We measure your progress based on the assessments you are able to pass, not on your accumulation of credit hours or course grades. Every time you pass an assessment, you are demonstrating that you have mastered skills and knowledge in your degree program. For comparison to traditional grading  systems, passing an assessment means you have demonstrated competency equivalent to a ―Bâ€â€" grade or better. WGU has assigned competency units to each assessment so that we can track your progress through the program. A competency unit is equivalent to one semester credit of learning.