Lifestyle Overview Essay

The term was originally used by Austrian psychologist  Alfred Adler  (1870-1937). The term was introduced in the 1950s as a derivative of that of  style  in  modernist art. The term refers to a combination of determining intangible or tangible factors. Tangible factors relate specifically to  demographic variables, i. an individuals demographic profile, whereas intangible factors concern the psychological aspects of an individual such personal values, preferences, and outlooks. (4sk content) Peoples‘ lifestyles are affected by different factors, such as Individual Identity, Health, Environment and Technology. (5sk Individual identity) A lifestyle typically reflects an individual’s attitudes, values or  world view. Therefore, a lifestyle is a means of forging a sense of  self  and to create cultural  symbols  that resonate with personal identity. Not all aspects of a lifestyle are voluntary. Surrounding social and technical systems can constrain the lifestyle choices available to the individual and the symbols she/he is able to project to others and the self. The lines between personal identity and the everyday doings that signal a particular lifestyle become blurred in modern society. For example, â€Å"green lifestyle† means holding beliefs and engaging in activities that consume fewer resources and produce less harmful waste (i. e. smaller  carbon footprint), and deriving a sense of self from holding these beliefs and engaging in these activities. Some commentators  argue that, in  modernity, the cornerstone of lifestyle construction is consumption behavior, which offers the possibility to create and further individualize the self with different products or services that signal different ways of life. Lifestyle may include views on politics, religion, health, intimacy, and more. All of these aspects play a rol e in shaping someone’s lifestyle. In the  magazine  and  television  industries, â€Å"lifestyle† is used to describe a category of publications or programs. (6sk Health) An individual’s health depends a lot on their lifestyle. Maintaining physical and mental health are crucial to an individuals longevity. The more time spent on hygiene, physical fitness, and diet regulation, the healthier lifestyle they have. Those who chose to participate in any kind of physical activity on a weekly basis are generally healthier than those who don’t. Mental illness may occur through various variables. For example, depression may promote mental illness through stress and anxiety. Reasons for being depressed can be due to a number of things including job loss, recently widowed, divorce, etc. Depression may lead to or increase the frequency of poor habits not promoting physical health. Poor habits may eventually lead to a poor even dangerous lifestyle. More interestingly, a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle will most likely to be transmitted across generations. According to the study done by Case et. l (2002), it discovered that when a 0-3 year old child has a mother who practices a healthy lifestyle, this child will be 27% more likely to become healthy and adopt the same lifestyle. For instance, high income parents are more likely to eat organic food, have time to exercise and provide the best living condition to their children. On the other hand, low income parents are more likely to participate in unhealthy activities such as smoking to help them release poverty-related stress and de pression. Parents are the first teacher for every child. Everything that parents do will be very like to be transferred to their children through the learning process. (7sk environment) There are two types of environment for a lifestyle: nature and social. Natural environment is the conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. an individual dedicated to this prefers to walk to close places, recycles plastic, papers, cants, etc. In an individuals lifestyle some of this natural environment is needed, fresh air, clean water, clean home, clean neighbourhood and a clean example for those at home. Those who are nature involved decide to plant flowers, vegetables and other crops in their backyard and are extremely strict on how to organize their household waste and uses positive and proactive ways to environmental sustainability. Social environment is totally different. Social Environment includes an individuals living and working conditions, income level, educational background, community and religious beliefs if they have any. In a social environment there are certain expectations from one self or from those around. expectations like success and wanting the best. Along with  success  come a lot of stress. If there is failure, then there may be mood swings and disappointment. In order for this not to happen, there are better ways to avoid disappointment and failure; organization and structure is the main key element. (8sk technology) Technology and diversity have greatly changed the lives of people in society. Technology has positive and negative effects on our daily lives. However, the positivity and negativity of technology depends on how much we use it and how much we are exposed to it. In other words, our lifestyle controls our use of technology, while technology influences our lifestyles. To begin, technology has changed the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, warfare, transportation, information, medicine, communication, among others. Technology has also made it easier for other factors to affect our lifestyles, such as the media. All in all, technology has made our lives much easier, therefore we no longer are required to live vigorous lifestyles that, in the past, contributed to the decline in our health. On the other hand, technology has complicated many lives and has many negative effects. Technology has the power to deliver media to us that can change our values and views on the world, which in return will change our lifestyles. Also, technology has negative effects on the environment such as pollution. Because of technology such as the computer and the television, Americans have a much more  sedentary lifestyle, which leads to health complications and issues.

America’s racial front Essay

This scripture, taken from Matthew 15:8, denotes flawlessly what was, what is, but hopefully what will not always be the plight of America’s racial front. In 1964, a Civil Rights Act was passed outlawing segregation in schools and other public places. Following its passage, blatant acts of racism were no longer tolerated in the United States. This meant that to utter racial slurs, and publicly assert one’s agreement with racial stereotypes came to be considered â€Å"distasteful† or â€Å"politically incorrect†. Therefore, though in more covert forms than in times past, racism yet rears its ugly head. Perhaps this is because America, though cloaked in the beautiful garment we refer to as equality, is yet stained with the sin of racism. This fact is most evident in the very places in which it was originally outlawed. One of the many purposes for which this law was passed was to prevent age, gender, and racial discrimination in the field of healthcare. Unfortunately, because discrimination is not a superfluous issue, but rather a serious concern due to its institutionalization, elderly people have died in huge numbers due physicians who did not hold their heal in high enough regard to follow proper (though at times, troublesome) procedure. In addition, homosexuals are often experience horrible bedside manners from doctors who disagree with the way in which they’ve chosen to live their lives, and sadly African American men, women, and children are constantly subjected to second-rate care simply due to the color of their skin. This ugly picture is nothing like the pretty one painted by America for others to see.

Franchise Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Franchise Business - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the origin of franchising. The history of franchising dates back to 1850’s when an American entrepreneur Isaac Singer the inventor of the sewing machine chose to sell licenses to other entrepreneurs in different parts of the country. This idea was prompted by the fact that his company staff could not provide sufficient training to the customers who bought his product. In 1960, Ray Kroc, an American fast food businessman after taking over small chains of food companies laid strong foundations for one of the most successful food franchises in the world. Due to globalization and reduction of barriers to international trade like tariffs, many firms driven by the need to increase production of goods and services have used franchising as a perfect tool to market their products in other countries outside the place of incorporation. Multinational companies like Coca-Cola, a producer of drinks and leading firms in automobile industry like Toyota are operat ing in almost every part of the world through franchising. In the 20th century, most of the world’s economies followed expansionary paths, with many firms finding a solution to increase their customer base in operating businesses in foreign countries. During this period, most countries had an exponential increase in population growth rates that necessitated accommodating foreign firms in an economy for this would spur employment opportunities. (Hammond, 2011). Businesses that are run of franchising rails stand a chance of excelling because the products as well as services brought in the market place have been established by the franchisor and the setbacks in launching a new product were dealt with originally. Again, a proven business formula has been put in place for marketing the product, and the franchisee’s business will not need extra time to pick momentum in the new market place. For businessmen and women, trading with already tested products offers income (Hiam, 2007). Nature of the business This franchising business is global, whereby the multinational has a registered head office in the country of incorporation. Coca-Cola Limited is an example of a franchise which has its head office in New York, U.S.A. being, spread to almost each country in almost every continent, each country has a registered head office where the major policies and administrative functions are carried out from. At country level, Coca-Cola Limited after assessing the market potential of its products and analyzing the annual demand of its drinks will enter into an agreement with potential business firms to aid in the production and distribution of its products to the entire nation. Other business operations like carrying out market research, mobilizing the locally available raw materials will thus be made easy through this arrangement. In return, the business firm turned franchise will generate income from the sale of the drinks to the local customers. The business turns them to their ‘own boss ’ since they now operate their own firms. On the same note, Coca-Cola Limited will lay down the procedures and rules that are to be followed by the successful franchises to carry out the business (Nash, 2000). This will make the franchises from violating Coca-Cola’s policy which may damage the reputation of their products. Coordination between the franchisor an

The possible use of ethanol as a replacement for petrol Essay

The possible use of ethanol as a replacement for petrol - Essay Example Ethanol is a type of alcohol that can be made using crops such as sugar beets, wheat or corn. As a fuel additive, ethanol boosts octane and substantially reduces toxic carbon monoxide emissions. Ethanol is not necessarily less expensive to produce than gasoline and would not be cost competitive without government incentives, but proponents of the alternative fuel point to other reasons to produce and utilize it. "It could be profitable for farmers to grow bio-fuels [at a time of high oil prices]. The market for bio-fuels such as ethanol is driven by the need for security of the energy supply and the recognition that greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming,† said Margaret Beckett, environment secretary (Harvey, 2005). Ethanol has been demonstrated that it has a less severe impact on the environment than standard petrol as it releases carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned rather than carbon monoxide. As it expels fewer pollutants than petrol, it is also less dangerous to public health. Because the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions. Most cars can run very well with up to 10 perc ent of low-emissions ethanol mixed in with their fuel. Doing so can also improve engine performance. From the economic point of view, it is thought to be good for the development of disadvantaged rural areas by promoting agriculture and manufacturing industries which creates jobs. â€Å"Furthermore it can help to reduce the dependence on oil imports and it may be regarded as a means to promote advances in biotechnology, particularly if one thinks of all the research that is going on in the biomass-to-ethanol sector. Ethanol has been promoted because it has a positive net energy balance that means that the energy contained in a tonne of ethanol is greater than the energy required to produce

Case study presentation+notes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case study presentation+notes - Essay Example Time consideration is an essential factor in this regard. The non-discounting factors do not take into consideration time value of money and therefore are considered inferior to discounting cash flow techniques. With respect to the projects in this paper, both kinds of techniques have been considered, namely NPV and payback method (Bierman and Smidt, 2012). NPV is one of most preferred discounting techniques deployed in investment appraisal. In this method, future inflows are converted into present value by discounting them using a discount factor. The main benefit of discounting inflows is that it helps understand the actual worth of the inflows and reflects the impact of inflation and potential risks on the investment. Generally, cost of capital is considered as an appropriate discounting measure because it is developed using the existing market risk factor. There are two criteria for accepting a project: first, NPV should be positive and second, a project with the highest NPV should be selected. Negative NPV bearing projects are rejected because they would generate negative return in the long run (Sangster, 1993; Savvides, 1994). It was observed that none of the projects of Jones & Simpson Ltd generate a positive NPV. Project A generated a negative value while Project B was observed to break even. Breakeven stands for a no-profit / no-loss situation. If the company has no other choices besides project A and B, Project B is recommended because project A involves more investment and will generate negative return in the long run. Payback period is one of the non-discounting techniques used by managers for evaluating projects. However, this technique is used along with other discounting techniques so that the time factor is not neglected. Generally, managers analyse projects using NPV, IRR and payback period together. One of the key benefits of payback period is that it focuses on cash flow instead of accounting profit. The determination process is also

United States of America and sale of weapons Essay

United States of America and sale of weapons - Essay Example Many world leaders like the then Russia President Vladimir Puttin expressed their concerns that the US ideas of creating a uni-polar world was the main cause for increased arms race that seems to have reawakened since the era of the cold war.There have been other sentiments that the idea of US to arms its allies while it works hard to curtail their rights to develop defensive weapons is a world catastrophe that may explode to war at any time.In most of the time, the arms transfer by the US has ended up in fuelling conflicts in the region where the arms are exported. There have also been a lot of abuses of human rights by the regime which acquires the arms. The high level of tension that is caused by these transfer have always escalated to conflicts. For example the recent decision by the US to provide F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan which has been upheld with an aim of providing compatible military hardware to threat of rivals like Indian have lead to a lot of tension between the two n ations which is feared that it might soon escalate to conflicts. Rather than bring forces of stability in these regimes, US weapons sales has shown to serve as the source of power of conflicts, unstable and undemocratic regime which is detrimental to the US security in the world and the global security at large. There is already a big conflict between the two nations and India has expressed that the sell of F-16 jet to Pakistan is not meant to fight the Al-Qaeda as the US proposes but it is rather meant to fight India. It has been shown that the two countries have fought each other for more that 3 times and once one of the country acquired high tech weapons, the other will not feel safe and it is likely to acquire the same weapons in order to protect itself. Therefore the US may be creating a lucrative market for the jet since India is also likely to buy the same or other at a higher level (Deconde 2002, p. 534). The ABC of arms sales in the US There are two ways that have been used by the arms manufacturers in the US to sell their weapons to other nations. One of such way is the Foreign Military Sales which are government-to-government sales that are based on an agreement that has been negotiated by the two nations ostensibly involving the pentagon and the purchasing nation. The other one is the direct commercial sales which involves an agreement that it agreed between the manufacturing company and the country that wants to purchase the arms. This is then licensed the state department which gives the approval for the sale of the arms. (Gary 2003, p. 4) The US government in most cases can transfer from the stock of weapons that it is holding which can be for free or at a reduced price. This is usually implemented through the Excess Defense Articles (EDA). Allied government is also allowed to receive fast track grants of weapons in order to address crisis situation in their countries through the Emergency Drawdown Program. The above two departments are managed by the department of the Defense (Ohlson, 2006 p. 3). US is the top provide of weapons The US has consistently used the technologies that it has developed in its industries as the currency of friendly is not with the foreign nations where it has an interest to protect. It has been increasing its exports of deadly technology which helps to fuel conflicts in this nations rather than helping to bring peace and stability. With time, the US has been increasing its military export to regimes which are considered unstable like the Middle East and some parts of Africa. This has been against the pledge of President Bush of ending tyrannical in the world by fighting for the protection of democratic institutions and helping the world to come to peace with one another (Kriegers 2001, p. 121). The experience that US has had with Iran and Iraq has demonstrated that selling of arms to the strategic allies can sometimes backfire and work

Insider Trading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Insider Trading - Essay Example A corporate officer, for instance, who uses information known to him, but not to the public, to purchase or buy securities is generally guilty of insider trading. Exceptions may be allowed for certain transactions which are immaterial or which are reported the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. It must also be noted, however, that the concept of insider trading extends beyond corporate officers and insiders in the technical sense. It also includes people who provide tips to outsiders. This secondary portion of the definition ensures that the primary subjects of the law, corporate officers and fiduciaries, cannot escape punishment by secretly providing information to outsiders and non-fiduciaries (Insider Trading, 2006). The causes of insider trading are quite easy to understand. To illustrate, a corporate officer knows when the value of the corporation is going to increase or decrease. Perhaps there are secret negotiations for a takeover in which share prices are going to increase. He can sell his securities in order to maximize his profits or minimize his losses.

Professional engineers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Professional engineers - Assignment Example The modern day Engineer has the obligation to conduct their operations in an ethical manner. Several accidents result from negligence on the part of the Engineer or from not following the standards set out for conducting these activities. One such accident was the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in which the vehicle burst into flames shortly after taking off killing all the crew. The president of the United States set up a commission to investigate the cause of the accident that found that the accident was as a result of the failure of the O-ring seals and that the seals had been cited as a potential hazard years before the accident. The commissions report to the president indicated that since managers and engineers had prior knowledge of the O-ring danger, lack of proper communication between management and the engineers and poor management practices were the principle causes of the disaster. This interpretation is however insufficient if the history of how NASA and contracto r’s engineers had detected and dealt with the defects on the O-rings before the launch. According to Andrew Dunar and Stephen Waring in Power To Explore-History of Marshall Space Flight Center 1960-1990, ‘Allowing Marshall engineers and managers to offer their side of their story, based on documents before and after the accident testimony and interviews leads to a more realistic account of the events leading up to the accident than that found in the previous studies.’ It is therefore important that I highlight some of the ethical issues raised in order to understand the obligations of professional engineers as a way of preventing the occurrence of such disasters. While engineering ethics principles are easy to formulate, they are sometimes hard to apply and decisions made by professional engineers must be considered on the context of the technical details of the design. It should be seen that ethical principles are not violated to avoid the probability of acciden ts due to such considerations as of finance. The NASA space Shuttle Challenger burst into flames about 73 minutes after liftoff killing seven people on board. The crew team included: Francis R. Scobee as the commander, Michael John Smith ( who was the pilot), Ellison Onizuka ( the missions 1st Specialist ), Judith Resnik (Mission 2nd Specialist), Ronald McNair (Mission third Specialist ), Christa McAuliffe (Payload 1st Specialist ), and Gregory B. Jarvis (Payload 2 nd Specialist ). The commission realized that on the evening prior to the launch Morton Thiokol, the contractor supplying the seals had recommended during a teleconference that the launch be delayed due to concerns about the performance of the seals. This recommendation was however reversed during the teleconference leading to the disaster. In trying to understand, the probable causes of the accident during investigations care take care not to such as the myth of perfect engineering practice and that of retrospective fall acy. There is no such thing as perfect engineering practice and simply identifying what standard steps were not followed during the design is not enough in assigning the cause of accident. Moreover, looking back in retrospect at what important decisions should/could have been made is sometimes misleading, as investigators will always try to assign blame. In order to underst

Wholesale Marketing Channel Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wholesale Marketing Channel - Case Study Example Furthermore, these retailers create delays in order to frustrate the customers and tarnish the reputation of the company in the market. As a result, the most appropriate marketing channel for FOXXY is the use of the wholesalers. Unlike in Canada whereby the company was able to use internal sales representatives to distribute products in different parts of the country, the US market requires a different approach. The reason is that the target market requires different segmentation strategies in order to position the products strategically in the market. Therefore, the use of wholesalers will offer the company with an opportunity to focus on the production system. Therefore, the company will produce high quality products which meet the tastes and preferences of the target market (Keillor, 2013). The reason is that majority of the target customers are young people who have a disposable income that they are willing to spend on high quality products. However, this group has access to information especially from the social media. As a result, they can easily shift their loyalty to new entrants in the market. Local wholesalers understand the market dynamics in the United States. With the increasing levels of globalization, it has become critical for the company to focus its attention towards customers’ satisfaction. However, due to the fact that FOXXY is an external company, many of its subordinates do not understand the US market. Each market has its unique culture which must be taken into consideration while marketing and distributing the products. Therefore, in order for FOXXY to achieve this objective, the company should have to employ local subordinates who understand the local consumption culture. This would delay the expansion program and affect the future plans of the company. Moreover, the US market prefers to be associated with products that have been produced locally (Reidenbach & Goeke,  2006).

Summeriza article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summeriza article - Essay Example Joerres, therefore strongly advocates for developing local managers and team workers who can align organizational goals and objectives with the changing preferences of the customers. The author says that developing local team is not only important for success in emerging market but proactive participation of local population within workforce is important to gain credibility and confidence of people at large. He says that ‘reverse expat’ has become need of the hour because they are able to understand the market pulse of the emerging market and can easily identify with the demands of the people. Reverse expat is broadly defined as having a local manager for Western based company’s office in emerging markets like India, China, Korea etc. The article is succinct in its philosophy that local managers can be trained under different functional areas in the organization’s head office so that they are able to align and implement foreign firms’ wider objective s with the diverse needs of the region.

Microsoft Corporation Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Microsoft Corporation Case Analysis Essay Industry Evaluation Software is an integral part of todays uncertain economy, as the push for greater globalization and efficiency drives much of the spending in business markets around the world. In order to maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly competitive global market, companies are spending more and more on hardware and software infrastructures (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Microsoft is among 413 companies that produce and distribute application software products and services. These companies are all part of the Application Software industry within the technology sector, which is dominated by one software giant; Microsoft. More specifically, Microsoft is categorized into the Developmental Tools, Operating Systems, and Utility Software subindustry, which includes companies that design, develop, market, and support software for developing, testing, and debugging applications; for computer maintenance; and for desktop management (Hoovers.com, 2006). Microsoft, Oracle Corp, CA Inc., and SAP Aktiengesellschaft, with a four-firm concentration ratio of 39% dominate the industry. Most of the other 411 firms in the industry specialize in smaller niches, providing specialized software services such as accounting, business management, etcetera, and have profits under $1 billion per year. For this reason, the computer application industry has monopolistic competition (MSN Money, 2006). The top-selling software company is currently Microsoft, with $41.4 billion in sales in 2005, and is joined in the competitive arena by other top sellers such as Oracle Corp. with $12.9 billion and SAP Aktiengesellschaft with $10.4 billion. Other industry leaders in sales include CA Inc., Intuit Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., B.M.C. Software, Compuware Corp., and Novell Inc., each experiencing revenues exceeding $1 billion during 2005. Within the Developmental Tools, Operating Systems, and Utility Software subindustry, top competitors include Microsoft, International Business Machines (IBM), SAP Aktiengesellschaft, and Computer Associates International, who ranked a respective first, second, third, and fourth in application software sales (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). The Computer Software industry is largely dominated by Microsoft, which commands 54% of market sales among its top ten competitors, as listed above. The following chart details the market share of these ten main players in the industry (Yahoo!Finance, 2006): Within the legal environment, the software industry has been shaken by  several recent regulations that are revitalizing industries within the business market of the United States. Among them are the US Patriot Act, which dictates that companies providing financial services must have the ability to detect the occurrence of money laundering; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which mandates that companies provide real-time disclosure of events that might affect their financial performance and deep records of e-mail and instant messages exchanged between employees (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Finally, antitrust laws have been an ongoing threat to the industry. Microsoft has finally reached a settlement after an ongoing antitrust investigation, and agreed to allow manufacturers to include competing software with Windows and uniformly license its operating systems (Antitrust Case Filings, 2006). New technological developments are revitalizing the software industry. The most recent and significant development includes a new set of web-friendly applications that, as of yet, has no official name. These web services can be assembled from standardized building blocks, meaning that any number of applications may be assembled in a variety of ways. Because of this, companies are able to develop enterprise applications to run on a wide range of software and hardware infrastructures and cater to the specific demands of their respective market segments. The companies that will maintain market share in the up-and-coming web era are those that are able to develop products that will be compatible on a wide range of hardware platforms. Massive consolidations have recently become characteristic of the software industry. Largely due to acquisitions, IBMs software holdings have grown a great deal. Small specialists companies face the greatest danger from large software providers such as Oracle, who recently acquired PeopleSoft and Siebel for $10.3 and $5.9 billion, respectively. If growth slows in their subindustries, these small companies who cater to specific niches become vulnerable to large companies offering extensive suites of enterprise applications that serve a variety of functions such as the industry leaders (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Following suit after other mature industries such as electronics and apparel,  a large number of IT and software providers have begun outsourcing much of their manufacturing and RD functions to countries outside of the United States. Software companies are now able to hire manufacturers and product developers in countries such as India, Mexico, and China for much less than it would cost in the U.S. (MSN Money, 2006) The tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks as well as other post 9/11 attacks prompted another significant trend in the software industry when the United States government cranked down on security. By restructuring their communication systems, they opened a door to struggling software providers who began to provide new, more secure applications to governmental departments and agencies (Yahoo!Finance, 2006) A final trend reflects the popularity of Linux and other open-source code operating systems. While the Linux operating system is probably the most widely known and widely used open source code, the idea of open source is gaining momentum and popularity. Companies that provide their products for a nominal subscription fee and generate income based on training and support services have adopted the open source concept as a counter-intuitive business model, with which they counter the more traditional selling of products for profit model (Hill and Jones, 2005). Once online collaboration and word processing applications are fully developed and grow in usage and popularity, the researchers predict that the software industry will see a rise in sales of those kinds of products, and possibly a decline in the sale of PC compatible product that serve the same types of functions. The reason for this is that once these tools are available, consumers will realize that they may access and edit their documents or projects from any computer or PDA with internet access, without having to worry about being on the specific machine or machines that contain the documents they need. Currently, almost all users of open source software are computer-savvy programming professionals. In the future however, more consumers will use this type of software for business and personal use. This is forecasted by a  growing number of applications developed from open source codes such as Linux, as well as increasing popularity of these programs. If this comes to pass, then Linux and other open source applications and operating systems may accumulate market share, thus depriving it from Microsoft and Oracle. Strategic Evaluation Microsoft supports a number of values that translate into goals that the company strives to attain. These goals include doing business with honesty and integrity; to have passion for customers, partners, and technology; to be open and respectful, to take on big challenges and see through them; constructive self-criticism, self-improvement, and personal excellence; to help foster growth and innovation, and to be accountable to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees for commitments, results, and quality. These goals, however, are immeasurable, intangible, and unspecific. There is no timeline for achieving them, and no way to determine whether or not they have been acheived. There are, however, more specific goals that the company hopes to attain that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible. Goals for the future include making technology available to one quarter of a billion people by 2010. Another goal is to fuse together Windows development and Web development to enrich Windows applications (Stu, 2003). By doing this, Microsoft may be able to convince consumes to use the rich application features of Windows. Another goal is to unify the disparate Windows communications and enterprise technologies into a common and simple framework that is competitive with Java Enterprise Edition. Microsoft needs to provide an alternative to this model unless it wants to see Java retain its lock on the server software market. This goal is consistant with Microsofts approach of taking the lead in developing a new computing standard. (Microsoft, 2006) The mission statement of Microsoft Corporation is At Microsoft, we work to help people and businesses throughout the world  realize their full potential. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.- Microsoft, 2006 The mission statement is clear in representing Microsoft as dedicated in providing the best products to help its customers achieve and realize their full potential. The mission statement is strong, and is very personable by saying At Microsoft, and repeating that this is Microsofts mission statement. The statement repeats itself in the third sentence, saying, everything we do reflects helping everyone in the world understand his or her full potential. Using words to repeat parts of the mission statement makes it bolder to the reader. The statement is broad enough to allow the company to expand into unfamiliar markets or businesses, or both. However, it is narrow enough that it focuses the company on aiding people in reaching their fullest potential. By adhering to this mission statement, employees at Microsoft look to the customers, not the shareholders, as the reason the company exists. It is clear to express that the company does not exist solely to make a profits or please shareholders. It reflects the desire of the management at Microsoft to make a difference in the world and help those who wish to success do so. Functional Review Marketing Analysis Microsoft focuses on the development of software, which includes products such as Office, Project, Visio, FoxPro, and more. The software packages aide in the creation of business documents, databases, and projects, as well as helps consumers manage their day-to-day lives. Microsoft has seven different product divisions: Client, Server and Tools, Information Worker, Microsoft Business Solution, MSN, Mobile and Embedded Devices, and Home and Entertainment (Microsoft, 2006). The Client segment has responsibility for engineering, product delivery, and technical architecture for the Windows product family. It also handles Microsofts  relationships with personal computer manufacturers, including multinational and regional original equipment manufacturer accounts (SEC, 2006). Server and Tools is responsible for the server system products and all related services. These services include providing advice for requirements needed for the system to operate properly, custom solution services, and business application planning for the operating systems. Information Worker involves licensing software to several types of users such as small to large corporations, homes, and specialized categories like students. This division releases a major change in software every two to three years. Microsoft Business Solutions deals primarily with developing and marketing offerings to manage financial, customer relationship and supply chain management functions for small and midsize businesses, large organizations and divisions of global enterprises. MSN is accountable for delivering online services that look to empower users by bringing them to the people and information that matter most. The Mobile and Embedded Devices section is responsible for the marketing and development of products that extend the advantages of the Windows platform to many types of devices. The Home and Entertainment segment is in charge of production, development, and marketing for the Xbox video gaming system (SEC, 2006). Another way Microsoft is continuing to broaden their customer base is by establishing itself into the gaming industry. An example of this is the innovative Xbox 360 Microsoft launched during the 2005 Christmas season. Microsoft has begun to explore new markets, like television, with the rising success of the Xbox 360 and the changing demographics. Microsoft realizes that demographics are changing to a younger generation and efforts must be made to accommodate their needs as well. (Wikipedia, 2006) In the past, Microsofts target market has been men of the ages of eighteen through thirty-four. The company is currently expanding the market it targets by experimenting with two methods of reaching the seventeen and younger age group. The first is through the gaming industry, with the release of the Xbox gaming system. The company is also developing a television show to reach this age group (Goo, 2006). Another strategy Microsoft is pursuing involves meeting its global clientele where they are  in terms of their economic and financial needs (Evers, 2006). These changes in strategy and products reflect Microsofts goal of expanding its target market. While there is risk involved with these changes, there is also the potential for returns above a normal profit. Another way Microsoft is continuing to broaden their customer base is by establishing itself into the gaming industry. An example of this is the innovative Xbox 360 Microsoft launched during the 2005 Christmas season. Microsoft has begun to explore new markets, like television, with the rising success of the Xbox 360 and the changing demographics. Microsoft realizes that demographics are changing to a younger generation and efforts must be made to accommodate their needs as well. (Wikipedia, 2006) Microsoft has established a presence in the international market. The headquarters, including most of the research and development centers, is located in Redmond, Washington. The company has several manufacturing facilities to meet supply needs on a global scale. These facilities are located in various places such as: Dublin, Ireland, Humacao, Puerto Rico, Reno, Nevada and Singapore just to name a few locations. Microsoft currently employees 40,081 in North America and 63,564 world-wide to help them meet growing demand for their products (Microsoft, 2006). Microsoft uses a wide variety of media to influence the demand of their products. Traditional types of advertising are used for global campaigns including television, print, and Internet (Microsoft.com, 2006). The company uses computer magazines to compare companies or products such as the case of Linux versus Microsoft. Microsofts goal is to reach a certain target market. In addition, Microsoft is implementing a new advertising campaign using the Internet in competition with Yahoo and Google. In the campaign, customers will be asked to fill out a survey; from there the data will be used to display personal ads of interest to the consumer. If a consumer chooses not to fill out the survey the company will provide them with general ads that are generated from the search. The goal in the long-run is to learn the customers want and needs for future purchases (Oser, 2006). The manufacturing function for most of Microsofts products is outsourced. A vendor supplies the parts needed to assemble the Xbox gaming system. This outsourcing strategy can be a drawback on two counts. Firstly, Microsoft relinquishes some control of the pricing of this product because it cannot control the manufacturing costs. Secondly, there is a threat of the manufacturer leaking product knowledge to Microsofts competitors. At the same time however, Microsoft has no legal obligation to the manufacturer, and can manufacture these products internally. Microsoft employs several vendors to supply parts that Microsoft manufactures. These components are purchased at a discount rate, and Microsoft keeps excess inventory in stock in case of shortages (Microsoft, 2006). The company has decided to do an 18 month campaign to advertise the differences between Microsoft and Linux giving the benefits of using our products. Some advantages to Microsofts products include: being user-friendly software and applications, as well as having a strong reputation in that area. Therefore, the cost would be greater to retrained employee how to use Linux software in the business industry for server application use. In dealing with more recent security issues, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) has a code-flaw in the browser that makes it vulnerable to hackers. This flaw can allow hackers to infect a system with various code-scripts, which puts the system under attack. To have security issues associated with the companys name can produce a bad reputation. Microsofts goals are to have compassion for customers, for partners, and technology. The company wants to train and make technology available to a quarter of the billion people in the world by 2010. In addition, Microsoft shows passion towards customers by offering specialized advertisements to expose the varied selection of products to the consumer. Another goal is to exhibit openness and respectfulness, which will gain a huge amount of respect from the consumer. This is achieved by receiving feedback from our employees, government agencies, and community leaders which will lead to improve Microsofts business. Microsoft is staying on task of taking on large challenges by endeavoring to change their demographics of customers. In addition, the  company takes constructive criticism, and uses this as a way to improve; criticism in forms of comments and suggestions. Microsoft will accomplish this task through research and development and feedback. Other goals are to give personal excellence, and have accountability to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees for commitments, results, and quality. These achievable tasks would help Microsoft stay in the business for years to come (Microsoft, 2006). Production Analysis Microsoft alters its products to me needs of its global customers. The company translates the text and changes the appearance of its applications to make them understandable in that language. This is one reason Microsoft has a reputation for being developing user-friendly applications for its consumers. Other tasks the company is involved with include processing orders, payment options, processing needed information, and supplier management (Microsoft.com, 2006). These tasks are essential to maintaining good relations with Microsofts customers and suppliers. In addition, these tasks make it possible to make necessary changes when there are problems in distribution or manufacturing of Microsofts software. Microsoft outsources all of its manufacturing function except for a few, including the assemblage of the Xbox 360. A vendor supplies the needed parts for this product. This action can be a drawback because it limits Microsoft in its ability to control pricing aspects of this product. There is also the threat that suppliers will share the knowledge of this product with Microsofts competitors. Although this is a threat, Microsoft is under the no legal obligation to continue working with that supplier. Several vendors supply parts for all other products Microsoft assembles. Components for these products are purchased at a discount. Microsoft keeps an inventory of spare parts on hand if needed (Microsoft, 2006). Management Analysis Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975, and in a few years, they  expanded to Bellevue, Washington from Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there, Microsoft began creating and developing new and revolutionary technology. In 1981, IBM introduced its personal computer with Microsofts 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0 (Microsoft, 2006). Because of its quality, this operating system became popular. Microsofts stock went public. Over the next twenty years, Microsoft created more technical and versatile operating systems such as Windows 95, 98, and the current Windows XP. This success has lead to worldwide expansion creating thousands of jobs. Microsoft is the worlds largest software company with over 50,000 employees in various countries as of May 2004 (Microsoft, 2006). Microsoft has become a needed portion of the personal computing market in which many PC retailers have sold their machines pre-equipped with Microsofts software. Because of its large and substantial business, Microsoft was found to be a monopoly among computer software and because of this, Microsoft has experience financial success. In 1998, a lawsuit found that Microsoft was using its monopoly power to defeat its competitors (Reference.com, 2006). Microsoft appealed and showed how changing their companys operations would bring the financial success down increasingly. A board of directors, who play a major role in decision-making and many fundamentals of the company, run Microsoft. The Chief Executive Officer is Steven Ballmer who joined with Microsoft in 1980 and was the first business manager hired by Bill Gates (Microsoft, 2006). In 1998, Ballmer was appointed President and this gave him full responsibility for running the corporation. 2 years later, he became CEO (in 2000) and this gave him full privilege over all the managers and staff of Microsoft. Following Ballmer is James I. Cash, Jr, Dina Dublon, Bill Gates, Raymond V. Gilmartin, Ann McLaughlin Korologos, David F. Margaurdt, Charles H. Noski, Helmut Panke and Jon A. Shirley. A lot of talent and skill is required to work in any position at Microsoft. They seek out motivated individuals who are experienced in communications and leadership. The purpose for finding such trained individuals is to lower training costs of the company. The Corporate Operations is Microsofts backbone, constructing, managing, and running the various services that support the companys 50,000 employees (Microsoft, 2006). This statement shows that Microsoft is dependent on two sections of their management staff; the corporate and administrative services. These departments are responsible for management, public relations, providing company-wide administrative support, building new office space, and other tasks. Financial Analysis Microsoft Corporation has achieved excellence in since 1975 in the application software industry. They finished the 2005 fiscal year with a market capitalization of $288.20 billion, doubling the closest competitor, IBM which came in second in market capitalization with $131.00 billion, and an industry average of a low $136.51 million (Hoovers, 2006). Microsoft Corporation has been enjoying a steady growth in revenue over the past three fiscal years. This has been achieved with the growing popularity of PC use in the world over this time period. Microsofts preliminary estimates showed a growth of worldwide PC shipments from 11% to 13%, and total server hardware shipments grew approximately 13% to 14% during the 2005 fiscal year compared to fiscal year 2004 (Yahoo! Finance). This has caused a growth in revenue of 8% from $36,835 million to $39,788 million from fiscal year 2004 to 2005 (U.S. SEC). This revenue growth was driven by growth in licensing of Windows Server operating systems and other server application, licensing of Windows Client operating systems through OEMs, and increased licensing of Office and other Information Worker products (Yahoo! Finance). The 2004 fiscal year ended with an overall growth of $4,648 billion from the previous fiscal year 2003, an increase of over 12%. Over the past five years, Microsoft Corporation has generated revenue of over $162 billion. This is an increase of 73% and about $75 billion of this is derived from net cash flow from operations. Shareholders received a return of $69 billion of this revenue in dividends and stock repurchases. With the launching of the Xbox 360, Windows Vista, and newer versions of existing software in 2006 fiscal year, Microsoft expects to have an equal or larger  increase of the past five years in the next five years (Microsoft, 2006). Net income for the fiscal year 2005 was $12,254 which is an increase of $4,086 million from the 2004 fiscal year. This is due to small decreases in operating expenses from the previous year with emphasis on research and development, a decrease of over $1.5 billion. Although decreasing in fiscal year 2005, a large jump in expenses occurred from fiscal year 2003 to 2004. Microsoft increased their total operating expenses by $5,159 million to $27,801 million in fiscal year 2004. Although decreasing expenses worked for the fiscal year 2005, decreases in research and development in the future might cause the industry to get the edge on Microsoft and revenues decrease (Microsoft, 2006). Operating income has also increased substantially during these two fiscal years with a total increase of 61%. Although it had a 5% decline from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2004, operating income jumped from a marginal $9,034 million in 2004 to an excellent $14,561 million in fiscal year ending 2005 (U.S. SEC). According to Yahoo! Finance, the operating income increase for fiscal year 2005 was driven by a decline in stock-based compensation expense; increased revenue in Server and Tools, Client, and Information Worker; and a reduction in legal costs associated with major litigation. Some key ratios will point out Microsofts position in accordance to the industry. Holding a total debt to equity ratio of 0.00, compared to 0.03 of the industry, Microsoft has showed that they have successfully controlled their assets without any debt, dating back as far as fiscal year 1996. The total debt to total asset ratio also confirms these successes with a low 0.33. This has a great statistic from an investor or shareholders eyes because there is potential for a high payout. Microsoft has a current ratio of 2.8, compared to the industries average of 2.3. This shows us that Microsoft can pay off any debt that may occur, and can continue operating with cash left over. The quick ratio is currently at 2.5 with an industry average of 2.1. Because this number is so close in comparison with the current ratio, this tells us that Microsoft is not dependent on their inventory. These three financial ratios show us that Microsoft Corporation  is achieving excellence in comparison to the industry (MSN, 2006). Both the gross profit margin and the net profit margin percentages will show us the financial health of the company. Microsoft Corporations net profit margin is over 7% higher that the industries average, at 30.8% compared to 23.5%. This tells us that 31.6% of the companys revenue can be kept as profit. Fiscal year 2005 is an increase of 8.6% from fiscal year 2004 and a small decrease of 0.2% from fiscal year 2003. Their gross profit margin is 87.3%, compared to 82.6% of the industries average. Although the industries average of these two ratios is healthy as well, Microsoft still holds better percentages (MSN, 2006). The companys price ratios will show some different trends in comparison to the industry from the other ratios presented. Although the earnings per share (EPS) are currently much higher than the industry average and the previous year, it is lower than some of the direct competitors. The EPS in the fiscal year 2005 was 1.13, which is considerably higher than the industries average of 0.15. This is not a bad ratio if you own share in the company, but two of the closest competitors is producing a much higher rate; Googles EPS is at 5.021 and IBMs is at 4.875. Although this might turn some investors away, numbers have been improving over the past three years. Fiscal year 2003 had an EPS of only $0.70 but increased to $0.76 in fiscal year 2004. The large increase came in fiscal year 2005 when EPS increased almost $0.40 to $1.13. With the latest innovations Microsoft has developed, these numbers will increase as investors see the future of Microsoft. Microsoft price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is more attractive than EPS with a ratio of 22.9. Although conservative investors may feel this number is too high, this ratio is much better than the industry average of 27.3 which might influence these investors to invest in Microsoft instead of the direct competitors (MSN, 2006). Management effectiveness ratios like return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) will show us how well the management at Microsoft Corporation is doing. With an ROA of 19.4%, over 5% higher than the industry average of 13.9%, Microsoft is very profitable in relation to the total assets of the  company. This is a substantial increase from 8.8% and 12.6% in fiscal year 2004 and 2003 respectively. The profit per dollar, or ROE of Microsoft, is 29.5%. This is close to 7% higher than the industry average of 22.6% and 18.6% than fiscal year 2004. This shows that Microsoft Corporation is achieving a higher profit from their investors per dollar in comparison to the industries. Although there was a large increase from fiscal year 2004 to 2005, a decrease of 5.5% occurred between fiscal year 2003 and 2004 (MSN, 2006). The efficiency of the company is struggling in comparison to the industry in one way, inventory turnover. The inventory turnover is currently much lower than the industries. With a low 8.1 compared to 28.4 of the industry average, Microsofts inventory turnover might indicate poor sales. Both Microsoft and the industry average of asset turnover are 0.6, indicating that 0.6 of every dollar is revenue. Microsoft is doing a better job than the industry in comparing the accounts receivable turnover, but not a significant amount. The accounts receivable turnover is at 5.7 with an industry average of 5.2. Both Microsoft and the industry are collecting payments from its customers in a timely manner. They are, however, significantly behind SP 500 which has an accounts receivable turnover ratio of 7.5 (MSN, 2006). A thorough research of cash flows will show the company heading in the right direction. Net operating, investing, and financing cash flows all increased from the fiscal year 2004 to 2005. Fiscal year 2005 showed an increase of 14% to $16.61 billion in cash flow from operations. This is derived from an increase in cash receipts from customers driven by the 8% revenue growth of the company. Cash payments decreased by approximately $1.8 billion from the previous year from binding legal settlements. These factors played the major role in the increase of operating cash flow. Keeping operating cash flows down was payments to the 7% increase in full-time employees added during the fiscal year 2005. This is a great recovery from fiscal year 2004 considering operating cash flow dropped by $1.17 billion from fiscal year 2003. Over two billion of this was from the Sun Microsystems settlement and the European Commission fine. The small offsetting gain is from increases cash receipts  from customers. Net financing cash flow showed a large increase from $2.36 billion in fiscal year 2004 to $41.08 billion in fiscal year 2005. This increase is driven by an additional $34.38 billion of cash dividends paid, and an additional $4.67 billion in cash used for common stock repurchases in fiscal year 2005 from fiscal year 2004. Net financing cash flow did have a substantial decrease from fiscal year 2003 to 2004 of almost $3 billion. However, this decrease is due the company not repurchasing common stock in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004 and an increase of $628 million from stock issuances of employee stock option exercises. An increase of $872 million in cash dividends during this fiscal year offset the numbers provided. Net investing cash flow for fiscal year 2005 was $15.03 billion, an increase of $18.37 billion from the previous year. Investment maturities that occurred to fund cash dividends paid increased by $23.59 billion in fiscal year 2005. Offsetting this figure was the decrease of $5.32 billion in cash from sale activity and investment purchases. Cash used for investing was $3.34 billion in fiscal year 2004, a decrease of $3.88 billion from fiscal year 2003 (Microsoft, 2006). Model Analysis The Boston Consulting Group Matrix is a representation of the status of Microsoft in the current market. There are four different categories that fall under the matrix, Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks and Dogs. The highest category and most self-efficient is the Stars with very high growth and high share. Next in the matrix: Cash Cows, which are low in growth and high in shares. The third category in the matrix is the Question Marks which are high in growth and low in shares. Last are the Dogs which are very low in both growth and shares. Microsoft would be placed in the Stars category simply because the company is constantly growing and is very self-sustaining. Strategic Alternatives 1. Develop a Microsoft version of open source software by exploiting Microsofts distinctive competency for developing software. This will give  Microsoft an edge in the open market by allowing it to effectively compete with current alternatives to Microsoft products, such as Linux, Sun Systems, and other open source/free software products. This alternative will give Microsoft the opportunity to increase its revenues by offering support services and training for these products. 2. Acquire Red Hat Inc. or another successful Linux provider. By combining the rising popularity of the open source concept with the ongoing success of Microsofts application software, the image of Microsoft will improve and launch the company into the increasingly popular open source market. 3. Improve current product line. Increase research and development spending to improve the dependability and security of current products. Then, implement an advertising campaign through several mediums to stress the superior quality of Microsofts products.

Work-integrated Learning (WIL) Project Management Plan

Work-integrated Learning (WIL) Project Management Plan Table of Contents (Jump to) Executive Summary Introduction Background of the project Intended audiences of the project Contents of the major sections of the PMP Conclusions Recommendations Executive Summary This assignment covered the project management plan of the national WIL portal project. University of Victoria in Australia is the sponsor of the national WIL portal project. The motivation of creating this portal is to make link among community, industry professionals with the higher education and vocational education sector. The students will be benefitted more by getting learning occasion from this. It is to mention that Victoria University is the leading university of thirty four Australian universities which made a consortium. The report starts with an introduction which describes the grounds of the report. The background section justify the situation and framework of the project. It also describes the addressees of the PMP. The checklist of the structure of the PMP is also discussed. Lastly, an analysis of the contents of the PMP by examining each of the key sections. The document includes the configuration that is suggested in the PMBOK moreover it also covered the module four of the class lecture materials. The total numbers of stakeholders are given on this project which creates a positive impact on project management team in communication plan. The risk management plan and risk register was also prepared in the report. There is a discrepancy in Appendix E, which contains work breakdown. The appendix E would be more appropriate if it explained as a milestone chart or project schedule. Appendix E comprises of responsibility, due date, start date and descriptions. These are the characteristics of project schedule. A Gantt chart presenting the plan of project task has not been given. To confirm good scope of management, a correct work breakdown structure should be incorporated. It is also recommended that a standard Gantt chart should be included to demonstrate the planned program of the project. It is also recommended to add full budget which shows cash flowed costs of the project and this benefits project manager to observe and maintain the costs of pro ject in control. In risk register the key assumptions should be included. Introduction The preparation of this assignment is made in line with the project management plan of the National WIL portal project. The student will be benefitted more by this National WIL portal project as it will create a web portal to link community, industry and professionals with the higher education and vocational education sector. The structured report contains a background which covers the project context, the structure of the PMP and the intended audience of the PMP. At the end it ends with a conclusion and some recommendations. Background of the project The National WIL portal project funded by Victoria University successfully applied to the variety and structural adjustment fund of the department of education, employment and workplace relations (DEEWR). The goal of the National WIL project was to make a WEB portal. This web would link among community, professionals and industry which would raise learning opportunities for the students. The major payback of this project was to offer simple communication occasion and assist the increase the growth of work-integrated learning community of practice. The portal would be assisted by the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN). Intended Audience of the project Work-integrated learning (WIL) is widely measured influential in training newgraduates with the mandatory employability competencies to function efficiently in theworkatmosphere (Jackson 2014). In a short, WIL is the expansion of professional skill, the capability of students to perform in the workplace (McNamara 2011). Module four of the MGT8022 course materials describes that the PMP has various reasons and is intended to several audiences. Higher authorities in governance need the PMP for decision making purpose. In order to execute the project by the project team members. Financial sensitive data are not added in the PMP. External funding source may provide some financial support. Project consultant will get a brief description of the project from the PMP but the components of the PMP will be carefully chosen. This is to mention that all the audience does not need full PMP document. Some of the audience may need parts of the PMP. Section 2. 1, P4 of the plan document describes about the various stakeholders. In following table various stakeholders are examined and also explained the reason of the intended audience of this PMP. Key Stakeholder PMP Audience ( Y/N) Reason Victoria University Yes Accountable for planning and leading the project. Execution, monitoring, controlling and closing part of the PMP will be lead by them Judie key Yes As project manager will lead the whole project and also responsible for planning. 34 Partner universities Yes part of the project ACEN Yes Will support the stakeholders and others when the portal will be finished. Project Advisory Group Yes Project advisory group will monitor the project. Project Development Group Yes DEEWR Yes As a funding authority they have interest on the project benefits Table 1: Key stakeholders and the reason to be included as intended audience. Victoria University is the initiator of the project WIL. The essential steps of aprojectinclude beginning, planning, execution,monitoringandcontrolling, and closing (Abushaiba Zainuddin 2012) As a project leader the university needs to learn the execution plan of the project. Monitoring and controlling of the project is also necessary for a successful closing. The role ofprojectmanageris important toprojectaccomplishment (Ahmed et al. 2013). Judie Key is the project manager. She is in charge of planning and leading the project. She needs to execute, monitor and control the project in order to successfully accomplish the project. Thirty four partner universities made a consortium to make national WIL portal. When the portal will be finished they will also be benefitted by this project. Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) will provide the national doorway for industry and community into the universities. Structure of the PMP Organisational culture and the methodology determine the formation of the PMP (MGT8022, P56). PMP should be significant to its intended audience. According to the functional area and difficulty of the project, project management diagram contents will differ (PMBOK Guide 2004). Actually there are no rigid rules as MGT8022 discussed (p56). The PMBOK described (p89) that the PMP can be either summarised or detailed and it can also be consists of one or more subsidiary plans and other mechanisms. In the traditional formation, the authority scale is realized throughout the chain of command, whereas in the project configuration, authority comes from reliability, knowledge, or being a sound decision-maker (Kerzner 2013) According to MGT8022 course outline suggested structure of PMP might include: Overview, objectives, general approach, contractual, schedule, resources personnel Evaluation methods Potential WIL Portal PMP Section Reason For Inclusion 1. Introduction Readers will realize the purpose of the document and a little explanation on it. Background and context of the project, it also includes project objectives. 2. Key Personnel Involved The influential people or organizations of the project. Basically, the people who are involved with project directly. 3. Project Benefits The payback that can be anticipated from the project. 4. Project Scope Project team will be focused and on task with project scope 5. Project Time Schedule Time Schedule tells when each activity should be done. 6. Project budget summary For accountability reason 7. Quality To ensure quality across the project 8. Project roles and responsibilities Define the roles and responsibilities of the project members 9. About the risk management plan To minimise or avoid the risk this plan is done 10. Project control To get the progress report of the plan 11. Communication plan To get a better establishment of communication Table 2: Structure of the National WIL portal project. Contents of the major sections of the PMP Customer satisfaction is the main condition for in general project achievement and  content design goals is the next (Mà ¼ller Jugdev 2012). In this PMP customer satisfaction should comes first before making contents of the PMP and contents should be design according to customer satisfaction. The content of project management differs depending upon the relevance area and difficulty of the project (Institute 2013). The elements of the main sections of the PMP would again rely on the organisational culture and methodology. The contents size depends on the particular project requirements. The contents of the national WIL portal PMP document are explored at the below table. MGT8022 course material is used as theoretical framework in the following table columns. Introduction is not supported by PMBOK. As a methodology PMBOK does not support introduction in any section. PMBOK suggests overview or executive summary of the project. The Victoria university portal project starts with introduction but it would be better if it started with executive summary or overview. Key personnel involved in the project are key stakeholders and team members (Turner 2008). The interest of the project creates a negative or positive outcome of the project. If the stakeholders are against the project they will not wilfully involve in the project. Project team members is vital for project performance, achieving information sharing is still tough (Han Hovav 2013). Team members must be trained how to work together and correspond with others effectively (Tseng Yeh 2013). Projectmanager (PM) capabilities are essential inproject accomplishment (Chipulu et al. 2013). In the Victoria university project there are many parties involved as various stakeholders, it would be a crucial task to make all of them happy. One of the disputes that one face when running aprojectis improbability. This differs fromprojecttoproject. The Risk  Management  process include identify, assess, plan, implement, and communicate (Hinde 2012). Appendix G discussed about the risk management process, here in the case of Victoria university risk assessment based on four major criteria. It is also noted that risk management will be reviewed periodically and, if necessary new things will be added to the process. The  project  schedule  is the complete duration of theprojectwork, including the project management work, in order to generate the project scope (Phillips 2010). In the WIL project start date and end date are given but it would be better if a Gantt chart was given. The project scope is no longer a unimportant assessment (Là ©ger et al. 2013). Manage through a breakdown formation, focus on outcome, balance objectives and levels of ambition and keep it easy are the four principles of scope management (Turner 2008). National WIL portal PMP described various scopes of the project but it would be better if key milestones are given in chart that would be more visible. Quality management process systems are the central part and information warehouse for making any decision regardinga course of action (Ul-Hasnain, Waqar Shahbaz 2012). Quality management process of the WIL project is discussed in appendix C elaborately. Project roles and responsibilities are discussed in appendix D with a chart. Project budget is very important because it identifies the financial resource of that project will use. project is successful when it is delivered on-time, on-budget (Ellis Berry 2013) . Project budget is discussed in the page number eight of the PMP plan as a summery but it is also noted that budget is a sensitive issue. Everybody involved in the project may not have the same interest on budget; the funding party DEEWR has the most interest on budget. Project Communication (PC) pursues regular procedures and guidebook, as Project Management conducts within restrictions of budgets and deliveries (Rajhans Shah 2012). If communication breaks down during any of the stage of project accomplishment, it generates a lot of obstacles and ruins the smooth performance of the whole project (Rajhans Shah 2012) . Appendix D also discussed about the communication plan of the project. Communication plan described the type of information to be communicated and the medium of the communication. This chart shows how all parties involved in the project will be communicated. Although project benefit is discussed in WIL portal project, it is not suggested by Project Management Institute or any authors to include in it project content. Basically, project benefit may be discussed in business case. In this particular case Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) the funding authority of the project may have particular interest of this project benefit. Four requirements are essential for effective control of the PMP. Monitoring and reporting of the results, comparison results with the plan and forecast future results, plan and take effective action to improve the main plan – these three are discussed in WIL project plan but potential work and estimate performance are missing from the content of project (Turner 2008). One means to improve success of theseprojectsis adequatecontrol. WIL Portal PMP Section Discussion of the Section Contents 1. Introduction MGT8022 suggests an overview or executive summary which gives related information. PMBOK does not provide an introduction type section because it is a methodology 2. Key Personnel Involved The contents of the key Personnel section in WIL portal include key stakeholders, those who provide project governance and those who execute project work 3. Project Benefits PMBOK or MGT 8022 course did not mention about the project benefits. Project benefits are discussed in the business case. 4. Project Scope PMBOK and MGT8022 mention about the project scope 5. Project Time Schedule PMBOK and MGT8022 mention about the project schedule 6. project budget summary PMBOK and MGT8022 mention about the project budget summary 7. Quality PMBOK and MGT8022 mention about the project quality 8. Project roles and responsibilities PMBOK and MGT8022 does not mentioned about project roles and responsibilities 9. About the risk management plan PMBOK and MGT8022 mention about the project risk and management plan 10. Project control PMBOK and MGT8022 mention about the project control 11. Communication plan PMBOK and MGT8022 mention about the project communication plan Table 3: Contents of the National WIL project. Conclusion: This is an average report on PMP. The lecture material covered in the module and also the information suggested in the PMBOK are covered in the documents. The total number of stakeholders is given in the PMBOK. Project management team are also integrated in communications plan. The risk management plan and risk register were arranged in the PMP. There is one inconsistency in the Appendix E with work breakdown structure. It would be better if explained in milestone chart. A Gantt chart describing the schedule of the project task has not been given. Recommendations: After the analysis following recommendations are given: To confirm good capacity of the management an appropriate work breakdown structure should be added in the PMP. More in depth budget presenting the cash flowed costs of the project should be given. Project manager will be benefitted to observe the costs of the project. More standard Gantt chart should be incorporated to demonstrate the intended scheduled of the project. The main idea planned in the PMP should be added to the risk register. The reason behind is that if these assumptions are not correct then the project would be at threat All schedules must recognize the time restrictions and, if possible, should recognize those funds vital for all event Plan future work and estimate performance should be added in project control. Project benefits can be omitted from the PMP

Deconstruction And Methods Of Demolition Construction Essay

Deconstruction And Methods Of Demolition Construction Essay There are many advantages of deconstruction over standard demolition. These advantages include (1) conservation of landfill space; (2) makes recycling easier; (3) potential building materials available for reuse; (4) preserves natural resources that would otherwise have to be used. In order to minimise the amount of natural resources being used and the energy involved in manufacturing these materials, a cautious approach to the disposal of CD waste needs to considered. Reusing materials prevents the use of embodied energy. This is the energy that goes into the production and manufacturing of a new product. Reducing the amount of energy required in manufacturing, producing and transporting new products leads to a reduction in damage to the environment. The figure below shows a system which could be implemented in order to limit the number of materials being disposed of on construction sites. Waste Management Hierarchy for construction and demolition operations Challenges facing deconstruction There are a number of challenges which face deconstruction including (1) tools needed for deconstruction do not always exist; (2) disposal costs of CD waste is relatively low; (3) deconstruction takes up more time than conventional demolition; (4) building and design codes do not always cover the reuse of building materials; (5) buildings are not designed to be dismantled; (6) the environmental and economic advantages of deconstruction are not recognized. Deconstruction around the world Australia Volume of waste produced The total volume of waste produced in Australia almost doubled between 1997 and 2007. In 1997, the total volume of waste produced in Australia stood at 22.7 million tonnes while in 2007, the total volume of waste shot up to 43.8 million tonnes. While 29% of the total waste produced was directly from household waste, the CD sector accounted for almost 40%. (ABS, 2010) Demolition Procedure The Netherlands Waste Tax Waste taxes are placed on waste brought to the landfill or to the incinerator. The rate of tax can vary depending on the type of waste. In 1995, the Netherlands imposed a tax on the disposal of waste. The reason for this tax was to make other forms of waste treatment more appealing. Since the introduction of the tax the total volume of waste sent to landfills has decreased by a significant amount. The figure below shows how the huge decline in waste sent to landfills since the tax was imposed in 1995. (Oosterhuis et al, 2009) This landfill tax is always on the increase in the Netherlands. In 2009, the landfill tax was à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ã‚ ¬90 per toone. This is one of the highest landfill tax rates in the European Union. (defra.gov.uk, 2010) Waste production and treatment in the Netherlands Landfill Waste Ban Along with imposing waste taxes, the Netherlands also implemented bans on sending recyclable and combustible waste to the landfill. This came into operation in 1997. This included separated CD waste. The reason for this ban was to limit the amount of waste going to landfills which is seen as the least favoured method of disposal. The responsibility for implementing the ban lies with the landfill operators who are inspected regularly by the governmentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s waste management agency, SenterNovern. The introduction of the ban in the Netherlands proved to be a success in cutting down the amount of CD waste sent to landfill. In 2009, 97% of CD waste in the Netherlands is recovered. (defra.gov.uk) Deconstruction Procedure Step 1 The first step in dismantling a building is to check to see if the building contains any hazardous substances. One of the main hazardous wastes which cause concern in Ireland is asbestos. This is a natural mineral which is used in many buildings for fire proofing or thermal insulation. The danger with asbestos is that if it breaks up, the fibres which make up asbestos may then be inhaled into the lungs as dust. This increases the risk of lung cancer and causes lung tissue scarring. Under EU legislation it is no longer allowable to re-use asbestos or to even buy products containing asbestos in Ireland. This means that asbestos cannot be recycled; it must be disposed of after it has been removed from the building. (citizensinformation.ie) Step 2 After a specialist contractor strips the building of all hazardous materials it is time to investigate the building and salvage any objects that can be reused as they are. This may include marble fireplaces, timber floors, radiators, doors, sinks and central heating boilers. Step 3 The building is categorised under one of the following three headings: Brickwork or block work buildings with timber floors and timber roof structure with roof tiles. Concrete frame buildings with prestressed concrete components. Steel frame buildings. Step 4: For all three categories above, the next step is to remove the flooring, tiles, plaster from the walls and ceiling. Windows are removed along with services installations (e.g. wall plugs, light switches). Metals are then removed and piping is also removed before the proper demoltion of the building starts. Step 5: There are a number of different types of waste that arise from stripping the building. These should be then split up into burnable and non-burnable materials. The burnable components brought to be incinerated while the non-burnables brought to the landfill. Step 6: Demolition: Brickwork or block work buildings with timber floors and timber roof structure with roof tiles. When every component of the building has been removed with the exception of the masonry works and the floors it is time to start taking the building apart floor by floor. Floor joists and timber floors are removed using a crane. These timber joists and flooring can then be reused. The advantage to using these second hand joists and flooring is that they are fully seasoned meaning they will not shrink. After the timber has been removed, the masonry blockwork is cut into sections and transported to be crushed. It may also be the case that the blockwork may be needed by the owner of the building in a new construction project. In this case the blocks are pulled down one by one and the mortar removed. Concrete frame buildings with prestressed concrete components. Prestressed concrete components in a building cause problems when it comes to disassembly because most of the time it is not known that the elements are actually prestressed. If prestessed concrete is cut up it may cause a structural element in the buiding to collapse. Steel frame buildings. The beams are dismantled one by one working from the top down. If the steel beams cannot be reused then they are cut and to be melted and remouilded. From time to time, steel structures like bridges are only partially taken apart and shipped overseas where the exact bridge is reused in another location. Step 7: The foundations of the building are th final step in the deconstruction of a building. Like the other elements of the structure the foundation is separated, broken up and transported to the crusher. In the case of concrete piles, they are removed by vibrating and pulling. If it is the case that wooden piles have been used as the foundation then it may be more difficult to remove as it will tend to break into pieves when being pulled from the ground. Demolition Techniques Balling This is the demolition technique where a heavy cast iron or steel ball is used to knock a building. The ball usually weighs between 500 to 5000kg. The balling technique can be used to demolish concrete, reinforced conrete and masonry. It has become less popular due to the level of disturbance which arises on site including vibrations, noise and dust.The ball can come into contact with the building in two ways (1) free fall (2) swinging. In the free fall process the demolition ball is lifted up into the air by a large magnet and then it is dropped onto the building which is to be demolished. In the swinging process the demolition ball is attached to a steel line which is attached to a machine with a rotating frame. Demolition Ball at work Demolition Breakers There are two types of breakers used in demolition (1) pneumatic (2) hydraulic. The difference between the two is pneumatic breakers are run using compressed air while hydraulic breakers use compressed oil. These type of breakers are used on concrete, brickwork and stone. Both types of breakers are mainly associated with minor demolition works, however they can also be attached to excavators for major demolition works. Pneumatic Breaker Hydraulic Shears Hydraulic shears are attached to excavators. They can be used in the demolition of any size structures and a wide range of materials like steel, concrete and timber. The two shears have toothed shears which slide past eachother to break up the selected material. Hydraulic Shears cutting steel Thermal Cutting Thermal cutting is used to cut steel and iron. Cutting torches are used for this process. There are three types of cutting torches (1) fuel/oxygen (2) powder (3) plasma. The fuel/oxygen cutting torches are run on a combination of oxegen and fuels such as natural gas, propane and acetylene which cuts at a maximum temperature of 3200 degrees Celsius. The choice of the fuel depends on the thickness of the metal. If the metal is too thick for a regular cutting torch then a powder cutting torch can be used. These can reach a maximum temperature of 4500 degrees Celsius. The powder cutting torch is more expensive than the regular cutting torches because there is an extra fed in the torch which allows aluminium and iron powder to be supplied. This is what increases the temperature of the flame. The plasma cutting is run by supplying electrical energy to gases such as helium and argon. These are used to cut alloyed steel which can be a slow process using the other two methods. Plasma cutting torches can cut up to four time faster than powder cuttinf torches. Explosives Explosives can be used in the demolition of buildings. Explosives can be set of using a wide variety of detonators which allows different detonation speeds. Explosions can be set off immediately or can be delayed by milliseconds if required. By blasting certain components of the building before others, it will allow the collapse of the structure to be carried out in a controlled manner. Even though this may help in accurately collapsing the building, there are still numerous examples of demolitions that have gone wrong when explosives have been used. This is why a large area must be cordoned off around the demolition site before blasting takes place. Crushing Separating CD Waste Immediately after a structure has been demolished it is transported a treatment plant where crushing and separating takes place. This enables new materials to be produced. The CD waste must go through a number of processes before it is recycled. It must get sieved, pre crushed to prevent the lager materials from damaging the main crusher and all material such as steel, glass, plastics and timber must be removed manually, by air separation or by washing. The materials must then be sieved at the end of the process in order to get the requied sizing for the new material. Jaw Crusher The jaw crusher is the machine use to pre-crush the CD waste. Large components such as reinforced concrete can be fed directly into the toggle crusher and are broken down into smaller piece by the moving jaw plate. Jaw Crusher Cone Breaker This type of machine cannot deal with large CD waste. After the waste has been pre-crushed the cone breaker is used as the main crusher. Inside this crushing machine is a cone that moves at high speed crushing waste material against fixed plates. Cone Breaker

Essay --

Nicole Ivgui Criminology Ms. Kovat December 13th, 2013 Is Solitary Confinement Unconstitutional? Solitary Confinement is the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as a punishment. Aside from the death penalty, confinement is the most extreme punishment that a prisoner can be sentenced to. Prisoners deserve to maintain their human rights while incarcerated just as much as any ordinary citizen in the United States. Solitary confinement is unconstitutional because it violates the fundamental rights of inmates by physically and socially isolating them, which potentially inflicts severe long-term damage on adolescents. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) has deemed solitary confinement as an unconstitutional form of punishment. It expresses that solitary confinement should be classified as torture because it inflicts potential physical and mental damage on inmates. Being confined to a cell for over 22 hours a day with absolutely no human contact is an inhumane practice and cannot be beneficial enough to overcome the consequences that an inmate must face upon release. Solitary confinement clearly violates the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment.† Solitary confinement is the epitome of torture. Inmates often recall not being able to distinguish the time they spend in confinement; hours feel like days, and days feel like months. Certain prisons use solitary confinement differently than others. The Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit (SHU) is known as the â€Å"most restrictive prison in California.† It is one of the harshest â€Å"super-maximumâ €  prisons in the country, meaning that inmates may be subjected to solitary confinement for a set amount of time or an indefinite duration. This is known as the ‘supe... ...t in solitary confinement because they cannot handle the isolation. When a human being is confined to a small, windowless room in complete isolation from other human beings, the results can only be negative. Communication is key to survival, people feed off of each other to survive. Furthermore, when a human being is deprived of communication and is forced to be alone, it is an unknown experience to them. Nothing in life can prepare someone for this sick excuse of a punishment- the degree of isolation that one is expected to endure in solitary confinement is inhumane. Young people are a lot more vulnerable than adults; therefore the physical and mental effects of isolation take a greater toll on adolescents than on adults. It is not only unlawful but also implacable to place any human being, much less an adolescent, through such a ruthless form of ‘discipline’.

Pornography on the Internet Essay -- social issues

Pornography on the Internet The Internet is a method of communication and a source of information that is becoming popular among those who are interested in the information superhighway. The problem with this world we know as Cyberspace, the ‘Net, or the Web is that some of this information, including pornographical material and hate literature, is being accessible to minors. Did you know that 83.5% of the images available on the Internet are pornographical? Did you know that the Internet’s pornography and hate literature are available to curious children that happen to bump into them? One of the drawing features of the young Internet was its freedom. It’s "...a rare example of a true, modern, functional anarchy...there are no official censors, no bosses, no board of directors, no stockholders" (Sterling). It’s an open forum where anyone can say anything, and the only thing holding them back is their own conscience. This lawless atmosphere bothered many people, including Nebraska Senator James Exon. Exon proposed in July, 1994 that an amendment be added to the Telecommunications Reform Bill to regulate content on the Internet. His proposal was rejected at the time, but after persistence and increased support, his proposal evolved into the Communications Decency Act (CDA), part of the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act The Internet has changed the world by creating advertising, information, and businesses. However, there are the few bad apples in the Internet that have information, literature, graphics and images that have been deemed inappropriate for minors. Therefore, many people feel the Internet should be censored by the Government. The Government owns and operates the Internet and its agencies are responsible for what is on the Internet. However, for the parents with minors that are concerned about what their kids see- they should go out and get software to censor the Internet. Don’t ruin everyone else’s fun. Why should I have to be a peasant of the Government tyranny over the Internet? The people that worry about their kids and make the Government worry about it and pass legislation on censorship are the people that are too damn lazy to buy Internet Censorship software programs for their PERSONAL computers, NOT the entire United States’. The Government wants censorship, but a segment of the Internet’s population does not. The Communi... ... the user would exercise control of the information available on interactive media instead of the government or network operators. The CDA criminalizes "knowingly transmit[ing] or mak[ing] available" information on interactive media that can be accessed just as easily by wondering the isles of a book store. It also criminalizes "indecent" speech that is transmitted electronically between two consenting adults. i.e. Email. The punishment for such a "crime" can be up to 2 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. The Communications Decency Act is unconstitutional by banning speech that is protected by the First Amendment in a medium in which the user is giving the ability to select what he or she does or does not want to receive. The government gives citizens the privilege of using the internet, but it has never given them the right to use it. If we have a "Constitution" and, supposedly, a "First Amendment"- why is the Government using legislation to stop us from expressing ourselves? We seem to be a ironic and paradox country. We didn’t want to be the first to use nuclear weapons and the atomic bomb, but were the first and, so far to present day, the last to use them.

The Grapes of Wrath - Lifestyle in the 1930s Essay -- essays research

The Grapes of Wrath is a historical and fictional novel that was written by John Steinbeck in 1939. He wanted to show his point of view of life in US during the years of Great Depression. This essay will talk about the lifestyle the public had during that time which dramatically changed conditions that the environment in we stern part of US had. The plot of Steinbeck?s work of fiction is rooted in the historical and social events of 1930s America, specifically the environmental disaster in Oklahoma. Drought had been a serious problem for the Great Plains region of the United States for many decades prior to the 1930s. Meanwhile, poor farming techniques of numerous sharecroppers had decimated the agricultural capacity of the land, the harsh cotton crops robbing soil of its nutrients. These two conditions combined to make if difficult for farmers to make a profitable crop. With the stock market crash of 1929 and the following decline in the U.S. economy, banks became desperate for a way to get back losses. Maintaining that it was more lucrative to be cultivated by a corporation, land companies began removing families from their farms. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, the subsequent events described as adventures of the main characters of the novel. The novel begins as the main character, Tom Joad, is released from an Oklahoma state prison after serving four years for killing a man. He makes his way back to his family?s farm and meets Jim Casy, a former preacher who is not preaching anymore. He goes with Tom to his home and finds out that it deserted. Muley Graves, an old neighbor, tells that everyone has been expelled off the land. The next day, Tom and Jim go to Uncle Jones place. When they arrive, Tom finds Ma and Pa Joad pa... ... cycle. In Casy?s statement that ?maybe it?s all men an? all omen in love,? we find the idea of humanism. John Steinbeck?s The Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939. It has a great historical significance to American history. It discusses the life in Oklahoma, California and other states of America during the period of Great Depression. This novel illustrates life of poor people who had to leave their land, move to a new place and try to survive there. However, the book covered only the occurrence of this period in one part of US history, which was west side. The Grapes of Wrath could have also included what was life like in eastern part of the country. It would also be helpful if the author included the role of the government in that period. Through the novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck wanted to demonstrate the lifestyle of the people in the 1930?s.

Benefits of Art Education

Steps to Art Early Childhood Arts Education Initiative Fact Sheet About the Benefits of Arts Education for Children Benefits of Arts Education Source: Americans for the Arts, 2002 * Stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills. * Has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the â€Å"learning field† across socio-economic boundaries. * Strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success. Develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond. * Teaches children life skills such as developing an informed perception; articulating a vision; learning to solve problems and make decisions; building self-confidence and self-discipline; developing the ability to imagine what might be; and accepting responsibility to complete tasks f rom start to finish. * Nurtures important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions.Source:  Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections, 1998, Introduction * Plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development. * Motivates and engages children in learning, stimulates memory, facilitates understanding, enhances symbolic communication, promotes relationships, and provides an avenue for building competence. * Provides a natural source of learning. Child development specialists note that play is the business of young children; play is the way children promote and enhance their development.The arts are a most natural vehicle for play. The Need in Preschools Source: Americans for the Arts, 2002 * Preschool care and education, except for certain low-income programs, is considered a private service and receives little or no federal funding. * While the importance of early childhood arts education has received greater attention in recent years, the majority of funding and programming is directed to grades K–12, with preschools being largely underserved. * Arts education should not be considered a frill, but a necessity.Since preschools are not part of the public school system, funding sources vary greatly. When budgets are tight, arts programs, teachers, and supplies are often cut first. * More than four million children attend preschool programs nationwide. Source: Arts Education Partnership,  Children’s Learning & the Arts: Birth to Age Eight * Preschool-age children are primed for learning and greatly accepting of most art forms. * Compelling evidence exists that early arts experience has an impact on all aspects of a child’s learning and development and that, in many ways, â€Å"earlier is better. * Early childhood thus presents both a unique opportunity and a unique challenge; a part of that challenge is to engage and support all who care for and educate young children in making the arts an integrated and vital part of their earliest experiences. * We know that â€Å"art,† understood as spontaneous creative play, is what young children naturally do—singing, dancing, drawing, and role-playing. We also know that the arts engage all the senses and involve a variety of modalities including the kinesthetic, auditory, and visual.When caregivers engage and encourage children in arts activities on a regular basis from early in life, they are laying the foundation for—and even helping wire children's brains for—successful learning. Adults Agree on Importance of Arts Education Source: Americans for the Arts national public opinion survey, January 2001 * Ninety-one percent of respondents believe the arts are vital to a well-rounded education. * Ninety-five percent of respondents believe the arts teach intangibles such as creativity, self-expression, an d individualism. Seventy-six percent of respondents somewhat or strongly agree that arts education is important enough to get personally involved. However, just thirty-five percent of those who are closely involved in the life of a child have done so. * Sixty-seven percent say they do not know how to get involved. * Eighty-nine percent of respondents believe that arts education is important enough that schools should find the money to ensure inclusion in the curriculum. * Ninety-six percent agree the arts belong to everyone, not just the fortunate or privileged.The Social and Academic Impact of Arts Education Source: Eisner, E. W. ,  Ten Lessons the Arts Teach, (January 1998) * Art is defined as something aesthetic to the senses. A â€Å"work of art† is both an activity and a result; it is a noun and a verb. â€Å"One of the great aims of education is to make it possible for people to be engaged in the process of creating themselves. Artists and scientists are alike in thi s respect. † * Arts curricula is typically process-driven and relationship based, so its impact on academic performance is often underestimated and undervalued.The arts provide a logical counterbalance to the trend of standardized testing and should not be marginalized just because the curriculum is more difficult to measure. * The emphasis and time given to a particular school subject sends a message to students about how important that subject is in life. * Arts programs, especially those including trained professionals, can help draw students out of â€Å"formal† ways of approaching relationships, outcomes, and perceptions. The arts can play a crucial role in improving students’ abilities to learn, because they draw on a range of intelligences and learning styles, not just the linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences upon which most schools are based. (Eloquent Evidence: Arts at the Core of Learning,  President’s Committee on the Arts and Hum anities, talking about Howard Gardener’s  Theory of Multiple Intelligences, 1995) The Physical and Sensory Impact of Arts Education A student making music experiences the â€Å"simultaneous engagement of senses, muscles, and intellect.Brain scans taken during musical performances show that virtually the entire cerebral cortex is active while musicians are playing. † (Learning and the Arts: Crossing Boundaries, 2000, p. 14) â€Å"Dramatic play, rhyming games, and songs are some of the language-rich activities that build pre-reading skills. † (Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connection, 1998, p. 1) â€Å"Preschoolers who were given music keyboard lessons improved their spatial-temporal reasoning†¦used for understanding relationships between objects such as calculating a proportion or playing chess. † (Education Leadership, November, 1998, p. 8) â€Å"Creative activity is also a source of joy and wonder, while it bids its students to tou ch, taste, hear, and see the world. Children are powerfully affected by storytelling, music, dance, and the visual arts. They often construct their understanding of the world around musical games, imaginative dramas and drawing. † (Hamblen, Karen A. ,  Theories and Research That Support Art Instruction for Instrumental Outcomes, 1993) â€Å"Regular, frequent instruction in drama and sign language created higher scores in language development for Head Start students than for a control group. (Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections,  1998, p. 1) â€Å"Listening to music for just an hour a day changes brain organization†¦EEG results showed greater brain coherence and more time spent in the alpha state. † (Malyarenko, et al. , 1996) Art Experiences that Promote Preschool Learning Source:  Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections, 1998, pp. 11–12 * Dance helps build motor control, body relationships, and a sense of directi on. Drawing, sculpting, and other visual arts develop spatial acuity. * Group activities, such as learning dance steps or singing songs, build social skills. * As children describe people and things in their world using pictures, body movements, and mime, they enhance their descriptive, nonverbal, cognitive capabilities. * Repeating stories, poems, and songs strengthens memory. * The art supplies children choose for their work reflects their approach to process and outcomes.