Melon Queen free essay sample

I mention this being out of character for her because, although she is a pretty girl, she has never been the pageant type. Going into her senior year of high school, she was the only girl in her class still participating in three sports: volleyball, track, and basketball. She has never been afraid of dirt or sweat, just not the pageant type. In the months leading up to the contest she and her fellow contestants attended weekly classes with the past years queen in order to learn the ways of royalty. This includes smiling, walking, waving, talking, and dressing. She would show her mother and I what she had learned almost daily and she was getting quite good. As I mentioned before she is not the pageant type and hoped that she would be heartbroken after the contest. The summer went quickly and the festival was upon us. The time had come to put on a suit and tie and escort my beautiful daughter to the stage, where in front of a thousand people she would walk the runway and answer a difficult question concerning what she would do with 0,000,000. We will write a custom essay sample on Melon Queen or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The contestants would be judged by four representatives from different festivals across Ohio. Ten girls were involved in the competition. I thought again how I hoped my daughter would receive a place and avert a broken heart. My wife and I sat in the front row. We watched and waited while the judges deliberated somewhere out of sight. This process seemed to take forever. When actually, after fifteen minutes, the judges came back with their decision. We held our breath as the MC took the envelopes and all ten girls held hands. The first announcement was that of Miss Congeniality. Everyone got quiet and my daughters name was called. A feeling of relief and joy came over me. She would not go home empty handed, she had not just won an award, she won the award chosen by her peers. That was something to be proud of. The MC then announced the runners up. Fourth, third, second, first then the moment of truth, who would be queen? Then I heard one of the most memorable things of my life, â€Å"The 2007-2008 Milan Melon Festival Queen is Amanda Richards! † My daughter had won. I actually thought I was going to faint. Everyone was jumping, cheering, and yelling. The whole extended family surrounded us laughing, crying, and hugging. As I looked up at my daughter and she looked back at me holding her roses and her two trophies in her arms, the smile on her face will be locked in my memory forever. The next year was filled to the brim with our travels around the state of Ohio with a giant slice of melon in tow. Attending festivals from Circleville to Geneva on the lake, and 26 others in between. The whole experience took us to places in Ohio I’ve never heard of and probably would never had visited had it not been for my daughters â€Å"seemingly out of character† decision to run for Melon festival Queen.

Tommorow When the War Began essays

Tommorow When the War Began essays In the novel Tomorrow When The War Began, by John Marsden, Australia has been invaded by another country. Due to this invasion Ellie and her friends become isolated from their families in Wirrawee. The group are forced to discover their hidden strengths and learn important values and lessons about life. These values and lessons begin with learning to fend for themselves, discovering the importance of their friendships and their ability to draw on courage when faced with difficult and dangerous situations. After Ellie and her friends discover that they have been invaded they return to a remote wilderness area known as Hell. Unexpectedly the group are now without their families to support them and are faced with the fact that they will have to make decisions for themselves. The group successfully make plans to hide from the enemy, gather food supplies and make decisions about their own survival and also that of their families. Homer often takes on the role of leader in guiding the group through decision making processes. An example of this leadership is when he says The way I see it, these are our choices, now that we know a bit more about the deal. One, we can sit tight and do nothing. And theres nothing chicken about that. Its got a lot to recommend it. Were not trained for this stuff and its important for ourselves, and our families that we stay alive. Two we can have a go at getting our families and maybe other people out of the Showground... Three we can do something else to help the good guys. Thats us ... . With Homer leading them the group learn to work together in order to survive. Friendship, loyalty and looking after each other are values that are important to the group. The group recognise the importance of trusting each other and working together as a team in order to survive. An incident where these values are clearly demonstrated is when Robyn and Lee do not retu ...

A Comparative Study on Main Characters Mean of Self-Expression in Novels This Boys Life and Into the Forest

A Comparative Study on Main Characters' Mean of Self-Expression in Novels This Boy's Life and Into the Forest Recreation In the novels This Boy’s Life and Into the Forest, both protagonists similarly utilize self expression as method to recreate themselves and escape a worse alternative. Throughout the novel, Tobias and the two sisters are plunged into harsh conditions where they must care for themselves. To keep themselves sane, they force a hobby or mentality in order to keep a goal in front of them, rather than accepting their current situation, almost to say that they are unaccepting of their current substandard condition. Tobias indulges within the Jack London novels to the extent that he idolizes their heroic figures and changes his name to Jack, so to set standards of himself in order to become something greater. â€Å"I was subject to fits of feeling myself unworthy†¦ It didn’t take much to bring this sensation to life, along with the certainty that everybody but my mother saw through me and did not like what they saw.† Eva, in contrast, expresses herself through ballet, seemingly to distract herself from the decrepit and deprived life she loosely maintains in the isolated shack with her family. As the power goes out and she does not have the resources to play music or attend the dance school, she subjects to dancing to the tick of the metronome, even if her opportunity to perform on stage has long since expired. â€Å"I need to dance, Nell. I have to dance to music. Just for a few minutes. To give me courage.† Her everyday practice provides a sense of cathartic release to relinquish her pains and keep her mind isolated from the chaos around her. Both characters engage in an activity which in turn provide mental stability, for they set a goal to work for, no matter how unrealistic, to serve as a more meaningful reason to live in their spiteful situation. Nell, unlike Tobias, had much direction in life, yet was unable to carry out her future because of the chaotic way society is maintaining itself, for Tobias aspired to transition from the weak boy into the men living in the stories he reads, in other words, and pseudo-inspiration. â€Å"When we are green, still half-created, we believe that our dreams are rightsand that falling and dying are for quitters. We live on the innocent and monstrous assurance that wehave a special arrangement whereby we will be allowed to stay green forever†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hegland 286). Here, Tobias shows his maturity in reflecting upon his life, explaining that our ambitions are very much a concrete part of our personality, that every dream we have will come to reality. However, it soon becomes apparent that life does not go as he planned it. He over glamorizes his life to his pen pal Alice, who he tries to describe the life he’d like to live, dreaming of transforming himself into the charmed young man he so desires to be. This contrasts heavily with Nell’s hopes, for she was had the skill, strive, and connections to perfect herself as a dancer, making her goal much more realistic. Yet, her days of dancing were put to an end due sudden poverty stricken condition of the the town. Nell, in comparison, had the opportunity to live out her dream as a dancer, whereas Tobias’s dreams are short lived, using the heroic figure to compensate for the lowly person he was at the time, making no attempt at realizing his fantasies. In both stories, the characters both struggle for their own sense of survival through independence. â€Å"It’s a physical urge, stronger than thirst or sex. Halfway back on the left side of my head there is a spot that longs for the jolt of a bullet, that years for that fire, that final empty rip. I want to be let out of this cavern, to open up myself up to the ease of not-living. I am tired of sorrow and struggle and worry. I am tired of my sad sister. I want to turn out the last light.† (Hegland 248) Nell explains that the laborious extent it takes just to choose to live on is much more struggle than it is to choose to die. The simple life she was familiar with as a child in a family was easy; no need to plan for the food or shelter the day or the next. Tobias concedes with this, stating, â€Å"But our failure was ordained, because the real family we set out to imitate does not exist in nature.† As he grows up, he starts to see that his family aren’t the people to take care of him; he has to do that himself. Though his mother searches for a significant other for most of the story, he realizes that no matter how many times she may remarry, there will never exist a perfect family. In the end of it all, he will never be able to depend on someone else, his survival would be solely his responsibility. As the plots of both stories develop, it becomes evident that they are both bothered by their past, and struggle to alleviate the pain inflicted as they grow up. â€Å"So my sister dances and the dead house burns, and i scrawl these last few words by the light of its burning. I know I should toss this story, too, on those flames. But I am still too much a storyteller -or at least a storykeeper still too much of my father’s daughter to burn these pages.†. Nell and her sister dance on the ground her memories and childhood were built around in this moment of catharsis, so to rid themselves of the grief and pains the past has brought them. As Tobias grows up, he attempts to find new opportunities to recreate himself, to find reason to look forward instead of looking back. He marvels at the freedom of starting anew, yet is unable to find the sanctuary he longs for. As both Tobias and his mother eventually move away, he chooses to join the army to rid of his past, to finally become the hero he has imagined from the novels. Though both characters attempt at forgetting their grievances, they both deal with it in different ways, nell does it through catharsis while tobias tries to completely reorganize his life and persona, thus mitigating their growing pains.

Relationships Among Organizational Culture, Human, Resource Practices Essay

Relationships Among Organizational Culture, Human, Resource Practices and its CEOs Leadership Style - Essay Example However, it should be a representative of the views of the employee’s beliefs to encourage innovativeness and free will. The organizational culture is likely to be shaped by the Human Resources practices, the CEO and the leadership styles applied. For example if stern action is taken by the management due to specific behavior ,then everyone in the organization will follow a certain pattern either to adopt or avoid the occurrence depending on the outcome. The most influential person in the organization to set the organizational culture is the company’s CEO. Although a CEO may come into a company long before its culture has been established, he/she has an upper hand in changing the way things are done in the organization. When mergers and acquisitions are formed, the organizational culture of the organizations involved in the merger is likely to be affected .In turn, this change will affect he effectiveness of the organization (Heller, 2007). Normalcy can be resumed after successful merger of not only the business side but the human resources which is directly related to the organizational culture of the new acquired business. ... nducted during the transition, Joe Moeller stated that he had worked in the Petroleum and Koch industries for the last 39 years .Although GP presented him with a total new playing ground, he was ready to take on the new roles to greater success encompassed on Koch’s culture â€Å"we will develop and leverage what we believe are the core capabilities of Koch companies and build a culture of principled entrepreneurship† (DeGross, 2006). During his leadership position in Koch, Moeller promoted an entrepreneurial culture that awards and develops superior performers in the organization. He believed in people rather than in systems. In Koch, every single employee right from the top to the bottom enjoyed the right to share their opinion under his leadership. From this one can tell that Moeller was a people oriented and democratic leader. He believes in the capacity of every employee in helping the company achieve its goals. He practiced democracy because all employees were at liberty of questioning the status quo. Furthermore, he would easily interact with employees in the lower cadre a characteristic that a servant leader would exhibit. Most of these leadership characteristic that he had were absent in the old G.P. To successfully change the old G.P’s culture to suit the Koch’s one, Moeller introduced entrepreneurial spirit that promoted a people oriented leadership. He did away with the bureaucratic ways of making decision and brought in a democratic and participative culture. He also promoted the free interaction among all levels of employees to exhibit a servant leadership style where junior employees would not fell intimidated by their seniors (DeGross, 2006). GP’s HR policies worked along bureaucratic systems. The employees were accustomed to going through

Accreditation of Educational Institutions Essay

Accreditation of Educational Institutions - Essay Example The agencies are expected to monitor the affairs of the educational institute and allow them membership by accreditation and evaluate the process of educational plans being executed by the member institute over a given period of its membership validity (Mora, 2004, p.437,). Accreditation agencies are of the view that human abilities are to be enhanced with independent learning strategy along with theoretical knowledge invested into their brains. They set standards of recognition and identity criteria for each member college with a view to cater the needs of students, who are mostly of creditable brilliance and partly employed. Banks and educational authorities at higher levels take feedback from the accreditation agencies for promoting the initiatives of each member college and forward proceedings for fund allotment and scholarship support to students as needed. Once the evaluation is on the onset, the educational institutions are accountable for their operative activities to the agency as it is the negotiator between the institution and the ultimate higher authorities. A search for the best-known accreditation agency in the world ends at Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) of America. Accreditation of colleges and other educational organizations can be easier with the application of some basic principles as set approved by CHEA. The CHEA principles are aimed at regulating the standards of all member colleges with the norms of CHEA. Principle.1 deals with considerations and actions for accreditation of non-US institutions and programs in other countries. Principle.2 considers the expectation for the conduct of US accreditation reviews of non-US institutions and their programs in another country.  

Book Review of Drinking Essay Example for Free

Book Review of Drinking Essay Caroline Knapp writes eloquently and honestly, yet often starkly, about her life as a â€Å"functioning alcoholic. † Ms. Knapp graduated Magna cum laude from Brown University, was a contributing editor at New Woman magazine as well as the Boston Phoenix. She wrote for many other magazines as well and was the author of Alice K’s Guide to Life. She was born into an upper-class family, one of two twin girls, daughter of a psychoanalyst father and an artist mother. Yet despite all the gifts seemingly bestowed upon her, from her earliest memories Ms. Knapp felt that she was different in some way; that she needed something to sustain her and help her travel through life; her particular crutch became alcohol. Carolyn’s family, though a model of respectability and stability on the outside, had their own particular demons to deal with. Carolyn’s father was described as â€Å"cold, remote, and inaccessible, an alcoholic involved in extramarital affairs. † (Handrup, 1998, p. 1). Her mother seemed to be â€Å"preoccupied with breast cancer throughout much of Knapp’s childhood,† and â€Å"was seemingly unaware of the inner life of her children. † (p. 1). Carolyn relates stories of her father’s previous marriage which produced three children, and the confusion that came along with the ex-wife and the younger son who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and whose erratic behavior frightened Carolyn. The theory of nature causing alcoholism pretty much goes out the window on this particular case as Carolyn’s twin sister Becca never turned to alcohol or any other addictive behavior to cope with a life that virtually mirrored Carolyn’s own. The disability of any alcoholic seems to be an intense need for protection; an inability to weather the storms of life alone, the absolute craving for a friend, a lover that will carry them through the rough times. In fact, Ms. Knapp felt about alcohol the exact same way she imagined others felt about their lovers. It was something she craved, obsessed over, and thought about constantly. Ms. Knapp’s â€Å"rough times† in life soon translated into absolutely anything at all, good or bad. The sun was shining, or it wasn’t, the cashier at the grocery store was unfriendly, or perhaps too friendly, somebody died, a baby was born. Every nuance of life became too difficult to deal with, the emotions that accompanied normal day-to-day living were too much to process without a drink—or two, or three, or four. Ms. Knapp wryly notes that living without alcohol is like being â€Å"forced to live alone without the armor. The armor, of course, is protection from all the things we might actually feel, if we allowed ourselves to feel at all;† (Knapp, 1996, p. 113) Comfort became an absolute necessity, and Caroline remembers that from the time she was able to sit in her mother’s lap she would rock herself back and forth, and that this bizarre behavior continued for more years than she cared to remember. â€Å"Later I developed a more elaborate system: I’d get on my knees and elbow and curl up in a ball on the bed facedown like a turtle in its shell, and rock away, for hours sometimes†¦I was deeply embarrassed that I did this, ashamed of it, really, but I needed it. I needed it and it worked. The truth? I did this until I was sixteen. The rocking was just like drinking. † (Knapp, 1996, p. 62). So, from the comfort she derived from rockingfor hours sometimes Caroline â€Å"graduated† to a more sophisticated form of self-comfort—alcohol. She never came to a satisfactory conclusion as to why that comfort was so essential to her. â€Å"I still don’t know, today, if that hunger originated within the family or if it was something I was simply born with. In the end I don’t suppose it matters. You get your comfort where you can. † (p. 61). While Knapp faced few serious medical issues as a result of her alcoholism, she nonetheless suffered through the physical challenges her addiction brought such as the soon-daily hangovers, headaches and nausea. She suffered blackouts on occasion, and another woman one day remarked about all the tiny broken blood vessels on her nose—a classic sign of the habitual drinker. Knapp combined two addictions for a period of time; anorexia and alcoholism. She felt like the anorexia gave her control over her life, and the alcoholism made it possible for her to continue the anorexia. She notes during her anorexic phase that â€Å"I simply couldn’t stand the starving anymore, couldn’t go on without some kind of release from the absolute rigor and vigilance and self-control, and I’d go out and eat like crazy and drink like crazy. These episodes were usually preceded by some glimmer of insight into my own loneliness, some gnawing sense that my hunger was more than merely physical. † (Knapp, 1996, p. 141). The psychological consequences of this intense need for protection in the form of alcohol were many; Knapp notes several times how impossible it was to maintain any type of intimacy in relationships when she had a whole secret life that nobody else knew of. She felt she was one person at work the responsible, hard-working, intelligent and dedicated writer another with each of her boyfriends, another with her parents and siblings, and perhaps could only let her true self come through when she was alone with her lover, her glass of bourbon. Caroline felt an emptiness deep inside, that nothing could counteract except alcohol. She also felt an enormous sense of powerlessness in her own life, and described it in this way: â€Å"As a rule, active alcoholics are powerless people, or at least a lot of us tend to feel that way in our hearts. † (Knapp, 1996. p. 178). Perhaps because she was a classic example of the functioning alcoholic, few people in Caroline’s life ever mentioned her drinking to her as being a problem. When her mother told her that perhaps she was drinking a bit too much, Caroline promised she would only drink two drinks a day, no matter what. When she was unable to keep that promise, she found one excuse after another. Her own sister, while realizing the problem, skirted the issue with Caroline. While Becca didn’t come right out and say that she thought her sister was an alcoholic, Caroline felt shame because she knew on some level her sister knew. Friends and boyfriends alike, seemed to accept the fact that Caroline drank, never seeing much below that superficial level of awareness. Although there were moments of clarity when Knapp realized she must stop drinking, (such as the time she was drunkenly swinging her best friend’s two daughters around and fell down, narrowly missing injuring the children), in the end it was no one thing that prompted her to enter rehab. She felt that it would take â€Å"great courage to face life without anesthesia,† (Iaciofano, 2004, p. 13) yet, in the end, she was able to pull that very courage from somewhere deep inside herself. Ms. Knapp’s story, full of bad relationships, years of self doubt and pain, strong addictions and family issues, psychologically goes far beyond the disease of alcoholism itself, and offers tremendous insight into the gut-wrenching need for something to ease the pain that life inflicts. Ms. Knapp notes that â€Å"You take away the drink and you take away the single most important method of coping you have. How to talk to people without a drink†¦.. How to experience a real emotion—pain or anxiety or sadness—without an escape route, a quick way to anesthetize it. How to sleep at night. † (Knapp, 1996, p. 254). References Handrup, Cynthia Taylor. (July-September 1998). Drinking: A Love Story. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Retrieved April 20, 2006, from http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3804/is_199807/ai_n8791537/print Iaciofano, Carol. (June 16, 2004). Lyrical Essays Trace a Woman’s Short Yet Rich Life. Globe. Retrieved April 21, 2006 from http://www. arlindo-correia. com/061203. html Knapp, Caroline. (1996). Drinking: A Love Story. New York, Bantam Dell, A Division of Random House.

The Narrative Voice in Araby, Livvie and The Yellow Wallpaper

The Narrative Voice in Araby, Livvie and The Yellow Wallpaper I hadn't really considered the importance of the narrative voice on the way the story is told until now. In "Araby", "Livvie" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" the distinctive narrative voices and their influences shed light on hidden meanings and the narrator's credibility. In "Araby" the story is told from the point of view of a man remembering a childhood experience. The story is told in the first person. The reader has access to the thoughts of the narrator as he relives his experience of what we assume is his first crush. We do not know how the girl feels about him. The narrator's youth and inexperience influence his perspective. His love for her is deep and innocent. As an adult, the narrator recollects his emotions for the girl with fondness, but the reader also detects a hint of regret as well. The narrator tells us that their first communication takes place when he goes to the back drawing room where the priest had died. There, in that sacred place, he spoke with the girl and made a promise that he would get her a gift if he was able to go to Araby. Soon after, "as a creature driven by vanity", he fails to retrieve a gift for her and is humiliated. I wonder if the narrator is implying that his true devotion to her was somehow blessed in the room where the priest died and when he allowed his sinful vanity to penetrate that love, he lost her. In "Livvie" the story is relayed by an omniscient third person narration. The narrator in this case provides insight into each of the characters, yielding to no one inparticular. The narrator uses subtle patterns in association wit... ...ten seen as representing an imaginative or "poetic" view of things that conflicts with (or sometimes compliments) the American male's "common sense" approach to reality". When society "values the useful and the practical and rejects anything else as nonsense", (feminine) imagination and creativity are threatened. Much like our narrator, women of that time were directed to suppress their creativity as it threatened the dominating male's sense of logic and control. "Perhaps the story was unpopular (at first) because it was, at least on some level, understood all too clearly, because it struck too deeply and effectively at traditional ways of seeing the world and woman's place in it". Works Dited Shumaker, Conrad. "'Too Terribly Good to Be Printed': Charlotte Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper'." Journal of American Literature 57.4 (1985): 588-599.

Marketing Audits and Its Importance to an Organisation

Marketing Audits and its importance to an organisation As of I am starting to write this essay, an historic and astonishing incident happened in US—Standard & Poors first time downgraded American Federal Bonds form AAA to AA+. Look at the messed up world economic picture–US is suffering from recession without any better signs, Europe is struggling with debt crisis, only growth engine China is also slowing down. We are facing the greatest uncertainty ever experienced before, as for economic society, walking away from this desperate situation needs to review history and find appropriate tools, from an organisation’s point of view, one of the effective tools is to seek for effective and regular marketing audits to cope with rapidly changing economic environment. Definition and Purposes of Marketing Audit The concept of marketing audit dated back to 1950s and evolved through application phase of 1960s, turbulent 1970s, growing period of 1980s and 1990s until now. The followings are several definitions of marketing audits: A comprehensive examination of an organisation’s marketing structure, programs and performance†Ã¢â‚¬â€-Peter Rix, Marketing-a practical approach â€Å"Systematic, critical, rigorous and unbiased study of efficiency of all marketing activities within an organisation extending to evaluation of each and every functional objective and their effective coordina tion†Ã¢â‚¬â€-Brian Monger, Marketing in black white â€Å"A periodic, comprehensive, systematic, and independent examination of the organisation’s marketing environment, internal marketing system and specific marketing activities†Ã¢â‚¬â€-Philip Kotler The purposes of marketing audit are to find marketing opportunities, locate marketing issues, seek right short term and long term solution, which ensure the implementation of marketing plans or the revision of unreasonable plans to improve an organisation’s overall marketing performance. Components of the Marketing Audit An effective and rounded marketing audit covers six components: 1/ Marketing Environment Audit Through auditing marketing environment in which it operates, an organisation could find if its marketing strategy is adapt to the marketing environment, and if any changes needed. The marketing environment consists of two subclasses, one is the macro environment which includes political/legal, economic, social/cultural and technological, and another one is industry and competitive environment. In short, PEST+C. 2/ Marketing Strategy Audit It mainly examine whether or not an organisation’s goals and objectives reflect market orientation, if the organisation takes right competition position, seizes market opportunities and allocates appropriate resources. 3/ Marketing Organisation Audit The marketing auditor needs to consider the decision-making ability of marketing organisation, as well as its ability of analysis, planning and execution. Other factors include its strain capacity to market, and its interaction with other function departments. 4/ Marketing Systems Audit It focuses on whether or not an organisation has well-established and effective systems for information gathering, planning and control. All these systems can be classified as internal systems, external systems, vertical and horizontal marketing systems. A vertical marketing system (VMS) is one in which the main members of a distribution channel—producer, wholesaler, and retailer—work together as a unified group in order to meet consumer needs. A horizontal marketing systems(HMS) means in which members at the same level in a channel of distribution band together in strategic alliances or joint ventures to exploit a new marketing opportunity. 5/ Marketing Productivity Audit A marketing organisation needs analyses on profits, cost-benefit, the audit covers performance examinations on sale-profit rates, costs of marketing, collection and inventory, etc. It also examines if there exists excessive cost expenditure and corresponding solutions on cost reduction. 6/ Marketing Function Audit Marketing function audit targets on marketing elements such as products, prices, places and promotions, as well as performance evaluation on marketing organisation, it consists of overall audit, sales audit, market investigation audit, and advertising audit. The auditors, through marketing function audit, may spot issues within marketing management and make relevant recommendations. Main Characteristics of the Marketing Audit Marketing Audit is a process of comprehensive, systematic and independent analysis and assessment of company's marketing environment, objectives, strategies and activities to identify problem areas and operational strengths and weaknesses and recommends the courses of action to be taken to improve company's overall marketing performance and make marketing strategies and plan more effective and result oriented. The main characteristics can be summarised as the followings, 1/ It should be comprehensive and broad in focus covering the entire marketing environment of the company. / It should be an objective exercise and independent of the managers directly involved in making the marketing decisions. 3/ It should be a systematic and orderly sequence of diagnostic steps as compared to an unstructured and random investigation. 4/ It should be carried out periodically. The marketing audit should be undertaken on a regular basis and not only when major problems arise. Main elements to be incl uded in a marketing audit The key elements of a marketing audit are: 1/ Marketing Mix For products it includes Product, Price, Place-distribution and Promotion For services it includes Product, Price, Place-distribution, Promotion, People, Processes and Physical Environment 2/ Product Life Cycle [pic] 3/ Competitive Advantage A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices. 4/ Internal and external assessment – SWOT – PEST The Marketing Audit Process and Participants likely to be involved The marketing audit process proceeds with the following steps, Firstly, setting up the audit objectives and scope, preparing relevant documentation, deciding time period for the audit. Secondly, gathering the data, conducting interviews and inquiries. Finally, preparing the audit report, presenting conclusions and providing relevant solutions. Bearing in mind, ‘the most valuable part if the marketing audit often lies not so much in the auditor’s specific recommendations but in the process that managers begin to go through to assimilate, debate, and develop their own concept of the needed marketing action. —The Marketing Audit Comes of Age by Philip Kotler, William T. Gregor and William H. Rodgers III The participants likely to be involved cover all stakeholders including management levels, ordinary staff, suppliers, dealers, customers even shareholders and communities the organisation located in. Who of these stakeholders and to what extent get involved in the aud it depend on the organisation’s specific requirements. Times when a marketing audit should be undertaken The marketing audits could be undertaken on conventional and unconventional bases, which means on one hand an organisation needs to conduct regular and periodic audit and examine whether or not it and its each function unit achieve setting goals and objectives, if any changes needed to its strategy, on the other hand, if an organisation’s internal departments or independent units are performing poorly, it should carry a thorough marketing audit to help them find reasons and improvement methods. Various forms of a marketing audit The marketing audit must be carried independently by an inside audit, onducted by a person or group inside the company but outside the operation being evaluated, or an outside audit conducted by a management consulting firm or practitioner. Why they are considered to be one of the most practical and profitable tools available to a marketer. The marketing audits cover all major marketing areas of a business, not just a few trouble spots. It assesses the marketing environment, marketing strategy, the marketing organisation, marketing systems, the marketing mix and marketing productivity and profitability. The audit is normally conducted by an objective and experienced outside party who is independent of the marketing department. The finding can come as a surprise, and sometimes as a shock, to management. Management then decides which actions make sense and how and when to implement them. The marketing audits prompt to make marketing strategy and plan properly, are beneficial for matching a business’ internal resources with external resources, realise better and profitable operating results.

Audit homework

Your firm has been engaged to audit the financial statements of Haven Ltd. In obtaining an understanding of Internal control relating to credit sales, the following questionnaire Is used: 1 Does the company evaluate the customers credit history, and is amount of available credit checked before a sale is authorized? Select a sample of credit order and inspect credit history and other supporting documents. Review the policy/procedure for customer approval and setting of credit limits. 2 Is there adequate segregation of duties between authoring sales, shipping goods, ND recording sales?Observe and make inquiries about the performance of various functions and duties. 3. Does management compare all shipments with recorded sales to ensure that all sales are recorded? Submit test data for a transaction that has shipping information, both with and without a supporting sales invoice. Select a sample of sales Invoices and examine for evidence that the company compared details to sloping docume nts, purchase orders, and sales orders. 4. Is every recorded sale checked against shipping records for appropriateness of revenue recognition? Submit test data where invoice data does not match with underlying shipping information. Are there adequate controls over the accuracy of the sales invoice? Select a sample of sales Invoices and examine them. 6 Are there adequate controls to ensure that the sales Invoices are recorded In the correct time period? Ledger. Perform sales cut-off tests to obtain assurance that sales transactions and corresponding entries for inventories and cost of goods sold are recorded in the same and proper period. The sales cutoff test involves: Examining shipping documents for several days before and after the cutoff date to determine the date and terms of shipment.Tracing shipping documents to sales and inventory records to establish that the entries were made in the correct accounting period. Inspecting invoices for a period of time before and after the cu toff date to ascertain the validity and propriety of the shipments and corresponding entries. Inquiring of management about any direct shipments by outside suppliers to customers and determining the appropriateness of related entries. 7 Are there adequate controls to ensure that the proper customer is invoiced for shipments?Submit test data the customer who received the shipment but does not match the underlying customer information on the sales order. 8 Does management review all sales that are recorded on a weekly basis? Observe and make inquiries about the managements' comments made on weekly sales report 9 Do adequate controls exist to review company accounting policies regarding revenue recognition? Observe and inquire about the policies regarding revenue recognition. 10 Do adequate controls exist to review the consistency of the estimation of the allowance for doubtful debts?Review subsequent cash receipts from the customer, discusses unpaid accounts with the credit manager an d examines the credit files. These should contain customer's financial statements, credit reports and auditor estimates the likely amount of non-payment for the customer, which is included in the estimate of the allowance for doubtful accounts. In addition, an allowance should be estimated for all other customers, perhaps as a percentage of the current accounts and a higher percentage of past due accounts. The auditor compares his/her estimate to the balance in the allowance account and proposes an adjusting entry for the difference.Required Identify a possible test of controls for the control procedure, assuming a Yes answer to each question? ANSWER: Tests of controls are auditing procedures performed to determine the effectiveness of the design and operation of internal controls. The auditor should obtain audit evidence through tests of controls to support any assessment of control risk that is less than high. The lower the assessment of control risk, the more support the auditor should obtain that internal systems are suitably designed and operating effectively. 11. 30 Greener Pasture Pity Ltd (Green Pasture) is a private nursing home.

5 Tips for LGBTQ Students How to be Gay at College

5 Tips for LGBTQ Students How to be Gay at College 5 Tips for LGBTQ Students: How to be Gay at College The focus of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (May 17) this year is â€Å"mental health and wellbeing.† This is particularly relevant to students, as college is a place of self-discovery, and somewhere many LGBTQ people choose to come out or experiment with their identity. Photo: William Murphy As such, we’ve got a few tips for making your college experience a happy one, as there’s no reason you shouldn’t enjoy your education just because you’ve rejected the norms of heteronormativity. 1. Research Different Colleges If you’re thinking of applying to college but want to study somewhere that welcomes LGBTQ students, it pays to do a little research beforehand. One way to do this is to ask current students about their experiences, but there are plenty of online resources if you’re not sure who to ask. 2. Look for Funding College can be expensive, so any financial help is usually welcome. What you might not know is that there are scholarships available specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. 3. Meeting New People Making new friends is part of the college experience for any student. But when you’re LGBQT, or simply want to explore that side of your personality, you might be particularly keen to meet like-minded people. A good option is to join an LGBTQ advocacy group. Most colleges these days will have at least one LGBTQ group on campus, often affiliated with national organizations like the Gay-Straight Alliance. Likewise, look out for LGBTQ events at your college. Photo: Wikimedia Alternatively, you could venture off campus to find any LGBTQ community centers in your local area. It also helps to research gay-friendly businesses, such as bars, cafes and shops. 4. Get Online Of course, if you don’t have any luck meeting people in meatspace, you always have the World Wide Web as a backup source of awkward first dates (a characteristic feature of any college romance, straight or gay). More seriously, the internet is also a great resource for advice on LGBTQ issues, as well as message boards and forums where you can ask for guidance on just about any topic imaginable. 5. Try Not to Worry†¦ It’s natural to feel a little freaked out when you first go away to college, especially if you’re not sure how other people in your dorm will react when they find out you’re LGBTQ. The first thing to remember here is that you’re under no pressure to reveal anything about your sexuality to other people if you don’t want to. It is entirely your decision when and with whom to discuss your personal life, so move at a pace with which you’re comfortable. The second thing is to realize that most people will support you when they do find out – or simply won’t care! Your friends should always accept you for who you are.

Business Forecasting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Forecasting - Essay Example The third step includes testing the predictability of a model while using the ‘out-of-sample data’, that establishes whether the model can fulfill its duty of predictability. Historical data is essential to predict the future demand. Even though the future data may fit the future data, it is not an assurance that the forecast in the future is accurate. Like in the carbonated soft drink study, the estimate went on for over 153 weeks, with the 13 weeks used as out of sample data. The increased lead times for some specific packaging components is due to the complicated process. Also, the surfacing of more than normal supply and demand issues force a change in the supply chain after only thirteen weeks of the entire plan. The scenarios The scenarios as analyzed in the case study include sensing demand, shaping demand and ways of maximizing Return on Investment. The sensing demand handles the measures the organization undertakes to increase volume in the retail business assoc iated with grocery. The scenario is imperative in demand forecasting because it ensures the production of enough products for existing customers. The firm concentrates on major business indicators, to push sales up thus increasing profitability. The third scenario associated with maximization of ROI, the organization researches on other scenarios that can help boost sales and promote productivity. Another fourth scene not mentioned in the case study, but remains important is to understand the consumer in terms of quality and quantity standards.

Hispanic American Diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Hispanic American Diversity - Research Paper Example edly larger percentage of people of color and visible minorities within key social institutions such as government office – President-elect Barack Obama is perhaps the most obvious example today but there is also increased representation of visible minorities across the country in all aspects of public office – the police services and the education sector, just to name a few. Changing worldwide immigration patterns have led to an increased flow of people from around the world to the United States, facilitating interracial and intercultural communication. American society has quickly become far less homogenous and cultural institutions are beginning to reflect this. Today, 1 in 3 Americans identify themselves as Hispanic, African-American, Native American, Asian America or Pacific Islander. It is predicted that by the year 2050, more than half of the American population will be identified as minorities. The growth of Hispanic communities in the United States has been profound over the last century and this paper proposes to undertake a thorough analysis of the various Hispanic communities in the United States today. Contrary to popular opinion, the Hispanic community in the United States is not a monolith and is composed of various Spanish-speaking groups which may share various commonalities but also differ in a variety of respects. Accordingly, this research paper aims to explore the linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial conventions and/or statuses of the four major Hispanic groups living in the United States. In short form, these groups include Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, and Spanish-American s. Following a brief yet comprehensive overview this essay will conclude by summarizing major differences and commonalties apparent among the groups. We now turn to an introduction to the Mexican-American community (Gans 1995). Mexican-Americans speak Spanish as their mother tongue and include both an older