Global Education Services Information Systems

Question: Discuss about the case study Global Education Services for Information Systems. Answer: Introduction Global Education Services (GEC) is a student recruitment business established and headed by Mr. Peter Ho and is based out of China. It provides education services and information associated with the same to the students in Great Tong City and also acts as a recruitment agent for the universities all across the globe. Peter along with his assistant Vicky, operates from a single business unit with the help of a couple of computer systems and manual processes in all of its operations. With the expansion of business and entry of similar competitors in the market, it is now a mandate for Peter and his firm to implement information systems in the architecture to handle the information and the operations in a more organized and streamlined manner. Justification An Information System is a collection of people, data, technology and processes which are used to fulfill a specific purpose or task. These inter-related components are also utilized to support decision making and control in an organization (Cornford and Shaikh, 2013). Importance of Information Systems to GEC Information systems for GEC will allow better communication and interaction with the customers i.e. the students spread all across the globe. Also, the management of information related to student demographics, enrollment and registration will be recorded and stored in a more secure and organized manner without any need to maintain the paper based records. Staff management and tracking of the resources will also be easier for GEC and all of the services will be made available in a more reliable, maintainable and always available manner (Gupta, Sharma and Tripathi, 2016). Information Systems for Small Businesses Transaction Processing Systems such as Payroll Systems and Order Processing Systems along with Management Information System such as Staff Management and Budgeting Systems will be beneficial for small scale firms. Also, Decision Support Systems such as financial planning will prove to be of great help for small scale businesses (Thong, 2016). Problems The problem associated with GEC revolves around the management of the information. Keeping a track of the student details through paper based records is both troublesome and unsafe. Also, management of the staff members and allocation of their duties through manual processes is slow and productivity would decrease through the same. Finance management is another area of concern wherein manual handling of cash is not a secure process to adapt to. Opportunities The three broad areas for GEC to develop are the management of the information associated with the customers, better handling of the finance and account and organized staff management The basic information requirements of GEC are the customer requirements in terms of an education business unit that is available, reliable and secure in terms of handling of the data and the information. Also, the staff related data such as timings, leave details, roles and responsibilities are the details that would be required to be handled in a better manner. The information associated with the accounts section and the decisions to manage them will also play a significant role. The following Information Systems will enable GEC to appear as a stronger and more reliable name in the market. Transaction Processing Systems These are the information systems that will enable GEC to handle the transaction events in an organized manner by correctly validating, sorting, listing, merging, updating and calculating the data to ensure data integrity, consistency and durability. Order processing systems to handle the student requests online in an automated fashion and payroll systems to handle the employee salaries and compensation are a mandate for GEC (Rahmatian, 2016). Management Information Systems These are the Information Systems that are designed for the managers for smooth functioning of the operations. Staff Management System to ensure better management of the staff members with an automated handling of their timesheets, leaves calculation and also automated allocation of roles and responsibilities will allow the resources to work in a more productive and efficient manner. Budgeting systems will allow Peter and his team to develop a dedicated budget for all of his activities (Harsh, 2016). Decision Support Systems Decision Support Information Systems will enable GEC to take better decisions for the organization. Financial planning systems will allow Peter and GEC to take better decisions in terms of finance and also efficient handling of the cash received for various orders and requests (Druzdzel and Flynn, 2016). Internet, intranet and extranet can be utilized by GEC to communicate and interact with the clients and the staff members along with all of the operations associated with the same. An internal network will allow the team members to share information and keep a track of their progress and an external network will allow the carry out of operations such as receiving student request, approving student request, advertising the various opportunities and also changes and modifications. It will also enable storing the student records and employee information on cloud. Change Management is the process of handling the changes that are introduced in the system with incorporation of new techniques or modifications in the existing strategies. GEC can handle the changes with the help of dedicated training hours to the employees and also making the user manuals and guides available for the customers on the online portal. Also, a step by step migration will be performed rather than doing it as a whole to grant the employees required time to adapt with a particular phase without compromising on the productivity. Security and Ethical Issues There are a number of security threats such as malicious software, denial of service, account hijacking and data loss that get introduced with the adaptation to information systems. Also, ethical issues such as violation of intellectual and copyrights, malicious insiders and violation of code of conduct will be probable for GEC. Ways to handle the security and ethical issues Use of proper access control mechanisms, physical security along with installation of firewalls, encryption of information, use of anti-virus and internet security will allow GEC to avoid the security threats. Introduction of legal and regulatory policies for information handling and ethics and compliance policies will allow keeping the ethical issues aside. References Cornford, T. and Shaikh, M. (2013). Introduction to information systems. [online] Available at: https://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/sites/default/files/programme_resources/lse/lse_pdf/subject_guides/is1060_ch1-4.pdf [Accessed 30 Jul. 2016]. Druzdzel, M. and Flynn, R. (2016). Decision Support Systems. [online] Available at: https://www.pitt.edu/~druzdzel/psfiles/dss.pdf [Accessed 30 Jul. 2016]. Gupta, C., Sharma, S. and Tripathi, S. (2016). Importance of Management Information System in ElectronicInformation Era. [online] Available at: https://www.smslucknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/pdf/Archives/Vol%201(2)/Vol%201(2)-2010-P107-P114.pdf [Accessed 30 Jul. 2016]. Harsh, S. (2016). Management Information Systems. [online] Available at: https://departments.agri.huji.ac.il/economics/gelb-manag-4.pdf [Accessed 30 Jul. 2016]. Rahmatian, S. (2016). Transaction Processing Systems. [online] Available at: https://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~sasanr/Teaching-Material/MIS/TPS/TPS.pdf [Accessed 30 Jul. 2016]. Thong, J. (2016). An Integrated Model of Information Systems Adoption in Small Businesses. [online] Available at: https://home.ust.hk/~jthong/SSRN-id1977980.pdf [Accessed 30 Jul. 2016].

7 Last Minute Essay Writing Tips to Have More Free Hours

Is the last minute left till the submission of an essay? This may sound familiar to most students. They lack sleep for days because the deadlines are approaching. You may say, Everything is alright. Im a student after all. Wait! No, its not normal to have red eyes! If youre a student, that doesnt mean you shouldnt have a life full of beans. Agree? Keep in mind that when students sleep less than it is recommended, they get less active during the day. A student needs enough sleep to meet up the demanding cognitive tasks and other academic requirements. The rule to sleep at least 7-8 hours is justified on grounds of 9 surprising reasons you can get familiar right now. In most cases, it turns out that a high-quality sleep is cut short by the need to stay up late at night. This time may be completely devoted to writing an essay before the deadline passes. Read further to learn how to write a good last-minute essay without sacrificing your free time. What Makes Students Hurry with Essay Writing? If you are used to working late at night, you should know how much it will cost you errors, anxiety, tiredness, stress, depression, etc. All that have a direct influence on your academic performance and mental health. In what way? Read more about hurry sickness existing today. Most students complain of feelings of sickness because of different reasons (from justifiable to not really explicable ones): Work. Some students work while studying at college or universities. Even if you are studying at high school, you may work as well. There are 25 jobs available for high school students. Most jobs are so demanding that much time and energy are required from students. Much more efforts are necessary to combine work and studies. Indeed, students have to work to cater to their needs at school. However, to meet the deadline, students stay up late at night to write an essay, research paper or complete any other project. Such an academic routine is very tedious and deprives a student of a quality sleep needed at the school and workplace. Procrastination. Some students wait until the last minute to start writing college essays without working somewhere or being engaged in some extracurricular activities. They dont simply want to do a particular task considering it as irrelevant or unimportant to them. Besides, a student may procrastinate because of the deadline pressure that he/she may face in numerous assignments. The lack of incentive to start an essay early, the lack of clear assignment instructions as well as the writing skills shortage lead to the unwillingness to do anything. Have the habit to procrastinate too? Remember, your academic progress will go down. The absence of resources. When a student is unable to find the relevant resources to write an essay on, they are likelier to prolong writing it. The unavailability of resources can put off the interest in writing an essay. The inability to find a resource could be linked to the lack of understanding of an essay topic by a student. This makes a student procrastinate with writing an essay until the last minute. But still, every essay given by your instructor must be written if you want to make academic progress. The low cognitive abilities and skills. Cognitive abilities are brain-based skills that determine how we learn, remember, solve problems, and pay attention. So if you are always in a hurry, check if your cognitive functions serve you well. Keep in mind all the skills can be boosted if you take enough efforts to the regular development and practice. 3 Effects of Hurrying and Sleeping Less at Night All these points probably make you rush into last-minute essay writing now. As a rule, the quick writing process isnt always effective for your academic performance. Remember what consequences are possible when you are in a hurry and sleep less than it is needed? âÅ"…The increase in stress level. During the day, the activities undertaken by a student all lead to the buildup of the stress levels. Cortisol, the hormone stress, increases during the day and declines during the night especially when adequate sleep is given to the body according to the research. Sleep deprivation can lead to the continual buildup of the stress level, which eventually leads to cardiovascular diseases, the decline in the cognitive function, tiredness, and other side effects. On the long run, this may affect the overall academic performance of every student who does something more quickly than usual. It happens, for example, because you are late or you must finish something soon. âÅ"…Underachievement. Want to show the fullest potential but fail every time? It may occur just because you do not have much time and need to hurry, for example, to write an essay in the last minute. As the result, you may make more mistakes than you would do if an effective time management schedule were at hand. Incorporating some advances in technology into your everyday curriculum is one possible way of increasing the level of motivation to learn and achieve greater results. âÅ"…Poor health. While sleeping, the immune system produces infection-fighting substances. This supports the activities of the immune system to keep the activities of foreign substances at bay. Sleep deprivation hinders your body from producing these infection-fighting diseases. This increases the students risk of being exposed to chronic diseases that will prevent them from writing their essay and achieving academic excellence. What Is the Effective Last Minute Essay Writing? Follow Our 7 Tips! Starting to write an essay early will leave you more time to sleep at night or take part in interesting events in your college. However, if you often experience the situation when an essay must be written at the last minute, follow some last-minute essay tips to successfully complete it on time: ⠝ ¶ Switch Off All Possible Distractions While writing an essay, any distraction is likely to set in Facebook notifications, likes on Instagram, calls from the best friends, and so on. To write a last-minute essay demands much more focus than if you wrote it during the whole week. Getting distracted while writing an essay can result in a poorly-written essay with many mistakes in spelling, grammar, etc. The rules of grammar in English arent the easiest to follow. For that reason, you can read the article on The Guardian 10 Grammar Rules You Can Forget: How to Stop Worrying and Write Proper. Want to write without getting your attention drifted away, turn off the TV, the smartphone as well as block all the social networking sites. Then, start writing as your chances to write a captivating, high-quality and A-worthy essay are higher than ever before. ⠝ · Read the Assignment Carefully When an educator assigns you with a particular essay, read the assignment thoroughly. You will not do well if you write something that is different from what you are asked to do. For example, if the assignment sounds as analyze and you provide a summary, this will not bode well for you. A student gets good marks if they follow all the instructions given to them. Therefore, you should adhere to the essay instructions and work accordingly. Given a task to write a 1500-word essay. Stick to this requirement write not less than 1300 words and no more than 1700! ⠝ ¸ Set a Fixed Time to Write an Essay as Required After you know what scope of work you need to deal with, you should budget time effectively for your progress. Remember, you dont have a good deal of time just several hours to write an essay successfully. First of all, set a fixed amount of time to pre-write, write, and post-write the essay. This step-by-step way of writing an essay within specific timeframes enables you to avoid procrastinating any important essay writing stage. For example, you are determined to write an essay on Monday. Allocate enough time for it. Think 2 hours is enough to brainstorm the main ideas for an essay, structure and edit it? Find an additional hour to do everything in your essay as required. Dont forget about 3 finishing touches: ⠝ ¹ Research All Sources of Information Thoroughly No essay writing can be done at a satisfactory level without doing proper research. It arms you with the necessary information to write a well-researched essay. Before you start writing an essay, you should understand the topic and its peculiarities. How to do it? Just look through all the resources available to you to gather the required information about a particular issue. It is better to construct your ideas using only reliable sources such as scholarly journal articles, credible research websites, and others. Where to find them better? 100 search engines for academic research are at your service. You can quicken the search process by pointing out the keywords of your topic. Be sure that youll be provided with what you are looking for. ⠝ º Outline an Essay in Advance A well-developed outline of your essay will guide you through the writing process faster than if you rushed into essay writing immediately. The writing process is simplified by structuring the essay into sections which can be expanded gradually. An essay should be structured in a way where there are the introduction, body, and conclusion. In its turn, the body is divided into 3 main parts containing some supporting evidence. Without an outline, you may end up writing a disorganized essay. An outlined essay allows you to detect areas that require working on. You will be able to add more detail to each part. An outline also gives you clarity on what to write about. This saves your time and energy to brainstorm ideas of what to put on paper. ⠝ » Dont Neglect Drafts When an outline of your essay is prepared, it means that you can develop all ideas to the fullest extent. Dont overestimate your ability to write an essay promptly upon receiving a topic. Even an experienced writer works on as many drafts as possible before saying, Ive finished writing my book! Youre recommended to deal with at least a draft where you could remove or add some points. It can be refined and better presented in a final copy. It isnt of little value to get all the essay ideas out of your head and down on paper as it should be done. If you hesitate to draft your essay, read a guide on what a rough draft is, why it is important, and how to compose it successfully. ⠝ ¼ Proofread and Edit Your Essay Accordingly While writing an essay, there is a tendency among students to make different mistakes from spelling to formatting. The errors will earn you low scores. Want this turn of events? Revise the essay to detect some grammar, spelling errors, and typos. Look at 20 worst typos, grammar errors and spelling mistakes. Ensure that the structure of your essay follows the academic standards. It is better to take enough time to write an essay than submit a poorly-written piece. Take care to see that there are no plagiarized words. Plagiarized content isnt appropriate in the academic field. Edit all the borrowed information according to the formatting style be it APA, MLA, Harvard or Chicago. Dont ruin your reputation! After reading this guide, moreover, after following all the last-minute essay writing steps, you are close to great results. Stop worrying that too little time is left to write an essay! Even if you arent able to follow all these tips, there is one more way to finish all your essays on time a custom essay writing service like ours. All that is required from you is to place an order, specify the paper requirements, and you will get a well-written essay in no time. The essay will be 100% tailored to your instruction, and you will have time to sleep.

The Indian Education System Merits Demerits Essays

The Indian Education System Merits Demerits Essays The Indian Education System Merits Demerits Essay The Indian Education System Merits Demerits Essay Essay Topic: Education The Vedas, Puranas, Ayurveda,Yoga, Kautilyas Arthasahtra are only some of the milestones that the traditional Indian knowledge system boasts of. There are evidences of imparting formal education in ancient India under the Gurukul system. Under the Gurukul system, young boys who were passing through the Brahmacharya stage of life had to stay at the Guru or the teachers home and complete their education. Although the ancient system of education has produced many geniuses and still a major area of research. Women and people of lower castes gradually lost their right to educate themselves. The spread of Jainism, Buddhism, Bhakti and Sufi movements did have some liberating effects on the condition of the women. But it is the English language and the reformation movements of the 19th century that had the most liberating effect in pre-independent India. Thus, the Britishers, although rightly criticized for devastating the Indian economy, can also be credited for bringing a revolution in the Indian education system. II. Types of Education There are different types of education in India. Every individual has the right to choose a method (As mentioned below) for his education. Universities play a major role in the lives of students in India. There are universities focusing on the study of medicine, arts and language, journalism, social work, business, commerce, planning, architecture, engineering, and other specialized studies. Most Indian universities teach in English Medium and conduct special language classes for those weak in English. With 343 universities and 17000 colleges, India offers a wide spectrum of courses that are recognized globally. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are many training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. The quality education that India offers is within the reach of every income-group considering the reasonable fee structure. With 66 distance education institutions functioning in 60 universities besides 11 open universities, India has an enlarged outreach of distance education as well. Present Condition of Education in India:Â  Soon after gaining independence in 1947, making education available to all had become a priority for the government. As discrimination on the basis of caste and gender has been a major impediment in the healthy development of the Indian society, they have been made unlawful by the Indian constitution. The 86th constitutional amendment has also made elementary education a fundamental right for the children between the age group- 6 to 14. According to the 2001 census, the total literacy rate in India is 65. 38%. The female literacy rate is only 54. 16%. The gap between rural and urban literacy rate is also very significant in India. This is evident from the fact that only 59. 4% of rural population are literate as against 80. 3% urban population according to the 2001 census. In order to develop the higher education system, the government had established the University Grants Commission in 1953. The primary role of UGC has been to regulate the standard and spread of higher education in India. There has been a marked progress in the expansion of higher education if we look at the increase of higher educational institutes in India. The higher education system in India comprise of more than17000 colleges, 20 central universities, 217 State Universities, 106 Deemed to Universities and 13 institutes of National importance. This number will soon inflate as the setting up of 30 more central universities, 8 new IITs, 7 IIMs and 5 new Indian Institutes of Science are now proposed. Education System in India: The present education system in India mainly comprises of primary education, secondary education, senior secondary education and higher education. Elementary education consists of eight years of education. Each of secondary and senior secondary education consists of two years of education. Higher education in India starts after passing the higher secondary education or the 12th standard. Depending on the stream, doing graduation in India can take three to five years. Post graduate courses are generally of two to three years of duration. After completing post graduation, scope for doing research in various educational institutes also remains open. Prominent Educational Institutes in India: There are quite a good number of educational institutes in India that can compete with the best educational institutes of the world. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institutes of Science, National Law Schools, Jawaharlal Nehru University are some such institutes. Education for the Marginalized in India: As education is the means for bringing socio- economic transformation in a society, various measures are being taken to enhance the access of education to the marginalized sections of the society. One such measure is the introduction of the reservation system in the institutes of higher education. Under the present law, 7. 5% seats in the higher educational institutes are reserved for the scheduled tribes, 15% for scheduled castes and 27% for the non creamy layers of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Under the Indian constitution, various minority groups can also set up their own educational institutes. Efforts are also being taken to improve the access to higher education among the women of India by setting up various educational institutes exclusively for them or reserving seats in the already existing institutes. The growing acceptance of distance learning courses and expansion of the open university system is also contributing a lot in the democratization of higher education in India. Despite all the efforts to develop the education system in India, access, equity and quality of education in India continue to haunt the policy makers till this date. This has mainly been due to the widespread poverty and various prejudices. The inability to check the drop out rates among the marginalized sections of the population is another cause of worry. However, the renewed emphasis in the education sector in the 11th five year plan and increased expenditure in both primary and higher education can act as palliatives for the Indian education system. Education has become a career necessity in todays business world. College graduation will qualify you for many jobs that would not be available to you any other way. Your career advancement should be easier because some job promotions require a college degree. Education will help you develop your skills in reasoning, tolerance, reflection, and communication. These skills will help you resolve the conflicts and solve crisis that come up in the course of a personal or professional life. Education will also help you understand other peoples viewpoints, and learn how to disagree sensibly. A satisfied life depends upon the rational resolution of conflicts and crises. Of course, these critical skills can be developed without going to college, but the college environment has proven to be a good place to practice, learn and polish skills that will last you a lifetime.

Participative Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Participative Management - Research Paper Example It term was first commercialized separately by Macgregor (theory X and theory Y), Lickert (four-model system), and Mouton (Managerial Grid) (John Schyuler, Participative Management, 1997). Semler told people in his company, Semco, to think outside their closed-up box, very soon they even forget they had a box (Maverick, 2001). The main reasons for the need of participative management is that employees should have a share in the business’s profit/loss; they should be business literates; and there should be a culture of trust and faith in the entire organization. This report discusses, the following questions regarding participative management in great detail: Participative management takes a lot of character and skill to apply. It holds the employees accountable for their work instead of just the leader. In it, no authority of any sort is given up, instead the authority is distributes in between the employers and the employees with equal transfer of responsibility. Also it certainly does not mean delayed action. Action is taken quicker and faster in participative management. Amy Mcmillan says â€Å"Participative management is not just allowing employees a part in the business decisions. This scheme can work anywhere and everywhere considering a few points are kept in mind, which include the fact that the employers should be confident and not insecure about letting-go of their stronghold and authority. This increases trust that the employees have over the managers†( Participative Management, 2011). If the organization was formally democratic or autocratic, than it takes careful strategies and studies for the change to participative management. So employees should be given a little time for adjustment. Of-age employees who have spend entire lives in the former types of management might resist this change, so managers should take

Homelessness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Homelessness - Essay Example These people include those who live in sub-standard housing or in overcrowded or undesirable conditions, persons who sleep in a public or private place not designed for human sleeping, those who reside in a homeless shelter, a domestic violence centre. Causes of homelessness vary from but generally include high unemployment rates, family violence, closure of large mental facilities, weak family ties, political instability, rising housing costs, poverty, drug abuse, natural calamities, and the cancellation of government-supported housing programs (Hargrave Web). In any given night in America, about 750,000 men, women, and children are homeless. Single men who are homeless amount to 44 percent, single women 13 percent, families with children 36 percent, and unaccompanied minors seven percent. In totality, about 50 percent African-American, 35 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian are homeless (Chicago Alliance Web). The big question remains t o be how we can remove the homeless from the streets in a reasonable manner. I strongly support that we can remove the homelessness from the American streets by offering financial, material, or informal jobs. Probable solutions are on trial regarding the issue of homelessness and there is a belief that this is possible. Indeed, Homeless International  supports slum dwellers to improve their lives and find lasting solutions to urban poverty and homelessness (Homeless International Web). Additionally, The Housing First strategy from a Harlem-based group proposes a solution to the homelessness menace by providing financial support. Moreover, the Project Downtown in Miami offers significant moral and material support to the homeless hence promoting their probable exit from the streets (Project Downtown Web). In fact, Atlantas Mr. Sibley argues that once a person has a decent place to live, then he can precede his life from there. In addition, The Everyone Deserves a Roof nonprofit

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies Introduction Recently, the Iraq War and the War on Terror have caused some surges for the energy industry; oil prices have been heavily fluctuated. Ironically, the solid performance in overall oil industry suggests that oil companies are heading with decent momentum. ‘The surge in oil prices, from $10 a barrel in 1998 to above $50 in early 2005, has prompted talk of a new era of sustained higher prices. Even so, an unusually loud chorus is now joining Messrs OReilly and Chavez, pointing to intriguing evidence of a new price floor of $30 or perhaps even $40. To see which camp is right, two questions need answering: why did the oil price soar? And what could keep it high?’[1] The energy industry has experienced the tumultuous era domestically and internationally. This paper will apply STEEP and Porter’s five forces to determine competitive strategies in order to respond to two questions: why did the oil price soar, and what could keep it high? Porter’s Five Forces 1. Bargaining power of suppliers The oil companies have exposed to price fluctuation risk. Additionally, currency exchange risks have increased the cost of capital and worsen the debt ratio in the oil industry. As a result, oil companies might enter into long-term sales contracts for the oil and gas suppliers and establish long-term hedging agreements to protect against currency volatility.[2] However, the question is whether the industry has succeeded in finding its way to organize alliances between oil suppliers and oil producers. Although bringing down the costs of developments through common practices has already been established, the achievement breaks down some barriers which have existed between oil companies and their contractors for such a long time. Additionally, the profits from oil reservoirs have caused political turmoil in Venezuela and the Middle East region. OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum of Exporting Countries) is confident to defend its stated high price policy at any costs. Furthermore, high-sky oil prices have been helped by the strong demand from China. Coupling with these events is the sharp downturn of the U.S. dollars. Thus, the global downstream market has undergone pressure; the oil industry has high power of suppliers. 2. Threat of Substitute Products High gasoline prices drive efforts to increase ethanol consumption and ethanol related products. Additionally, propane, methanol, natural gas and especially ethanol are most widely uses gasoline-alternatives. Besides, electricity, hydrogen and palm oil become among substitute fuels which car producers and chemical companies are developing. Europeans cut their dependence on oil suppliers by switching to substitutes, such as coal, nuclear power, and natural gas. Nevertheless, the Euro currency now appreciates against U.S. Dollars. Since Europeans usually purchase oil in U.S. currency, their profit margins become narrowed. The fuel prices are so high that it would take a quick drop to make ethanol unprofitable and stunt the growth of its use. On the other hand, gasoline prices at high record can help biotech companies achieve a breakthrough in reducing cost of ethanol. It might take a few years before reasonable prices for ethanol could be commercially available, and cheaper ethanol might not take much of a dent in gas price. Thus at this time the threat of substitutes is low for the industry. 3. Bargaining power of buyers As mentioned, gasoline at this time does not have many alternatives although many nations have tried to reduce dependences on oil suppliers. However, these substitutes also require suitably designed devices, which might cause higher cost of finished goods. As a result, in the mean time, the cost incentives will discourage the purchasing power. The oil industry is defined as a basic commodity. The outlook for the energy industry is given high commodity prices, high growing demand, and lack of alternatives to oil as the primary transportation fuels. The oil industry has efficiently squeezed from operating assets, such as untapped resources and refineries. The growth of oil price will lead to increase transportation and energy in price, driven by market forces inflamed by infrastructure shortage. Despites of many impacts, oil industry has low bargaining power of buyers due to a few substitutes. 4. Threat of New Entrants The oil industry requires more financial investment for reservoir allocation. Many major oil companies have fended off the advances of these unbranded foes. However, the â€Å"upstarts† have inroads with marketing strategies. One of the criteria is to focus on brining down drilling costs to keep the pace of activity. A combination of high oil price and uncertainty of oil price might bring about several government reviews of energy sector. Thus, this will have a marked impact on exploration operation in oil industry. They have applied different strategies from those of the past, enjoyed superior returns and captured value from the integrated giants. Thirty years ago oil companies were primary operators of service stations, enjoying exclusivity in the gasoline market. Now, many factors have combined to put pressure on margins. The consumers’ ties to the stations, operated by major oil companies, have been weakened. The convenience stores have begun selling gasoline and provided new services. But, major oil companies have not yet considered these retailers as a major threat. They still view these unbranded offering as inferior in terms of quality and consumer appeal. However, since the petroleum industry merged, consumer attitudes and the impacts on the brand choice have been changed. Unfortunately, those factors now stay largely inside the stores, not with the major oil companies. The drivers of brand choice have evolved, especially when the new consumers define brand value; these â€Å"upstart† marketers have already developed the systems and processed to stay abreast of these major oil companies. The upward trend in convenience store sales will lead to higher profit margins. In short, the threats of new entrants are increasing in oil industry. 5. Intensity of competitive rivalry Oil crisis during the end of the 1990’s help oil investors and executives understand what conditions are driving this wave of mergers. Foremost is the chronic glut of oil that has driven crude prices to near-historic lows. Some of the oversupply are derived from flattening demand in mature markets and economic difficulties in many emerging markets. ‘In recent deals such as British Petroleum (BP) and Amoco, Total and Petrofina, Exxon and Mobil, and currently BP/Amoco and ARCO, the stated goal has had a familiar refrain: to increase profits by dramatically cutting costs, reducing inefficiencies, and expanding geographically.’[3] During early the 1990’s, major companies have to fight back and watch their market shares for gasoline reduce at the hands of the upstarts. â€Å"In addition to the majors, in 1997 alone, an increasing number of c-store acquisitions by Amerada Hess, MAPCO Express, and FINA, to name a few, were announced. In Atlanta, Amoco, BP, and Texaco have begun to battle aggressively to maintain market share and repulse QuikTrip and RaceTrac.†[4] As a result, these competitors are aggressively selecting choice properties and investing in facilities. They are also pursuing and pushing programs to increase profit margins for their branded dealers. If a backdrop of growing global economy becomes uncertainty, investors in oil industry get jittery. As of July 26, 2005, ‘in a report published last week, Merrill Lynch Co. said the aggregate net income of the 70 largest companies in the sector is expected to rise 26% this year to $230 billion, on sales of $2.57 trillion, up nearly 10%. The reasons: high oil prices and fat refining margins, plus a pickup in oil-field services, particularly in rates for drilling rigs.’[5] The increased competitiveness of major oil companies can be observed in their willingness to see joint ventures or any other alliances to reduce their operating, refining and marketing costs. Furthermore, under aggressive competition, major oil companies continue to decoupling their value chains, breaking explorations and production. Merge and acquisition as well as marketing into separating different business units help reinforce efficiency and compete as standalone entities. The intensity of competitive rivalry is high in oil industry. STEEP (Societal, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political) 1. Societal It seems that the Iraq war has resulted extra expenses for multinational corporations, especially oil companies. ‘Yesterday, high-profile companies, such as BP, Shell, HSBC, Barclays and British Airways, either raised or maintained their security levels, and all remained on high alert.’[6] Together with calling for strengthening co-operation on combating terrorism, the oil giant is on the alarm mode to fight against terrorism, enhancing regional and international co-operation. There has been a board-level group devoted to health, safety and the environment at oil companies since the early 1990’s. Potential environmental hazards could do long-term damage to oil companies’ image. This includes tracking issues ranging from headline grabbing ones, such as oil spills, to local but insidious problems, such as leakage from tanks on the forecourts of petrol stations. 2. Technological Efficient operations depend on the integration of technology throughout the operating activities. For years, technology has become a required tool for effectively managing the customer interface. ‘According to National Petroleum News Market Facts, in 1992 the first wave of pay-at-the-pump technology was a key driver in increasing gallons of gasoline sales by 20%.’[7] Companies invest in technology to improve change in concession terms, reduce costs and increase efficiency. ‘Before-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 90 ft. Because we do not have an explicit measurement of the uncertainty in this estimate, we tend to ignore its uncertainty and implicitly assume that 90 ft is simply right†. After-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 100 ft. In addition, the technology tells us that we are 80% certain that thickness is 80-110 ft.’[8] Furthermore, technology helps improve supply chain and integrate screen applications for in-store and island reading equipments. The automated replenishment system can ensure its own invoices from which its can pay vendors, and also ensure fewer out of stocks situations and accounting defaults. Additionally, the chain uses remote monitoring to make more informed decisions about fuel replenishment. Technology can provide valuable sale information that can be implemented to understand consumers and improve services. 3. Economic The free market will adjust in accordance with the demand and supply law. Oil demand not only is fragile, but also is surprisingly strong in spite of weak world economy. The transition to a global economy has been taken place during the international economic trend and arising nationalism. The slower economic growth will depress the demand for oil and oil related products worldwide. Large oil consuming nations, such as China, the United States, should cultivate a common understanding in society on the changing aspects of global economy. Politics, wars, and economic setbacks for several years have impacted on the oil industry with the inescapable conclusion that one has to deal with the ramifications of issues before initiating the development of a new oil sector. 4. Ecological Oil companies have tried to create more environmentally sensitive sources of energy. Their basic tasks are still to stick holes in the ground in search of hydrocarbons. BP recently spent nearly $4 billion building a huge pipeline stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. In addition, it also asked a leading environmental group, the World Wildlife Federation, to act as an environmental consultant on the project. [9] Oil companies have established steps in their strategies to enhance competitiveness and develop a strong trademark in anticipation of the world environmental images. Business has treated the reduction of carbon emissions and the development of energy policies as a technical issue, such as greenhouse gas emissions. When the prices are down, oil producers cannot afford to expand facilities and thus hardly meet the demand when oil prices are up. â€Å"Some people blame oil companies for not having any new refineries built in the past three decades as their current facilities operate at 88 percent capacity.†[10] Additionally, environmentalists block the tapping domestic resources. However, there is still a ton of oil in the world, a huge amount in Siberia and Alaska due to the tundra, but for a foreseeable future, the way oil can be extracted from earth are far different from the early 20th century images, depicting rows of jacks and derricks around towns, and destroying surrounding environment. Oil industry is proactively and socially responsible for operations in an ethical and environmental friendly manner. Thus, overall business strategies for oil companies are considered as an integral part of new cultures and territories. Oil companies are aware of the relationship between socially responsible investment and their â€Å"green† reputation, linked to their positive impacts on societies where they operate. 5. Political In order to combat government to increase offshore activities, the oil industry has considered a new light and proved to be less flattering than the common view of any industry. The pace of new field development in the UK will be sharply reduced if the government applies policies to save jobs in the coal mines by restricting the construction of new gas-fired power stations. Politics has ceded to economics and confronted to cooperation at the new realism of oil producers and consumers. However, oil and politics are still a potentially combustible mixture. The fact that the British and U.S. governments have been involved with the Iraq War has proved how oil industry can be intertwined with political concerns. OPEC might no longer be the bogey man with the West once so feared. Oil always, as essential, becomes the most politicized community in the world. There will undoubtedly be some future oil shocks, although it is difficult to known the time and directions which these oil shocks will come.[11] Conclusion Oil companies should strategize that they no longer operate as manufacturing companies, but focus on improving their supply chains and store operations. Additionally, they should be willing to implement process of upstarts. They also need to refine their brand positioning and marketing strategies to be better target consumers. Although some major oil companies have been merged and acquired, the war has not yet been over. The big integrated players start with several advantages, if they could commit to reinvent themselves. One can envision the purchase of a non-gasoline retail chain in order to capture new skills and new profits. With high entry barriers and low substitutes, oil industry has posted as an affluent, luxurious and profitable industry. As a result, the oil price keeps fluctuated under the pressure of the supply and demand law as well as the political influences. Bibliography Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38 Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 Page 1 [1] ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4, viewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 [2] Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer [3] Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm [4] Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. [5] Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html [6] Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html [7] Cindric Dolby 1998, p.21 [8] Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 [9] Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm [10] Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 [11] Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38

Gesture as a Mediating Factor in Speech and Sign Language Storytelling :: Language Education Teaching

Gesture as a Mediating Factor in Speech and Sign Language Storytelling There are many hearing individuals who do not know sign language but move their hands when speaking. Chances are these people would have a hard time telling the same story if asked not to use their hands. Additionally, the story told without the assistance of gesture would likely seem lackluster by comparison. The question becomes, to what degree is gesture an integral part of effective storytelling and how much does it add to the complexity and richness of a story? How does the gesture used in oral storytelling compare to that used in American Sign Language (ASL) storytelling? If gesture is taken into consideration, will the complexity of information conveyed be equivalent between languages? These are questions that Drs. Sarah Taub, Dennis Galvan, and Pilar Pià ±ar sought to answer in their recent study on the contribution of hand and body movements to the complexity and depth of ASL, English, and Spanish storytelling (Taub, Galvan, & Pià ±ar, 2004). Dennis Galvan Pilar Pià ±ar Sarah Taub Psychology Foreign Languages Linguistics Forming Questions The inspiration to explore the above questions grew from the .ndings of Galvan and Taub’s previous study (2004) in which they compared narratives by native ASL and English users. Results from this study indicated that when compared with English users, ASL signers consistently incorporated much more conceptual A Publication of the Gallaudet Research Institute at Gallaudet University Spring 2005 Kozol Presentation Combines Wit, Wisdom, Outrage, and Compassion** By Robert C. Johnson Jonathan Kozol, author of such books as Death at an Early Age and Savage Inequalities, gave a presentation at Gallaudet on March 30 called â€Å"Shame of the Nation: Resegregation, Inequality, and Over- Testing in Public Education.† The talk was sponsored by the Gallaudet Research Institute as part of its Schaefer Distinguished Lecture Series. In addition to the presentation, Kozol participated in several other sessions with Gallaudet faculty and students in which he reported learning a great deal about deaf students and their educational needs. He said he was particularly intrigued to learn from Gallaudet Department of Education faculty and students—deaf and hearing— that the statement â€Å"separate is never equal† does not necessarily apply to deaf students, many of whom thrive in education programs outside the mainstream. Kozol said his focus has not been on separate programs that are well designed and effectively meeting students’ needs. His concern is that current governmental and socioeconomic factors in America are depriving many students of quality educational experiences because of â€Å"racial apartheid† which is forcing too many minority children to stay in inferior learning environments. During a question and answer session with Kozol, Dr. Barbara Gerner de Garcia, a faculty member in Gallaudet’s Department of Educational Foundations and Research, pointed out