Burger King Franchising in Saudi Arabia Essay Example

Burger King Franchising in Saudi Arabia Essay Example Burger King Franchising in Saudi Arabia Essay Burger King Franchising in Saudi Arabia Essay Burger King Franchising in Saudi Arabia Name: Course: Lecturer: Institution: Date: Burger King Franchising in Saudi Arabia Introduction Franchising has becoming a lucrative business in Saudi Arabia. Since its inception in Saudi Arabia, the success rates are extremely high while the unsuccessful rates are extremely low. As a result, many businesspersons in Saudi Arabia have taken advantage of these opportunities and ventured into this industry. According to statistics, many people in Saudi Arabia are looking for quality goods and services. In this case, the American industries have also taken these opportunities and they have vigorously marketed their products in the Saudi Arabian market. This has resulted to businesspersons franchising using the American companies. One of the most prominent brands commonly franchised in Saudi Arabia due to its fame, quality and advantages is Burger King. Discussion Franchising can be described as when a company decides to use a brand that is common in the market to distribute goods and services to the customers. In this case, the buying company is expected to display all the brands to the company. The employees are expected to wear the company colors if it is the company policy. Moreover, the buying company is expected to follow the policies of the mother company (Olayan Group of Companies, 2012). In case the franchise company needs to introduce a new policy, all the other companies are consulted and are expected to follow. Burger King was founded in Florida, America by Keith and his wife. They were inspired by the McDonald brothers. However, the company has been marred by difficulties all through despite the significant growth that it took all over the years until present. Franchising of Burger king in Saudi Arabia started in 1990, by Olayan Financing Company (Olayan Group of Companies, 2012). The group started opening several Burger King Restaurants where people came to eat. The business continued to boom and currently there are many Burger King Restaurants that are currently opened in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, Burger King Restaurants have been opened in the metropolitan areas of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Olayan Group of Companies has introduced other Burger King Restaurant in Makkah, Hofuf and Jubail. This clearly shows that the people of Saudi Arabia embraced the burgers and they are asking for more in the restaurant. This increase in customers has led to the significant growth of the Burger King Restaurants in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the opening of the new restaurants is a testimony of immense growth of the Burger King Franchise in Saudi Arabia. Recently, the Olayan Company has introduced new products that will suit the Muslim community and will not affect their religion. This new product is referred to as the ‘big king.’ Literally, the burger is huge thus; it is corresponding with the name. The regional Burger King Franchise is promoting the new product using slogans like ‘big king, big taste, more meat and less bread’ (Olayan Group of Companies, 2012). According to the financial data, Olayan Group of Companies Chief Executive Officers indicates that the new product has been embraced by the customers and revenues have increased significantly. According to the Burger King Headquarters, the Saudi Arabian Burger King Franchise has been the most successful franchise internationally. As a result, the management team was awarded with a trip to Miami as their price money. This shows that the Burger King Franchise in Saudi Arabia has had a significant growth in Saudi Arabia more than the other franchises internationally. In this case, Franchise business in Saudi Arabia is booming business for the businesspersons to venture in since the risk rate is low while the success rate is high. The advertising of the Burger King Restaurant in Saudi Arabia is extremely different from the other franchises in other companies. This is because the advertisements must respect the Muslim religion. If not it means that the company is disrespecting the Muslims. This will result the company loosing most of their customers to their competitors. In this case, there is one advertisement that has been developed for the purposes of advertising in Saudi Arabia (Olayan Group of Companies, 2012). It is because of such strategies, the Burger King Restaurant in Saudi Arabia is flourishing. Finally, after Saudi Arabia won the bid to hold world cup, the management of the company has decided to introduce new strategies. These strategies are aimed at attracting potential customers who will come to watch the world cup in Saudi Arabia. In this case, the management has decided to introduce big screen television in the restaurants. This will encourage the hungry funs to watch the world cup while they are eating burger in the Burger king restaurant. This strategies shows Burger King Franchise in Saudi Arabia has potential growth in the near future (Olayan Group of Companies, 2012). Finally, all this success can be attributed to the newly promoted Burger King Franchise Chief Executive Officer Samer Al-Khawashki. He started as the marketing manager in 1993 when Burger King Restaurants were big opened in Saudi Arabia. At this time, the Olayan group Of Companies needed to promote the company so that they could create awareness to potential customers to increase the sales of the company. He took this task and he has promoted the companies name in Saudi Arabia resulting to the significant growth over the past few years (Olayan Group of Companies, 2012). Conclusion Franchising can be described as the process where a company distributes goods and services using another company’s brand name. In this case, it buys the rights from the mother company in order to use the brand. Burger King Franchising is Saudi Arabia has been significantly been growing since its inception. It first started in Riyadh but it has significantly grown creating new stores all over Saudi Arabia. Currently, the franchise is experiencing high revenues and it has a growth potential especially in the world cup season. References Olayan Group of Companies. (2012). Charting Strategies For the Future. Communique. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Olayan Group of Companies. (2012). Food Franchising in the Middle East. Retrieved from: olayan.com/operation_details.aspx?productid=17 Olayan Group of Companies. (2012). In the Big Apple. Communique. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Open Class Words - Definition and Examples

Open Class Words s In English grammar, open class refers to the category of content words- that is, parts of speech (or word classes) that readily accept new members. Contrast with closed class. The open classes in English are nouns, lexical verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Research supports the view that open-class words and closed-class words play different roles in sentence processing.   Ã‚   Examples and Observations All the words in a language can be broadly divided into two categories, open and closed. The closed category is so called because it does not easily accept new words. Its members are fixed and do not usually change . . .. The open category . . . contains nouns, verbs, adverbs, and descriptive adjectivesexactly those parts of speech that remain open to new additions . . ..Words in the open category are usually further divided into simple and complex words. Simple words contain just one morpheme (house, for example, or walk, slow, or green), whereas complex words contain more than one (houses, walking, slowly, or greenest).(Thomas E. Murray, The Structure of English. Allyn and Bacon, 1995)Open-Class Words in Telegraphic SpeechExamples of open-class words are those belonging to the major part-of-speech classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs), which in any language tend to be quite large and open-ended. that is, an unlimited number of new words can be created and added to these c lasses. . . .One familiar variety of language in which the distinction between open-class words and closed-class words is important is known as telegraphic speech. The term telegraphic derives from the kind of language used in telegrams, where considerations of space (and money) force one to be as terse as possible. HAVING WONDERFUL TIME; HOTEL GREAT; RETURNING FLIGHT 256; SEND MONEY; STOP. Generally speaking, in telegraphic forms of language the open-class words are retained, whereas the closed-class words are omitted wherever possible.(Adrian Akmajian, et al., Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication. MIT, 2001) Open Class Words  Ã¢â€ â€ Closed Class Words[O]pen-class words can evolve into grammatical words over time (grammaticalization). It is an essential part of the dictionarys task to describe this evolution. For example the verb ought (ought v.) has evolved from being the past tense of to owe to the condition of a pure auxiliary. Moreover, open-class words can develop senses that constitute fully grammaticalized lexical items, while retaining their original character in their other senses. For example, the verb to let (OED let v.1), the original meaning of which is leave or allow to pass (Branch I), and which retains a number of lexical meanings, developed in Middle English and still has an imperative auxiliary use with the infinitive (let us go).  Or an inflected form of an  open-class word  may develop an independent use as a grammatical word, for example the conjunction providing. Additionally, grammatical words can develop from compounds that start out as straightforward  syntactic constructions: for example, as and also from all so.(Edmund Weiner, Grammatical Analysis and Grammatical Change.  The Oxford Handbook of Lexicography, ed. by  Philip Durkin. Oxford University Press, 2015) Other Relevant References Complex WordsGrammaticalizationMental LexiconMonomorphemic WordsWhat Are Word Classes, and Whatever Happened to the Parts of Speech?

George At Asda Brand Image and Positioning Essay

George At Asda Brand Image and Positioning - Essay Example To begin with, Asda is a chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom that began as a subsidiary to Wal Mart 1999. In recent times, it has come to occupy the position of the second largest chain in UK after TESCO. Asda is owned by Wal Mart and it consists of 37 supermarkets, 5 Asda Living stores, 10 George Clothing Stores, and 24 depots. To this effect, it makes use of 150,000 employees in all of its 340 units. (www.wikipedia.com) With the Asda Public Campaings becoming huge successes, the chain retains a 16.8% market share as of February 2007. This is second only to TESCO which has a 31.4% share. Its closest competitor is Sainsbury which follows at 16.5%. (www.wikipedia.com) Besides promoting itself as the lowest price supermarket by remaining loyal to the Advertising Standards Agency, Asda has paid special attention to its clothing line that goes by name of George. The marketing and branding features that have been related with this brand in the last two years are as follows: The aim of this paper is to study the changes made by George clothing as far as branding and brand image are concerned, in the past two years, with a focus on measuring the success of the same. This will be studied from various aspects like conception of brand image, and others, so as to measure the same on various counts. The methodology used in this case is that of the Elaboration Likelihood... In order to become a more global brand, it has marketed its clothes in Mexico, UK, Canada, Argentina, Japan, and the US. It has launched various new categories of clothing in the past two years including lingerie, kids wear, baby wear and many others. It has retained an image of being easy to maintain besides being affordable due to its association with Asda, yet it has created a niche market of its own. It has raced ahead of Marks and Spencer's in the last two years as far as market share is concerned. (Official Website: George; http://www.george.com/company/) Methodology and Purpose Statement The aim of this paper is to study the changes made by George clothing as far as branding and brand image are concerned, in the past two years, with a focus on measuring the success of the same. This will be studied from various aspects like conception of brand image, and others, so as to measure the same on various counts. The methodology used in this case is that of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. The choice of the Elaboration likelihood Model was one that came directly from the consumer oriented characteristics of brand equity and brand knowledge. Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo 1983), for instance, identified message relevance as one of these factors. According to this model, when message relevance is high, individuals will actively process and evaluate the information in the advertisement when forming or changing attitudes. When message relevance is low, individuals will not actively process the information in the advertisement, but will instead rely on peripheral message cues to form or change attitudes. This dissertation will therefore draw on the elements of the Elaboration Likelihood Model in order to study the elements that define the nuances of

Myth and History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Myth and History - Essay Example However, other perspectives opine that myths do not always agree with history since most are branded as a discourse of fabricated stories while history aims to state true facts about things. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how certain Greek myths negotiate the relationship between myth and history and further elucidate whether the two terms oppose each other in the chosen myths. When dealing with cultural and social history of the Greek, scholars have proven that myth is an invaluable source of facts and information (Powell 89). Greek mythology served as a pathway of explaining the natural phenomena witnessed by humankind and the environment in which they lived from days, through months, seasons and years. Of particular interest, they were connected more intricately to the Greek world’s religion. However, whether a study focuses on Greek sexual customs and traditions or the rise of cities, the historical facts will always be engrained deeply in the Greek myths that are embodied explicitly in narrative collections and implicitly in arts. Speaking broadly, the imaginative myths created by the Greeks are an explanation of just about all aspects of life and the human condition (Woodward 14). This paper will examine how the Hesiod’s myth of Theogony, which is classified as cosmogonical myth, and the myth of Prometheus, a transformation myth, go abo ut the relationship between myth and history. Like most historical narratives, the Greek mythology typically begins with the myths of creation, attempting to make sense of the mysteries of life and imposing order and structure so as to define where the universe, races and individuals are placed (Powell 73). As a cosmogonical myth, the myth of Theogony is among the most important Greek myths as it seeks to explain the origins of heaven and earth. Viewed strictly from the perspective of the historical and/or religious origins of heaven and earth rather than

Tiger Beer Essay Example for Free

Tiger Beer Essay Launched in 1932, Tiger Beer became Singapores first locally brewed beer. It is a 5% abv bottled pale lager. As APBs exclusive flagship brand, it is available in more than 60 countries worldwide including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and various countries in the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. ] Distribution ? APB has breweries in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, India, Sri Lanka, Laos and Mongolia. The company has a strong market share in several countries within the Asia Pacific Region, primarily in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. ? In Malaysia, Tiger Beer is produced and marketed by Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB). ? In the USA, Tiger Beer’s brand is well known in New York and San Francisco. ? In the UK, Tiger Beer can be found in more than 8,000 premium bars/clubs and distribution outlets in its major cities. ? Tiger Beer gained considerable popularity in Detroit in October 2006 due to the Detroit Tigers Baseball Teams entrance into the 2006 World Series. SWOT [pic] Brand position Brand Positioning as is seen from the communications of the Brand selected and their major competition Position Tiger beer as a brand and product that will allow consumers to STAND OUT with Tiger beer. The STAND OUT with Tiger beer campaign idea demonstrates how consumers can beunique, cool and contemporary. With great innovation on the product, it aims at reaching out toconsumers ¶ wants and needs. The strategy was executed mainly in the digital social space withendorsements from key opinion leaders and social influencers online. According to Synovate,perception of Tiger as a beer for good times and fun increased by 14 per cent; an additional 12per cent of consumers described the beer as one my friends approved of; and consumption among young adults increased by six per cent. Competitive Analysis Model The competition faced by Tiger Beer versus its competitors is analyzed using Porter s Five Forces Model to explain Tiger Beer competitive position and strategic advantages. [pic] Competitive Rivalry. The intensity of rivalry helps decide the extent of the value of brands and products in which will create head -to-head competition. It also determines the attractiveness of the industry. Tiger Beer is internationally renowned to be an exotic beer with high quality control. There are many other international beers such as Heineken, Carlsberg, Suntory and Tsingtao etc. With so many brands available, it will create a competitive industry. Their prices te nd to be similar and competition focuses on advertising, promotion and product development. Tiger Beer faces strong competitors and fight for higher market share through Differentitation. The traditional approach often takes to keep in terest and increase consumption is by advertising, POS materials and other promoters. Tiger Beer stands out by appealing to consumer and generates interest in its brand. Tiger Beer targets younger consumers which associate themselves with brands that are seen as cool and trendy by organizing a  µstand out with Tiger Beer ¶ campaign i. e. introduction of three designer bottles based on artistic and music themes. Tiger Beer also in touch with community of over 20,000 Tiger fans in Facebook that created more buzz and had fans share their views plus other activities in bloggers, Twitter, Flicker and YouTube. Threat of New Entrants In every industry, existing and potential competitors play a part in its profitability. The threat of new entrants is highly dependable on industry entry barriers. Newer brands such as Cheese Beer and Corn Beer have emerged. They all has managed to keep transportation cost low and hence, is able to keep beer prices at minimal. Cheese Beer The US Miller Beer Company develops beer which has the unique rich milk fragrance and light malt taste which is very delicious. It is made of the lacto -protein whey as main raw material, malts, and hops which ferments to produce the cheese beer. Corn BeerJapan launched the corn beer, a corn-based materials which is pure in taste,limpid color, low alcohol, low calorie, high in protein, vitamins and effective in human nutrition. Threat of Substitutes The threat that can subst itute a product highly depends on the price allocated to the product and its performance. This allows consumers to turn to different products to satisfy the same basic need. In the beverage industry, there are many substitutes product to Tiger Beer. Wine and hard liquor is highly available on the market. On other extreme, a substitute can be simply a Coca-Cola or a cup of coffee. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The ability to charge customers different prices with differences in the value created for those buyers usually indicates that the market is characterized by high supplier power. Tiger Beer minimize the power of suppliers through close coop eration with the raw materials suppliers and thus minimize the cost impact. Bargaining Power of Buyers With many other brands in the market, consumers have a large variety of brands to choose from. Many bars and restaurants usually carry several brands of beers. However, through effective marketing and promotion, Tiger Beer create the demand for its products and w ith that value instilled in the name, many bars and club will want to carry the brand . Entry to new market. The Indian beer market is in the focus of many players. The latest entry is the launch of Tiger beer, a fine beer brand Indians who have visited Singapore or Thailand might know already. The beer is also not totally new to the Indian beer market, as it was imported into India, but was only made available at exclusive premium outlets. India is the 10th country in the Asia Pacific region where the award-winning Tiger will be brewed, Asia Pacific Breweries Aurangabad Limited (APBAL), a subsidiary of Asia Pacific Breweries Limited (APB), said during the launch of Tiger beer in Mumbai. Tiger was first brewed in 1932, and is today available in more than 60 countries. In view of Indias growing beer market, rising disposable incomes of the consumers and favourable demographics, it is timely that we now offer Tiger as a premium option to the many discerning Indian drinkers who are becoming increasingly experimental in making an informed choice. Other brands offered by APB in India are Barons Strong Brew and Cannon 10000 which cater to the strong beer segment of the Indian beer market, whereas Tiger is positioned for those consumers who want a lower alcohol content. In additional,tiger beer expanding in Canada and successful entry into the United States. Molson, the largest beer importer in Canada, is set to market, distribute and sell the brew originating in Singapore, which is now available only in Ontario and British Columbia. Canadians consume the equivalent of 7 billion cans of beer annually. That is 33 times the size of the Singapore beer market. Positioning itself as a premium pan-Asian beer, Tiger is aiming to carve out a niche for itself in the North American market.

Those Winter Sundays Essay -- essays research papers

Knowing Your Father Being a child is one of the hardest stages in a person’s life. They go through doing all the wrong things in order to learn how to do the right things, and then they socially develop into a sensible mature adult. During this stage of a young child's life, the roles of parenting are absolutely crucial and determine a child’s role that he/she is going to play in society in the future. This is a crucial part of everyone’s life, they need to learn what they are good at and what they are not good at. In the poem "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden, there is a sense that the narrator does not have a special bond with his father when he was a young boy, and that there is a sense of fear toward his father. I feel that in order to grow up and be a morally strong-stable person, you need a well-built relationship with at least one of your parents, if not both. Which was more common back then than now. Growing up in a very suburban town taught me many things about being a boy and even further into my life as then becoming a young man. I spent most of my childhood days running around the desert with my motorcycle, riding in the dirt track I had, or helping my father with some project that he had around the house or in the garage with the cars. I used to always come back to him with everything for help and the support that I needed. I would run up to the house, break his concentration, and he would come help me with whatever I needed help with. He al...

Data Security and Mobile Devices

Data Security and Mobile Devices Introduction: Mobile devices such as smartphones, PDAs, tablets, and netbooks have become an integral part of everyday business operations. Millions of people log into their company’s secure network on mobile devices via wireless Internet or even accessing their email, making sensitive data more susceptible to data theft and hacking. Mobile technology is advancing at such a fast pace, making it harder for IT managers to keep up with newly emerging threats. Since the smartphone emerged in the business scene, cybercrime has increased exponentially.Data security has now become the main focus for most IT managers in larger corporations. What are some of the risks associated with using mobile devices in business operations? Human error is the biggest risk associated with data security when it comes to using mobile devices. This is mostly due to loss of theft of a smartphone or other mobile device. In a study conducted in Washington DC last year, tax i drivers counted the number of mobile phones that were left behind in taxis over a six month period. Over eighty-three hundred phones were recovered.That was almost twenty-five times the number of laptops that were left in the taxis during the same period. Although all corporate laptops are password protected, few have password protection on their mobile devices. (Phifer) â€Å"According to Credent Technologies, eighty-eight percent of mobile devices carry valuable information- from patient, customer and employee records, financial statements, and passwords,† (Phifer). Because so few people PIN-lock their phones, all of this sensitive data can easily fall in to the hands of a hacker.Mobile users often auto save their username and passwords to avoid monotonous reentry. This gives the hacker access to any information available to theft victim. Another major risk associated with the use of mobile devices is mobile malware. Most mobile operating systems lack the anti-virus and o ther security feature that are found on laptops. This makes mobile devices susceptible to viruses such as Trojan and worms. Doombot is a Trojan virus that is designed to affect all mobile operating platforms such as Android, iOS, and blackberry. It is transferred through MMS and Bluetooth (Panda Security).What are some techniques used by IT managers to minimize security risks with mobile devices? It is vitally important to the cyber security of a company for IT managers to constantly be assessing the security of their network. Some important steps managers are taking are education, visualization, conservative defaults, hard switching, and most importantly manager and employee training. Educating employees about the risks of using mobile devices is important because the human element poses the greatest risk to the cyber security of the company.Its important for the firm to have a training program in place so all employees know how to protect themselves and the company. Visualization is also important in constant uphill battle of cyber security. Managers must constantly be looking for the latest threats against the network and try to find a solution before a breach occurs. Conservative default settings on the firm’s network prevent employees from viewing non-secure websites and also from downloading files from places from outside the company’s network.This would allow employees to still download attached files from intra-company email but would prevent the downloading of files that might be infected with a virus. (Nykodym) IT managers also use outside contractors to monitor a company’s network security. Companies like BlueFire Mobile Security cater to the rapidly expanding reliance on mobile devices. Their services provide protection for lost or stolen devices, information encryption, and security while on the Internet. They also offer protection for a company’s wired network as well.They provide intrusion prevention, firewall, authen tication, and encryption for the entire network. Contracts with companies like BlueFire are often made with smaller firms or with firms who want to reduce the size and budget of their IT department. (Computer Security Update) How significant was the increase of cyber attacks when mobile devices became part of everyday life? Smartphones exploded on the business scene in the mid 2000s. They provided the convenience of accession of vital information from anywhere.According to Sharia Panela’s article for GMA News , â€Å"between 2007 and 2012, small and medium businesses reported steadily increasing web attacks. Malware, phising, and other types of violation surged by 35 percent while email attacks soared by 12 percent† (Panela). All of these types of attacks are in a large part due to the lack of security on mobile devices. In Norton’s 2012 Cybercrime Report, the total price tag on consumer data cybercrime was $110,000,000,000. China leads the pack with a total los s of $46 billion and the Unites States coming in second with a total loss of $21 billion.With Apps for everything from mobile banking to syncing work and personal email, people have more sensitive data on their phone than ever before. The Cybercrime report concludes with the changing face of cybercrime. The new frontier for hackers is social media websites and new mobile devices. (Palmer) Conclusion: With all of the new developments in cyber security hackers always seem to be one step ahead. Smartphones and other mobile devices have become such an important part of everyday business employees. These devices are a virtual candy store for hackers, a one-stop shop for all of the data stored on the device.If the device is lost or stolen, it can be used to access the internal network of the firm and extract private data about customers or financial information. Mobile Security has come to the forefront of the IT department’s agenda in larger data driven firms. Although they implem ent measures to prevent security breaches, the human element is the most damning. Managers need to provide educational programs for their employees to learn about proper use of mobile devices on company networks. Works Cited â€Å"Computer Security Update. † Computer Security Update. 8. 4 (2007): 1-4.Web. 4 Nov. 2012. Nykodym, Nick. â€Å"Journal of Politics and Law. † Journal of Politics and Law. 5. 1 (2012): 1-6. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. Palmer, Adam. â€Å"Norton Cybercrime Report 2012. † Norton Cybercrime Report 2012. (2012): n. page. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. Panela, Sharia. â€Å"Personal gadgets raise risk of cybercrime in workplace. † GMA News Online. GMA Network Inc. , 18 2012. Web. 4 Nov 2012. Phifer, Lisa. â€Å"Business Communications Review. † Business Communications Review. (2007): 23-25. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Virus Encyclopedia . † Panda Securities. Panda Worldwide, Web. 4 Nov 2012.

ICT in Organisations Essay

Introduction In the Graduate School of Education they use many different types of computers for many different things. Some staff will use their computers for typing long documents or letters; others may use them for creating PowerPoint presentations for lectures. In most organisations people will use their computers for similar things, but this isn’t the case in a university. Server Hardware There are a number of servers, and these all do different jobs. Each server is allocated a name, and this is unique over the whole campus. Most of the main file servers are held within the computer centre. This allows them to rectify any problems that may arise if a server fails. All of the main servers work on dual hardware, and are hot swappable. This means that if one processor fails, or if one Random Access Memory slot fails, they are able to replace it, without any down time. The only time the server would go down would be in the case of a Power Supply Unit failing, and this can be fixed in a matter of minutes. In the computer centre all the computers are connected to a UPS and surge protection, in the form of sockets around the centre. The surge protection will stop computer components being damaged due to a spike on the national grid, and the UPS will take over if there is a power cut. The UPS can provide power to the servers in the computer centre for a considerable amount of time. The smaller servers all have a small UPS, and these are configured to shut the server down if the power is off for any longer than 10 minutes. This means that all unsaved files are saved to the hard disk. In the Graduate School of Education there are 4 small servers, and these all do different jobs. There are 2 domain controllers. The primary one is called Charlie and the backup is called Bravo. There are also 2 Macintosh database servers. One is a Mac G3 and the other is a PowerMac. In the main computer centre there are too many servers to mention here, and they are not all related to the Graduate School of Education. The ones they would use are the Student record server and the Library server. Both of these servers run on a telnet server (on port 23), and this allows secure access to them from inside the campus. Domain Controllers All departments in the university have their own domain controllers. Domain controllers are usually rented or let to people by domain name hosting companies. This sometimes has an advantage, if anything goes wrong, their technical support staff will rectify the problem, but in a university there are plenty of qualified people that can work with domain controllers. Because all the domain controllers are kept on campus, if JANET was to go down for some reason, for example, the cable was dug up; all the university domains would still work. So, a clumsy fore person does not check that the area they will be digging in is clear of cables, and they begin work. They hit the fibre optic cable and the university’s Internet connection goes down. They will still be able to go to any of the university domains, for example, http://www.edu.qub.ac.uk or http://www.qub.ac.uk. The university network is fairly self reliant in this way. A domain controller does not have to be a very fast or powerful machine, but it is usually just a normal server. Here is a rough idea of the hardware and price used in the domain controller: Hardware Name Cost Full Description File Server Case à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½125.00 Top of Form Lian Li PC 71 Aluminium Full-TowerBottom of Form Power Supply (High Power Output) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½83.90 Top of Form Antec TruePower 550W PSUBottom of Form Motherboard à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½36.50 Top of Form Asus P4S533-MX (Socket 478) Micro ATX MotherboardBottom of Form UPS à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½314.75 Top of Form APC Smart-UPS 1500 USB/RS-232Bottom of Form RAM 512MB à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½74.00 Top of Form Crucial 512MB DDR PC2700 CAS 2.5Bottom of Form 2 Case Fans à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12.00 Top of Form Delta 60mm FanBottom of Form CPU Heat Sink and Fan à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½24.50 Top of Form Salman CNPS7000-AlCu Ultra Quiet CPU CoolerBottom of Form 40GB High Speed Hard Disk à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½36.00 Top of Form IBM/Hitachi Deskstar 7K250 40GBBottom of Form Ultrium Backup System à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,416.79 Hewlett Packard StorageWorks Ultrium 460i Pentium 4 Processor à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½625.00 Top of Form Intel Pentium 4 3.2GHz (800FSB) with HT Technology Extreme EditionBottom of Form Heat Sink Compound (High Quality) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.90 Top of Form Arctic Silver III Thermal Compound (3g)Bottom of Form Total à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4,752.34 Graphics card, monitor and other peripherals can be salvaged from older machines As you can see from the about table, even the simplest server can cost a lot of money, the most expensive part of the server is the Uninterruptible Power Supply, but this would not need to be purchased every time a new server is bought. Database Servers The database servers hold information on different things in the department. The graduate school of education use them for holding information on students and staff, like addresses and telephone numbers. It is much more effective than using paper to hold data. The database servers are Macintosh. They are often seen as expensive, useless machines, but the Macintosh computers are much more powerful than a conventional PC, and their main drawback is that it is difficult to obtain software for them, and no pc software is compatible with them. Networking The university network is quite a big system, and could probably be described as a Wide Area Network, because of its size, although it is really just a very large Local Area Network. Here is a small network diagram showing how the Queens’ Network works. Hopefully from this very simple diagram you can see how big the university really is, and how much it costs for electricity alone every year. Between all the universities in the United Kingdom there is a shared Internet connection. This is a fibre optic system. There is a slight difference between using a fibre and using copper cables. One small fibre can carry up to 1,900 phone calls. This is quite a big difference compared to 30 over one copper cable. This means that the computer users in the University will have very fast Internet access, and between other universities, it can be possible to download a full CD’s worth of data (700MB) in around 10 seconds, and that isn’t with just one user using the network at that time. The speed of JANET is quite hard to measure with complete accuracy, and it is changing in speed every day. Between departments there are also fibre optic cables, as this allows more data to be transferred. Once you get into a department the fibre is brought into a hub, and from the hub to each computer you have a copper cable. This is maybe not the most efficient way, but it is much cheaper than having a fibre optic system the whole way around the department. Looking at the diagram above you will see that the Graduate School of Education is a small part of the university network. Here is a slightly more detailed diagram of the network in this particular section: The network is too large to show in much more detail than shown above. There are roughly 150 computers in this one department alone, and across campus there is anything between 2000-6000 computers connected to the network. They are all connected centrally at the main Queens’ hub, so from anywhere on campus you can find a route to anywhere else. Also, if for some reason the main hub failed, departments would still be able to send files to each other, as long as it did not need to leave the department. Workstations and Software Because the department is large, it may be difficult to find two computers that are the same in hardware specification. Generally they are all normal, domestic computers, although the computer lab has desktop cases instead of ATX, This does not really affect how they work. Data can be shared between all the computers using the public directories, although only staffs have access to these. All computers are connected to the network using 3Com network cards, running on 10 Mega bits / second. This is the only real speed limitation of the network. All workstations have the Microsoft Office Suite which is part of the Microsoft Office Campus Agreement, and FrontPage and Publisher have a separate license for certain departments, as these are not part of the campus agreement as a whole. They also have a copy of Symantec Antivirus, which is updated through the Symantec server, and this provides up to date virus protection. Staff have access to Adobe PageMaker 6.5 and Macromedia Dreamweaver. Software Specification Here is a more detailed look at the different software that the School of Education use. * Microsoft Word – This has many uses. Some staff may use it to type letters and notices; some may use it for typing assignments or taking minutes from a meeting; students may use it for its desktop publishing ability or for typing up coursework/essays. * Microsoft Excel – This is Microsoft’s spreadsheet software and is used in many ways also. Some staff may use it to keep track of students’ progress; some may use it to keep track of outgoing and incoming money; students may use it to create graphs. * Microsoft PowerPoint – This can be used for many things as well. Some lecturers would use it for creating transparencies for lectures, but in this high-tech age it would be more likely for them to use it in conjunction with a digital projector. There are a number of these available to staff during the day. Students could sometimes use it for revision purposes, or for slide shows in class participation exercises. * Microsoft Publisher – This is used for desktop publishing and creating transparencies for lectures. * Microsoft FrontPage – This is Microsoft’s web design software. It is often used by many professional designers, but does not really have a use in the education department. * Microsoft Access – This is Microsoft’s database package, and it is very versatile. It can be used to create macros so that on a click of a button you can enter large amounts of data into a database or delete old records. The macros are easy to program using Microsoft Visual BASIC. * Macromedia Dreamweaver – This is professional web design software used by many top end professionals. It has the capability to write many different programming languages used on web servers. Examples of these are JavaScript and PHP. It also has very good Cascading Style Sheet and Hyper Text Mark-up Language capabilities. * Adobe PageMaker – This is professional desktop publishing software. Many members of staff use it to create professional looking signs and posters, and is often similar to the software used by large businesses to create flyers. Many larger businesses may have their own database software written for them. Many companies like Northbrook Technologies write these programs especially for them. It can cost thousands to get that kind of software written. They often use many different programming languages, usually C++, which is very advanced and can take years to learn. As the university does not have many departments that do exactly the same thing, database software designed just for the university would cost too much, and probably push student fees up quite a considerable amount. Often Microsoft Access is more than enough to fulfil the needs of the departments requiring databases. Other Hardware There are many different hardware devices in the university. The most expensive would probably be the digital cameras and projectors, and these may take some time to replace if they are damaged. The cheaper devices like mice, keyboards and disk drives are easily replaced, and there are many spares in the university. There are many different types of printers available, usually mono colour laser printers and colour ink jets, but there are some colour laser printers available. Printer cartridges are replaced when needed, and are purchased with discount, as they are in very large numbers. Scanners are available in computer rooms for student use.

Statistics Paper Essay Example

Healthcare/Statistics Paper Essay Example Healthcare/Statistics Paper Paper Healthcare/Statistics Paper Paper Alice makes an appointment with her primary care physician to talk about her arthritis. She tells her doctor that she has seen on TV this wonderful new medicine that in only days will relieve the pain that she has in her fingers and hands. The ad shows people playing golf, sewing and even typing on a computer – all people who before the medication could not do any of these things without pain. The ad had two people – a man and a woman – who both explained how their lives were totally changed once they started using the medication. She pulls out a notepad and gives her doctor specific information from the TV ad: According to Dr. Jonas Smart – the doctor who created the medicine a â€Å"major medical study† showed that 98% of the people who used the medication found relief – many of them totally. Alice wants to try the medicine but it can only be ordered by mail and is very expensive (Alice lives on a fixed income and the $75.00 price tag is high for her) and is seeking her doctor’s OK to buy it. In light of the above scenario, discuss this situation and then add to it a discussion of ads that you have seen on TV, heard on the radio, or seen in newspapers or magazines where medicines or treatments are advertised. As each one of us may agree, certain medical products that are distributed in the market are coupled with persuasive advertisements, which are often coupled with researches. Nowadays, people are becoming more conscious and cautious about their health, especially with the skyrocketing number of individuals with diseases of the vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and other notable diseases, thereby realizing the need to stay healthy and to possibly be free from all sorts of ailments. As such, people tend to scrutinize their prospective products and see the benefits that they could possibly get from it. In line with the aforementioned need comes the advent of informative advertisements that are frequently seen on TV, heard on the radio, or seen in newspapers or magazines, where medicines and various treatment modalities are being laid down to render facts to a vast array of consumers. Nevertheless, with the current global recession and fiscal crisis in the economy, people also have a tendency to be vigilant about the price of the health products that they are to use. Indeed, the aforesaid facts can be seen in the above scenario involving Alice, who wanted to make sure that the new medicine she was eyeing for arthritis would be worth her limited income. For this reason, she sought the advice of an expert, who is, of course, her doctor. Discuss items like the following: What do you think of the â€Å"data† that are used to support the claims? To what degree can the information be trusted? When â€Å"major studies† are claimed, what does this mean? The data that are used to support the claims must have been obtained from actual researches are conducted to measure the effectiveness of a particular product to the individuals who have tried using it. For instance, in the new anti-arthritis medication, the research participants are the ones who are covered by data, including their responses as to the effect of the said medication to their condition. In this way, the 98% of the people- who, according to Dr. Jonas Smart, felt improvement in their condition because of the medication’s relieving effect- can be said as the data that support the claims of the medication’s efficacy. On the other hand, when dealing about the accuracy, reliability and trustworthiness of the data for claimed research/studies, many critics refute, even regarded those studies as having prevailing bias (Ioannidis, 2005). Furthermore, according to Ioannidis (2005): Too large and too highly significant effects may actually be more likely to be signs of large bias in most fields of modern research. They should lead investigators to careful critical thinking about what might have gone wrong with their data, analyses, and results. (p. 700) At this point, if we were to look at the 98% positive response to Dr. Smart’s medication, we can easily discern that it has â€Å"too high significant effects†, which may lead to a significant bias, as regarded in the above quotation. Hence, for major studies to be hailed as â€Å"claimed†, it must be assumed ―perhaps, hoped for― that they must have accurate, reliable, and careful analyses of data and results (Ioannidis, 2005). References Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2005). Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLoS Medicine, 2, 8, pp. 696-701. [Ioannidis JPA, 2005 Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLoS Med 2(8): e124. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124]

The top 12 hottest customer service jobs

The top 12 hottest customer service jobs Now more than ever, customer service jobs are in the spotlight. How many times have you seen a bad interaction between a company and a customer go viral for all the hilariously wrong reasons? Corporate branding is very public now, with social media and scrutiny- and that underscores how important it is for companies to provide good, reputation-enhancing customer service. One of the great things about choosing a career path in customer service is that it’s an industry that is continually growing and changing. Technology and day-to-day duties might change, but as long as there are consumer goods and services, people will always be needed to guide and help those customers. If you’re interested in working in customer service, but aren’t quite sure which branch works best for your skills and experience, we’ve got some of the hottest customer service jobs around now, and what each job entails.Call Center RepresentativesCall center representatives are the first l ine of defense for a classic customer service outlet: a phone number that customers can call for questions or issues. These representatives may work in a physical call center somewhere (think of a bullpen-style room with lots of phone booths) or remotely from the rep’s home. And despite the name, these call centers may also task their reps with handling email or online chat apps as well as phones. This is essentially a hub of contact, with representatives working directly with customers to provide help or guidance.ConciergeIt seems like everything is a customized, curated experience these days, meant to deliver goods and experiences according to a customer’s wants or needs. A concierge is the person who puts that personal touch on a customer experience. Concierges can work for any company that offers an individualized experience, but primarily in the hospitality and tourism industry. Concierges work with clients to book trips, suggest activities, help get tickets, make reservations, and arrange transportation. This can be a great role for someone who’s in the know about the best things to do in town and has a passion for helping make someone’s vacation or trip more enjoyable. Concierges may work directly with clients (like at a hotel), or may communicate and make arrangements online as a â€Å"virtual† concierge.Client Relations CoordinatorThese customer service professionals are kind of the closers when it comes to clients. They focus on the client experience and making sure that clients are satisfied with the level of service they’re receiving. These associates may work with a number of different teams inside and outside the company to ensure that the client is happy. It’s a more focused role- instead of fielding general queries, these coordinators build and maintain relationships with specific clients.Client Services ManagerRather than specific products or services, client services managers are tasked with ma naging relationships with clients and customers. You may see this kind of job under similar titles, like â€Å"customer success manager,† â€Å"account manager,† or â€Å"relationship manager,† but the duties are pretty much the same- the client services manager works with specific clients to ensure that all of their needs are being met. Client services managers provide next-level customer care.Customer Service RepresentativeCustomer service representatives, sometimes also known as customer care representatives, are responsible for helping customers in every industry (retail hospitality, healthcare, etc.). They may answer questions in person, on the phone, via email, or via chat. They take reports from users or customers, help troubleshoot if necessary, or provide product information. The job may include follow-up investigation or escalation of customer issues to other parts of the company, as well as reaching back out to customers for resolution. Customer servi ce reps may also be responsible for keeping detailed records, processing payments and refunds, generating sales leads, and helping to meet sales goals.Customer Service ManagerThis role is typically the next step up after you’ve worked as a customer service representative. Customer service managers are often responsible for managing teams of customer service representatives, handling queries or complaints that have been escalated, handling financial transactions like refunding customers, and ensuring that the company’s best practices for customer service are being met. This is a role that requires only stellar customer service skills, but also strong organization and leadership.Member Services SpecialistIf it seems like every store or company seems to have a â€Å"perks† program or some kind of VIP club for elite customers, that’s because these programs are a lucrative way to build and create a loyal customer base. Member services specialists are customer service professionals who focus on working with customers who are members of these programs, ensuring that they understand and receive benefits, and meet program requirements. These specialists may also be responsible for recruiting new members, with yearly signup goals.Patient Care CoordinatorPatient care coordinators are found in the healthcare or health technology industries, working for hospitals, clinics, medical and rehabilitation centers, insurance companies, and government agencies. They arrange appointments and services for patients, get approval for procedures or tests, and act as a liaison between the patients and the medical administrators. In addition to customer service skills, this role may also require basic medical training and knowledge.ReceptionistA receptionist is often the first face you see (or the first voice you hear) when interacting with a company. And a good one can make all the difference- someone who answers the phone with a polite, friendly demeanor set s a much better tone than someone who is clearly grouchy or dismissive. Also known as â€Å"front desk associates,† receptionists need to have great communication skills and good interpersonal skills. Receptionists typically receive guests, answer and direct phone calls, give information, manage schedules, and keep logs or records.Social Media Customer Service AssociateSocial media has become a major force in customer service. And while many of these jobs are more of an administrative marketing function, the person behind the Tweets serves an important customer service role as well. Social media is used to present a brand, as well as information for customers. Being the point person behind the social media accounts can also mean fielding real-time customer issues and feedback, as well as helping to resolve things before a minor customer issue develops into a major customer problem.Technical Support RepresentativeModern tech is great. It’s also imperfect. And when thing s go wrong with your phone/tablet/candy-themed game app, you will surely be reaching out to the company that made it to help fix things. These customer service representatives are specially trained to handle technical queries, or to direct them to other IT groups to fully troubleshoot. These professionals typically have solid technical skills in general, as well as specific experience or training on a particular product, software, system, etc. This is also a job that can be done remotely, depending on the company.Technical Support EngineerTechnical support engineers have both customer service skills and a four-year degree in an area like computer engineering, computer science, information technology, or similar. These professionals provide high-level support for particular products, programs, apps, or technical services to help ensure that your product/service is working as it should. These engineers may also work within a company’s IT department to fill the customer service role for internal teams or groups as well.If you’re thinking about a career in customer service, there are some baseline skills you should develop as you figure out which customer service job opportunities you want to pursue. Organization and being detail-oriented are great assets, as is a positive and patient â€Å"bedside manner.† While customer service may seem like a solo job (or a duo with you and your phone), teamwork is essential to achieving company service goals. And tech savviness will always come in handy as factors like e-commerce, online customer service, and data collection become priorities for companies.And if you’re starting to think about crafting your customer service resume, we’ve got you covered there too.The bottom line is this: if you have a passion for helping people get the best possible experience from something they’ve bought, then this can be a great choice. It’s also a career path that gives you flexible work opt ions, whether you’re looking for a standard desk job, a remote work opportunity, or a graveyard shift.

The different views of marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The different views of marriage - Essay Example The sonnets rank among the finest love lyrics in the English language. The subject of the sonnets – love and the beloved, their soft music and the occasional graceful turn of phrase earn them an elevated place in English literature. A bit more about the title of the sonnet collection, Mrs. Browning was not Portugese, but she was a pronounced brunette, which is why her husband referred to her as â€Å"my little Portugese†. When she compiled her love poems in book form, she remembered the nickname and gave them the title â€Å"Sonnets from the Portugese†. One of the sonnets, Sonnet XLIII, often called â€Å"How Do I Love Thee† is hereby reproduced: Mrs. Browning’s Sonnet XLIII has been called the greatest love lyric in English and many readers would agree. The spontaneity and extent to which the persona in the poem experiences the emotion of love is very clear and evident from the beginning. In the poem, she expresses the fact that love encompasses her whole being and her whole life. Looking into her biography, the reader discovers that she led an active child’s life until one day, in trying to saddle her pony, she fell and suffered an injury that made her a partial invalid for years. In 1816, however, she married the poet Robert Browning and went with him to live in Florence, Italy, where her health improved and where their only son was born. Apparently, marriage and a more cheerful outlook towards life agreed with her and did her a lot of good. Line 9 of the poem would attest to this: â€Å"I love with a passion put to use Not all marriages are as perfect and ecstatic as that of the Brownings. In an analysis of short story that ensues, â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, the negative side of marriage is presented. On the outset, however, the reader is kept guessing (Is the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, a happily-married

H&M KEY ISSUE Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

H&M KEY ISSUE - Research Paper Example This is because maintaining this balance in the present truly competitive times translates into gaining a competitive edge over rival companies. Every successful company has its share of problems, but success is sustained only after finding answers to those problems. H&M is no different in the sense that the organization gets its fair share of problems related to fast growth. H&M’s rate of success and growth is considered dazzling in nature. Research proves that stores like Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) â€Å"have grown to become the largest apparel retailers in the world† (Caro & Mart ´Ã„ ±nez-de-Alb ´eniz, 2014). Fast growth has helped H&M strike a chord with a broad range of consumers from diverse backgrounds. However on the other hand, this has also been a real source of tension for the company from a management perspective. H&M is known globally as a fast fashion giant due to fast growth which is a good thing, but also this has brought the brand’s social resp onsibility under increased scrutiny (Caro & Mart ´Ã„ ±nez-de-Alb ´eniz, 2014). Fast growth also lays emphasis on accelerating the production phase. Growing fast in a safe manner without speeding up the production phase is impossible. This is why H&M has also encountered challenges in the area of getting products reach different stores in different parts of the world as soon as possible. Making delivery in a short time is important to deliver real value to customers. But, ensuring such a thing when there are so many international stores to look after can be understandably daunting. This is why H&M began to invest more wisely in the department of operational agility (Caro & Mart ´Ã„ ±nez-de-Alb ´eniz, 2014). Operational agility helps to ensure quick response or QR which was missing in the way H&M operated. In the absence of QR, there are increased pressures on suppliers which readily damages â€Å"overall retailer and supply chain