Read the requirement carefully Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Read the requirement carefully - Essay Example However, a true spirit of team work working and co-existing together with the sole objective of a common goal is quite rare. As explained by Wageman (1997, p.59) â€Å"It takes more work than just grouping people together and calling them a team.† Critical components of an effective team Successful and effective teamwork is founded on three basic components; complementary skills, common and compelling goals, and mutual responsibility and accountability. First, the complementary and technical skills of the work force within the team are attainable during the hiring and recruiting the staff (Ryan, 2012, p.267). Such complementary, technical, and professional skills must be matched with the job requirement. Besides, to increase their competence, more training is essential over time. Secondly, winning teams within an organization must have a common and clearly defined purpose to act as a guide for all the teammates to rally behind. The long chain goals are further broken down into specialized sub-goals for individuals with different technical and professional skills to undertake (Brainerd, 2006, p.56-9). Lastly, it is critical for an organization to foster the culture of responsiveness and accountability among the team members in a vertical format. To enhance responsibility and accountability, an organization rewards productivity and higher degree of accountability within the team staff. Coupled with collective responsibility, individual strugglers are supported by their colleagues in order to achieve together as a team. Team building process The process of building a successful teamwork takes place in four stages: formation, storming, norming, and performing (Belbin, 2010, p.70). Formation: This is the first step towards building a team. In this stage, individuals are busy trying to identify the most ideal position in the team. It is in this stage that initial offer on starting a team is made. Storming: This being the second stage in team building, it entai ls a number of challenges. Though people start to perceive each other as a team, conflict and confrontations are constantly observed, which further results into loss in performance. Norming: this is the stage where real team work commences. Members come together, develop common interests and goals, formulate policies and regulations, and perform job stratification. It is at this phase where some sense of â€Å"togetherness† is evidenced. Performing: It is the final phase in teamwork development which is characterized with increased team relationships, collective responsibility, and combined synergy. Group performance is very effective and delivering profitable outputs in the organization (Wageman, 1997, p.49-61). These four teamwork building phases can be represented graphically as below: Tuckman’s model Phase/output Performance Formation Norming Storming Period This model helps us in developing a deeper insight into the evolvement of teamwork. The major drawback of th is model is that identifies team building as being a linear and sequential process without recognizing loops in the team development stages. Common team challenges and how to overcome them All teams (including the most talented) in an organization faces a numbers of challenges. The major challenge facing teamwork performance is building the needed trust, a leading foundation for team performance in an organization. Higher

Privacy Inthe 21st Century Essay Example for Free

Privacy Inthe 21st Century Essay Privacy is the ability of a person to control the availability of information about and exposure of him or her; it is an individual’s or group’s right to have freedom from unauthorized intrusions (Hacker, 2013). With so many social and media communication outlets, does privacy actually exist in the 21st century? Does the government have the right to dictate what is private or what is public? As Americans in the 21st century, living amidst Facebook, Twitter, internet technology, satellite surveillance, GPS tracking and chips, the lack of privacy regarding the ability to provide acceptable and appropriate protection to individual identity and personal information have risen. Despite advancements in current security configuration, users of these products are still not receiving the privacy they deserve. Some views state that privacy is a right guaranteed to citizens by the United States Privacy Act of 1974, limiting the use of personal data by Federal agencies. Education is a solution to the online social networkers and the dangers behind sharing our personal information with the public. According to Carolan (2012), Americans’ expectations of privacy in the 21st century is to be treated fairly under the right to privacy law; this law is made to protect their personal information such as social security numbers, credit card information, and medical information. Therefore, according the Fourth Amendment, Americans have the right to be protected under the United States Constitution (Zdziarski, 2013). Nonetheless, individuals find themselves in a society where the internet and online communication is taking over how they do business, privacy rights and communication, bringing into question their Fourth Amendment right to protect their privacy. Consequently, individuals have hopes that their rights will be protected under the Fourth Amendment in a day and time where smart phones and social networking are controlling the waves of communication and how Americans conduct day-to-day business (Carolan, 2012). In today’s society of advanced technology, I Phones, tablets, insta-gram, social media, and online networking individuals have become almost totally dependent on these advanced communication technologies. They are constantly plugged-in for the duration of their day, to the point where doctors have come to term the behavior: nomophobia, the anxiety one feels when they do not have access to their cellular telephone; technoholism, an addiction to surfing the internet; and mousewrist, repetitive strain injury caused by excessive use of a computer mouse (Rauhofer, 2008). This drastic change in how individuals communicate with one another has allowed others to have immediate access to vast amounts of personal information about an individual, their activities, opinions and habits which are being generated and stored in the databases for the purposes of selling, distributing and advertising. Database companies provide services to various organizations and companies in hopes of retrieving personal information about the cliental without their approval or knowledge, which is a direct violation of their right to privacy (Rauhofer, 2008). There are several invasions of privacy and communication such as email addresses and information, global positioning satellites (GPS), and loyalty cards. Nonetheless, there are laws in place to combat the invasion of privacy such as the health information portability accountability act (HIPPA). In today’s society email is a fast and convenient way to communicate on the go. There is email at work, on mobile devices and in the home. In an article written by Samoriski And, (1996), questions are still being raised on whether or not the Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986 covers true privacy. Gaps are still present in the current Electronic Communication Privacy Act (ECPA), therefore leaving room for abusive electronic surveillance and monitoring, email and cell phone interception. Therefore, technology is creating new and unforeseen boundaries in the laws of privacy. Public and private privacy is almost nonexistent as it relates to online communication or transactions, and what little is available is being destroyed. For example, the IRS has recently ome under fire for spying on Americans’ email under the guise that using email surrenders one’s expectation of privacy. Emails were not originally designed to be shared or hacked into by individuals that were not authorized to send or receive the particular email; they are private. Nonetheless, it has been known that unauthorized users have invaded personal privacy laws and retrieved individual’s emails and information concerning their private life. Simply because email exists in a public environment does not invalidate one’s expectation of privacy (Zdziarski, 2013). Laws have been established to protect the freedom of speech and print it does not specifically define the domain in which electronic communication occurs, which includes computers, telecommunication, software, data, and electronic networks (Samoriski And, 1996). As technology is transformed, the advancement in options for preventing a person from getting lost and wandering without supervision has assisted care providers in assuring their safety. Medical devices have made it possible for long-term care residents to be easily located. Medical technology has created a device that helps protect Alzheimer’s patients from wandering from the facility without medical personnel. This device is commonly called wanderguard; it will sound an alarm and notify staff that a patient is near the door or has left the building. This is another unique system and advancement in technology that stores an individual’s personal information (N. A, Wandering, 2007). Additionally, the automotive industry has used technology to create a device that allows car owners to simply unlock and lock their car doors when approaching or standing next to the vehicle. The theory is it was a new safety feature that used GPS technology to track missing persons or allow easy and safe entry into the car. Although these methods are aids in locating a lost person, these devices contain specific private information that provides personal information and their identity (N. A. , Wandering, 2007). Even though these devices have medical and safety benefits, it is another unique system which shows diminished privacy. Computer technology has advanced to the point of 1) storing bits of information about individuals over long periods of time, 2) separate databases of information that may contain pictures, tracing an individual’s physical location without their knowledge and increasing the power to use during surveillance situations. For example, social and professional networking cites, global positioning tracking systems are all used to provide information on individuals and their whereabouts. Many people voluntarily provided specific information without knowing or understanding that they are giving out private information concerning themselves, family and friends. Computers have the ability to be tracked and computer hackers can break security codes and gain access to private and secret information that one may store on their computer’s hard drive (Rauhofer, 2008). Ever been to a grocery store, pharmacy chain or a retail outlet and upon completing the purchase transaction the question is posed â€Å"do you have your loyalty/bonus card? Many people are not aware that reward, bonus and discount cards are an intrusion of one’s privacy. These ‘rewards cards’ and ‘points cards’ have encrypted information on them about the individual card holder (Albrecht, n. d. ). Abuse of information is likely. According to Elgin Community Reward (2013) more than 60% of U. S. households said that loyalty card programs were important in their shopping d ecisions, but they did not know companies were using them and their information to increase sales and revenue. These cards are structured for marketing to encourage, reward and reveal the loyal buying behavior to the store of the card holder. These cards looks like credit cards and/or have smaller versions to attach to key fobs. They contain pertinent information which the customer has furnished through the application process to identify types of merchandise purchased, the likes and dislikes of the consumer. While the Fourth Amendment protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures of government officials, The Health Information Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) attempts to protect individual private medical information and ensure that it will remain safe and secure in storage or transit via the internet (Malcolm, 2005). According to Malcolm (2005) as technology moves into the twenty-second century and the distribution of information widens via the internet individuals information is going to become less private and more apt to become public (Malcolm, 2005). HIPAA of 1996 provides legal protection for a patient’s medical records and ways to file complaints. It is normally one of the first documents given to a patient completing paperwork. In a society where technology is the way of communication, doing business and functioning on a daily basis, privacy is not in the front of he technology movement. As Americans in the 21st century living amidst social webbing, internet technology, electronic communication, GPS tracking and laws of privacy, many issues still surface regarding the ability to provide acceptable and appropriate privacy. Despite technology advancements and current security configurations, online users still feel their personal data and privacy is vanishing. Privacy in the 21st Cent ury is possible with the advancement of technology but at the hands of those who created technology for the consumer. Privacy has taken a new meaning and redrawn the boundaries of the right to privacy from where they have been traditionally outlined. Politicians have helped reshaped society rather than society itself. Zdziarski (2013) suggest that when politicians and lawyers begin to control how society views privacy, it can only lead down the path to an unavoidable authoritarian government, with surveillance, constant monitoring and the mindset that Big Brother is always watching. Many Americans cherish their privacy, and it is essential to a free country, so much that the framers of our Constitution made it an exclusive item in our Bill of Rights (Zdziarski, 2013). Individuals’ right to privacy should be protected. They have the right to use computers, email, social cites and handle day-to-day business without the fear of their privacy being invaded. As a country that holds democracy in high esteem, individuals cannot survive without any of their constitutional rights or freedoms: free speech, the right to keep and bear arms, or the right to protect ourselves from an overstepping government. Privacy was never meant to be taken for granted and it was not meant to be taken away from Americans. In conclusion, privacy is almost impossible in the 21st century. Entities like credit reporting agencies, the internet, debt collectors, human services departments has given so many companies and individuals’ access to others’ information without questioning why it is being obtained or the purpose of housing one’s personal and private information. Although computers, organizations and companies have passwords and protective policies in place to discourage and keep one’s personal information protected, a lot of Americans are finding out that their personal information, bank and credit accounts are being sold from one company to another, to obtain intelligent about who you are and your interests. In doing this, companies use this approach to deliver personal advertisement to you of offers, goods and services directly connected to your happiness. Payments are other common reasons for information being sold.

Ellen Foster Essay -- Literary Analysis

Center stage in Kaye Gibbons’ inspiring bildungsroman, Ellen Foster, is the spunky heroine Ellen Foster. At the start of the novel, Ellen is a fiery nine-year old girl. Her whole life, especially the three years depicted in Ellen Foster, Ellen is exposed to death, neglect, hunger and emotional and physical abuse. Despite the atrocities surrounding her, Ellen asks for nothing more than to find a â€Å"new mama† to love her. She avoids facing the harsh reality of strangers and her own family’s cruelty towards her by using different forms of escapism. Thrice Ellen is exposed to death (Gibbons 27). Each time, Ellen has a conversation with a magician to cope with the trauma (Gibbons 22-145). Many times Ellen’s actions and words cause it to be difficult to tell that she is still a child. However, in order to distract herself, Ellen will play meaningful games (Gibbons 26). These games become a fulcrum for Ellen’s inner child to express itself. Frequently, Ellen will lapse into a daydream (Gibbons 67). Usually, these daydreams are meant to protect herself from the harsh reality around her. Ellen Foster’s unique use of escapism resounds as the theme of Kaye Gibbon’s Ellen Foster. To illustrate Ellen’s ability to survive traumas such as death and abuse, one might look to her imagination. Ellen is still a small girl when the novel takes place, so it seems normal for her to have a vivid imagination. Ellen goes to numerous funerals, and she witnesses two deaths (Gibbons 22-30, 114-130). While at these funerals, or around the lifeless body of a supposed loved one, Ellen has a small talk with the character known as â€Å"the magician† (Gibbons 22-145). Ellen calls upon this character to help explain the finality of death. Since she is still a child... ...). When working in the fields, Ellen mentally recites poetry while imagining herself speaking in front of others, strongly (Rambo 670). This daydream keeps Ellen from breaking down while working in her grandmother’s cotton fields (Rambo 668). When her Mama’s Mama gets sick, Ellen is forced to care for her. When her Mama’s Mama falls asleep, Ellen fantasizes being at an ocean, far away (Gibbons 79). These and many more daydreams Ellen experiences throughout Ellen Foster ring true to Ellen’s desire to break away from her harsh life. Ellen Foster’s use of escapism reverberates as the theme of Kaye Gibbons’ novel. Her imagination, determination, tenacity and innocence allow her to escape, to break away from all of the unfathomable cruelty surrounding her. Without her unique and clever use of escapism, the heroine of Ellen Foster would have been easily overwhelmed. Ellen Foster Essay -- Literary Analysis Center stage in Kaye Gibbons’ inspiring bildungsroman, Ellen Foster, is the spunky heroine Ellen Foster. At the start of the novel, Ellen is a fiery nine-year old girl. Her whole life, especially the three years depicted in Ellen Foster, Ellen is exposed to death, neglect, hunger and emotional and physical abuse. Despite the atrocities surrounding her, Ellen asks for nothing more than to find a â€Å"new mama† to love her. She avoids facing the harsh reality of strangers and her own family’s cruelty towards her by using different forms of escapism. Thrice Ellen is exposed to death (Gibbons 27). Each time, Ellen has a conversation with a magician to cope with the trauma (Gibbons 22-145). Many times Ellen’s actions and words cause it to be difficult to tell that she is still a child. However, in order to distract herself, Ellen will play meaningful games (Gibbons 26). These games become a fulcrum for Ellen’s inner child to express itself. Frequently, Ellen will lapse into a daydream (Gibbons 67). Usually, these daydreams are meant to protect herself from the harsh reality around her. Ellen Foster’s unique use of escapism resounds as the theme of Kaye Gibbon’s Ellen Foster. To illustrate Ellen’s ability to survive traumas such as death and abuse, one might look to her imagination. Ellen is still a small girl when the novel takes place, so it seems normal for her to have a vivid imagination. Ellen goes to numerous funerals, and she witnesses two deaths (Gibbons 22-30, 114-130). While at these funerals, or around the lifeless body of a supposed loved one, Ellen has a small talk with the character known as â€Å"the magician† (Gibbons 22-145). Ellen calls upon this character to help explain the finality of death. Since she is still a child... ...). When working in the fields, Ellen mentally recites poetry while imagining herself speaking in front of others, strongly (Rambo 670). This daydream keeps Ellen from breaking down while working in her grandmother’s cotton fields (Rambo 668). When her Mama’s Mama gets sick, Ellen is forced to care for her. When her Mama’s Mama falls asleep, Ellen fantasizes being at an ocean, far away (Gibbons 79). These and many more daydreams Ellen experiences throughout Ellen Foster ring true to Ellen’s desire to break away from her harsh life. Ellen Foster’s use of escapism reverberates as the theme of Kaye Gibbons’ novel. Her imagination, determination, tenacity and innocence allow her to escape, to break away from all of the unfathomable cruelty surrounding her. Without her unique and clever use of escapism, the heroine of Ellen Foster would have been easily overwhelmed.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 28

Matt had no idea what time it was, but it was deep dusk under the trees. He was lying sideways in Elena's new car, as if he'd been tossed in and forgotten. His entire body was in pain. This time he awoke and immediately thought, Elena. But he couldn't see the white of her camisole anywhere, and when he called, first softly, then shouting, he got no answer. So now he was feeling his way around the clearing, on hands and knees. Damon seemed to have gone and that gave him a spark of hope and courage that lit up his mind like a beacon. He found the discarded Pendleton shirt – considerably trampled. But when he couldn't find another soft warm body in the clearing, his heart crashed down somewhere around his boots. And then he remembered the Jaguar. He fumbled frantically in one pocket for the keys, came up empty, and finally discovered, inexplicably, that they were in the ignition. He lived through the agonizing moment when the car wouldn't start, and then was shocked to see the brightness of its headlights. He puzzled briefly about how to turn the car while making sure he wasn't running a limp Elena over, then dug through the glove compartment box, flinging out manuals and pairs of sunglasses. Ah, and one lapis lazuli ring. Someone was keeping a spare here, just in case. He put it on; it fit well enough. At last his fingers closed over a flashlight, and he was free to search the clearing as thoroughly as he wanted to. No Elena. No Ferrari either. Damon had taken her somewhere. All right, then, he would track them. To do that he had to leave Elena's car behind, but he had already seen what these monsters could do to cars, so that wasn't saying much. He would have to be careful with the flashlight, too. Who knew how much charge the batteries had left? For the hell of it, he tried calling Bonnie's mobile phone, and then her home phone, and then the boardinghouse. No signal, even though according to the phone itself, there should have been. No need to question why, either – this was the Old Wood, messing with things as usual. He didn't even ask himself why it was Bonnie's number he called first, when Meredith would probably be more sensible. He found the tracks of the Ferrari easily. Damon had sped out of here like a bat†¦Matt smiled grimly as he finished the sentence in his mind. And then he'd driven as if to get out of the Old Wood. This was easy, it was clear that either Damon had been going too fast for proper control or that Elena had been fighting, because in a number of places, mainly around corners, the tire tracks showed up clearly against the soft ground beside the road. Matt was especially careful not to step on anything that might be a clue. He might have to backtrack at some point. He was careful, too, to ignore the quiet noises of the night around him. He knew the malach were out there, but he refused to let himself think about them. And he never even asked himself why he was doing this, deliberately going into danger instead of retreating from it, instead of trying to drive the Jaguar out of the Old Wood. After all, Stefan hadn't left him as bodyguard. But then you couldn't trust anything that Damon might say, he thought. And besides – well, he'd always kept one eye out for Elena, even before their first date. He might be clumsy, slow, and weak in comparison to their enemies now, but he would always try. It was pitch-dark now. The last remnants of twilight had left the sky, and if Matt looked up he could see clouds and stars – with trees leaning in ominously from either side. He was getting toward the end of the road. The Dunstans' house should be coming up on the right pretty soon. He'd ask them if they'd seen – Blood. At first his mind flew to ridiculous alternatives, like dark red paint. But his flashlight had caught reddish brown stains on the roadside just as the road made a sharp curve. That wasblood on the road there. And not just a little blood. Being careful to walk well around the red-brown marks, running his flashlight over and over the far side of the road, Matt began to put together what must have happened. Elena had jumped. Either that or Damon had pushed her out of a speeding car – and after all the trouble he'd taken to get her, that didn't make much sense. Of course, he might have already bled her until he was satisfied – Matt's fingers went up to his sore neck instinctively – but then, why take her in the car at all? To kill her by pushing her out? A stupid way to do it, but maybe Damon had been counting on his little pets to take care of the body. Possible, but not very likely. Whatwas likely? Well, the Dunstans' house was coming up on this side of the road, but you couldn't see it from here. And it would be just like Elena to jump out of a speeding car as it rounded a sharp corner. It would take brains, and guts, and a breathtaking trust in sheer luck that it wouldn't kill her. Matt's flashlight slowly traced the devastation of a long hedge of rhododendron bushes just off the road. My God, that's what she did. Yeah. She jumped out and tried to roll. Jeez, she was lucky not to break her neck. But she kept rolling, grabbing at roots and creepers to stop herself. That's why they're all torn up. A bubble of elation was rising in Matt. He was doing it. He was tracking Elena. He could see her fall as clearly as if he'd been there. But then she got flipped by that tree root, he thought as he continued to follow her trail. That would have hurt. And she'd slammed down and rolled on the concrete for a bit – that must have been agony; she'd left a lot of blood here, and then back into the bushes. And then what? The rhododendron showed no more signs of her fall. What had happened here? Had Damon reversed the Ferrari fast enough and gotten her back? No, Matt decided, examining the earth carefully. There was only one set of footprints here, and it was Elena's. Elena had gotten up here – only to fall down again, probably from injury. And then she'd managed to get up again, but the marks were weird, a normal footprint on one side and a deep but small indentation on the other. A crutch. She found herself a crutch. Yeah, and that dragging mark was the mark of her bad foot. She walked up to this tree, and then around it – or hopped, actually, that's what it looked like. And then she'd headed for the Dunstans'. Smart girl. She was probably unrecognizable by now, and anyway, who cared if they noticed the resemblance between her and the late, great Elena Gilbert? She could be Elena's cousin from Philadelphia. So she'd gone, one, two, three†¦eight steps – and there was the Dunstan house. Matt could see lights. Matt could smell horses. Excitedly, he ran the rest of the way – taking a few falls that didn't do his aching body any good, but still heading straight for the back porch light. The Dunstans weren't front porch people. When he got to the door, he pounded on it almost frenziedly. He'd found her. He'd found Elena! It seemed a long time before the door opened a crack. Matt automatically wedged his foot in the crack while thinking, Yes, good, you're cautious people. Not the type to let a vampire in after you'd just seen a girl covered in blood. â€Å"Yes? What do you want?† â€Å"It's me, Matt Honeycutt,† he said to the eye that he could see peering out of the slit of open door. â€Å"I've come for El – for the girl.† â€Å"What girl are you talking about?† the voice said gruffly. â€Å"Look, you don't have to worry. It's me – Jake knows me from school. And Kristin knows me, too. I've come to help.† Something in the sincerity of his voice seemed to strike a chord in the person behind the door. It was opened to reveal a large, dark-haired man who was wearing an under-shirt and needed a shave. Behind him, in the living room was a tall, thin, almost gaunt woman. She looked as if she had been crying. Behind both of them was Jake, who'd been a year senior to Matt at Robert E. Lee High. â€Å"Jake,† Matt said. But he got no answer back except a dull look of anguish. â€Å"What's wrong?†Matt demanded, terrified. â€Å"A girl came by here a while ago – she was hurt – but – but – you let her in, right?† â€Å"No girl's come by here,† said Mr. Dunstan flatly. â€Å"She had to have. I followed her trail – she left a trail inblood , do you understand, almost up to your door .† Matt wasn't letting himself think. Somehow, if he kept telling the facts loudly enough, they would produce Elena. â€Å"More trouble,† Jake said, but in a dull voice that went with his expression. Mrs. Dunstan seemed the most sympathetic. â€Å"We heard a voice out in the night, but when we looked, there was no one there. And we have troubles of our own.† It was then, right on cue, that Kristin burst into the room. Matt stared at her with a feeling of d ¦j vu. She was dressed up something like Tami Bryce. She had cut off the bottoms of her jeans shorts until they were practically nonexistent. On top she was wearing a bikini top, but with – Matt hastily turned his eyes away – two big round holes cut just where Tami had had round pieces of cardboard. And she'd decorated herself with glitter glue. God! She's only, what, twelve? Thirteen? How could she possibly be acting this way? But the next moment, his whole body was vibrating in shock. Kristin had pasted herself against him and was cooing, â€Å"Matt Honey-butt! You came to see me!† Matt breathed carefully to get over his shock.Matt Honey-butt . She couldn't know that. She didn't even go to the same school as Tami did. Why would Tami have called her and – told her something like that? He shook his head, as if to clear it. Then he looked at Mrs. Dunstan, who had seemed kindest. â€Å"Can I use your phone?† he asked. â€Å"I need – Ireally need to make a couple of calls.† â€Å"The phone's been down since yesterday,† Mr. Dunstan said harshly. He didn't try to move Kristin away from Matt, which was odd because he was clearly angry. â€Å"Probably a fallen tree. And you know mobile phones don't work out here.† â€Å"But – † Matt's mind spun into overdrive. â€Å"You really mean that no teenage girl came up to your house asking for help? A girl with blond hair and blue eyes? I swear, I'm not the one who hurt her. I swear I want to help her.† â€Å"Matt Honey-butt? I'm making a tattoo, just for you.† Still pressed up behind him, Kristin extended her left arm. Matt stared at it, horrified. She had obviously used needles or a pin to prick holes in her left forearm, and then opened a fountain pen's cartridge of ink to supply the dark blue color. It was your basic prison-type tattoo, done by a child. The straggling letters M A T were already visible, along with a smudge of ink that was probably going to be another T. No wonder they weren't thrilled about letting me in, Matt thought, dazed. Now Kristin had both arms around his waist, making it hard to breathe. She was on tiptoe, talking to him, whispering rapidly some of the obscene things Tami had said. He stared at Mrs. Dunstan. â€Å"Honest, I haven't even seen Kristin for – it must be nearly a year. We had an end of the year carnival, and Kristin helped with the pony rides, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs. Dunstan was nodding slowly. â€Å"It's not your fault. She's been acting the same way with Jake. Her own brother. And with – with her father. But I'm tellingyou the truth; we haven't seen any other girl. No one but you has come to the door today.† â€Å"Okay.† Matt's eyes were watering. His brain, attuned first of all to his own survival, was telling him to save his breath, not to argue. Telling him to say, â€Å"Kristin – I really can't breathe – â€Å" â€Å"But Ilove you, Matt Honey-butt. I don't want you toever leave me. Especially for that old whore. That old whore with worms in her eye-sockets†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Again Matt felt the sense of the world rocking. But he couldn't gasp. He didn't have the air. Pop-eyed, he turned helplessly toward Mr. Dunstan, who was closest. â€Å"Can't – breathe – â€Å" How could a thirteen-year-old be so strong? It was taking both Mr. Dunstan and Jake to pry her off him. No, even that wasn't working. He was beginning to see a gray network pulsating before his eyes. He needed air. There was a sharp crack that ended with a meaty sound. And then another. Suddenly he could breathe again. â€Å"No, Jacob! No more!† Mrs. Dunstan cried. â€Å"She let him go – don't hit her anymore!† When Matt's vision cleared, Mr. Dunstan was doing up his belt. Kristin was wailing, â€Å"Just youwaaa -hate! Just youwaa-haate! You'll besor- ry!† Then she rushed from the room. â€Å"I don't know if this helps or makes it worse,† Matt said when he'd gotten his breath back, â€Å"but Kristin isn't the only girl acting this way. There's at least one other one in the town – â€Å" â€Å"All I care about is my Kristin,† Mrs. Dunstan said. â€Å"And that†¦thingisn't her.† Matt nodded. But there was something he needed to do now. He had to find Elena. â€Å"If a blond girl does come to the door and asks for help, will you please let her in?† he asked Mrs. Dunstan. â€Å"Please? But don't let any guys in – not even me if you don't want,† he blurted. For a moment his eyes and Mrs. Dunstan's eyes met, and he felt a connection. Then she nodded and hastened to get him out of the house. All right, Matt thought. Elena was headed for here, but she didn't quite get here. So look at the signs. He looked. And what the signs showed him was that, within a few feet of the Dunstan property, she had inexplicably turned sharply right, deeply into the forest. Why? Had something scared her? Or had she – Matt felt sick to his stomach – somehow been tricked into hobbling on and on, until at last she left all human help behind? All he could do was to follow her into the woods.

Accounting System Paper Essay

Kudler Fine Foods has done a wonderful job with its current accounting system by manually tracking data and not having a uniform system for providing information about that data. Data is the raw and unorganized version of information while information is categorized and decipherable data that correlates to the business. Kudler Fine Foods is making a transition from the less efficient and more labor intensive accounting methods to a technology based accounting system which saves money being that it is more efficient and more robust. The core features, benefits, and cost will be discussed as you continue to read this paper. As mentioned earlier, Kudler Fine Foods is making a transition to a computerized accounting system which will have the ability to communicate with all branches of the business. Kudler Fine foods will utilize an accounting system which is integral part of the Enterprise resource planning software that is being deployed in the Kudler Fine Foods environment. The ERP software will be able to capture real time data directly from the point of sale (cash registers) and automatically adjust inventory and profit data. See more:Â  Social Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay The accounting software will also use a compliance management feature will provide complete transaction audit trails and rules-based controls and advanced reporting capabilities which are compliant with laws and regulations. More benefits are advanced financial forecasting the can accurately predict and estimate potential profits and pending losses, revenue and cash flow. This gives Kudler Fine Foods the ability to analyze past trends to help make better business decisions in the future. In addition, the accounting software will give Kudler Fine Foods the ability to deep dive into the cash management aspect of their business by more accurately assessing current and future cash needs and track all transactions that directly impact available cash levels. In an ERP environment, Kudler Fine Foods will adopt a client/server system. The Client/Server technology model is the model in which today’s softwares are developed. A Client/Server model is one in which the client computer is identified separately from the server computer. This will require servers with Windows serve 2008 and networking equipment which will allow all workstations to communicate to application servers, shared data drives and communicate with the outside world. With the added benefits of an ERP system in the Kudler Fine Food environment, comes an added expense of support of the system. Currently, Kudler Fine Foods can anticipate an expense of twenty-five thousand dollars with a potential ceiling of two hundred fifty thousand dollars. References Top 10 ERP. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.top10erp.org/sap-erp-software-comparison-technology-140 Technology required for Erp. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.vkinfotek.com/erp/erp-technologies.html

Marbury v. Madison essays

Marbury v. Madison essays Marbury v. Madison,5 U.S.137 (1801): The Decision of Powers The Federalists carried the majority of the power in the 1800 election, both in the Congress and the election of John Adams as President. The following election, it became apparent that the Federalists would lose control of the Presidency and thus the majority of Congress. Before Adams lost his position as President to Thomas Jefferson, he made an attempt to control Congress by passing the Judiciary Act of 1801. This Act created new courts in the District of Columbia so that Adams could fill the courts with Federalists, which he continued to do up until the last hour of his Presidency. Some of the commissions were not delivered before Adams vacated his office. One of which was meant for William Marbury appointing him to a circuit court in Washington D.C. The new Secretary of State, James Madison refused to hand over Marburys commission as well as a few others. Marbury filed a suit against Madison seeking a writ of mandamus forcing Madison to hand over the commission. The case was brought directly before the Supreme Court. While each court had specific delegated powers, it was unclear as to what process would be used if one of the branches overstepped the guidelines set forth in the Constitution. The Supreme Court had to deal with three separate Constitutional issues in this case. One, Did Marbury have the right to the commission he was demanding? Two, If he did have a right to the commission, was there a way to remedy the violation of his right to the commission? And three, if it was found he did in fact have the right to the commission, how would the court go about granting the commission and therefore reversing the violation which had been committed against Marbury? The Supreme Court, lead by Justice Marshall, decided that since Marbury had been appointed to the circuit and his appointment was approved by the Senate ...

Summary of El Coronel No Tiene Le Escriba (Not Mine) Essay Example

Summary of El Coronel No Tiene Le Escriba (Not Mine) Essay Example Summary of El Coronel No Tiene Le Escriba (Not Mine) Paper Summary of El Coronel No Tiene Le Escriba (Not Mine) Paper Summary of the work by chapters. The colonel one writes, is a work that consists of seven chapters separated by a white typo. In this paper, I will stop for a brief summary of each chapter. First, the Colonel wakes up and discovers that  coffee  is not enough for breakfast and have to attend a funeral, which the colonel is the first natural death that they have in years. His wife affected by asthma has long been not leave the house. Colonel down to the place where you wait for the funeral. Its raining, always raining in October, causing discomfort to the Colonel. Second, the Colonel has a cock that is a  legacy  of her son Augustine, who was killed in January in the cockpit for spreading information secret. The common people believed to be the best cock in town. The Colonel tries to take care and keep well for upcoming fights although his wife is totally disagrees to keep this rooster. Every Friday, the colonel down to the dock waiting for the mail boat that will bring a letter from your pension. The colonel waited for more than fifteen years without losing hope. The doctor, like every Friday, get the papers and write their own newsletter, clandestinely circulated it among men of the village. Colonel takes the papers home, read them at night and returns to the doctor in the morning. At seven oclock in the afternoon in the village heard the chimes of film censorship, Father Angel uses this medium to give the classification of the film. Third, the economic situation is terrible colonel, because of complaints from women about this, the colonel replied that it will soon mail arrives but hoped the letter away. Augustines colleagues say with joy over the victory of the rooster. Colonel down to the village again waiting for the letter, but in vain, the letter arrives, and the  manager  replied that he has no one writes. The colonel, on the advice of his wife, decides to change his lawyer. Fourth quarter sequence starts with the  writing  of a letter Colonel announces the  change  of counsel. Still raining in the village, the colonel and his wife without anything to eat. On November 2 the woman takes flowers to the grave of her son Augustine, she is still suffering from asthma. Colonel sacrifices for their own food and his wife to throw it to the cock. Finally, co-commissioned Augustine to feed this animal. Fifth: Don Sabas advised the colonel to sell the cock and can receive up to nine hundred dollars and also would remove a lot of trouble from him. Colonel question in the  office  post for your letter unanswered. Then the Colonel returns home with his wife and decides to go to offer condolences to the house of the dead. The woman went to apply for a loan on the rings of  marriage  Father Angel, but he replies that it is  sin  to negotiate with sacred things. After this alarming situation, the Colonel decided to sell the cock to Don Sabas. Sixth: Colonel goes to the office of Don Sabas with the decision to sell the cock. After many hours of waiting, Don Sabas appears but does not realize the presence of the colonel. Colonel returns home with bad news, he tells his wife and she, you are advised to be much more decisive with Don Sabas. Colonel Don Sabas again and it gives you four hundred dollars for the cock and also offers a preview of sixty dollars until the rooster sold manage theaccounts  . Seventh, the colonel and his wife wake up one morning with joy and feel good, now have food and even new shoes for the colonel with the money they forward Don Sabas. One day, when the Colonel is going to the post office waiting for the letter, recalled the day of the training and, upon entering the cockpit, Colonel saw his cock and notes that this animal is more than economic represents the  solidarity  of the people and their  freedom  , as it produces (the rooster) an emotion as the colonel had much time had something so alive in his hands like that rooster. Still, the colonel decided to retain and keep that cock and spend another time waiting for the letter, while his wife complains about the bad economic situation. The play ends with a final dramatic word fuck is a response to the question of Colonel of his wife, What do we eat? . This response may be an indication of the desperate situation of the colonel and his wife.

Making Affiliates The Most Valuable Weapon In Your Marketing Arsenal

Making Affiliates The Most Valuable Weapon In Your Marketing Arsenal We’ve talked about influencer marketing and referral marketing. Now, it’s time to talk about affiliate marketing. With all these types of marketing, where does one end and the other begin? They’re all related, but each is a little different. Today, we’re talking to Arlen Robinson, chief operating officer and co-founder of OmniStar Interactive. Arlen describes the differences between types of marketing, how to set up a structured program for affiliate marketing, and how to recruit and create incentives to bring affiliates on board. Affiliate Marketing: People who are outside affiliates, not customers, promote your business, products, and services Referral Marketing: Your customers who refer your business to people they know Influencer Marketing: Someone who has their own audience and following Every business should implement an affiliate or referral program because of stats Due to abundant shopping options being available, consumers get overwhelmed Create an affiliate program by defining reasonable goals and promotional strategies, as well as ways to measure success Find and recruit affiliates via online directories and social media; be competitive and get their attention by offering sizeable incentives cash is king Other incentives could include offering products, merchandise, and gift cards Affordable solutions are available to internally track and manage sales, payment process, and content influenced by individual affiliates Use a viral loop to create a constant flow into your affiliate and referral programs Links: Omnistar Interactive How To Avoid The Most Costly Mistake In Influencer Marketing With Shane Barker [AMP 115] PayPal Openinfluence Izea What topics and guests should be on AMP? Send your suggestions! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Arlen Robinson: â€Å"An affiliate program is when you get people to promote your business.† â€Å"Just like any decision that you make in a business, it’s always best to back your decisions on data.† â€Å"There’s a ton of options. For the consumer, things can be kind of overwhelming. That’s why the growth of affiliate and referral marketing has really exploded.† â€Å"You want to make it so these affiliates and these referral partners just have to hit the easy button.† These days, theres several marketplace type of sites out there that are a kind of a network between businesses and influencers.

My Teaching Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My Teaching Philosophy - Essay Example I don’t want to produce a workforce that is well educated but not competent enough to handle the complexities of the real life problems. Using moving image is a very important part of my teaching style which makes it all the more convenient for the students to understand the concept. I believe that human tendency to learn is at its best when it requires the humans to use maximum senses. Thus, if I only deliver the lecture without showing the students videos, they would only engage their hearing sense to understand me in the class. On the other hand, when I supplement my theoretical demonstration with the moving image, the students not only engage their hearing sense in the lecture, but also make use of their viewing sense. Thus, learning occurs at two levels. I also need the multimedia demonstration in order to show the videos of concepts being applied on the real life cases. Therefore, multimedia is a very essential component of my

PUBLIC LAW Master Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of 8 to 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights - Research Paper Example In doing so, it reifies the level of the protection of the individual's rights. Meanwhile, even though state parties can file cases against other states, this rarely happens. The Convention takes into consideration numerous human rights. This paper shall discuss the rights safeguarded by Articles 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Convention. These are, respectively, the right to respect of private life, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, the right to freedom of expression, right to freedom of assembly and association. Salient to this paper's discussion would be the extent of the state's ability to control or interfere in the aforementioned rights, as provided by the Convention. Each of the three articles will be stated, and then discuss in detail. 2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. This article evidently protects the right of the individual against unlawful searches, against constant surveillance, as in phone taps, or going through electronic mails and physical letters. The first provision clearly asserts that an individual, his family, and his friends should not be monitored. But the second provision provides conditions that are very vague. In a sense they could account for a lot of things, depending on the situation and circumstances. For example, "in the interest of national security" pertains clearly to individuals and groups that may be considered threats to the state. But this can encompass a multitude of people. There might be cases of people being judged in a bad light on the basis of their ideological and political leanings, without them actually being actual threats to the state. Even the term "state" can take on a myriad of interpretations, depending on who's speaking, and for what reason. Protecting the interests of the "state" can mean preserving the present regime. In a sense, these political terms can be used to the disadvantage of individuals in question. Â  

Cloud Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example Cloud computing services address these issues and provide a source for using computing resources without purchasing them. The computing resources can be attained dynamically as per the needs of the company. The computing resources can be released when the need for greater IT infrastructure ceases to exist, therefore the resources do not have to be actually bought. Cloud computing environments offer almost unlimited levels of scalability and mobility. The attainment and release of the resources are convenient and fast processes. Computing resources consist of a diverse range of virtual devices and applications, like virtual servers, data storage, operating systems, software applications and virtual platforms. Along with the major success and acceptance of the concept of cloud computing, a significant portion of users feel threatened in trusting the service providers with their intellectual assets. Therefore, the prevailing security and privacy issues related to cloud computing have be en discussed in the paper, along with its advantages as compared to the traditional form of computing and data centers. The paper also includes few recommendations for improving the protection of the intellectual assets of the users. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Cloud Computing 1 3. Success of Cloud Computing 5 4. Comparison of Traditional Computing and Cloud Computing Data Centers 7 4.1 Advantages of Cloud Computing 8 4.1.1 Level of Scalability 8 4.1.2 Level of Mobility 8 4.1.3 Level of Maintenance and Updates 10 4.1.4 Disaster Recovery 11 4.2 Disadvantages of Cloud Computing 11 4.2.1 Level of Control and Privacy 11 5. Factors to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Data Centers 13 6. Physical Aspects of Cloud Computing Data Centers 13 6.1 Issues with Traditional Data Centers 13 6.2 Innovative Solutions in Cloud Computing Data Centers 14 7. Challenges in Cloud Computing Systems 17 8. Recommendations 18 9. Conclusions 19 Bibliography 22 Table of Figures 1 Figure 1: Different fact ors related to Cloud Computing Systems 4 2 Figure 2: Comparison between traditional data center and cloud computing data center 7 3 Figure 3: PUE of Microsoft from the year 2004 to 2007 16 Table of Tables 1 Table 1: Top 10 Technologies of the year 2011 6 1. Introduction Computer technology has seen remarkable development and continuous improvement ever since it has been invented. The mode of life has been changed by the respective invention. Every field and industry has been revolutionized by the integration of computers. The field of education has been improved by the advent of e-learning management systems, whereas the field of medicine has witnessed greater accuracy and reliability due to the usage of more efficient medical equipments. In the same manner, the field of business has been given a more formalized structure due to the incorporation of enterprise data centers and information management systems. Enterprise data centers supported the needs of organizations for many years . A change was felt necessary when the needs of the customers began increasing at an exponential rate. The advent of internet has broken geographical barriers, due to which the whole world is considered to be a single platform. Consumer has access to global products and services, which makes it vital for companies to provide commendable and uninterrupted services to their clients. The increasing competition in the markets has urged the companies to adopt innovative ways to meet the increasing needs of the cust

Argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Argument - Essay Example Drone warfare is mainly used by the military and intelligence agencies of the United States in areas where there is a high susceptibility of terrorist activities like Afghanistan and Pakistan. This form of war has been a center of argument and debates owing to the loss of innocent lives as well as the credibility of its usefulness. Drone technology has raised further alarms because this development has been achieved by forty countries across the globe and the armed forces of the United States alone are in possession of seven thousand drones (Billitteri 653). The drone warfare is an ineffective method of war and should be discontinued as it leads to the killing of harmless citizens and it also serves to hamper the security of the United States as it raises the number of foes for the country and hence puts the lives of the Americans at risk. The drones which are also known as â€Å"unmanned aerial vehicles† gained popularity after a few successful drone strikes which resulted in the included the killing of Sheikh Sa’id al-Masr. ... Last year, the Air Force trained more pilots to fly unmanned planes than traditional fighter pilots. (656)† This explains the fact that modern warfare has entirely changed and drone warfare has gained tremendous popularity amongst the armed forces in the United States. The CIA legally justified its usage of drones under the international law by claiming that it is a part of self-defense for the United States. Proponents further claim that drone attacks are the only measures which can be used to curb terrorist organizations and put an end to them (Billitteri 656). The justifications provided for the usage of drone warfare have been debated against and correct reasons have been provided to explain the fact that this form of warfare does not yield any good. The drone strikes have greatly increased in countries like Pakistan. Warlund explains the negativities in these drone attacks by claiming that, â€Å"At least 50 drone attacks have targeted Pakistan thus far in 2010, nearly th e same amount as in all of 2009. Since 2004, from 1,040 to as many as 1,579 people have been killed in the attacks; an estimated one-third of the casualties were civilians (656).† The writer has tried to shed light upon the alarming rise in the usage of drone attacks and he has emphasized the fact that one third of the people who die due to these attacks are innocent and harmless people. International law and other grounds can by means be used to support the killing guiltless civilians in the name of self-defense (Billitteri 656). Experts have provided other drawbacks in the drone technology as well. It is claimed that though drone attacks result in the killing of

The Merits of Automating Business Processes Essay

The Merits of Automating Business Processes - Essay Example This entails collecting appropriate data that would demonstrate the significance of automation as a quality enhancer and a transferrable idea that could help organizations to speed up their activities while aiming for optimum performance and productivity (Atkins, 2001; Domingue and Pedrinaci, 2009). To understand how effective the phenomenon of automation is, it is imperative to design this research in a way that the applicable variables are tested and the right participants are investigated in order to come up with useful statistical presentation. The purpose of this is to reveal the fact that automation works perfectly when all the component structures are properly aligned in its implementation (Comuzzi and Pernici, 2009). 2 3.1 Sample The participants to be investigated for this research would be employees of the target organization who are in charge of the organization’s IT Department, Manufacturing Department, and Accounts Department. The number of participants from each Department will be ten (n=10); hence, the total number of employers to be engaged in the entire research would be 30 (N=30). The employees would be chosen at random to avoid prejudicial selection so as to get fair results. The conditions for participation would be that each chosen employee has worked for the organization for a minimum of 5 years and have noticed drastic improvements in the organization’s performance owing to the automation of the operations at the organization. Variables The most important variables this research would test include the following merits of automation: Optimum Performance Ratio:- This will be measured by comparing the percentages of performance before and after automation. The percentage of performance can be estimated from the responses participants would provide to the questionnaires. Cost-efficiency Ratio:- This is why the Accounts Department employees are included as participants in this research so that they could give the extent of cost o f operation before and after the automation. 3 Comparative Speed of Operation:- The employees at the IT and Manufacturing Departments would be expected to supply the needed information about the relative speed of operation at the organization before and after the implementation of automation. 3.2 Instruments The major instrument that would be used for this study is an open questionnaire which would contain important questions the chosen employees of the organization must provide responses to. The advantage of an open questionnaire is that applicants would not be provided with any response option: they would be required to supply response to each question as they deem fit. Other applicable information about the organization’s operations would be garnered from the Annual Report of the organization. 3.3 Research Design Each open questionnaire would contain ten questions. And unlike closed questionnaire, the participants are free to supply any response they deem appropriate to th e questions. A sample of the ten questions is given as follows: (i) What does the operations at your organization look like before some or all of the processes were automated? Please comment about the speed, cost and performance of operations. (ii) And what does the operations look like after automation? Please also comment on the speed, cost and performance of operations. 4 (iii) Which areas are mostly improved through the implementation of automation procedures? (iv) How about the quality of production or

Argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Argument - Essay Example Drone warfare is mainly used by the military and intelligence agencies of the United States in areas where there is a high susceptibility of terrorist activities like Afghanistan and Pakistan. This form of war has been a center of argument and debates owing to the loss of innocent lives as well as the credibility of its usefulness. Drone technology has raised further alarms because this development has been achieved by forty countries across the globe and the armed forces of the United States alone are in possession of seven thousand drones (Billitteri 653). The drone warfare is an ineffective method of war and should be discontinued as it leads to the killing of harmless citizens and it also serves to hamper the security of the United States as it raises the number of foes for the country and hence puts the lives of the Americans at risk. The drones which are also known as â€Å"unmanned aerial vehicles† gained popularity after a few successful drone strikes which resulted in the included the killing of Sheikh Sa’id al-Masr. ... Last year, the Air Force trained more pilots to fly unmanned planes than traditional fighter pilots. (656)† This explains the fact that modern warfare has entirely changed and drone warfare has gained tremendous popularity amongst the armed forces in the United States. The CIA legally justified its usage of drones under the international law by claiming that it is a part of self-defense for the United States. Proponents further claim that drone attacks are the only measures which can be used to curb terrorist organizations and put an end to them (Billitteri 656). The justifications provided for the usage of drone warfare have been debated against and correct reasons have been provided to explain the fact that this form of warfare does not yield any good. The drone strikes have greatly increased in countries like Pakistan. Warlund explains the negativities in these drone attacks by claiming that, â€Å"At least 50 drone attacks have targeted Pakistan thus far in 2010, nearly th e same amount as in all of 2009. Since 2004, from 1,040 to as many as 1,579 people have been killed in the attacks; an estimated one-third of the casualties were civilians (656).† The writer has tried to shed light upon the alarming rise in the usage of drone attacks and he has emphasized the fact that one third of the people who die due to these attacks are innocent and harmless people. International law and other grounds can by means be used to support the killing guiltless civilians in the name of self-defense (Billitteri 656). Experts have provided other drawbacks in the drone technology as well. It is claimed that though drone attacks result in the killing of

Who Should Be Responsible For Policing The Internet Essay

Who Should Be Responsible For Policing The Internet - Essay Example Even an innocent research in search engines can turn out to be an accidental sexual offense. Aggressive marketing ploys of many pornography websites trick online users to visiting porn sites using hot links, pop ups with lewd photographs, or trapping users by bouncing them from porn site to porn site, making it hard to leave. The chat rooms are also favourite hangouts of determined paedophiles. These online predators share information with other paedophiles usually in a network, on how to seduce or â€Å"groom† a victim. They constantly roam chat rooms for possible victims. Online predators use social networking sites such as Myspace or Tagged as a way to meet potential victims. Paedophiles also frequent Usenet newsgroups to post and exchange illicit materials and even to discuss various approaches to victimize. The internet is safe haven for many computer child molesters because of the internet’s accessibility, affordability and user anonymity. Several research studies have underlined harm exposure to pornography among children poses. Dr. John Money of Johns Hopkins University presented a theory on sexual deviance in his 1986 book Lovemaps. According to Dr. Money, â€Å"sexual deviance can be traced to experiences in childhood (Laaser, 2000, quoted in Cothran, 2004, p.34).† Many clinical psychologists support that pornography causes violence among children. They point to the possibility of desensitization of children. It is general fact that children model what they often see and hear. Exposure to obscene materials may result to children â€Å"accepting and carrying such sexual preferences to adulthood (Laaser, 2000, quoted in Cothran, 2004, p. 34).† Sexual addiction also causes alarm. Sex as an addiction almost always begins with viewing soft-porn material and gradually shifts to hard-core. Laaser (2000, quoted in Cothran p. 35) says that â€Å"for substance or activity to be addictive it must create a chemical tolerance.

Assessment Of For And As Learning Essay Example for Free

Assessment Of For And As Learning Essay Assessment of learning refers to strategies designed to confirm what students know, demonstrate whether or not they have met curriculum outcomes or the goals of their individualized programs, or to certify proficiency and make decisions about students’ future programs or placements. It is designed to provide evidence of achievement to parents, other educators, the students themselves, and sometimes to outside groups (e. g. , employers, other educational institutions). Assessment of learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or symbols about how well students are learning. It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will affect students’ futures. It is important, then, that the underlying logic and measurement of assessment of learning be credible and defensible. Teachers’ Roles in Assessment of Learning Because the consequences of assessment of learning are often far-reaching and affect students seriously, teachers have the responsibility of reporting student learning accurately and fairly, based on evidence obtained from a variety of contexts and applications. Effective assessment of learning requires that teachers provide  ?a rationale for undertaking a particular assessment of learning at a particular point in time ?clear descriptions of the intended learning ?processes that make it possible for students to demonstrate their competence and skill ?a range of alternative mechanisms for assessing the same outcomes ?public and defensible reference points for making judgments ? Transparent approaches to interpretation ?descriptions of the assessment process ?strategies for recourse in the event of disagreement about the decisions With the help of their teachers, students can look forward to assessment of learning tasks as  occasions to show their competence, as well as the depth and breadth of their learning. ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Assessment for learning focuses on engaging students in classroom assessment in support of their own learning and informing teachers about what to do next to help students to progress. Assessment for learning is assessment for improvement not assessment for accountability as can be the case with summative assessments (Stiggins, 2002). The keys to Assessment for Learning (AFL) is to use a variety of assessment tools and methods in order to provide ongoing evidence to students, teachers and parents that demonstrates how  well each student is mastering the identified outcomes. This evidence is used to provide descriptive feedback to the students and to enable the teacher to differentiate the instruction to meet the needs of individual students or groups. ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING VS. ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING Gregory, Cameron, and Davies (1997) outline some distinct differences between Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning. Educators are using these terms to help distinguish between the teachers role as a learning coach versus the teachers role of judging the extent of a students achievement in relation to an established standard. This assessment is considered summative and is done at the end. 1. Assessment for learning is the big deal, while assessment of learning is the done deal. 2. Assessment for learning is formative, while assessment of learning is summative. 3. Assessment for learning is supportive, while assessment of learning measures. 4. Assessment for learning uses descriptions, while assessment of learning uses scores. 5. Assessment for learning happens day by day, moment by moment, while assessment of learning happens at the end. The assertion is that neither one is better than the other, but both need to be used within a  students learning so that the student is able to understand not only the work that is being asked of them, but also how their own learning occurs. Assessment for learning is intended to be both diagnostic and formative to help students improve their learning. Four critical questions that the teacher must ask when planning for assessment for learning: WHY AM I ASSESSING? If the intent of assessment is to enhance student learning teachers use assessment for learning to uncover what students believe to be true and to learn more about the connections students are making, their prior knowledge, preconceptions, gaps, and learning styles. This information is used to inform and differntiate instruction to build on what students already know and to challenge students when their are problems inhibiting progression to the next stages of learning. Teachers use this information to provide their students with descriptive feedback that will further their learning and not as a sumamtive assessment or to report a grade. WHAT AM I ASSESSING? Assessment for learning requires ongoing assessment of the outcomes that comprise the intended learning. In most cases these are the curriculum outcomes. Teachers create assessments that will  expose students’ thinking and skills in relation to the intended learning, and the common preconceptions. WHAT ASSESSMENT METHOD SHOULD I USE? When planning assessment for learning, the teacher must think about what assessment is designed to expose, and must decide which assessment approaches are most likely to give detailed information about what each student is thinking and learning. The methods need to incorporate a variety of ways for students to demonstrate their learning. For example, having students complete tasks orally or through visual representation allow those who are struggling  with reading or writing to demonstrate their learning. HOW CAN I USE THE INFORMA%ON? The information collected in assessment for learning is used to report to the student and by offering descriptive, on time feedback and to provide the teacher with information to allow for changes in instruction for individual students or groups of students. ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING Assessment as learning occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and  how to use assessment for new learning. Assessment as learning: ?encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning ?requires students to ask questions about their learning ?involves teachers and students creating learning goals to encourage growth and development ?provides ways for students to use formal and informal feedback and self-assessment to help them understand the next steps in learning ?encourages peer assessment, self-assessment and reflection. ROLES This assessment model supports the view of today’s learners as actively involved in the learning process. Students are educated on the purpose of assignments and the outcomes they are trying to achieve. Hence the teacher and the student both have critical roles in understanding learning outcomes and modifying learning in Assessment as Learning. Teacher Ensuring assessment methods are appropriate and the purpose is clear to students ensures quality and fair assessment practices as per the Principles for Fair Student Assessment in Canada (1993). Beyond choosing the learning outcomes to be covered, the activities to follow and the assessment methods, in Assessment as Learning, the teacher engages the students in this process. In Assessment as Learning, the teacher is a guide, â€Å"Giving them [students] the tools to undertake their own learning wisely and well. † (WNCP, p. 42) Students learn to monitor their own learning and make adaptations as required. In addition to monitoring learning and guiding instruction through assessment for learning, the teacher is assessing the students’ ability to assess themselves as they learn how to assess their own learning. Teachers can follow the following model in order to practice Assessment as Learning in their classroom: (adapted from WNCP, p. 42-43) 1. Discuss the learning outcomes with the students. 2. Create criteria with the students for the various tasks that need to be completed and/or skills that need to be learned or mastered 3. Provide feedback to students as they learn and ask them guiding questions to help them monitor their own learning 4. Help them set goals to extend or support their learning as needed in order to meet or fully meet the expectations 5. Provide reference points and examples for the learning outcomes Teachers are also responsible for ensuring that students have a learning environment in which they feel comfortable and safe to learn as well as have ample time to practise what is being  taught. Student Beyond completing the tasks assigned to them by their teacher, students move from the passive learner to an active owner of their own learning. Initially, with teacher guidance and tools, students learn to monitor if they have understood the learning outcome being explored and the metacognitive process. Once the metacognitive skills have been acquired, students can independently adjust their learning accordingly and demonstrate the â€Å"self-reflection, self- monitoring and self-adjustment. † (WNCP, 2006, p. 85) Extensive and relevant modeling in the questions below can help students reach this point: 1. What is the purpose of learning these concepts and skills? 2. What do I know about this topic? 3. What strategies do I know that will help me learn this? 4. Am I understanding these concepts? 5. What are the criteria for improving my work? 6. Have I accomplished the goals I set for myself? What is self-assessment? According to Boud (1995), all assessment including self-assessment comprises two main elements: making decisions about the standards of performance expected and then making judgments about the quality of the performance in relation to these standards. When self-assessment is introduced, it should ideally involve students in both of these aspects. Andrade and Du (2007) provide a helpful definition of self-assessment that focuses on the formative learning that it can promote: Self-assessment is a process of formative assessment during which students reflect on and evaluate the quality of their work and their learning, judge the degree to which they reflect explicitly stated goals or criteria, identify strengths and weaknesses in their work, and revise accordingly (2007, p. 160). EXAMPLES OF SELF-ASSESSMENT Self-assessment can take many forms, including: ?writing conferences ?discussion (whole-class or small-group) ?reflection logs ?weekly self-evaluations ?self-assessment checklists and inventories ?teacher-student interviews These types of self-assessment share a common theme: they ask students to review their work to determine what they have learned and what areas of confusion still exist. Although each method differs slightly, all should include enough time for students to consider thoughtfully and evaluate their progress. When students understand the criteria for good work before they begin a literacy activity, they are more likely to meet those criteria. The key to this understanding is to make the criteria clear. As students evaluate their work, you may want them to set up their own criteria for good work. Help them with the clarity of their criteria as they assess their own work. Students observations and reflections can also provide valuable feedback for refining your instructional plan. As your students answer questions about their learning and the strategies they use, think about their responses to find out what they are really learning and to see if they are learning what you are teaching them. K-W-L (KNOW, WANT TO KNOW, LEARNED) CHART. K-W-L (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students through a text. Students begin by brainstorming everything they Know about a topic. This information is recorded in the K column of a K-W-L chart. Students then generate a list of questions about what they Want to Know about the topic. These questions are listed in the W column of the chart. During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart. Purpose The K-W-L strategy serves several purposes: Elicits students’ prior knowledge of the topic of the text. ?Sets a purpose for reading. ?Helps students to monitor their comprehension. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Donna Ogle asserts that KWL helps students become better readers of expository text and helps teachers to be more interactive in their teaching (Ogle, 1987). KWL charts help students to be active thinkers while they read (Carr Ogle, 1987), giving them specific things to look for and having them reflect on what they learned when they are finished reading. In learning, metacognition involves the active monitoring and conscious control and regulation  of cognitive processes. It involves thinking about thinking, self-awareness, and self-regulation (Flavell, 1979). The metacognitive strategy of self-questioning is used to ensure that students comprehend the text. When students set their own purposes for reading, they are more motivated and active as readers. Each student has a schema, or a framework for how they view the world. Accessing a students prior knowledge is the first step in integrating new concepts into their existing schema. KWL charts help activate background knowledge and provide an opportunity for students to set their own learning objectives.

Product analysis of tiger biscuit

Product analysis of tiger biscuit Tiger Biscuit-Milk that are owned by Kraft Foods is the product that we chose to analyse on. This is because we find that, it interest us on how a big company like Kraft Foods actually plan their marketing strategies to compete with many other of their competitors on one of their major business portfolio, which is the snacks category and position them well in the market. Tiger Biscuit are first launch in 1997 in India by the Britannia Industries. It became the companys largest brand among its portfolios in the first year of its launching until today. Tiger Biscuit is a glucose biscuit that are mainly made from wheat and milk to enrich its nutrition and healthier compare to other glucose biscuits in the market. The main target market of this biscuit is the kids. Therefore, they make improvement in their biscuits by offering various choice and flavour. It is tasty and affordable to suit the modern mothers who want the best for their kids and take the role to enable their kids to compete in todays world. Recently, Tiger Biscuit are enriching Iron Zor in their biscuit which attempt to address the problem of iron deficiency among the society, either young or the elderly. SWOT analysis is an overall view of the businesss strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are the positive and negative trends in the internal environment of the business which are under control while opportunities and threats are external factors that are not under a businesss control. Kraft Tiger can use their strengths to overcome their weaknesses, capturing the opportunities in the external environment to gain advantages and minimizing their threats. They can be benefit from a SWOT analysis by knowing and understanding their current position before make any further decisions and plans. Therefore, SWOT analysis plays an important issue for Kraft Tiger Biscuit. The following are the SWOT analysis of Kraft Tiger Biscuit-Milk. One of the strength of Kraft Tiger is they are well-known. The reason they became so well-known is because they already exist in the market for a very long period of time and also through advertising in the television. Besides, it is used by McDonalds as part of the promotion as gimmick. This will make it even more well-known. On the other hand, Kraft Tiger gives public a healthy concept and image. As we can see on its packaging, it mentions six pieces of Kraft Tiger equal to one glass of milk. It would help in bones growth and also build stronger teeth. It has lesser calories and fats in their bars too compare to others, yet it still tastes nice and suitable for all level of ages. Next, Kraft Tiger is readily and easy access. Customers can get it anywhere such as malls, Seven Eleven franchises and markets which are near to their place. The price is reasonable and affordable too compared to the nutrition value it contains. Last but not least, the packaging for Kraft Tiger is handy. I t is very consumer-friendly as it can be carry along easily. The weaknesses Tiger include its business liquidation. By facing this problem, Kraft Tiger would cut down the cost of production and thus this will affect its business performance at the market. Besides, Kraft Tiger has high sugar level. Nowadays the customers are concern about the food ingredient, they always want for less sugar and less salt. They would go for more organic biscuit rather than too sweet. The opportunity of Kraft Tiger is the changing of consumers lifestyle. Nowadays, part of the society are made up of working parents, which means they would not have enough time to prepare breakfast for their family. Thus, Kraft Tiger can help to replace the parents duty to prepare a nutritional snack for breakfast. Besides, Kraft Tiger positions their milk-flavoured biscuit as healthy snacks. Parents would allow their children to purchase rather than purchasing other unhealthy snacks. It is everybody favourite, for parents and children. Another opportunity of Kraft Tiger includes the growing demand in the snacks and savoury market in these few years. Women always look for better body shape and thus, some of them will skip meals for maintaining or slimming down their body shape. Therefore, they will go for healthy snacks such as Kraft Tiger which will make them full, yet not fattening. There are many competitors in the biscuit industry, such as direct and indirect competitors. Direct competitors are such as Soda Crackers and Chocolate Love Letter. They will actually compete with Kraft Tiger in the biscuit field. While indirect competitors are the tit-bits, such as London Ring Tomato, Happy Nuts, etc. Although they are in different categories with Kraft Tiger, they still can be classified as wanting a share of the same cake. All of these either direct or indirect competitors will somehow affect Kraft Tiger in the market. Beside, Kraft Tiger facing is  [1]  the rising of the input costs such as sugar. The higher the production cost will lead to the increase of the product price which will decrease the biscuit demand. Product Analysis According to the norm of marketing, every product that is offer in the market has its stages of life cycle. Product life cycle stage is separated in four stages, which are the introduction stage, growing stage, maturity stage and decline stage. Introduction stage is when a product is new in the market where people have limited awareness on the product. The company will take marketing effort to build a market for their new product. The usual marketing efforts taken are carrying out research on the similar products prices among the competitors to set an average and affordable price for the new product. This is done to help the company to build their product share market among the potential buyers to try on their new product which they have minimal knowledge about. Besides that, the company will not produce and distribute the product in a large scale just yet. This is because the company could not estimate the responds of consumers demand in the economy. Therefore, distribution is done selectively. Promotions are also done by aiming on the innovator and early adopter of the product to boost the potential buyers interest in buying the product. After taking necessary marketing efforts, company will analyse the responsiveness of consumer in the market towards the product. If the responses are satisfactory, company will implement marketing mix in their marketing strategies in order to expand their products market share. On the other hand, company will also increase their production to meet the increasing demand in the market. New features are added to the existing product to enhance its quality and broaden up the choices for the customer. At this stage, company will maintain their price to encourage new customers to purchase their product at the same time help the company to remain competitive in the market. By now, the company would then broaden their network of marketing intermediaries such as retailers or wholesalers to make their product available in more areas. Promotions are aimed on the existing customer to create a beneficial long-term relationship and also to influence more potential consumer to buy their products. The third stage of the product life cycle is the maturity stage where the companys sales are more stable and competition will arise among the competitors. At this stage, the companys objectives is simply protecting their market share and make profits from it while it still have the ability. In order to protect their market share, company will keep their products price lower than before to remain competitive in the market. They will also emphasize their promotion on the differences between their products with their competitors. The company will also make improvement in their existing product to create brand preference in the consumers mind so that the consumer will be able to differentiate their products from the competitors.  [2]  Distribution of product will be more intensive, where incentives are given to the distributor to encourage preference from competing products. The final stage of the product life cycle is the decline stage where sales will drop drastically. Usually the company will either continue producing, but in a limited quantity to fulfilled the demand of the loyal customer or stop their production as it is no longer profitable to them. There are also company that will continue the production but add a few new features into the product. Based on the product life cycle stages, it is believe that Tiger Biscuit is in the growing stage. Based on Krafts fact sheet, it is show that confectionary and snacks have become their major business portfolio which is 13.7 billion (29%) and 10.4 billion (22%) respectively. In such circumstance, when the company focused on the product portfolio this will indicate that the portfolio is making profit for the company. Therefore, when the portfolio is making profit, the company will make improvement in their product to broaden the choice to build their market share and brand preference among the consumers. It is clearly stated that snacks segment, which Tiger Biscuit-Milk is categorised, there are many flavours and choices make for the consumer to build their brand preference compare to their competitors such as Nestle. As a consumer, we can see that there is no major price change in the price of Tiger Biscuit-Milk since the launching of the biscuit. Tiger Biscuit-Milk is also easily fou nd in the market in any retailer, this would mean that the range of distribution of the biscuit is widely encourage by the company. Core product Core product is defined as the satisfaction a customer expects from a goods and services purchased. It can also be explained as the non-physical benefits of the product that are delivered to the customer. Based on Tiger Biscuit, the mass market brand, the core product is the nutrition content in the biscuit. Besides that, customers experience the convenience that the product provides for the customer. For example, parents who buy this biscuit for their children can ensure that their children are consuming healthy food which contain less chemical content and at the same time having sufficient nutrition and be rest assure that their children will not be malnutrition. Other than that, for busy people who are always in a rush can have this biscuit while travelling so that they can keep themselves from hunger. Apart from that, people who are on diet can fill their hunger by eating the biscuit and gain from its nutrition. Actual Product Actual product is defined as a tangible product which is consumable such as the brand name, quality, style or idea which customers are buying. Our choice of product which is Kraft Tiger Biscuit-Milk is one of the main biscuit consumer choose because of the guaranteed and assurance of its quality. Kraft created its own brand name which is Tiger biscuit among other competitors such as Parle-G, Danone, etc. For example in Malaysia, when we see a packaging which has this animated tiger on it, without a second thought we would identify it as Tiger biscuit. The design of its packaging created an image for the product itself. Quality wise, Tiger Biscuit-Milk offers a wholesome nutritional ingredient such as glucose, milk, wheat and iron zor. There are various vitamins and minerals in the biscuit that are sufficient for a human daily nutrition requirement. This will help to prevent malnutrition in any human being especially children in the third world country that are most prone to malnutrition due to the overpopulation issue in the country. This biscuit can also be consumed by children that are growing because of the high content of calcium which will help growth and healthy bone. The packaging of Tiger biscuit changes from time to time to enhance a new level of product. For instance, looking at one packaging for a long period of time would bore the consumer. In order to attract new and existing consumers attention, producers would create a whole new look for its product. Augmented Product The third level of a product would be augmented product. Augmented product is defined as the non-physical part of the product or value-added services such as a warranty is given when you purchase a car or maybe electronic appliances. As for Krafts tiger biscuit, its not just a biscuit like any other in the market but a biscuit that puts healthy lifestyle as their main priority. Other than that, Krafts Tiger Biscuit also provide customer service online whereby consumers are able to contact them if theres any enquiry. This service provide customer with further information on the product. Segmentation and Positioning Strategy Nowadays, consumers in any market have different in their wants, resources, location, buying attitudes, and buying practices. Companies recognized that they cannot satisfy to all consumers in the market because they are too many, too widely scattered, and too varied in their needs and buying practiced. For this reason, the companies themselves will make changes widely in their abilities to serve different segment of the market. Through market segmentation strategy, companies recognize the large, heterogeneous markets clearly and then divide them into smaller segments that can be reached more effectively and efficiently with products and services that according with their unique needs. What customers will we serve? There is 3 ways segmentation that used in this product; it is Age and life-cycle segmentation, Occupation segmentation and Flavour segmentation. Flavour segmentation Different people have different habit, need, and personality. By this segmentation, different people have different flavour on their food. Some people like the chocolate flavour, some people like vanilla flavour and etc. Maybe some of them like two or more of the flavour such as someone like chocolate and also strawberry flavour. Our product had chosen the milk flavour biscuit. Clearly, it was only suitable for those people who like the milk flavour. Age and life-cycle segmentation This segmentation separates the consumer according to the consumers age and provide different product to the related consumer. In this product, it can be divided into age below 18, 19 45, and 46 and above. In the category age between 19 and 45, it was formed by adults. Most of them are occupied now, or starting to develop their own career. All of them are busy to do they work and no such time to having a packet of biscuit. Besides that, most of them like to have a proper meal rather than the biscuit because they consider the biscuits cannot make the stomach full. For the category age 46 and above, most of them are senior citizen. The body functional decline also happened at this stage. Biscuit which contain high sugar are not suitable for them because it increase the risk to getting diabetes. In the age below 18, most of people in this category are teenagers. It can be say is the developmental stage of human. Puberty also happened at the age between 12 until 18. They consumed the en ergy more than the other categories. So, the biscuits that high sugar, high nutrition and tasty are just right for them. Obviously, the category that most preferable for this segmentation are the category age below 18. Occupation segmentation This segmentation is dividing the consumer according to the occupation. Occupation can be defined as the activity, career that occupies a persons attention, or principal activity in your life that you do to earn money, continue the life. In this segmentation, it can be segment to many kind of occupation. After analyzed and categorized, it can be divide as professionals, workers and students. Professionals and workers mostly is the technical, strenuous, and time-consuming job, most of them will busy on their job. Same reason as the age segmentation on the above, they will prefer having a proper meal than the biscuit. So, students are the most preferable consumer in this segmentation. It is because almost of them are teenagers, they can have this kind of biscuit as their breakfast or lunch during school time. Moreover, the quantities of biscuit exactly satisfy the students food intake and also convenient to carry to school. Market Targeting After the market segmentation process incurred, the next step is market targeting. Market targeting is a process for a firm to estimates the various types of segments and choose which segments suppose to be serve are the best to the firm and consumers. For the segmentation above, flavour segmentation is the best target market for our product. It is because our product only has exactly one flavour, which is milk flavour. Once this product manufactured, the buyers of this product high probability are the milk flavour buyers. Market Positioning Market positioning is when marketer uses some ways to influence the consumers impression of the products or brand relative to the impression of competitors brand or products. A firm will then show the products advantages that are able to compete with their competitors. Its main objective is to position the good image of the product or brand in the consumers mind. For our product, its main objective is to care for consumers health. Besides that, it put a tiger as its logo to symbolize a powerful, energetic animal. Hereby, this creates consumers confidence to obtain energy resources by consuming this product. Besides that, the ingredient of this products show that contains eight kinds of vitamins and six kinds of minerals. One of a special mineral that our product provided is calcium. Calcium is an important component of a healthy diet and necessary mineral for life. Building stronger, denser bones and keeping bone strong are the main function of the calcium. Calcium can be found in mi lk, cheese, and yogurt. Knowing that our product is milk flavour biscuit that contained calcium, it have adequate requirement to compete with another biscuit manufacturer. Competitors In a market, once a new product appears, it will face competition with another product. For this product, it had faced a competitor that is Jacob biscuit. Its competitor, Jacob biscuit used the slogan Jacobs Walk of Life which mean it product can accompany the consumer as long as the consumers lives. It has strongly competitive with our product because their main objectives are the same with our product that is to take care of the consumers. Consumer behaviour Consumer buying behaviour is defined as the process of decision making and involvement of a consumer in buying a product. Every consumer has different buying behaviour towards purchasing a product. The type of buying behaviour of a customer varies greatly between each consumer based on their level of involvement in purchasing the product and intensity of interest in purchasing the product. The level of involvement in purchasing a product varies based on price, income level, risks faced, and frequency of purchasing. There are four categories of consumer buying behaviour which is complex buying behaviour, dissonance-reducing behaviour, habitual behaviour and variety seeking buying behaviour. Complex buying behaviour is where the buyer has high involvement in purchasing the product, for example, buying a house. This is because the product that the buyer wants to purchase is expensive, risky and purchased infrequent. The buyer would also be able to see significance differences between the compared products and the potential products. Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour is when there is high involvement in purchasing the product but the buyer sees few differences between products, such as buying a carpet for the living hall. This is because the product could be expensive or purchase infrequently and there is a risk of buying one that do not suit the environment of the hall but there are no significant or few differences between the carpets sold in the market. Variety-seeking buying behaviour is where the buyer has low involvement in purchasing the product but sees significant differences between the products. For instance, when consumer wants lunch, he will do research on the food or to look into the food price as much as purchasing a car because food is a necessity. But the consumer is very particular on the taste of the food. Therefore, he will switch to other restaurant to seek for varieties. Habitual buying behaviour is when there is low involvement in purchasing a product and sees no significant differences between products. For example, when purchasing household necessity such as sugar and salt. Consumer does not see the brand differences because it is something that they purchase often. Based on researches of Tiger Biscuit-Milk, it is clear that the consumer buying behaviour on this product is the variety-seeking buying behaviour. Generally, no consumers are highly involved in purchasing a biscuit. All that the customers require is the differences of Tiger Milk Biscuit compare to other glucose biscuits in the market. What differentiate Tiger Milk Biscuit to the other glucose biscuits in the market are the social responsibilities that Tiger Biscuit have upon the customers by providing nutrition in their biscuit to prevent hunger and malnutrition to occur. Almost all of the consumers will go through five decision making process before, during and after they purchase a product. The five decision making process is the problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase decision respectively. At the very beginning, the consumer will have to identify what is the problem that they are facing and think of a solution to solve the problem. An example based on Tiger Biscuit-Milk, when a consumer is hungry but at the same time, he is in a hurry to work. He does not have sufficient time to have a proper table-top breakfast, so, he can choose to stay hungry or to buy something light to fill his hunger. It can be bread, biscuit or etc. The second stage is the information search where the consumer can get information by either doing research, friends and family (reference group) or advertisement. He goes into a store and enquires the store assistant (reference of information) for suggestion of snacks he can have for breakfast. The store assistant suggested Tiger Biscuit-Milk, Oreo, Gardenia -tuna bread and etc. (gain of information). Third stage is when the consumer evaluates the information that he gains from the information search and evaluate which is the best after comparing the information. He will compare all the information provided by the store assistant to identify the best choice. Usually when there are minimal brand differences, consumer will make decision based on their brand preference. After evaluation the suggested ideas, consumer will decide which is the best choice for them and which brand that they prefer if there are few differences in the economic factor such as price and quantity. If there are significant differences between the products, consumer will know which exactly is better. He decided to buy Tiger Biscuit-Milk as it is healthy and nutritional. This is the purchase decision that the consumer made. Lastly, post-purchase decision is the stage where the consumer had already try the product and identify whether are they satisfied or unsatisfied with the product. In this case, he will try the biscuit and identify whether he like the taste of the biscuit or not. If he is unsatisfied with the biscuit, he will not buy that biscuit again. On the other hand, if he is satisfied, he will tell his network (friends family) how good is the product. If this is the case, he is indirectly promoting the product on behalf of Tiger Biscuit. Conclusion In conclusion, Kraft Tiger biscuit became a brand name itself in the market and is recognized worldwide. Based on reports, this product is at a growing stage which experience sharp increase in profit and strengthening of customer relationships. Besides that, the three level of a product like core,actual and augmented product explains the benefit of the biscuit to consumers. This section would partly determine the post-purchase decision on a customer. Segmentation is the next section whereby it occurs 3 ways which is flavour, occupation, and age/life cycle segmentation. Company will then target the segemented market and position it. This process enables the product to fit in a certain segment in the market which will lead to maximum profit. A factor that may influence the Kraft Tiger biscuit sales would be their competitors mainly Jacobs and Parle-G. Competitive market means Kraft need to work on producing a better biscuit compare to its competitors. Hence, consumer would benefit from its improved biscuit from time to time. More over, consumer behaviours would determine Krafts relationship with its customers. There are four categories which is complex buying behaviour, dissonance-reducing behaviour, habitual behaviour and variety seeking buying behaviour. Researches show that variety-seeking behaviour is involved in purchasing Kraft Tiger biscuit due to its low involvement and brand differences. Lastly, consumers will go through five decision making process before, during and after they purchase a product which is problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase decision. Consumers will go through the first four stage before purchasing the biscuit and the last stage after trying the biscuit.