Friday, November 29, 2019

Welfare Essays (1214 words) - , Term Papers

Welfare Public assistance, also known as welfare, is not free money. Public assistance benefits many people who have a low income or no means of income at all. The benefits available are based on the level of income for different sized families and in different states. Welfare is also not to be provided in a biased manner to anyone who applies for it. Welfare in the United States Federal and State Governments serve the financially challenged through about 60 public assistance programs. Most look to receive help through one of the three major programs. These programs are the healthcare programs Medicaid and Medicare, Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC), or the food stamps program. These are all the advantages to public assistance. Even though the welfare system provides money, medical care, food, housing, or other things for most people in need, it puts a dent in the U.S.'s economy. There are too many single jobless parents, elderly, disabled, and others who are in need the public assistance who either never get it or are dependent on it. Yet, there are still many problems in supplying all this to the needy, which is a concern many have. This paper will discuss the programs individually explaining how good causes can lead to a dent in the economy. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service oversee medical care given to the needy and the elderly through Medicare insurance or the basic services provided by Medicaid. They both have been around since the late 1960's and have grown with time and in 1977 Medicare was taken over by Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) (World Almanac). Funds vary from state to state. Medicare insures anyone over the age of sixty-five and those possessing certain disabling conditions. Medicaid finishes up the rest and is pertained more toward the needy, and places where services are carried out in the form of health care. In some situations, people who may be able to pay for daily needs, but can't afford large medical bills may also be eligible to receive Medicaid for those services unaffordable to them under the HCFA policy guidelines. Some services paid for by Medicaid and Medicare are bills such as doctor's visits, nursing home care, teaching the blind, and assisting the disabled (World Almanac). Most Medicaid funding comes from the federal government, while the rest is supplied by the state. Each state runs its own medical care programs. Together all Medicare and Medicaid expenses added up to about 334 billion dollars of coverage for 51 million people per year who are qualified for the payments in the 1990's (World Almanac). That wouldn't be so bad if one could find out exactly where all that money actually went considering the Medicaid plan alone almost doubled from the 1980's to the 1990's. It also says nothing about even distribution of the money. The almanac states that the money spent has leveled off toward the end of the 90's, partly because state policies restricting the number of recipients receiving benefits and the overall economy was improving. Another program is the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). It provides cash benefits to dependent children and the parents or the guardians taking care of them. Most families that qualify for AFDC have just one parent in the home. About 80 percent of these single parent families are headed women (almanac). AFDC also pays benefits to two-parent families if both parents are unemployed. Most AFDC funding comes from the federal government. The states provide the rest of the money and administer the program. The sizes of a families' payment vary from state to state. The only objection to giving AFDC is how many families lied to qualify for the benefits. Some standards need to be set to go further then just a simple fill in the blank evaluation sheet. There are mothers and guardians who have had children who have received aid to support the child and not even used the aid for the intent it was given. The parents should be informed before they even have a child so they do not ma ke these mistakes that the taxpayer has to pay for. Finally, the Food Stamp Program helps low-income households buy more and

Monday, November 25, 2019

Experience Psychology, 3rd edition Essays (818 words) - Free Essays

Experience Psychology, 3rd edition Essays (818 words) - Free Essays Experience Psychology, 3rd edition Chapter 6, Memory Vocabulary, Key Terms Amnesia: The loss of memory. Anterograde amnesia: A memory disorder that effects the retention of new information and events. Atkinson-Shiffrin theory: Theory stating that memory storage involves three separate systems: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Autobiographical memory: A special form of episodic memory, consisting of a person's recollections of his or her life experiences. Connectionism: Also called parallel distribution processing (PDP), the theory that memory is stored throughout the brain in connections among neurons, several of which may work together to process a single memory. Decay theory: Theory stating that when an individual learns something new, a neurochemical memory trace forms, but over time this trace disintegrate; suggest that the passage of time always increases forgetting. Divided attention: Concentrating on more than one activity at the same time. Elaboration: The formation of a number of different connections around a stimulus at a given level of memory encoding. Encoding: The first step in memory, the process by which information gets into memory storage. Episodic memory: The retention of information about the where, when, and what of life's happeningthat is, how individuals remember life's episodes. Explicit memory (declarative memory): The conscious recollection of information, such as specific facts or events and, at least in humans, information that can be verbally communicated. Flashbulb memory: The memory of emotionally significant events that people often recall with more accuracy and vivid imagery than everyday events. Implicit memory (nondeclarative memory): Memory in which behavior is affected by prior experience without a conscious recollection of that experience. Interference theory: The theory that people forget not because memories are lost from storage but because other information gets in the way of what they want to remember. Levels of processing: A continuum of memory processing from shallow to intermediate to deep, with deeper processing producing better memory. Long-term memory: A relatively permanent type of memory that stores huge amounts of information for a long time. Memory: The retention of information of experience over time as the result of three key processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Motivated forgetting: Forgetting that occurs when something is so painful or anxiety-laden that remembering it is intolerable. Priming: The activation of information that people already have in storage to help them remember new information better and faster. Proactive interference: Situation in which material that was learned earlier disrupts the recall of material that was learned later. Procedural memory: Memory for skills. Prospective memory: Remembering information about doing something in the future; includes memory for intentions. Retrieval: The memory process that occurs when information that was retained in memory comes out of storage. Retroactive interference: Situation in which material that was learned later disrupts the retrieval of information that was learned earlier. Retrograde amnesia: Memory for a segment of the past but not for new events. Retrospective memory: Remembering information from the past. Schema: A preexisting mental concept or framework that helps people to organize and interpret information. Schemas from prior encounters with the environment influence the way individuals encode, make inferences about, and retrieve information. Script: A schema for an event, often containing information about physical features, people, and typical occurrences. Semantic memory: A person's knowledge about the world. Sensory memory: Memory system that involves holding information from the world in its original sensory form for only an instant, not much longer than the brief time it is exposed to the visual, auditory, and other senses. Serial position effect: The tendency to recall the items at the beginning and end of a list more readily than those in the middle. Short-term memory: Limited-capacity memory system in which information is usually retained for only as long as 30 seconds unless strategies are used to retain it longer. Storage: The retention of information over time and how this information is represented in memory. Sustained attention: The ability to maintain attention to a selected stimulus for a prolonged period of time. Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon: A type of effortful retrieval associated with a person's feeling that he or she knows something (say a word or name) but cannot quite pull it out of memory. Working memory: A combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow

Friday, November 22, 2019

Public Relations in media and cultural contexts Essay

Public Relations in media and cultural contexts - Essay Example While the number of clients has increased, the number of brokers has also grown in the recent past (Bacchetta, Benhima and Kalantzis, 2014, 50). In an attempt to engage in the forex market, I learned various characteristics that are associated with consumers while purchasing items over the internet. In particular, I learned my personal character as far as an online purchasing is concerned. In the foreign exchange market, the seller of services is recognized as a forex broker while consumers are known as the retail traders. It is common that individuals are reluctant to make online purchases due to fear of leakage of their private information to other individuals and lack of trust on companies to deliver the quality of services and goods they promise, as well as the methods of money transfer. My decision with respect to choosing the best broker was characterized by a number of questions regarding the methods of payment and safety, the security of my information, and obtaining the best price and services. While evaluating my consumer behaviors, I attempted to relate my online-purchasing behavior when I resolved to choose the services of markets.com. I decided to choose markets.com as my forex broker despite the large number of brokers in the market. It is with respect to the choice of markets.com that I endeavor to reflect on my consumer-behavior as far as the online purchasing is concerned given that I needed a company which would pay my profits without taking into considerations other factors that may affect negatively my income. Additionally, it would be significant to evaluate my behavior of dealing with a company that would not disclose my personal information to a third party, as well as the concerns of the methods of payment (Bhatia and Jain, 2013, pp.5-17). Ching (2012) provides a Technology Acceptance Model which shows the intention-attitude behavior with respect to predicting the acceptance of a

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Cultural studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cultural studies - Essay Example Representation of males in the advertisements is also related to American symbols. The taste of this cigarette may be heavy. Only men could enjoy such heavy tastes. That is the reason for using male models. The connotation or idea behind the slogan come to Marlboro country has double meanings. They are the western countryside and America itself. This truly resembles American identity (Wang. 1998.). The advertisement of parliament cigarettes contains some symbolic as well as subliminal message. This type of message is transmitted through plainly visible images as well as objects. These messages aim to appeal the basic instincts of customers. Of course these advertisements have multiple meanings. One view of this ad is that the presence of a female holding a cigarette packet, depicts the importance of smoking in the lives of men is in par of woman. Cigarettes and women have some common case of attraction in the perspective of men. The other meaning could be that parliament cigarettes are not as heavy as other cigarettes. This is evident due to presence of woman in the advertisement. The main difference between the two advertisements is that, the first one depicts masculinity. It is totally male oriented advertisement. The advertisement shows hardness of the situation. However the second ad is not too hard and masculine when compared with the first one. The presence of a woman and a formally dressed gentleman clearly gives the idea that it is lighter in its context as well as attractive to all genders (Ad Analysis Parliament Cigarettes). In politics the chances of err and lie committed by people are quite high. Such behaviour is instrumentally as well as epistemically rational in nature. The practices that are followed in liberal democracy are difficult to improve so that the above mentioned problem can be overtaken. The contemporary political philosophy is an unsuccessful attempt to vindicate on moral and symbolic grounds

Monday, November 18, 2019

Nostalgia and Emotions in Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nostalgia and Emotions in Advertisements - Essay Example This "Nostalgia and Emotions in Advertisements" essay outlines the impact of nostalgic emotions' usage in advertising campaigns. In the recent days, Customers have been bombarded with different messages all day from radios, TV stations, and the internet. At the same time, Consumers also learn from friends through different social settings. For instance, interactions between consumers and their friends in different social Medias like twitter or facebook. Consumers may ‘retweet’ or ‘like’ something on these social networks and may even comment. The customers’ intention get scattered that it makes it difficult for a starting company to engage them. A small and starting company needs to slide and slip its way through all other destructions that may be inflicting the consumers’ attention. This mode of association is usually a start up marketing that is usually a significant role in the success of a business. Marketing cannot just be defined as adver tising, but it engulfs other activities that are determined as sets of specific institutional or organizational processes especially in line with the product and service delivery in manufacturing, distributing, communicating, and exchanging offerings that are believed to have values for customers, partners, clients and the society. With these considerations, marketing can be defined as an integral part of all undertakings in a business towards promoting the business’ activities to the customers among other stakeholders. Nostalgia marketing is among the different way of conducting effective marketing. This type of marketing aims at evoking a nostalgia feeling in customers. Nostalgia is sentimental desire for happiness of a former time or place and can be triggered by all senses. For instance, the sense of smell can remind an individual of certain cookies or foodstuffs that he/she used to buy from a certain company or store. Taste can as well evoke a forgotten interest like rem embering the taste of ice creams one used to eat in collage or elsewhere. (Wharton, 2013; pg. 54). Companies can use such words like â€Å"NATURAL† of â€Å"nature† to capture the emotions of a customer. The customer may try to figure out how nature may be associated with non harmful or pleasing facts. This therefore drives the customer to going for the commodity. Therefore, businesses can efficiently apply the notion nostalgia marketing since it makes customers happy as they are reminded on certain occasions. This sense can drive or change their buying habit. Moreover, the current nostalgic instability may be a better avenue for businesses to affect this strategy especially when customers are feeling down ridden. Creating these situations to them

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Business Analysis of Honeywell International

Business Analysis of Honeywell International Honeywell International is a Fortune 100 global diversified technology and manufacturing leader with revenues to the tune of $30.9 billion. The company has four strategic business units, namely Aerospace, Access and Control Solutions (ACS), Transportation Systems, and Specialty Materials. Honeywell employs about 123,000 employees in more than 123 countries of which over 10,000 are employed in India. The organizational structure of Honeywell India is illustrated in ) This thesis aims to formulate a design and implementation plan for a formalized onboarding program for two of the Strategic Business Units (SBUs) of Access and Control Solutions (ACS) namely: Honeywell Security Group (HSG) and ADI. Honeywell Security Group (HSG) Honeywell Security is an international supplier and distributor of electronic security systems and solutions. Honeywell Security is a business unit of Honeywell International, $34 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. (Honeywell, 2010) Honeywell Security has an extraordinary range of solutions across intrusion detection, Video surveillance, access control technologies Home net systems and invests over $50 million a year in research and development. It has its engineering centers of excellence in the U.S., Canada, China, Korea, India, Scotland and France and leverages technologies that are developed elsewhere in Honeywell and brings them to the security business. Honeywell Security South Asia operations spans across Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other South Asian countries with HQ in India. Headquartered at Gurgaon, Honeywell Security has sales offices in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata catering to all four corners of the country. An exponentially growing business unit of Honeywell International, Honeywell Security caters to all electronic security needs for Industrial, Government, Defense, Transportation, Commercial, Retail, Hotel, Hospital, Corporate Buildings, IT, ITES, Banking and also the Residential market. Lines of Business Video Systems Products range from basic camera systems to fully integrated systems capable of working on LAN and over internet. Access Control Systems Single door applications to integrated enterprise level access control systems. Integrated Security Systems Use of access control, alarm monitoring, video badging, digital video, CCTV, visitor management and perimeter intrusion detection on vindicator platform to provide a comprehensive security management solution integrated with process control, building management control and other enterprise level systems. Intrusion Detection Systems Intrusion detection products ranging from the simplest door contact to the central station receiver. Home Systems Sophisticated end to end technology solutions for comfortable, secure informed living. In India, HSG employs about 61 employees constituting of about 33 sales employees ADI ADI is a $1.8 billion leading distribution business encompassing security, fire, sound and low voltage products, with over 219 branches across North America, Europe, Mid-East Africa. ADI globally represents more than 700 leading vendors and is a global distributor for more than 80,000 products. ADI also partners with customers by providing business tools, products and services they need to enhance their capabilities and grow their business. (Honeywell, 2010) Beginning 2006, ADI launched its distribution business in Asia with first three branches in India at Gurgaon, Bangalore Mumbai. ADI also has a team of sales professionals in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Cochin and Hyderabad. ADIs goal in India is to build a successful distribution model to satisfy the burgeoning need for quality and cost-effective security, fire, sound and other low-voltage electronic products in the rapidly growing Indian economy. ADI in India represents over 40 leading industry brands in 7 product categories; over 2000 products and offers its customers a one stop shop value proposition at convenient branch locations, with multiple brands, local stocking, competitive pricing, training technical support and customer business centre all under one roof. In India, ADI employs about 120 employees constituting of about 82 sales employees. Lines of Business CCTV Fixed Cameras, Speed Dome Cameras, Digital Video Recorders (DVR), Monitors, Lens, Accessories. Intrusion Alarm Wired Wireless Control Panels, Keypads, PIR, Panic Switch, Magnetic Contacts, Gas-leak detectors, Sounders, Sensors, Speech Dialers, Accessories. Home Automation Video Door Phones, Multi-apartment solutions, Home Systems, Accessories. Access Control Single Multi-door Controllers, Readers, Cards, Locking devices, Accessories. Fire Alarm Conventional Addressable Control panels, Sensors Detectors, Call points, Notification Appliances, Initiation Devices, Accessories. Sound Speakers, Amplifiers, Microphones, Intelligent PA Systems, Professional Audio, Accessories. Chapter 8: Problem Statement The time taken for a sales employee currently to become productive, that is, start contributing effectively to the business at HSG and ADI divisions is about 6 months to a year. This problem has been even more consistent in ADI since its entry into the Indian market in 2006. This has a direct impact on productivity and revenue generation. Productivity is defined by an employees achievement of their key result areas (KRA) with a primary focus on target revenue achievement. Retention of employees is another concern especially at ADI. The attrition level is 13% at HSG and 31% at ADI year-to-date (YTD). This Management Research Report aims to understand the key reasons for attrition in the two divisions and the delays in productivity. Chapter 9: Hypothesis According to a study conducted by the Aberdeen Group, 90% new hires make their decision about whether to stay in the company within 6 months of joining. Inspite of this only 88% of companies have onboarding programs of duration less than 6 months (Refer to ). Another research reveals that over 50% of new hire sales people leave voluntarily or are terminated before they even become productive. The above statistics indicate the correlation between a formalized onboarding program and the productivity of an employee thereby leading to the hypothesis that investing in a formalized onboarding program and other engagement initiatives improves productivity and retention of an employee and increases revenues. It is a cost that needs to be incurred by a company so that the employees become productive assets by generating steady revenue streams on a regular basis. Chapter 10: Approach and Methodology Approach This project is approached through a combination of primary and secondary researches. The primary research piece includes interviews with the business leaders, sales employees and human resource managers. The intent is to analyze the problem from the business, employees and the process owners perspective. The secondary research was conducted via published reports and white papers about onboarding best practices. Once the results of the research were tabulated, an onboarding framework was designed based on the gaps identified between the current and desired state. A cost-benefit analysis is also conducted to estimate the effectiveness of the onboarding program. Lastly, through the use of Six Sigma tools, a Failure Modes and Effects Analyses (FMEA) study is undertaken for the proposed onboarding framework to identify, prioritize and mitigate potential risks associated with the program. At the end, some priority action points are suggested for the implementation of the program. Research Methodology Two questionnaires were rolled out for the research based on the initial inputs from the Human Resources team, namely for the business leaders and the sales employees. The questionnaires were sent to heads of the two SBUs and based on their availability, they were interviewed. The questionnaire for the business heads was designed with the intent of identifying the core issues in processes which might impede employee productivity (for example, recruitment policy, onboarding/training employees, performance evaluation or engagement) and to understand the desired state of a productive employee from the business leaders perspective. The second questionnaire was sent to a few of the sales employees at both of the SBUs. The sample employees selected for the interviews consisted of new sales employees who were about 6 months old in the organization. The others included some who have been with Honeywell for over a year. The intent of the interview was to identify the key challenges faced by the new employees in getting adequately oriented to the business. The secondary research was conducted with the intent of understanding onboarding best practices. Some of the published reports and white papers consulted were taken from Corporate Leadership Council (CLC), Aberdeen Group, Kaiser Associates, Bersin Associates and Gallup Consulting. Chapter 11: Analysis Employee Profile at ADI Figure Employee break-up by function in ADI Figure Sales v/s Non-sales employee mix As displayed in Figure 14 and 15, the sales function forms a major portion of the employee population in Honeywell ADI. Understanding that ADI is in the distribution business and the presence of numerous players, both organized and unorganized, makes the market extremely competitive and explains the sales driven nature of the organization. Figure Total work experience of employees in ADI Sales Division The division employs more skilled employees than fresh graduates (Figure 16). The maximum sales employee work force has a total work experience between 2-4 years Figure Work Experience in ADI Sales Division (in months) ADI has a fairly new workforce; most employees have spent only about 6 months in the organization (Figure 17). This signifies that there is a high turnover in the ADI and people are being hired more frequently. Additionally, the loyalty of ADI employees seems to diminish over the years spent in the organization. Figure ADI Sales Employee Industry Experience Profile Most sales employees have a background in security or IT. This implies that Honeywell aims to recruit as many people with a background in Security, although due to a lack of available skilled talent, they prefer to recruit from the IT industry, followed by distribution (Figure 18). A need for technical knowledge is the reason for IT and security taking precedence over distribution. Other industries include telecommunications, computer hardware, FMCG, chemicals, dish television providers etc. Employee Profile at HSG Figure Employee break-up by function in HSG Figure Employee break up Sales v/s Non Sales: HSG As displayed in Figure 19 and 20, just like the ADI division, the sales function too forms a major portion of the employee population in the HSG division as well. Figure Total work experience of employees in HSG Sales Division The division employs more skilled employees than fresh graduates (Figure 21). The maximum sales employee work force has a total work experience between 2-4 years. However this variation is less in HSG as compared to ADI. Figure Work Experience in HSG Sales Division (in month) Figure Composition of employees by tenure in organization Comparative view HSG vs. ADI While experienced in the industry, HSG has a workforce new to Honeywell; most employees have spent only about six months in the organization (Figure 22). However a comparative look at the composition of employees by tenure in the organization (Figure 23), suggests that there are a greater number of employees hired at a faster rate in ADI than HSG. In ADI. 37% of the employee population has spent six or less than six months in the organization as compared to 27% in HSG. Also there are a greater number of older employees in HSG than ADI. This suggests that employee retention is better in HSG than in ADI for employees who spend more than 36 months in the organization. Figure Sales Employee Industry Profile: HSG Most sales employees have a background in IT or Security. This implies that Honeywell aims to recruit as many people with a background in Security, although due to a lack of available skilled talent, they prefer to recruit from the IT industry, followed by System Integration. A need for technical knowledge is the reason for IT and Security taking precedence over System Integration. (Figure 24) Interview Results Interviews with Business Leaders: Challenges and Findings (Please refer to and for the details of the interview) This section summarizes the key findings from the interviews conducted with the business leaders of the ADI (Harish Vellat) and HSG (Anil Mehra) Divisions respectively. ADI: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To enable the sales employee to have an intelligent conversation with the customer. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Meet both product and category wise targets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To get a good knowledge about both Honeywell and competitor products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Understand the customer and preempt his expectations. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clearly state objectives and desired outcomes of the onboarding program to the employees HSG: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Low awareness about the industry and hence lack of relevant talent. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of a formalized onboarding/ training schedule à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Challenge to administer employees based in remote locations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No formalized feedback process to gauge the effectiveness of the onboarding program à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To bring the employees on board at the earliest Interviews with New Sales Employees: Findings ADI à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Most respondents have relevant work experience. A lot of them have worked in the profile of a System Integrator. Previous employers: Godrej, Vodaphone, Voltas, Sony Ericsson. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The aggressive fast paced nature of work is a challenge. The product portfolios that the employees were handling at Honeywell are much larger as compared to their previous roles where it was much smaller. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Employees sense a lack of in-depth knowledge about the products. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of clarity of role/ processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Control measures implemented in case of lack of clarity: Technical team, branch manager, colleagues. Most employees said that they prefer contacting their immediate colleagues first due to easy reach. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Other employees supported the idea of having a buddy/mentorship system in place since it would serve as a platform for potential employees to take on higher roles HSG à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Induction winded up too fast. Too much information in very little time à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of clear understanding of the business models. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ People based in remote locations face a problem in reaching out to their RMs directly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Changing the mindset of people to open up to a niche product/market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of clarity on processes especially order and collection processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Products are priced at par/high priced compared to competitors and the challenges are in justifying the product to them. Ideal versus Current State of New employee productivity at Honeywell Current State: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time to Productivity Currently it takes about 6 months to a year for an employee to reach productivity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selling Skills Employees selling skills is currently based on their previous work experience. They lack selling skills specific to Honeywell and the distribution model. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industry/ company knowledge Employees come from similar industries and have a fair understanding of the industry. However they lack the understanding of the impact of their contribution to Honeywell objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Product Knowledge Employees do not feel confident about their understanding of the products as they think the product trainings wind up too fast and the product portfolio is large. A few respondents also felt that Honeywell products are priced at par or higher than a few competitors and they find it challenging to justify the product to the customers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning internal processes (order, booking, preparing bill of quantities etc.) Employees do not feel comfortable with the processes and utilize previous work experience to comply with processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Build relationships with various functions (commercial, marketing, technical, supply chain etc.) Lack of interaction with marketing team, inadequate technical support à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Engagement in day to day selling activities (prospecting/ meeting customer) Employees selling skills is currently based on their previous work experience. Lack of clarity on everyday process which increases follow ups with managers/colleagues. Ideal State: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time to Productivity Desired state would be to reduce the time to productivity to 3-4 months à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selling skills Employees should be able to make an intelligent conversation with the customer. They should possess employee good prospecting skills and should continuously communicate with the customers by asking questions, listening to them and collecting the information and thereby draw an action plan to approach the same. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industry/ company knowledge Productive employees should possess a thorough knowledge of the various products offered not only by Honeywell but also the competitors. These employees should be able to connect individual objectives to Honeywell objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Product knowledge The employees should have a deep understanding of the products. They should be able to bring out the strengths of each product to the customer to justify the price and add value. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning internal processes (order, booking, preparing bill of quantities etc.) A productive employee should adhere to all internal processes from the start to the closure of an account; customer evaluation, payment, order taking, billing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Build relationships with various functions (commercial, marketing, technical, supply chain etc.) A productive employee needs to work in coherence with other functional teams to get better market information and tune the companys environment to market conditions (competitor moves, changing market trends, forecasting demand) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Engagement in day to day selling activities (prospecting/ meeting customer) A productive employee consistently follows up with the customer, is extremely responsive to customer demands and prepares a plan of action from themselves. Summary of Ideal versus Current State Figure Summary of Ideal versus Current State The current state of Actual versus Target Sales achievement and Bonus Payouts is summarized below. Actual versus Target Sales and Gross Margin Achievement Market Share Total Market Size ($) 349,000,000    Market Share ADI% 5%    ADI Annual Revenue ($) 17,450,000 Total market size ($) times market share of ADI (%) ADI Gross Margin ($) 13% Actual Gross Margin for ADI Employee Targets # Total Sales Employees in ADI 82    # New employees (not rated) 32    Revenue Target per employee per day (Rs.) 80,000    Revenue Target per employee per day ($) 1818 (1 USD = Rs. 44) # working days 231 52 weeks times 5 working days per week minus 21 paid days off + 8 national holidays Annual Revenue Target per employee ($) 420,000 Sales target per employee per day times # of working days Annual Revenue Target for ADI (all employees) 34,440,000 Annual Sales target per employee times # total sales employees in ADI    Revenue Gross Margin Description Targets Weights in Sales Incentive Program 75% 25%    Target per employee per day ($) 1818 N/A Gross margin for ADI is 20% Annual target per employee ($) 420,000 N/A Annual target per employee times # of working days Annual target for the ADI division 34,440,000 20% Annual target per employee times # total sales employees in ADI Actual versus Target Mismatch Actual as a % of Target 51% 65.00%    Weighted (Actual as % of Target) 38% 16% 75%:25% weight to Revenue: Gross Margin in SIP Figure Target Sales Achievement Figure 29 shows the actual versus target achievement by the sales employees at the ADI division. The total market size as mentioned before for the Electronic Security Market is USD 349 million. ADI accounts for about 5% of the total market share and its gross margin for FY2010 was recorded at 13%. There were 82 sales employees as of June 2010 of which 32 were new (less than 6 months old) and were not rated for performance. The Key Results Area (KRA) set for each sales employee includes Billing of Rs.80,000 (USD 1818) per day and meet weekly targets. For details of the all the KRAs please refer to . Assuming an employee has 5 working days in a week and there are 52 weeks in a year of which there are 21 paid leaves and 8 national holidays, the total number of working days is 231. The annual revenue per target is thus USD 420,000. For a typical sales employee at ADI the sales incentive program is split between individual revenue target achievement and ADIs gross margin target achievemen t. The gross margin target for ADI was set at 20%. The Individual revenue and gross margin SIP components are split in the ratio of 75:25. Knowing the divisions annual revenue achievement in FY2010 was USD 17.45 million and the target revenue is USD 34.44 million, we can infer that the actual revenue as a percentage of target revenue was only 51%. Additionally the actual versus target gross margin achievement is calculated as 65% (13%/20%). Assigning the respective weights based on the SIP, the actual as a percentage of target achievement is 38% and 16% for the revenue and gross margin components respectively. These figures clearly suggest that the division is way behind achievements of its targets. A closer look at Figure 30 also supports the possible reasons for this mismatch. Bonus Payouts Bonus Payout (Actual versus Target) Payout % of target payout Planned       Performance at 75% of target 50%    Performance at 100% of target 100%    Performance at 130% of target 200%    Actual bonus payout       What % of target was bonus paid out Actual 100%    # Sales employees who exceeded target performance (bonus payout >100%) 25 Honeywell Performance Development (HPD) 9 block rating (1,2,4) # New employees who were not rated 32    Potential population at risk 25 # total sales employees in ADI (# of new employees not rated + # sales employees who were paid bonus) Potential attrition rate 30%    Current attrition rate 31% YTD Figure Bonus Payouts Figure 30 illustrates the actual bonuses that were paid out in FY2010 to the ADI sales employees. The sales incentive policy distinguishes the payout at different levels of performance as follows: Figure : Sales Incentive Policy Performance Levels Performance Target Achievement % Payout (% of target payout) Threshold 75% 50% Target 100% 100% Maximum 130% 200% Based on the limited data available, the number of employees who exceeded their performance and got a bonus payout of greater than 100% was estimated based on the performance ratings. Honeywell follows a 9-block performance rating matrix called the Honeywell Performance Development (HPD). The matrix is based on two parameters: results and behaviors with three rating scales namely: Exceeds Honeywell Standards, At Honeywell Standards and Below Honeywell Standards. Additionally, the base salary to incentive is pay mix is in the ratio 65:35. Refer to for the matrix. Based on the matrix, ratings 1, 2 and 4 signify exceeds standards ratings in one of the two parameters at least or both. There were 25 employees who received an HPD rating 1, 2 or 4, while the number of employees who were not rated since they were new is 32 in number. This means that the remaining 25 employees form part of the potential employees who are the risk of leaving the organization. This accounts for an attrition ra te of around 30%. As per the data provided by the Human Resources team as well, the attrition rate was indicated as 31% YTD.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Role of Minor Conspirators in Shakespeares Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

The Role of Minor Conspirators in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar      Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar the supporting role of the minor conspirators has a great impact on the major conspirators. Just as women often embolden powerful men of society, the minor conspirators embolden the major conspirators, greatly affecting the outcome of the play.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most important minor conspirators of the play is Decius, who was responsible for bringing Caesar to the capitol on the day of the assassination.   The entire conspiracy almost failed because on the night before the assassination was to be carried out, during the storm, Caesar's wife Calpurnia had a dream about Caesar being killed, and she had convinced him to remain home the next day.   When Decius arrived at Caesar's home in the morning to take him to the capitol he realized that he must convince Caesar that he had misinterpreted his wife's dream so Caesar would go as planned.   Decius needed to make Caesar realize that his wife, the soothsayer, and all of the omens were purely coincidental which he did by interpreting Calpurnia's dream with a double meaning, "Your statue spouting blood in many pipes, in which so many smiling Romans bathed, signifies that from you great Rome shall suck reviving blood, and that great men shall press for tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance." (JC. II. ii. 85-90). Decius successfully executed his role in the conspiracy which led to the assassination of Caesar.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another very influential minor conspirator was Cinna, who aided in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy.   Getting Brutus involved in the conspiracy was crucial because of his close relationship with Caesar and his prominence with both the senators and the common people.   Cinna was assigned, by Cassius, the task of delivering a flattering letter to Brutus to which he   responded, "Well, I will hie, and so bestow theses papers as you bade me" (JC. I. iii. 150-151).   Cassius and the rest of the conspirators realized how beneficial Brutus would be to their conspiracy, so when Cinna played a large role in getting him involved, the plot was greatly influenced.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third minor conspirator who significantly influenced the course of the play was Casca.   Casca was the first person that told the rest of

Monday, November 11, 2019

Benefits of a Liberal Arts Degree Essay

The student who decides to pursue a liberal arts education in University often faces a discouraging reaction from family and friends. Everyone seems to know a B. A. in Philosophy who is flipping burgers at Wendy’s, or an M. A. in English who is clerking at Wal-Mart. Students who choose liberal arts hear the same remarks over and over: â€Å"What good is a degree in Medieval History, or Chinese literature, or Classics? Study something practical and get a real job! † In fact, however, no degree provides an automatic job ticket, since the market for employment is constantly in flux. The liberal arts offer education, not training, and thus prepare students for a wide range of possibilities in both work and life. By developing their minds through a liberal arts education, students benefit themselves, their eventual careers, and the culture at large . For anyone interested in personal and intellectual growth, the liberal arts offer immeasurable benefits. Studies in such fields as English and Philosophy introduce a student to the great writers and thinkers whose ideas have shaped our culture. By working through the dialogues of Plato, students see logic in action; by studying the plays of Shakespeare, the poetry of Wordsworth, or the novels of Dickens, they realize the power of language. Without knowledge of the great writers and thinkers of the past, people operate in a vacuum, unable to see beyond their immediate world. How can they gauge the validity of ideas if they know nothing except the present moment? In a media-driven culture of instant celebrity, students need to experience truths that have endured over hundreds and even thousands of years. These truths expand their thinking beyond their immediate limitations, and they discover new insights into their own minds. The benefits of a liberal arts education, however, go beyond personal growth into longer-term career skills. Every liberal arts course from Art History to Women’s Studies requires proficiency in reading and writing. Graduates with Arts degrees find their communication skills in demand by employers seeking people who can read, write, and speak well. As Francis Bacon observed nearly 400 years ago, â€Å"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man, and writing an exact man†(106). No courses develop these skills more fully than do those in the liberal arts. In addition, the liberal arts foster analytical thought: the ability to break an argument into its parts and assess its validity. Clear analysis is fundamental to the practical worlds of trade  and commerce. Finally, the liberal arts encourage originality, as students learn to think in creative ways. The student who gives an inventive presentation or develops a fresh perception will enhance the workplace with that creativity. It’s no surprise that law schools actively seek liberal arts graduates for its programs, or that jobs in the civil service, human resources, and upper management are typically staffed by people with Arts degrees. The only surprise is that anyone still scoffs at the notion that a general B. A. is a useful degree. As significant as its impact may be on personal and career growth, the real value of a liberal arts education is found in its benefits to the culture as a whole. The liberal arts retain and transmit the history of civilization itself. Without a commitment to preserving that history, our culture runs the risk of forgetting or distorting its past. Liberal arts students serve as guardians of intellectual thought for the next generation. Writers, journalists, film-makers, and politicians – the people shaping the thoughts and actions of the future – are drawn from the ranks of liberal arts majors. For example, the creator of the Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling, has an undergraduate degree in Classics, and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff earned degrees in History. Moreover, the liberal arts tend to be interdisciplinary in nature. Knowledge in one area illuminates another, so that instead of creating a society of narrow specialists, liberal arts studies actually encourage a culture of educated, open-minded people. Such individuals have both the capacity and the training to address practical problems in society. Leading reformers of the 20th century, including Nelson Mandela (â€Å"Nelson†) and Martin Luther King, Jr. (â€Å"Martin†), profited from their liberal arts studies. A degree in the liberal arts is not a dead-end route that culminates in a lifetime of serving fries or stocking shelves. Rather, it is a doorway that opens to paths heading in every direction. Students who expand their minds through liberal arts benefit themselves, their future career choices, and the wider culture.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Creative Writin Essay

The sun filters in through the leaves of the trees. The midday sun casts dancing shadows over the well-worn table-top. The tables are set for lunch guests – paper napkins, ashtray, salt and pepper shakers, and toothpicks all indicate that the table is ready for a guest. The floor is cleanly swept and all the furniture carefully arranged to create a pleasant and inviting atmosphere. Two new picture frames lean against the wall – one of a dancing woman and the other a blank wooden backing. Soon these new images will join the walls already decorated with art. A local artist uses the wall space to display his abstract paintings. The room is filled with blues, oranges, yellows, and reds. The colors seem to practically illuminate the room. Behind the computers are pictures from the sea – both pictures depicting dolphins and underwater diving adventures. The computers are ready for use. Three armed sentinels standing in a row. There is a motorcycle helmet next to one, with a set of keys. Next to the second is a half-empty water glass. The chairs are empty, and the screens are poised in the middle of email composition. The door to the office stands open, and the regular attendant sits in the chair. He is engrossed in something on the screen, probably a game that he’s been playing, probably not a newspaper article. The restaurant staff are all huddling around the hostess stand. Occasionally, one will venture out and wipe an empty table. There is very little noise today, and aside from one group sitting at two tables pushed together, there is no one else eating. The group looks like it is here for business, each person has a set of papers out before them and the discussion seems led. Everyone is calm and organized. The scent of pizza drifts into the air. The wood fire stove at the back has been fired up, and the scent of cheese and wood fills the air. Glasses clink together in the background as the dishwashers keep busy. THE UNFAMILIAR The place is silent. There are computers, but no sounds of keys being pushed. There is staff, but they are not chit-chatting or engaging in conversation. Even the large group talking in low tones, when talking at all. Ah, a distant clink of water glasses. Someone must be active in the kitchen. Despite the sun streaming through the windows, the place has an ethereal light. The walls are adorned with bizarre paintings – no forms can be discerned and the colors are garish. They are all done in primary colors and seem to be uncontrolled expressions of lines and colors with no coherent overall theme. The way the paintings are spaced along the walls adds to the social displacement. An empty picture frame along the wall begs to be filled, to become the link between the abstract art and underwater scenes adorning the walls. The computer terminals only hint at human existence. There is an abandoned motorcycle helmet, which cannot be too abandoned because there is a set of keys next to it, and an open email program. But there is no one to be seen. An empty water glass holds the seat next to the motorcycle helmet. Are these physical placeholders for non-existent people? There is a man in the office. He looks as though if people disappeared in front of his eyes, he wouldn’t even notice. He is so engrossed in his computer screen – is he playing a game? His eyes are not even blinking. This level of interest is the polar opposite of the interest shown by the staff. The staff remains huddled around the hostess stand, paying no attention to the one group inside, or to the missing people from the computer terminals. The tables suggest readiness for occupants, napkins, toothpicks, ashtrays, and salt and pepper are ready for use. They stand guard over the empty tables.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Learn How to Tell Time in Italian

Learn How to Tell Time in Italian The simplest way to inquire about the time in Italian is by using the verb essere: Che ore sono? Che ora à ¨? – What time is it? You can use the above sentences interchangeably when asking about the time, but when responding you will always use sono le unless you are talking about 1 p.m. in the 12 hour clock (à © luna) or mezzogiorno and mezzanotte: Sono le diciassette. – It is the 17th hour or 5 pm.È mezzogiorno. – Its noon. Be Polite But even better, if you want to be polite add an excuse me into the mix: Mi scusi, che ora à ¨? – Excuse me, what time is it?Mi scusi, che ore sono? – Excuse me, what time is it? The two questions have the same meaning and basic structure. The difference is that the first uses ora à ¨? (is it now?), while the second uses sono le? (is it?). Both uses are perfectly acceptable, but the first conveys a slightly greater sense of immediacy. Useful Vocabulary: Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night To indicate a.m. add di mattina: Sono le 11 di mattina. – It’s 11 in the morning. To indicate afternoon add del pomeriggio (12 noon to 5 pm): Sono le 2 del pomeriggio. – It’s 2 in the afternoon. To indicate evening use di sera . This period of time changes with seasons but it usually sits between the afternoon and the late night, from 5 pm to 9 or 10 pm: Sono le sei di sera. – It’s 6 in the evening. To indicate night time use di notte (10 pm to early morning): Sono le 3 di notte. – It’s three in the morning. Must-Know Vocabulary Words Additionally, there are a number of important words and phrases to know in relation to telling time in Italian. Heres a brief list with their English equivalents: Una mezz’ora (A half hour):Mamma arriva tra mezzora. – Mom arrives in thirty minutes.Un quarto d’ora (A quarter of an hour):Ho bisogno di un quarto dora per farmi una doccia. – I need 15 minutes to take a shower.A volte (Sometimes):A volte mi prendo un caffà ¨. – Sometimes I buy myself a coffee.Due volte al giorno (Twice a day):Passeggio al cane due volte al giorno. – I walk the dog twice a day.Tutti i giorni (Every day):Io vado al gym tutti i giorni. – I go to the gym every day.Ogni tanto (From time to time):Ogni tanto visito la mia zia in Chicago. – From time to time I visit my aunt in Chicago.Mancano cinque minuti alle... (It’s five minutes to...)Mancano cinque minuti alle 3 pm. – Its five to 3 pm.A che ora chiude? (What time does it close?):A che ora chiude la piscina? – What time does the pool close?A che ora apre? (What time does it open?):A che ora apre il panificio? – What time does the baker y open?A che ora comincia? (What time does it start?):A che ora comincia il film? – What time does the movie start? Reminder Dont forget that the 24 hour clock usage is widespread in Italy and most parts of Europe. In short, 1 p.m. is expressed as 13:00, while 5:30 p.m. is 17:30. An appointment or invitation for 19:30 is meant for 7:30 p.m. But the 12 hour clock is well known and everyone will understand when you use it. Finally, the months, as well as the days of the week in Italian, will give you more vocabulary and broaden your skills in the language.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Lead a Sales Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lead a Sales Team - Essay Example The company is rapidly expanding to sell it services worldwide through the internet. The sales plan has been envisaged keeping the objectives in mind. The company’s mission is to become the premium provider of adventure vacations for the 25 to 35-year old working men and women. The focus would be on beach packages and the objective is to generate minimum twenty enquiries per day initially by our promotional activity. Advertising would be done in a phased and planner manner and internet would also be used as a medium. Enquiries would also be accepted through the internet. New markets would be tapped to increase the market share. Collectively, the team expects to convert a minimum of 3 enquiries into sales, which effectively amounts to approximately 100 packages per month at a price of $2500 per package. This sounds a rather low figure but it is realistic and has been arrived at after a SWOT analysis. To break-even the company needs to sell at least 3 packages per day. Over the period of one year these figures are expected to grow and it is expected that after taking into account the insurance sales, the gross sales in the fi rst year would be approximately $3,757,000. The sales budget is the first to be prepared before other budgets can be prepared. The sales revenue expected to be generated is $3,757,000 out of which the direct cost of sales is approximately 40%. Almost 50% of the direct sales cost can be allotted to guide services and 7% to sales and marketing costs. In the industry about 2% is considered as the operating cost which has to be accounted (BSA, 2001). It has to be noted that not all would be cash sales and about 20% could be credit sales, in which case the sales would be credited only after payments are received. Thus the revenue collection would differ from the sales that take place every month. Ever level of the organization should

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Knowledge and Its Affect on the Society and Its Spontaneous Essay

Knowledge and Its Affect on the Society and Its Spontaneous - Essay Example To answer this Althusser (1978) coined the term â€Å"Ideological State Apparatuses† and â€Å"Repressive State Apparatuses†, gives that necessary epistemological break, more analytically than Gramsci (1971), in his theory of social â€Å"hegemony†. In contrast to Bourdieu's concept of habitus, the Ideological State Apparatuses consist of social institutions like school, university etc that help spread a particular discourse of thought-process and archetypal pattern of understanding in a particular way (like Christian concept of good and evil). The Repressive State Apparatus are agents of repression, like the Police, that teach by force and thus maintain the necessary consensus. While the institutions teach through the medium of language that is itself coloured with discursive power to subjugate a subject in the given hegemony almost without any conflict or force. Lacan (1968) explains this linguistic paradox in his theory of language where he says that the stage when s subject enters the realm of the â€Å"symbolic† sphere, the self/consciousness becomes a complex site where one loses the capability to express beyond that given medium of language, which is finite and a complex site of power play. Language is not neutral, but an agent of defining this ideological and hegemonic base. Quite pessimistically, the answer has been given as no. Since the state is a billion-eyed monster keeping a watch on its subject (imagine Orwell’s 1984), the state apparatuses reach out adventitiously even to the furthest grass-root level and teach by force or by apparently ‘neutral’ force to form subjects who cannot escape this ‘interpellation’ (Althusser).