An audit of current provision and critical reflection of the Learning Essay

An audit of current provision and critical reflection of the Learning Environment where intervention groups are currently conduc - Essay Example However, the effectiveness of this initiative has remained an issue of concern to a good number of modern scholars and policy implementers in the United Kingdom (Hayward, 2006, p. 257). Although the term inclusion is not a legal concept, the term is used consistently in primary schools and many middle level schools to educate professionals and community members on the significance of supporting people with disabilities to perform effective in formal and informal education system. In most instances, inclusion programmes differ consistently both in terms of implementation and definition in different schools and societies. Some variables, such as the nature and amount of support and school infrastructures, differ from child to child, school to school and from one country to another. As defined by global scholars, inclusion entails a situation where pupils with disabilities are trained in regular education classroom using the available resources on fulltime bases (Evans, 1989, p.910). Di sabled students therefore become part of the entire education systems, and therefore, they consistently participate in all areas of classroom culture. In inclusion programme, students are expected to effectively participate in various activities such as in library activities, assembly’s activities, lunchtime activities, arts activities, in physical education and in playground activities. Inclusion has its root cause in Civil Rights Movements in United Kingdom and United States of America (DFES, 2005, p. 245). The hypothesis behind the introduction of this policy was that separate training and education among children with disabilities failed to provide an overall solution to the problems that affected disabled people. Therefore, in order to attain equal access to education facilities, children with disabilities ought to be educated in the same training institution and system with children who do not have physical and mental disabilities. Purpose of inclusion for pupils with S END A good number of modern scholars have written different publications with an aim of explaining some of the main benefits of inclusion education among disabled children. However, based on the available facts, inclusion education offers an authentic learning environment among disabled children in primary schools. This benefit is based on the assumption that at one time in their lives; children with disabilities will become part of the general society. Therefore, they ought to interact with other people in order to understand the society’s norms and regulations. In interacting with community members, children who do not have disabilities will encounter people with disabilities, and therefore, effective interaction at the initial development stage will offer an avenue that will train them on some of the most effective means of dealing with physically challenged people. Therefore, in the attempt to foster competence and understanding instead of fear, it is important that child ren be exposed to people of all abilities and disabilities in their initial training. The creation of a learning environment that have microcosm of the society and that include people from all lifestyles including physically challenged people is very essential and critical in enhancing students’ future activities and performances (Kochhar, West & Taymans, 2000, p. 89). In addition, inclusion programme offers an opportunity for students to be exposed to various learning and training methods on a

Massively multiplayer online game Essay Example for Free

Massively multiplayer online game Essay Before computer games flourished through the past eras, patintero, sungka, tumbang-preso, tumba-lata, tagu-taguan and sipa were one of the most anticipated outdoor games inside our country. Experiencing these kinds of games imprints almost our half life and we can’t have a complete childhood experience without getting tapped hard on the back, been hit by a flying slipper for it missed the target, playing with shells, screaming and cheering over your teammates, jumping over a person and avoiding getting hit its body part, and hiding and camouflage in a place to prevent from being the ‘it’ of the game. Try asking a child what was his favourite childhood experience, and would tell either scratched his knee from running away from his opponent or been scolded by mother because of going home late due to exceeding allotted time of playing outdoor games. And try asking a child from the present century what he has been doing lately, and might get an answer playing tekken with PSP, or Super Mario or Pacman with Nintendo or Xbox. Difference spotted? When a child is in the climax of playing and been taking the game seriously, he doesn’t want to be disturbed for in some instance might loose on his opponent and can’t advance to the next upgrades. A common reaction received by parents when they call their children to gather around while their kids were busy pressing on joysticks and keyboards and faces were just centimetres away from the screen would be â€Å"Mom! Can’t you wait because I’m already on my way to take down Bowser! † And two probabilities might happen after: either the parents would start screaming and repeat on telling to set aside their loving gadgets or the children would get irritated on the booming loud voices and start stomping away and lock themselves in a room where they could continue praising themselves for they have defeated the ‘boss’ in the game. With the help of advanced technological innovation that has spread around the globe, the beginning of 3D and multi-player online gaming (MMORPG) have surfaced and hooked children the most. Children fell into the gaming world, spending more time in virtual rather than in real, which sooner turns to be their life. Like, children must have a deviant childhood like these; playing computers during their free time and having fun with his co-gamers. They feel like they can play anytime any of the newest released games go on without ending, they continue forever, and they can pick up any character they wanted on the virtual world. If a child started to feel in contact more with gaming, he will spend more time in solitary seclusion. It is difficult for some adolescents (particularly male adolescents) who are vulnerable to the area of prone to video game addiction since it might be transparent to say how popular gaming is in children of all ages, which results to mostly negative results. A report like found in Elyria, Ohio, where a seventeen year-old boy named Daniel Petric shot his parents in the head after they confiscated his copy of Halo 3. His mother was killed and his father wounded due to the gunshots, and the troubled teen fled the murder scene with solely one item in his possession: the Halo 3 game (Ridgefield, 2009). A similar report flashed on television says that a child has accidentally killed his playmate, stabbed with a knife after playmate got a higher score on the game Flabby Bird and now been sent under the care of DSWD. Several reports similar to this have rang the ears of the mass since the effect of gaming has become more serious. It all started from playing innocently, never knew slowly by slowly they are being eaten with intoxication of gaming and now swallowed of gaming addiction. Results like killing have been a serious warning to those who are sensationally indulged in playing, but often just ignored. The video games are common to be blamed, which we neglect the fact that some might have done crimes since they are often being neglected by parents. Coming from a single-parent family isn’t a factor, but how a parent sees after his child while growing. Far from my knowledge, it is the duty of the parents to look after their kids when engaged into different aspects of real and virtual life. But most children dare to say that they’ve been controlled over their life, treated like human robots; like told to eat properly, sleep on time, do school assignments and how to spend their time practically. But nobody commands them when they got the chance to get hold of gaming materials, because in there, they call themselves the â€Å"Thug Lords of Gaming†. Fond to their name, with raging adrenaline rush cannot escape the virtual life. Restricting kids from playing won’t help to drive the addiction either, for playing is part of our childhood. The more we drag them away, the more they rebel and really determined into getting along with playing. Personally speaking, life with no play is never fun. Who wouldn’t like to experience playing sipa, tumbang preso, luksong-baka and patintero? Who wouldn’t like to meet a childhood friend? None right? Those might not be similar to the games inside the computer world, but those are the basic foundation of gaming not until the late centuries where video games were invented. With increasing percentage of latter sides of gaming, some parents are over-protective over their kids to the extent that they lock their offsprings into a jail afar from their supposed fun childhood. They never had the chance to have ‘real’ playmates. In some instance, a child who has this experience growing up gathering medals for their parents is the only thing instilled in their minds. On contrary, a child who spent more time in playing grows up quitting almost 70% of his social life. This might lead into several serious effects like having a psychological disorder due to excessive malfunction of the brain. And here’s the tricky and dangerous part: they are the ‘unhappy teenagers’ which later have a growing percentage in the globe. They have lost their confidence in communicating and lowered their self-esteem. They’ve spent all of their time interacting in a virtual world and are extremely uncomfortable when dealing with real people in real time. In order to retrieve the part of them which just got lost, they seek attention from others. Or a probability that they would drive all away from himself and just have a life with the unreal, which might lead to serious killing crimes like what we’ve been fearing to happen. Being a gamer isn’t dangerous. It is having a hard time kicking the habit who’s the real enemy. It is not a dissatisfaction to play computer games, but be careful of getting addicted. Think twice before engaging wholly, for everything that is excessive can cause vicious effects, double the harm we think it would cause to us. We, as being the most users of techno-gaming, are the ones in charge of what might happen when we are drowned in the pool of virtual scenes. And as a gamer, too, playing has just been part of my life. It is just how we balance our time between real and virtual space. Even up to this extent, I would be happy if given a rest time and spending it playing with my favourite computer games and would even dare to challenge my siblings into a multi-player game once again. But my playtime has limits too, and I’m the one who limits myself from the red line before stepping into it. References: Ridgefield, A. (2009). Video Game Addiction. Teen Ink. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://www. teenink. com/opinion/movies_music_tv/article/82305/Video-Game-Addiction/.

Writing :: Personal Narrative Writing Education Essays

Writing Mountains are tall. If you are stupid enough to jump off one you fall fast and you land hard. The five-paragraph theme is my mountain and I have just jumped right off it. There don't seem to be any outcroppings to grab for, and my assignment is to discuss my cliff as I continue to drop from it. So I will not grab. I will let myself fall, and hope for pillows at the end. I feel lost without my introduction to conclusion formula started at the beginning of this paper. Why do I have to do this assignment? Oh, I understand that I need to break a mold that has been added to, layer upon dreadful layer, for the past eight years or so. The only problem isHOW? I think that what I am feeling is not unique to me, and that the instructor will more than likely read these same words a dozen times in other fonts. I do not want to spend my entire paper feeling sorry for myself and wasting paper complaining that the answer to my question is not right under my nose. I would pity my reader. I would also hope that I am a stronger writer than that. Strong writers should be able to get beyond the theme. I propose that the theme is no more than a weak writer's response to demands tired English teachers put on them, or a Lazy Writer's cop out. The theme is easy. We know how it works and we crank it out like so many machines. My question is this: what normal everyday Joe in his right mind would not take the easy route to writing a paper? There is no reason to make things harder than they have to be, especially when the teacher will spend a minimal amount of time on whatever you write, whether it took you five minutes or five hours. Lots of readers like to be spoon fed, and the theme is a handy ladle. It's when you try to pour directly from the sauce pan that you are Getting Beyond The Theme. The only time I have ever Gotten Beyond The Theme is on those rare occasions where I get a burst of creativity in class or at home, and the grades I usually get on these Creative Masterpieces are mediocre at best. I must have forgotten my parachute.

Perception of a Tragic Hero: “Hamlet” Essay

Perceptions and understanding of Shakespearean language evolve as time passes. It is reasonable to believe that Laertes is more of a tragic hero than Hamlet. In order for this to be seen effectively, a comparison must be made between Laertes and Hamlet. In the play Hamlet, Laertes is a character who grabs the audience’s attention. His devotion to succeed, despite disadvantages is both motivational and tragic situations, is inspirational to some extent. His portrayal as the antagonist is very effective in conveying the message that, the easy way may not always be the right path to pursue. In the end, people are accountable for their own actions. To Laertes, the urge to avenge a loved ones death was worth taking, and is understandable in all cultures. One must remember that Laertes is not only after revenge, but also after loyalty to avenge. If Laertes were to take revenge on Hamlet, this would show only that he is interested in satisfying his own needs. However, by performing t hese acts in the name of loyalty, Laertes is ensuring that his father Polonius does not die in vain. Laertes can be thought of as more of a tragic hero than Hamlet due to greater loss in his fall, the fact that he is optimistic, his nobility and him showing a tragic flaw. A tragic hero must show a considerable loss in their fall. Hamlet went through many hardships. He lost everyone close to him, but sustained his legacy. This differs from Laertes who simply died. Unlike Hamlet, who was carried out â€Å"like a soldier, to the stage; For he was likely, had he been put on, To have proved most royally,† (V, II, 390-392). Laertes was forgotten. There was no one to remember his legacy, and because of this, Laertes has more to loose in his fall than Hamlet. Hamlet on the other hand, shows little optimism, although this is crucial characteristic of a tragic hero. The audience understands the mourning of a loved one, but the time must come when people move on. In Hamlets case, the time of mourning must have past since he is the only one that continues this. Gertrude, his mother questions this behaviour. She does so by saying, â€Å"cast thy nighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not for ever with thy veiled lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust: Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through  nature to eternity,† (I, II, 68-73). On the other hand, Laertes, despite loosing his father by the hands of his friend Hamlet, still shows optimism. He had every reason to mourn, and would have the added feeling of betrayal, but even so, he is not as distraught as Hamlet. This goes to show that his optimism in justice will be served makes him a greater tragic hero than H amlet. However, another characteristic possessed by Laertes is that he is noble. He wins the admiration of the audience because of his bravery and non-hesitant behaviour. Not only does the audience admire this man, so do the characters of this play. We see that men follow Laertes to offer assistance where needed, â€Å"save yourself, my lord: The ocean, overpeering of his list, Eats not the flats with more impetuous haste Than young Laertes, in a riotous head,† (IV, V, 96-99). The devotion he has towards his cause can be shown with his self-sacrificial statement, â€Å"and like the kind life-rendering pelican, Repast them with my blood,† (IV, V, 143-144). Perhaps, the flaw that leads to Laertes’ detriment is that he is easily manipulated. Claudius, who is Hamlet’s uncle, uses Laertes for his own revenge on Hamlet. This begs the question if the first two blows encountered within the fencing match were intentional. Because of the death of his beloved sister, and the fact that his father was murdered, Laertes may have felt he no longer had anything to live for. His friend Hamlet can be linked to both deaths. Only towards the end is Hamlet able to rationalize his actions by saying, â€Å"this presence knows, And you must needs have heard, how I am punish’d with sore distraction. What I have done, that might your nature, honour and exception roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.† (V, II, 217-223). Another factor which would lead the audience to believe Laertes intentionally let Hamlet hit him, was that Hamlet was not confident in his own fencing skills. In this statement, Hamlet is quoted saying â€Å"I will win for him an I can; if not, I will gain nothing but my shame and the odd hits,† (V, II, 171-173). This gives circumstantial evidence that Laertes was better at the sport, and therefore let Hamlet hit him the first two times on purpose. This would go with the plan set by Claudius; the first hit, he would drink to Hamlets health and then put a poisonous gem in the  wine. The second hit, Hamlet would drink the poison. Because of this manipulation, and not seizing the appropriate opportunity, Laertes was killed by Hamlet. The flaws shown in Hamlet are that he is procrastinates and that he is indirect. Hamlet shows his procrastination with the delayed killing of Claudius. An example of when Hamlet was indirect is with his feelings towards Ophelia, Laertes sister. It is clear to see what is going through her mind, when making reference to Hamlet with this song she sings while presumed insane, â€Å"by Gis and by Saint Charity, Alack, and fie for shame! Young men will do’t, if they come to’t; By cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed. So would I ha’ done, by yonder sun, An thou hadst not come to my bed,† (IV, V, 57-62). The irony in this is that Laertes warned Ophelia earlier to be cautious of Hamlet by saying:Perhaps he loves you now, And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch The virtue of his will: but you must fear, His greatness weigh’d, his will is not his own; For he himself is subject to his birth†¦ Then if he says he loves you, It fits your wisdom so far to believe it As he in his particular act and place May give his saying deed; which is no further Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal. Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain, If with too credent ear you list his songs, Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open To his unmaster’d importunity. Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister, And keep you in the rear of your affection, Out of the shot and danger of desire (I, III, 14-35). In this statement, Laertes is warning Ophelia about Hamlet, he is telling her to watch out because of Hamlets status. He claims that Hamlet will never truly love her. Common characteristics of both Laertes and Hamlet are that they are obligated to commit murder. What is unique about this situation is that they both are compelled for the same reason, the murder of their father. Depending on the perspective of the audience, one of these two men can be looked at as a tragic hero. They both demonstrate the characteristics needed to be a tragic hero, but what separates Laertes from Hamlet is that he was optimistic from  the beginning and shows more ambition. He ventured into a journey in which he knew that he would never be successful. This did not stop him from attempting to achieve his objective. Laertes made it clear to Claudius that he would do anything in order to reach where he was going, he says:To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand, That both the worlds I give to negligence, Let come what comes; only I’ll be revenged Most thoroughly for my father. (IV, V, 129-134). Hamlet on the other hand is contradictory to himself. In one scene, he talks about how he does not want to commit suicide because it is a sin, this is shown by saying, â€Å"to be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more,† (III, I, 57-62). Yet in another scene he comes up with a scheme to get Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed, and plots the same as Claudius. What divides our society on a literary level is the understanding of meanings and perspective on which we see them in. Because of our culture, the audience has the ability to analyze in a way impossible in Shakespearian time. It is understandable now that Laertes is an inspirational character that was destined on a path of failure. Despite all obstacles, he accomplished his task, which represents the ambition and virtue within all people. This inspiring struggle symbolizes similar hardships known to many. Due to this, Laertes can signify the life of a realistic character. He meets the criteria of a tragic hero and represents the eternal struggle. Laertes looses more in his fall, he showed optimism and nobility, while demonstrating a tragic flaw, and by understanding the information given above, one may conclude that the memory of Laertes will no longer be forgotten.

Kayem Foods, Inc

Executive Summary Problem/Issues Matt Monkiewicz, director of marketing for Kayem Foods, Inc. , is challenged with a decision pertaining to a small but fast growing product, Al Fresco chicken sausage. The product has become a brand leader in its market niche, and means on how to promote the product is in question. A â€Å"buzz† marketing campaign was recently used, and while the company did increase in sales, there is no way to directly calculate the effect the campaign had on the product. Mr. Monkiewicz would like to continue to use the â€Å"buzz† marketing approach, but supermarket executives and food distributers are unwilling to increase buying and support for the brand. They do not believe that this small marketing campaign is solid enough to increase buyer recognition and increase sales. Customers have remarked that the product is hard to find in stores, and some cannot find it entirely and have to visit other locations. Analysis The sausage market, while growing, has several competitors who dominate the market. Al Fresco chicken sausage has become the number one brand in its market niche, but buyer power is high due to the low price and similarity of the product. Kayem Foods Inc has primarily sold through supermarkets and other retail food stores in the Northeast. In the last two years, it had made a concerted effort to obtain distribution in the Midwest and the Southeast. Kayem has two different communication needs. First, they need to convince retailers that their product has a stable top of the market demand, and that current pricing creates a large profit potential. This objective can be achieved by devoting money to print advertisements in food magazines, and by allocating money to trade advertisements which depict the success the company has currently seen with the Al Fresco product Monkiewicz used Al Fresco’s high recent sales increases to secure an $185,000 advertising budget for FY 2006. His perceived marketing options include spending $75-72,000 on another Buzz campaign, which supermarket executives do not believe is an adequate marketing campaign for the product. Another possibility is running trade advertisements to entice more retailers to sell Fresco’s chicken sausage (minimum cost of $80,000). The company has evaluated the possibility running no less than 2 or 3 print ads in specialty food magazines; this would be a cheap way to get circulation to the target market. A final alternative would distribute consumer price-off coupons at a minimum cost of $90,000. On top of the advertising venues chosen, an informative website that provided, product history, flavors, recipes, and product locations would be beneficial Recommendations Kayem Foods, Inc. should use the budgeted $185,000 promotional dollars to run a series of â€Å"trade advertisements† that would cost $80,000. They should also run two ads in both Food and Wine and Cooking Light food specialty magazines which would cost $39,765 and $57,840 and would be seen by 5. 4 million people. They should also launch an informational website that would help build product awareness. Use of these three advertising avenues helps resolve the problems the Al Fresco brand currently faces; a new, largely unknown brand to consumers, supermarket managers have been reluctant to offer the brand considerable, if any shelf space due to doubts of stable demand. Problems/Issues Matt Monkiewicz, director of marketing for Kayem Foods, Inc. , is challenged with a decision pertaining to a small but fast growing product, Al Fresco chicken sausage. This product, though small, has become the number-one brand in its niche market. The company had recently implemented a â€Å"buzz† marketing campaign for the product. This is a unique technique for using a word-of-mouth advertising venue. Monkiewicz did not initially have a substantial marketing budget adequate enough to make a substantial impact using traditional media. â€Å"Buzz† marketing, gave him means to promote the rand on a small budget but still have an impact on his target market. According to ACNielsen, Al Fresco had become the number one-selling branded chicken sausage in the United States by late July 2004. However, it was not clear whether this was due to the buzz campaign or to other marketing activities implemented by the firm. Prior to the campaign, the brand had developed substantial m omentum with a minimum of advertising support. Also, during the campaign period the sales force had made a special effort and offered special discounts and allowances to obtain new distribution. The sales increase by the brand was very impressive, but it was not clear how much more growth Kayem could expect from this rather unusual marketing tactic. Monkiewicz explained that it would be a challenge to sustain the growth and increase market share with such a limited marketing budget. Even with substantial growth of the product, the company has continued problems with supermarket executives and food distributers still unwilling to increase buying and support for the brand. They do not believe that this small marketing campaign is solid enough to increase buyer recognition and increase sales. This placed a major dilemma for Kayem Foods, and Al Fresco. They would like to continue to use the â€Å"buzz† marketing approach, but there is no way to justify and link the increase in sales with the campaign. The big issue now is getting supermarket executives and distributers to be confident with the product to increase shelf space and brand recognition. This is very important because seventy-two percent of the BzzAgents reported that they had had difficulty finding the product in the supermarket. This meant that they had to either ask the store manager for the product or go to a different store. Twenty-three percent were never able to find the product. Monkiewicz has two weeks to decide how to implement an upcoming market strategy for the product. He would like to implement another â€Å"buzz† marketing campaign in 2005, but since this strategy is not wielded well by supermarket executives, he has to look at other venues. Some alternatives he could look to with the advertising budget include; limited magazine advertising, consumer coupons, or more point-of-purchase material. Monkiewicz has also considered an advertising campaign in supermarket trade magazines aimed at retail food buyers and merchandising executives. Situation Analysis 5 Forces Upon reviewing the five forces model for Al Fresco, it is noted that competition is pretty high in the industry. Total category sales for the chicken sausage segment were about $75 million per year. The market is growing at about 12 percent a year. This is a growing market, with a few large brands, and rivalry is high. Al Fresco possesses a small 5. 3 percent of the market in the New England area. Because the chicken sausage category is small, it is difficult to obtain many specifics about competition. Buyer power is moderate to high, due to the fact of low switching cost and ease of access to the product. Buyers can be brand loyal, which is a benefit to some companies in the industry. Tying in with the high buyer power is a high power of substitutes. Consumers on average spend $16. 95 annually per year in the target market, when compared to the food industry is not very much. The sausage market can be seasonal, with price promotions and coupon discounts during these periods can be very high. This can lead to shelf space being a big factor, because if a consumer cannot find their desired product, they can easily purchase a similar product for a similar price. Barrier to entry is low in the market due to the fact of establishing a high quality product at a reasonable price with good shelf space and advertising. Supplier power is also low due to the fact that the low priced products in the industry are located in all major grocery stores. S. W. O. T. Strengths In 1999 Kayem introduced the Al Fresco brand. The firm believed if they could have a well-recognized â€Å"demand brand,† it could potentially obtain higher prices and better margins and open doors in new markets. By late July 2004, Al Fresco had become the number one-selling branded chicken sausage in the United States. The product was offered with high quality, healthy attributes, freshness, and distinctive flavors. Al Fresco chicken sausage has 75 percent less fat than traditional pork sausage and is available in seven flavors. Sales have increased significantly for Al Fresco chicken sausage. In September of 2003 they posted sales of $197,000 and in October of 2004 that number rose to $575,000. Weaknesses Though Al Fresco has been prosperous in recent years, Kayem’s profit margins have been eroding. Gross margin for the company had been declining for several years due to supermarkets gaining â€Å"power† through consolidation and demands for greater discounts and promotional allowances from suppliers. With this, Al Fresco has been asked for more price- oriented promotions. This could be a possible benefit for the company, but would cost about $90,000 to be effective. The target market for Al Fresco chicken sausage is the 25- to 54-year-old woman who was health conscious. This is a good niche market, but it makes Al Fresco cater to this niche instead of advertising to an entire population. Opportunities Kayem Foods Inc has primarily sold through supermarkets and other retail food stores in the Northeast. In the last two years, it had made a concerted effort to obtain distribution in the Midwest and the Southeast. This market expansion could lead to vast growth for the company if it takes hold of market share in these regions. The chicken sausage segment is small, with category sales about $75 million per year, but the market is growing at about 12 percent a year. With the new prospective advertising campaign, Al Fresco has potential to capture additional market share. Since sales of Al Fresco had been increasing significantly, the advertising budget was increased to $185,000 for fiscal year 2006 (March 1, 2005-February 28, 2006). This allows Monkiewicz with new possibilities for advertising and reaching a broader customer base. The company should use this to increase demand from supermarket executives, to provide better shelf space for the product. Monkiewicz would like to continue to use the â€Å"buzz† marketing campaign. Rob Walker wrote an article in the New York Times, explaining how effective this campaign was. Appendix) One agent related. †I told everyone that they were low in fat and so much better than pork sausages. †Ã‚  The article relates how effective â€Å"word of mouth† advertising can be. Threats Al Fresco has faced a few problems along the way. During their â€Å"buzz† marketing campaign, seventy-two percent of the agents reported that they had had difficulty finding the product, while twenty-three percent were never able to find the product. This is unacceptable in the marketplace and Al Fresco must convince the supermarkets to carry the product, and give it adequate shelf space. Though Monkiewicz liked the â€Å"buzz† campaign, it was hard to track and justify just how effective an advertising campaign it was. This is threatening, because supermarket executives are timid to demand the product if this is the only kind of advertising the company partakes in. Sausage Market Consumers of sausage products spanned all national regions and income levels. Accordingly, the sausage products where used for both main entree’s and complements to other center-plate dishes for all three main meals of a day. Retail sales of all sausages tallied $2. billion in 2003. This total includes Al Fresco’s product segment, specialty sausage, which had a 20%, or $4. 8 million in sales, and was currently the fastest growing segment. Increased sales were linked with a shift in consumer preference for differentiated products that added a variety to their menus, or were lower in fat content. Concurrently, Al Fresco’s chicken sausage was part of a market segment of low-fat/lean sausages which made up 19% of all sausage sales. Communication strategy Kayem has two different communication needs. First, they need to convince etailers that their product has a stable top of the market demand, and that current pricing creates a large profit potential. This objective can be achieved by devoting money to print advertisements in food magazines, and by allocating money to trade advertisements which depict the success the company has currently seen with the Al Fresco product. Ads in food magazines will also help achieve the second communication goal, stimulating primary demand in consumers, by introducing them to not only a new product segment, but the most popular product in that market. Supermarket executives have recommended that Kayem advertise in specialty food magazines. Through this type of method consumers should be encouraged to deepen brand loyalty. Due to the niche market of chicken sausage, consumers may not need a sales promotion as often as in larger, saturated market segments. Running advertisements in specialty magazines allows a company to easily target desired geographic and demographic segments. Magazine ads are thought to have both high credibility and prestige. Plus, this method of marketing has a longer life span than many other mediums (TV, radio, telephone). In essence, though Kayem would be out the entire expense of running advertisements in the current fiscal year, sales spurred by these investments may be realized in months or even years to come. Out of the possible types of advertising goals, the persuasive approach is most in line with both Kayem’s marketing goals and the potential customers reading cuisine magazines. The company can create liking, preference, and conviction for readers to buy their sausage by highlighting its flavor, freshness, and more importantly healthy composition in comparison to other sausage alternatives. They currently have very low brand awareness which could be alleviated with vast advertising campaigns. This method also works best when consumers are processing the advertisement in a detailed, analytical mode. This description fully fits the reader of a food magazine who is seeking new recipes and/or foods. Point-of-purchase (P-O-P) communication is not the most effective use of Kayem’s promotional money at this time. The company’s current dilemma involves convincing more retailers to buy/stock their item on shelves. This problem should be tackled before the same retailers are asked about in-store promotions. Analysis of Alternatives Monkiewicz used Al Fresco’s high recent sales increases to secure an $185,000 advertising budget for FY 2006. His perceived marketing options include spending $75-72,000 on another Buzz campaign, running trade advertisements to entice more retailers to sell Fresco’s chicken sausage (minimum cost of $80,000), running no less than 2 or 3 print ads in specialty food magazines, and distributing consumer price-off coupons at a minimum cost of $90,000. Monkiewicz must decide if BzzAgent’s previous campaign generated enough sales to warrant spending an additional $75,000 on a second campaign in FY 2006. Due to other promotional activities that occurred simultaneously with the first campaign he is unable to determine how many incremental sales the program created. Kayem’s own sales representatives claimed that they were unable to get additional placements or expanded shelf space due to the buzz campaign alone. The cost per â€Å"buzz† (conversation/ activity involving Al Fresco) was calculated to be almost $4. 24. The new campaign would have a unit breakeven of 62,500 packages. While this advertising approach does disseminate relevant literature there remains no clear way to track generated sales. Growing negative market sentiments of BzzAgent’s techniques may also hurt the image of the company if consumers become aware that they use this form of advertising. Another drawback is the fact that Kayem must rely on unpaid employees of another firm to handle their promotions. A second option costing at least $80,000, involves Kayem running a series of â€Å"trade advertisements† directed at convincing retailers that their chicken sausage is in high demand and can be sold with high profit margins. This alternative has a unit breakeven of 66,667 units. Although past efforts have lacked the intended success, Kayem must address the limited availability of their product. Producing the leading brand of a product in a market segment which has quickly expanded gives them better financial support when approaching retailers than before. The option of distributing consumer price-off coupons was mentioned by both Al Fresco’s sales force and certain supermarket managers. The supermarket managers would still receive full retail selling price, but the Kayem would be cutting their profit margin on each package bought with a coupon. The unit breakeven of this promotion would be 75,000 packages. The product is competitively priced with other chicken sausage products according to a survey of the Boston-area supermarkets. Another draw-back to offering price reductions is in conflicts with Kayem’s desire to keep margins high to off-set their lower profit lines. A final promotional route Kayem could choose involves running advertisements in specialty food magazines. This approach covers a large geographic area, connects to the targeted demographic profile, and has a longer life than most of media avenues. Various costs for ads covering a full, half, or quarter of a page for three different magazines is accompanied by number of circulations in the appendix. Kayem’s managers believe that no fewer than 2 or 3 ads would be needed to have any positive effect on sales. There are many new opportunities opening in the advertising venue for Al Fresco due to the increased budget. Two big issues the company faces are product awareness, and knowledge of where the product is available for purchase. With the Internet becoming more and more common place, a simple website would be a possible alternative for Al Fresco. The site would offer history of the product, types of product, recipes to go with the sausage, and locations were the sausage may be purchased. Any advertising that is done; the name of the website could be placed on the advertisement. It is assumed that a start up fee cost for a simple informative website would be $4,000 and yearly upkeep would be an additional $3,000. Recommendations/Implementation Kayem Foods, Inc. should use the budgeted 185,000 promotional dollars to run a series of â€Å"trade advertisements†, 2 ads in both Food and Wine and Cooking Light food specialty magazines, and launch an informative website. Use of these three advertising avenues helps resolve the problems the Al Fresco brand currently faces; a new, largely unknown brand to consumers, supermarket managers have been reluctant to offer the brand considerable, if any shelf space due to doubts of stable demand. Due to budget constraints, the placement of two 1/4 four-color advertisements in both food specialty magazines is the cheapest way to increase broad brand awareness in the target market. An estimated 5. 2 million ads will be circulated at an estimated cost of $18. 7 per 1,000 viewers. This is by far a cheaper avenue to reach potential customers than another â€Å"buzz† campaign (appendix). The ads should highlight the freshness and natural, healthy composition of Al Fresco’s chicken sausage, and should include the statements, â€Å"#1 Selling, Healthy, All-Natural Choice† and â€Å"Ask for It at Your Local Supermarket†. Thes e advertisements will not only increase selective demand, an approach that attempts to highlight a specific brand’s competitive advantage in the face of many substitutions, but will also spur a deepening in brand loyalty. By using a persuasive advertising approach these placements will lead to higher preference, liking, and conviction of Al Fresco’s chicken sausage flavors by consumers because they will be processing the ads in a detailed, analytical mode. Placing these ads in food magazines gives Kayem the opportunity to place their product in the minds of consumers actively searching for new products/ recipes, thus initiating new sales from experimenting, health conscience, or even allergenic consumers. Secondly, supermarket executives have said such an advertisement campaign is needed to create the stable demand required to prompt initial purchases and shelving of Al Fresco’s chicken sausage. Increasing the pressure on retailers to adopt and sell Al Fresco’s products can be supplemented by running a series of â€Å"trade advertisements†. These ads will highlight the specialty and low-fat sausage market segment’s growing sales numbers, and Al Fresco’s personal commitment to faithfully market their products. High profit margins and placement at the top of the segment market are also key points that must be received by retailing executives. As mentioned by Monkiewicz, $80,000 will be needed to successfully implement this advertising campaign. The remaining budget dollars will be used to launch and maintain an informational website specifically aimed at providing product awareness to customers. In today’s day and age, the internet is becoming more resourceful. With Al Fresco’s increased advertising over the next year, they can add they website URL to the ads for free publicity to the website. The website would be simple, offering product history, flavors and recipes, and locations were the product is available. APPENDIX |BREAKEVENS | | | | | | | | | | | |$1. 0 contribution margin per pound, typical package (unit) size= . 75 pounds, SO, $1. 20 contribution margin/package | | | | | | | |OPTIONS | | | | | |1. Bzz campaign @ cost $75-72,000 | | | | |75,000/1. 2 = 62,500 Breakeven in units | | | | | | | | | | |2. Series of â€Å"Trade Advertisements† @ cost $80,000 | | | |80,000/1. 2 = 66,667 Breakeven in units | | | | | | | | | | |3. Consumer Price-off Coupons @ cost 90,000 | | | |90,000/1. 2 = 75,000 Breakeven in units | | | | | | | | | | |4. Ads in specialty magazines | | | | |MEDIA COST AND CIRCULATION FOR MAGAZINES | | | | | | | | | | |Circulation |Cost of Full Page |1/2 Page |1/4 Page | |Better Homes and Gardens |7,600,000 | $ 359,000 | $ 215,400. 0 | $ 107,700 | |Food and Wine |900,000 | $ 66,275 | $ 39,765. 0 | $ 19,883 | |Cooking Light |1,700,000 | $ 96,400 | $ 57,840. | $ 28,920 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |$185,000 Proposed Budget | | | | |Circulation |Price | | | | |1. 8 million |$39,765 |(2) 1/4 Page ads in Food & Wine | |3. million |$57,840 |(2) 1/4 Page ads in Cooking Light | |5. 2 million |$97,605 |Total | | | |   |$80,000 |Cost of Trade Advertising | | | |$177,605 | | | | | |$7,000 |Launch and Maintenance of Website | |$184,605 |Total Advertising Budget | | | | | | | | |*Cost of magazine ads $97,605 with an estimated 5. 2 million circulation = $18. 77 per estimated 1,000 viewers | |*While Cooking Light has a lower cost-per-thousand | |the difference is not significant enough to offset the potential | |increased reach of running advertisements in Food and Wine simultaneously. | Buzz Mkt | | | | | | |2000 agents | | |Conversation Locations | | | |3 coupons for free package | | |Place |Percent | | |10 $1 off coupons when purchasing 2 packages | | |Home |41% | 5,807| | | | |Social Location |16% | 2,266| |goal each agent talks to 10 people = 20,000 people | |Work |15% | 2,125| | | | |Grocery Store |10% | 1,416| |758 agents filed reports | | |Other |18% | 2,550| |1,647 BzzReports completed, 8,470 buzz hits | | | | | | |1 report = 8. 6 conversations or activities about Al Fresco | | | | | |8. 6 x 1647 = 14,164 buzz hits (revised) | | |14,164 | | | | | | | | | | |Reedeming coupons 6000 free package coupons | | | | | |at 4. 9 = $26,940 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |20000 $1 off coupons = $20,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Total cost of full redemption = $36,940 | | | | | | |$47,000 + 46,940 = $93,940 Potential Total Cost of Bzz campaign | | | | |Estimate | | | | | | |Total cost $ 60,000/ 14,164 = 4. 361 | | | | | | |An estimated $4. 24 spent for each conversation/activity | | | | | |stemming from Bzz regarding Al Fresco | | | | | | |CHICKEN SAUSAGE MARKET | | | | | | |FY 2006 |FY 2007 | |$75,000,000 |$84,000,000 |$94,080,000 | Sources

THE TREATY OF WAITANGI Essays - Mori Politics, Mori History

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Total quality management origins and evolution of the term Article title – Total quality management: origins and evolution of the term Authors of the article – Angel R. Martinez, Lorente Frank Dewhurst and Barrie G Date The article was written in 1998.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Total quality management: origins and evolution of the term specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The article’s central concern and its relation to International Business Course The broad area covered in this article is the origins of the term Total Quality Management (TQM) and a clarification on the divergent definitions of the term TQM offered by business academics and practitioners, highlighting the specific contributions made by the key proponents towards the development of the term TQM. The main dimensions, components, practices and mechanisms of TQM are also explored with a comparative analogy on how they have been integrated in different business cultures. This relat es TQM to quality management tools and techniques, in that it has erected a standardized quality assurance platform upon which both national and international business corporations and institutions can be gauged, to ensure customer satisfaction, employee motivation at optimal production cost. This article talks about the origins, development and applications of both conventional and upcoming quality management dimensions to guarantee customer satisfaction and optimal production cost. I like this article; this is due to the fact that it embraces a holistic approach to management practices which provide an avenue for quality assurance and business proficiency. Key learning points; Origins of TQM, Components of TQM, Benchmarking, Quality control, development of TQM, Cultural differences, TQM gurus As a corollary in the analysis of the origins and evolution of the term total quality management, the central concern is the incorporation of quality management components in every corporate institute for quality assurance.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The relevant statements to the article In the global marketplace increased levels of competition have resulted in quality becoming of increasing importance to organizations and consequently total quality management (TQM) has become a key management issue. This highlights the strategic utility value of TQM in perfecting corporate efficiency, competitiveness and survival in the business arena. It can be argued that many of the TQM dimensions outlined in Table 1 were being applied by organizations before the TQM movement appeared; consequently, it is not easy to establish the exact date of birth of the term TQM. Perhaps, the main reason for the origin of the term TQM could be a substitution ion the previously used tern of total quality control (TQC), the word â€Å"control† by â€Å"manageme nt† with the reasoning that quality is not just a matter of control, it has to be managed. These two statements describe the progressive and sequential historical development of TQM, from the informal deliberative stage of 1960s to the current concrete TQM concept. In the USA the development of quality management resulted from the penetration of its markets by Japanese products which started in the 1970s, together with the impact of the writings of Crosby, Deming, Feigenbaum and Juran. Japanese companies have developed their own approach to TQC, based on the teachings of Deming and Juran, shaping it to suit their own culture and operating environment along with the development of a new set of tools, techniques and operating systems.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Total quality management: origins and evolution of the term specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A brief comparison of the ideas of these five qual ity gurus (Crosby, Deming, Feigenbaum, Ishikawa and Juran) in relation to the TQM dimensions that were introduced in table (I) is made in table (IV). It can be seen that the need of top management support and the importance of management support and the importance of customer relationship is shared by all. Bench-marking is not considered by any of them, perhaps because this technique came to the fore when they already had a well-proven approach to quality management. The three preceding statements point at the collaborative role of quality gurus facilitating cultural transfer of quality management concepts around the globe. This paper has considered the evolution of the elements, practices and mechanisms that define TQM. It has been shown that, while the term TQM only began to be popularized in the second half of the 1980s, many of the elements that have shaped it were developed early, during the 1950s to 1970s. Most theoretical developments in the advancement of the concept have be en made in the USA whereas Japan has held the initiative in terms of application. The paper also indicated a lack of a total agreement about how to apply TQM, as supported by the differences in the views of the leading quality management gurus. For example, the need for focus on workforce management is widely accepted but the proposed ways in which to apply this form of management are different. Other elements of TQM, such as benchmarking and supply chain management, are not considered in any detail by the shapers of the TQM concept.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Differences in the application TQM amongst different countries also appear to exist. Since the culture of the company influences the approach to the application of TQM, different countries with different cultures apply TQM in different ways. However as we approach the end of the century economies and societies are becoming increasingly inter-related and these differences are diminishing. These three preceding statements sum up the historical evolution in the development of TQM. Critical analysis Yes, I am happy about what I have read. This is because, this seminal work is comprehensive in its exposition on the; origins, stages of development, components, practices and cultural transfer of top quality management (TQM) in the business fraternity. TQM has proved to be a fitting tool of leverage between corporate profit maximization drive and the inherent consumer satisfaction desires, by ensuring that every corporation meets certain threshold quality assurance standards. The elucidatio n of the components of top quality management, embraces a holistic approach- universally acclaimed- to institutional and business quality checks and balances. Nonetheless, the paper does not highlight the current noble areas of achievement upon the implementation of TQM in business and corporate entities, thus the taste of authenticity and applicability in the business platform is missing to a certain measure. Applying the subject matter of the article to a real life business case TQM can be employed by business managers and executives in providing a leading role quality assurance; whereby strategic and effective decisions would be made concerning employee motivation, customer satisfaction and the central aim of optimized business profit gains. Employing the statistical tools in the product design process, quality data sampling and reporting in businesses ensure mistake proof process flow and an informed awareness on the viability of business ventures- cushioning the business agains t unforeseen risks. The establishment of a quality assurance department in any business does provide the necessary; link between the executive and employees, cross-cutting monitory services for all the departments of the business, thus, ensuring quality service delivery to all the stakeholders of the business. What I have learned I have established the origin, development and the various components of TQM from this article. The article has opened my horizons on the cultural impact and collaboration on the development of TQM as a global concept in managerial practices. Practicing executives can harness the seminal propositions advanced in this TQM article by taking the market advantage through offering quality services to their clients.

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Strengths, Weaknesses and Plan of Action of an Analysis - Essay Example I have also been able to use a variety of sentence structures like simple, compound and complex sentence structures which help articulate my thoughts in a proper manner. Very short paragraphs keep the reader interested. I am also able to, as it shows by my draft, discuss both the sides of the issue so that the reader may be able to get a better idea about the positive and negative aspects of the issue at hand. It seems that I am very efficient in the presentation of my draft as the tone remains the same and all textual evidence is properly cited. It seems that I have been unable to specify a specific audience for my text. This may have led to some confusion for the reader as to for whom the text is really intended for. The text is not confusing in itself, but still, there should have been audience specification. I have not used any metaphors. The text seems to be less literary and more philosophical, which is something that many readers who are looking for some scholarly text might get disappointed about. Also, I have not used any external source which may have been necessary to back up my opinion. I have generalized the issue according to my own opinion, and there is no external source to support my argument. Other than these points, I have not come to know any noticeable weakness in the structure, layout and presentation in my text by way of my instructor’s and peer’s feedback. The first thing I need to revise is that I should incorporate some external sources in my text to back up my argument. I think it is very important as one is able to give more evidence to support one’s point of view. This involves research, and I must be able to do this by looking up for literary sources in the library and over the internet. I must, however, first consult my instructor to determine whether an external source is actually required in the first place. The second thing that I need to think upon is specifying my audience.

Business Structures and Securities 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Structures and Securities 1 - Essay Example Additionally, while concentrating on other areas regarding on how to make their business successful, the franchisor usually offers to secure a strategic location for the enterprise. This is to ensure the new franchisees do not fail to have adequate clientele once their business commences, hence little chances of the business of not succeeding. Therefore, partnership-franchising structure is more beneficial for sandwich owners, since they will not face stiff competition from the already established competitors (Spadaccini 225). Since the enterprise entails franchising, Sandwich shop owners do not have any right to sell or terminate it, but they can expand while using the franchisor’s brand, hence being an advantage (Spadaccini 382). However, the owners cannot end their relationship with the franchisors until the agreed date is over. This is because, at the onset of their cooperation, normally the franchisees get into a written contract with the franchisor, which the SEC ensures that each party keenly adheres to the stipulated decrees (Spadaccini

Save water Essay Example for Free

Save water Essay WATER SAVINGS PROTOCOL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Final Version 3.0 June 2009 Acknowledgements This document has been prepared by the Department of Sustainability and Environment in collaboration with Goulburn-Murray Water, the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP) with technical advice provided by Hydro Environmental. -i- TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction _______________________________________________________ 1 2. Purpose of this Document ___________________________________________ 2 3. Roles and Responsibilities ___________________________________________ 2 3.1. Project Proponent _____________________________________________________3 3.2. Water Corporation _____________________________________________________4 3.3. Resource Manager_____________________________________________________4 3.4. Minister for Water and Associated Departments ______________________________5 3.4.1. Department for Sustainability and Environment ______________________________ 5 3.5. Minister for Planning and Community Development and Associated Departments ____6 3.6. Minister for Environment and Associated Departments _________________________6 3. 6.1. Catchment Management Authorities (Environmental Managers) _________________ 6 3.7. Murray-Darling Basin Authority ___________________________________________7 4. High Level Process Diagram for Assessing Water Savings ________________ 7 ii 1. Introduction This document â€Å"Roles and Responsibilities† is part of the â€Å"Water Savings Protocol for the Quantification of Water Saving Projects† (the Protocol). The Protocol is a series of documents, which together, provides transparency, and consistency in the estimation and allocation of water savings derived from irrigation modernisation projects. It has been developed based on the key principles in the Draft Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy and is applicable State-wide. The Protocol consists of: †¢ Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings †¢ Roles and Responsibilities †¢ Water Savings Audit Process The documents that make up the Protocol is shown in Figure 1. WATER SAVINGS PROTOCOL FOR THE QUANTIFICATION OF WATER SAVINGS FROM IRRIGATION MODERNISATION PROJECTS Explanatory Note from the Minister Technical Manual For Quantification of Water Savings Roles Responsibilities Water Savings Audit Process Figure 1: Water Savings Protocol documents The overall purpose of the Water Savings Protocol documents, including this document, is to: †¢ specify a reliable and repeatable process and method to estimate water savings from irrigation modernisation projects; -1- †¢ †¢ 2. provide the best estimate of water savings for inclusion in economic assessments of investments in irrigation modernisation projects; and establish a transparent process which can be readily audited and reported on to enable actual water savings to be converted to entitlements at an appropriate time. Purpose of this Document The purpose of this document is to set out the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in irrigation modernisation projects. The roles and responsibilities are specifically related to the accounting, reporting and auditing of associated water savings. These roles and responsibilities are consistent with Government Policies including the legislated roles and responsibilities of the various organisations in the Water Act 1989 and the Environmental Effects Act 1978. 3. Roles and Responsibilities The following sections outline the specific roles and responsibilities of the various organisations involved in water savings projects. These organisations include:i. the Project Proponent ii. the System Operator iii. the Minister for Water iv. the Department of Sustainability and Environment (the Department) v. Environmental Regulator (Minister for Planning) and Associated Departments vi. Minister for Environment and Associated Departments vii. Environmental Manager (Catchment Management Authority and/or Parks Victoria) viii. the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (in relation to Northern Victoria). The relationship between the above mentioned organisations and their involvement in water savings projects throughout Victoria can be seen schematically in Figure 2. -2- Minister for Environment and Climate Change Minister for Planning and Community Development Catchment Management Authorities Water Corporation Parks Victoria Minister for Water Resource Manager / System Operator Department of Sustainability and Environment Murray Darling Basin Authority Project Proponent Figure 2: Victorian Water Savings Projects – Key Organisations 3.1. Project Proponent The project proponent is the entity with the role of planning, designing and delivering the irrigation modernisation project including its various water savings interventions. The role of the Proponent is to: †¢ identify water saving opportunities. †¢ devise and develop the scope of projects in conjunction with the holder of the system operating water entitlement. †¢ seek all necessary approvals to works and endorsement of their associated water savings. †¢ identify potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures and consult with the appropriate environmental managers at a State and Federal level. †¢ quantify the volume of water savings to be generated by each intervention in accordance with the methodology outlined in the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings. †¢ prior to implementing the annual works program, and at reasonable intervals throughout the season if requested by the System Operator, calculate the estimated interim water savings for the current/future irrigation season for the purpose for setting this water aside for future allocation. †¢ communicate to the System Operator, the planned annual works program and changes as they occur. †¢ implement works in accordance with the works program. -3- †¢ communicate any significant departures from the planned works program, as it is implemented, to the System Operator. †¢ notify the System Operator and the Executive Director of Water Entitlements and Strategies (within the Department) of the volumes of water that are expected to be set aside (Interim Savings) and transferred (Long Term Savings) as result of each intervention being implemented. †¢ calculate the actual water savings arising from the works in accordance with the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings to determine both the interim and the long term water savings. †¢ report, as required, the projected interim and final water savings including any details of changes from the overall targeted volumes of water savings for the project or water savings intervention. †¢ arrange for an independent audit and report of the water savings utilising the independent auditor(s) awarded to the auditing of water savings by the independent panel in accordance with the Audit Process. †¢ advise the System Operator and Executive Director of Water Entitlements and Strategies (within the Department) on the outcomes of the water savings audit 3.2. Water Corporation The Water Corporation is responsible for assessing system losses on the longer term to ensure longevity of water savings realised through interventions associated with irrigation modernisation projects. The System Operator is to: †¢ ensure water delivery services can continue to be provided to water entitlement holders on the system. †¢ on the advice of the proponent, consult with system water users impacted by the agreed project works. †¢ provide water system asset information required to enable the Project Proponent to complete interim and long term water savings projections. †¢ apply to Minister for Water to amend/transfer part of the savings as water entitlement. †¢ operate and maintain the water delivery system in accordance with the agreed project objectives and ensure accountable water savings are sustainable and maintained in the long term. 3.3. Resource Manager The Resource Manager or Storage Operator, as defined in the relevant bulk entitlements, is responsible for managing and allocating the water resources in accordance with the bulk entitlements. This includes making and projecting seasonal determinations. The Resource Manager / Storage Operator is to: †¢ provide to the proponent, projections of annual water deliveries and allocations to enable the progressive calculation of interim water savings as the project is implemented. -4- †¢ manage and collect water delivery system flow (inflow and outflow) measurement data and make that data available t the Project Proponent. †¢ ensure provision of water related data to the Project Proponent and the Department is guaranteed through a quality assurance process. Where the data has been modified or filtered, provide both the raw and modified data including documentation of reasons for modification. †¢ at the start of each irrigation season, or progressively as agreed, set aside the amounts of water projected to be saved through the modernisation works. †¢ confirm the estimates of actual water savings provide by the Project Proponent and where necessary recommend an amendment to those savings for consideration by the Project Proponent. 3.4. Minister for Water and Associated Departments The Minister for Water is responsible for the water portfolio in the State of Victoria. The Minister oversees the policy direction with the support of the Department. The delivery of long term water savings and ensuring government water savings targets are met is a key responsibility of the Minister. The Minister for Water: †¢ has agreed to the Water Savings Framework and its associated Water Savings Protocols including its Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings and the Water Savings Audit Processes †¢ will, with the support of the Department, update the Protocol to ensure continual improvement and the use of the best technical basis available at the time. †¢ will, with the support of the Department, amend and transfer Bulk entitlements (Water Act 1989) to represent the long term water savings realised through the modernisation program. 3.4.1. Department for Sustainability and Environment The Department supports the Minister for Water in the administration of the water portfolio in Victoria with respect to water recovery. The Department will: †¢ support the Minister for Water in developing a Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings (Attachment 1) and the associated Audit Processes (Attachment 3). †¢ support the Minister for Water in amending and transferring bulk entitlements. †¢ recommend to the Minister for Water updates to the Protocols, particularity the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings to ensure continual improvement and the use of the best technical basis available at the time. †¢ convene a meeting with the System Operator and the Project Proponent and Department a minimum of every 6 months to review the application of the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings in Northern Victoria. -5- †¢ arrange for a Panel to establish a list of independent auditors which may be used to audit water savings estimates and related baseline data (both interim savings on annual basis and long term savings at the end of the water savings project). †¢ establish an agreed methodology for calculating the annual Long Term Cap Equivalent (LTCE) conversion factor to be used in long term water savings estimates. †¢ provide the Project Proponent (and System Operator if requested) with the Long Term Cap Equivalent conversion factors for particular years. 3.5. Minister for Planning and Community Development and Associated Departments The Minister for Planning and Community Development oversees the adherence of water savings projects to all relevant environmental legislation (both State and Federal). The Minister for Planning and Community Development will: †¢ assess environmental impacts of the works and measures proposed by the Project Proponent †¢ provided certain conditions are met, issue planning approvals for the works proposed by the Project Proponent (it should be noted that it is not the role of regulator to quantify the volume of water savings). 3.6. Minister for Environment and Associated Departments The Minister for Environment is responsible for management and mitigation of any undesirable impacts of the water savings project. The Minister for Environment has a responsibility to: †¢ work with environmental managers to consult on any potential environmental impact of works and seek multiple benefit projects †¢ provide advice to the Minister for Planning and Community Development on potential environmental impacts associated with works †¢ develop the principles for the planning and use of Requisite (Mitigating) Water to ensure net environmental gain to the project region. 3.6.1. Catchment Management Authorities (Environmental Managers) The Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) have a charter to develop and oversee the implementation of Regional Catchment Strategies aimed at improving or at least maintaining catchment health and to, on behalf of the Minister for Environment, manage the environmental water entitlements. The role related to the environmental water entitlement includes: †¢ improving river and wetland health through the use of the Environmental Water Reserve and delivery of complementary works. †¢ working with the water savings Project Proponent to identify potential environmental impacts of the actions and potential mitigation measures proposed by the Project Proponent. -6- †¢ working with the Project Proponent and System Operator to seek multiple benefit projects and multiple project benefits. In instances where Parks Victoria is the owner or custodian of the land, the catchment responsibilities for the maintenance of catchment heath will be delivered through Parks Victoria. 3.7. Murray-Darling Basin Authority The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is responsible for integrated, sustainable management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin. Its role includes: †¢ ensuring appropriate water diversion accounting against the Murray-Darling Basin Cap on allowable annual diversions. †¢ developing and implementing of the Basin Management Plan which will be a strategic plan for the integrated and sustainable management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin. Details of the future role of the Authority in relation to water savings will be resolved as part of the Basin Plan. 4. High Level Process Diagram for Assessing Water Savings The quantification of water savings is undertaken in four separate stages or Phases of the water savings project, these phases are defined as follows: †¢ Phase 1: †¢ Phase 2: †¢ Phase 3: †¢ Phase 4: The initial â€Å"Business Case† long term estimates of water savings for the planned program of works The annual pre-works estimates of interim water savings to be set aside within the water savings account. The annual post-works measurement or verification of interim water savings able to be allocated from the water savings account. The end of program assessment of the overall long term water savings achieved through the modernisation program. Each of the Phases, and the steps which are required to quantify the water savings under these Phases, is described in detail within the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings. Figure 3 schematically describes the roles and responsibilities of the above mentioned organisations in estimating, measuring, verifying, and reporting water savings associated with irrigation system modernisation programs. The interactions between each of the Phases of reporting and the required information sharing are also provided within that diagram. -7- Figure 3: High level process flow for defining, capturing reporting Water Savings in Irrigation Modernisation Project -8-

Annette Lareau: Annotated Bibliography

Annette Lareau: Annotated Bibliography Critical Annotated Bibliography of key texts focused on  Annette Lareaus reserach Social researchers have stressed the importance of understanding the social stratification and its impact on children and parents as a whole (Lareau A, 1999). Annette Lareau is a professor of Sociology at University of Pennsylvania. She achieved her PhD in Sociology from University of California, Berkley.   Her ground- breaking research involves, investigating questions like the influence of social stratification on families.   She has done substantial fieldwork examining the lives of American people. She has focused on the impact of social structural forces, parenting styles like concerted cultivation, educational inequalities and if they participate towards shaping vital aspects of childrens lives.   She has written many books and articles stressing on how class can make or break families present and future. Her work contributes to broaden our understanding towards the class system. The body of Annette Lareaus work that I have chosen assesses vital issues in American society, which effects children, parents and families as a whole.   It discusses vital issues like the role of class system in middle class, working class and poor families in raising their children, their daily lives, varying parenting styles and their role in childrens present and future prospects. Lareau, A., 2011. Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. University of California Press. Annette Lareaus book Unequal Childhoods with an update a decade later is a step forward in comprehending the importance of learning and understanding the impact of class system on family lives and parenting styles in African American and White families and is an excellent effort to fill in the gap in relevant research studies. She investigated how parental practices differ among White, Black, middle class, working class and poor families and the role it plays in shaping childrens future conclusively. Annette showed that class system plays a vital role in American families lives and uncovered the practices involved in reproduction of inequalities in the society. The author performed in-depth studies with 12 different families using participant observation as her studying approach providing detailed information about the families. Children participating in the study were aged 9-10 years old.   As part of the research, the author with the support of her assistants spent about one month with the families and gathered detailed information about them.   The research involved following the participants to afterschool activities, doctors visit and spent time at their homes. A key point that Lareaus ethnographic study showed is a particular parenting approach called concerted cultivation.   While visiting participant families, she observed that Black and White middle class families are very much involved in facilitating their children to achieve their goals.   They encourage, inspire and monitor their childrens academic achievements and play an active role in their lives. These parents were always interested in listening to their childrens voice and did not discourage them to show their opinions.   As a result, these children became more confident in speaking their minds, which helped them to develop their overall confidence, self-esteem and development.   In contrast, the rearing style of children belonging to working class and poor families in both Black and White families were limited due to lack of resources.   They relied on schools to take care of their children and gave their children extra time to play.   She contrasted these two parenting approaches and discovered that both of these parenting styles were beneficial, but children belonging to middle class were more successful in schools. She argues that African American families face racial discrimination in many areas e.g. employment and live in racially segregated neighbourhoods but interestingly,   White and African-American middle class families follow the same parenting style and there was no observation of racial discrimination. An exclusive point that Lareau observed was the conversational differences between parents and children e.g. children from middle class families were mostly involved in engaging conversations with adults, which helped these children to gain confidence.   Whereas, the parents of children from working and poor families showed authority and the children mostly showed compliance and rarely participated in engaging conversations with adults.   These differences show how middle class children acquire confidence and grasp the ability to demand whereas working class children are not very demanding. In conclusion, this study showed that class matters more than race but provided limited discussion on the impact of race in childrens lives and their future and lacks the information on the role of extended families in middle class young adults. Lareau recognises that there is a gap in studying the effects of class in childrens lives, positive parenting strategies and inequality due to class and therefore calls for   in-depth research in this field. Lareau has performed a review on her study by visiting the families again.  Ã‚   Children involved in the study are now young adults.   She interviewed these young adults their siblings and parents.   Lareau discovered that the importance of social class, she had observed when these children were younger (10yrs) old developed with time. Middle class parents kept playing an active role in their childrens lives despite them moving away from their homes.   These young adults continued seeking parents guidance. Their parents were massively involved in handling situations to increase their growth potential. On the contrary, parents belonging to working class and poor families considered their children now grown ups and the young adults agreed to this view.   Extended families play an important role in shaping children belonging to working class and poor family children. In conclusion, middle class children accomplished more educational achievements than the working class and poor family kids. Parenting styles shape childrens lives as they grow into young adults to prepare them for independent successful lives. Overall, an excellent and enlightening study. Lareau, A., 2002. Invisible inequality: Social class and childrearing in black families and white families. American sociological review, pp.747-776. This research studies the effects of social class, culture, race and their interaction by investigating the function and contribution of social class system in children ages of 7-10 years old. Using an ethnographic data, Lareau aims to study the associations and connections among Black and White parents, their children and distinctions in childrearing techniques.   She found that class differences are more noticeable than racial differences and that parenting styles are a way to reproduce class-based advantages. Lareau compares two different parenting approaches to learn and report their benefits and disadvantages. Middle class parents encouraged their children to be highly involved in extracurricular activities using a concerted paradigm to stimulate and develop their talents and capabilities. On the contrary, working class parents used the childrearing method called accomplishment of natural growth paradigm.   This method involves providing, love and care for the children, givi ng them a lot of freedom and unregulated recreation time and space. As a result, Lareau observed that middle class children found it easy to adapt to the school environment, as they followed the same expectations and structured activities at home. These parents encouraged, praised and respected their childrens wishes and these positive elements were an ongoing feature of middle class families. Lareau argues that the range of activities influence family lives. The importance of structured activities results in weak family and social bonds. The author points out that as middle class children were so busy participating in after school activities they barely had any time to visit their extended families. However, this study involved limited; discussion about childrens relationship with extended families e.g. grandparents. Another important point that Laruea raised in this research is the use of language. She observed that middle class children engaged in healthy discussions with their parents and other professionals whereas, working class and poor families did not involve in continued discussions frequently with their parents.   All parents and children were involved in having conversations with professionals, but middle class children were more skilful in holding conversations with others.   The study shows that socioeconomic status can influence social connections. Children from working and poor family background has a wider range of social connections in compare to the middle class children. The author showed, that race does not seem to have a great impact in shaping childrens lives.   Although Black parents were increasingly worried about their childrens lives outside due to racial problems. In conclusion, this is an enlightening ethnographical study, with expressive and illuminative data, but as it is concentrated on a small sample therefore; it is very difficult to generalise the results to public. Lareau, A., 2000. Social class and the daily lives of children, A study from the United States. Childhood, 7(2), pp.155-171. Laurae strived to explore the social class differences by designing and performing a detailed and comprehensive study in comparison to studies performed in the past where childrens research was limited to the contexts of schools and families.   Childrens out of school activities have a significant influence on middle class parents lives.   The author provides a detailed account of how parents felt when they had to make time to take their children to participate in out of school activities. This article aims to investigate the function of social class in moulding and forming daily lives of children. This study discusses three main issues, what shapes childhood, rhythm and pace of life and to what extent parents and childrens lives interact with each other. The author collected detailed ethnographic data of children aged 7-10 years old.   Eighty children participated in this study from African American or White families over the period of 3 years.   The author aimed to observe the associations between children and parents in their daily lives. The study took place in North-eastern metropolis and Midwestern community in a white working class neighbourhood. The study involved interviews from all mothers and most fathers and childrens classroom observations. While observing children from middle and working class families, Lareau found that their lives are very different from each other.   Middle class boys occupied themselves in structured activities arranged by their parents/carers and focused on developing new skills.   Whereas, working class boys spent their time participating in informal activities e.g. free play, visiting kin and hanging out. Working class boys were much more social then middle class boys.  Ã‚   She revealed that both parenting approaches has benefits and drawbacks.   This research-studied boy in more detail than girls and some gender differences were observed e.g. girls were encouraged to participate in gymnastics rather than football.   The author states that covering aspects of race, gender and class can also show us if there is any link between these categories. The research reports that African American people has a fear of being subject to discrimination from White people and encouraged their children to be friends with black children which confirms the racial inequalities in the society. The result showed that children from middle class families spent time in structured activities organised by adults.   The foundations of these activities are skill development and public performances, which may result in knowledge enhancement.   The structures of these activities were very similar to school activities; therefore, attending school was a similar but not exclusive experience for these middle children. Observing the working class children shows a different picture.   These children do not follow a structural system in their lives; they do find organised and structured activities somewhat difficult. They liked to hang out and visit their extended families.   Lareau claims that race does not play a sufficient role but the role of class differences are clear in the daily lives of children. Overall, this is a fantastic detailed ethnographical study, which uses only a small sample of participants from limited sides of community and the author did not mention the methods employed to examine the collected data set.   Weininger, E.B., Lareau, A. and Conley, D., 2015. What Money Does not buy: Class Resources and Childrens Participation in Organized Extracurricular Activities. Social Forces, 94(2), pp.479-503. In this study Lareau et al, aimed to examine an important question of significance, which is class position in the society and its effects on childrens lives. In the past researchers have concentrated on family resources and school characteristics.   The authors stepped up this research by moving towards how children spent their time in after school activities and whether race and class differences influence childrens lives.   They concentrated on the belief that middle class parents involvement in their childrens lives encourages them to participate in structured afterschool activities, which consequently leads to future success. This research deployed a large national data set to analyse the influence of class.   The sample is restricted to Black and White children.   The children participated in this study were only chosen from private or public schools.   The author employed longitudinal survey data and time diaries collected in 2002-2003 in order to get comprehensive list of childrens activities within the course of 24-hour periods. Lareau et al aimed to investigate class differences and stated that parents from all social groups consider childrens participation in extracurricular activities vital, but some parents face challenges and constraints for example transportation or lack of time. Another key point that they revealed in this study is that parents approaches to childrearing are different due to social class.   Middle class parents practice concerted cultivation parenting style and encourage their children to participate in after school activities to support them to enhance their academic and career goals and aspirations. Observing the working class and poor families revealed that they prioritise their focus on their childrens protection and let them participate in informal play and give them space.  Ã‚   The study-employed good confound control to get robust results. The Lareau et al argues that average American children are spending approximately 4 hours weekly engaging in extracurricular activities, but children from middle class engage in a lot more activities.   Their mothers are more educated and they have resources to support their children to participate in more extracurricular activities.   The study showed that childrens engagement in extracurricular activities are related to positive results in education and employment. The authors explored the question, whether it is just the class inequalities, which differentiates families decision for their children to participate in extracurricular activities or is there a link with cultural values, as well? The authors identifies that socioeconomic status of families has a direct impact on how children spend their time after school. Due to high expenditures childrens participation in afterschool activities varied for e.g. people living in small cities and rural areas spent less money on childrens extracurricular activities less than families living in larger cities. The results of this study states that it is not just the materialistic resources, which matters maternal education, demographic characteristics e.g., gender, age, race other factors like work, labour market and cultural aspects they are all important.   The study does not discuss whether atypical childrens participation in extracurricular activities was any different from typically developing children. The study is restricted to Black and White American families. The study reveals that socioeconomic status matters, but just removing these barriers is not a guarantee that children will enrol in extracurricular activities.   Cultural aspects also influences how much time and money parents spend on children to participate in these activities. Weininger, E.B. and Lareau, A., 2009. Paradoxical pathways: An ethnographic extension of Kohns findings on class and childrearing. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), pp.680-695. Class division is a vital topic of research in family studies.   A few studies have focused on its influence on family lives.   Reflecting on detailed interviews the authors aimed to extend Melvin Kohns study on childrearing standards by investigating parental responsibilities to autonomy and conformity. The study provided effective theoretical and empirical background of Melvin Kohns research studies on social stratification.   Using a secondary data, which involved 88 children aged 8-10 years old selected randomly. The participants were children from two elementary school classrooms.   The study-involved even number of American Black and White children but only involved a small number of Hispanics and Asians.   Although, it would have been useful to employ even number of all races as Hispanics and Asians are important part of American society. Lareau et al found that parents from middle class families encouraged their children to have self-control and self-direction and the results are consistent with Kohns research. It is difficult to conclude a general connection between class, self-direction and conformity The author raised the issue of variation in parental values on extracurricular activities for children. The author observed variation in values across different economic class of the families.   Middle class families were keen to expose their children to successful life chances and options while keeping them under supervision, which enhanced childrens self-esteem, self-confidence, self-worth and helped them to do well in their present and future.   Working and poor class families on the other hand did not give much importance to send their children for leisure activities.   They used their resources to provide and protect their children and they let their children develop naturally. The study shows a complicated picture of child rearing and emphasizes the need to understand parental values and parental behaviours in detail. It will be a step forward to continue to study the influence of social stratification on families. Conclusion: Annette Lareau has contributed immensely in the field of sociology.   She has ingrained herself researching American families in order to investigate how social inequality continue to sustain itself and is passed on generation after generation. The key texts are current and are grounded in sociology and psychology. The common thread in these studies are the impact of class and the role of parenting in childrens lives. There are commonalities among the texts such as middle class parents use concerted parenting styles by providing opportunities, supervised learning experiences to their children for their best interest, and do well. She has worked hard with American, families to show how class differences and children rearing techniques differ from working class to middle class and poor families and the impact of these differences on childrens future prospects. She showed that parenting is not as simple as saying that bad parents raise their children ineffectively and good parents raise children who are successful in their lives. It is much more complex. While investigating the class inequalities in American families Lareau study regarding working-class families is very influential.   Her research with working class reveals that class reflects cultural and economic variations.   Lareaus approaches of researching with children and families are very ambitious and effective.   She employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches in her research for the results to be robust.   Her research helps us to understand the effects of class and race on children in middle, working and poor class families. These studies show new light to sociologists, social scientists, and anthropologists, a new direction towards learning how race, culture and parenting fuse together and play a role in shaping childrens lives.   The author identifies the importance of both parenting styles but the author does not describe which one is more effective, when it interacts with race. These studies raise an important question. Do middle class parents work harder in supporting their children in school and teach them how to deal with racism than working and poor families?   Race and class inequalities can make childrens lives much more difficult and their future insecure. Social scientists can carry her research forward by focusing on which parental approach is more beneficial for children and how class and race interacts. Bibliography: Lareau, A., 2011. Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. Univ of California Press. Lareau, A., 2002. Invisible inequality: Social class and childrearing in black families and white families. American sociological review, pp.747-776. Lareau, A., 2000. Social class and the daily lives of children, A study from the United States. Childhood, 7(2), pp.155-171. Lareau, A. and Horvat, E.M., 1999. Moments of social inclusion and exclusion race, class, and cultural capital in family-school relationships. Sociology of education, pp.37-53. Weininger, E.B., Lareau, A. and Conley, D., 2015. What Money Does not buy: Class Resources and Childrens Participation in Organized Extracurricular Activities. Social Forces, 94(2), pp.479-503. Weininger, E.B., and Lareau, A., 2009. Paradoxical pathways: An ethnographic extension of Kohns findings on class and childrearing. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), pp.680-695. http://currents.ucsc.edu/05-06/11-28/lareau.asp Education and Stratification in Developing Countries: A Review of Theories and Research Annual Review of Sociology Vol.27:1-504 (Volume publication date August 2001) DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.77 Education and Stratification in Developing Countries: A Review of Theories and Research Annual Review of Sociology Vol.27:1-504 (Volume publication date August 2001) DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.77