3 Ways to Prepare for Layoffs (Just in Case)

3 Ways to Prepare for Layoffs (Just in Case) Your company is in upheaval. Rumors are flying. The big merger is just a few weeks away and the word of the day is restructuring. While it’s always best to keep your head in uncertain situations, even if you think your job is safe, it never hurts to be prepared.Here are three things you can do now to keep yourself from being blindsided when lay-off time comes around.1. Reach out to your networkAccept the worst in advance and do something about it. Get in touch with former bosses and colleagues. Put the phone tree into action. Explain what’s happening and what you might be looking for, and ask for help. Chances are, someone you’ve impressed in the past will be willing to put your name forward in the right situation. Or, if you’re uncomfortable asking for help, ask for advice. People will be happy to give it, and will still be made aware of your situation; should anything come up, you’d come to mind. Friends and family are also a valuable support syst em, and can often come through in a pinch.2. Plan how youll present your situationAt this point, a lay-off could be part of your career narrative, whether you’d like it to or not. Start figuring out how to work it into your elevator pitch. Come out swinging. Explain the situation clearly and with confidence, and then find a way to make lemonade. Demonstrate that you know your value, in spite of the difficult situation, and that you’re already working constructively to overcome it. That kind of pluck can go a long way with a hiring manager.3. Give yourself a makeoverMake sure your cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and portfolio are all fully updated and in perfect order. Make sure these valuable networking tools are doing exactly what you want them to, and telling the story you want them to tell. Consider making yourself a new set of business cards if you think you’ll soon be on the market.The point is to prepare for the worst, but remain optimistic that it will al l turn out for the best.3 Steps to Prepare for a Potential Layoff

The Story of Space Chimps

The Story of Space Chimps It might come as a surprise to learn that the first living beings to fly to space werent humans, but instead were primates, dogs, mice, and insects. Why spend time and money to fly these beings to space?   Flying in space is a dangerous business. Long before the first humans left the planet to explore low-Earth orbit and go to the Moon, mission planners needed to test the flight hardware. They had to work out the challenges of getting humans safely to space and back, but didnt know whether or not humans could survive long periods of weightlessness or the effects of hard acceleration to get off the planet. So, U.S. and Russian scientists used monkeys, chimps, and dogs, as well as mice and insects to learn more about how living beings could survive the flight. While chimps no longer fly, smaller animals such as mice and insects continue to fly in space (aboard the ISS).   The Space Monkey Timeline Animal flight testing didnt begin with the Space Age. It actually started about a decade earlier. On June 11, 1948, a V-2 Blossom was launched from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico carrying the first monkey astronaut, Albert I, a rhesus monkey. He flew to over 63 km (39 miles) but died of suffocation during the flight, an unsung hero of animal astronauts. Three days later, a second V-2 flight carrying a live Air Force Aeromedical Laboratory monkey, Albert II, got up to 83 miles (technically making him the first monkey in space). Unfortunately, he died when his craft crash-landed on re-entry. The third V2 monkey flight, carrying Albert III launched on September 16, 1949. He died when his rocket exploded at 35,000 feet. On December 12, 1949, the last V-2 monkey flight was launched at White Sands. Albert IV, attached to monitoring instruments, made  a successful flight, reaching 130.6 km., with no ill effects on Albert IV. Unfortunately, he also died on impact.   Other missile tests took place with animals, too. Yorick, a monkey, and 11 mouse crewmates were recovered after an Aerobee missile flight up to 236,000 feet at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico. Yorick enjoyed a bit of fame as the press covered his ability to live through a space flight. The next May, two Philippine monkeys, Patricia and Mike, were enclosed in an Aerobee. Researchers placed Patricia in a seated position while her partner Mike was prone, to test the differences during rapid acceleration. Keeping the primates company were two white mice, Mildred and Albert. They rode to space inside a slowly rotating drum. Fired 36 miles up at a speed of 2,000 mph, the two monkeys were the first primates to reach such a high altitude. The capsule was recovered safely by descending with a parachute. Both monkeys moved to the both at the National Zoological Park in Washington, DC and eventually died of natural causes, Patricia two years later and Mike in 1967. Theres no reco rd of how Mildred and Albert did.    The USSR Also Did Animal Testing in Space Meanwhile,  the USSR watched these experiments with interest. When they started experiments with living creatures, they primarily worked with dogs. Their most famous animal cosmonaut was Laika, the dog. (See Dogs in Space.) She made a successful ascent, but died a few hours later due to extreme heat in her spacecraft.   The year after the USSR launched Laika,  the U.S. flew Gordo, a squirrel monkey, 600 miles high in a Jupiter rocket. As later human astronauts would, Gordo splashed down in the Atlantic ocean. Unfortunately, while signals on his respiration and heartbeat proved humans could withstand a similar trip, a flotation mechanism failed and his capsule was never found. On May 28, 1959, Able and Baker were launched in the nose cone of an Army Jupiter missile. They rose to an altitude of 300 miles and were recovered unharmed. Unfortunately, Able did not live very long as she died from complications of surgery to remove an electrode on June 1. Baker died of kidney failure in 1984 at the age of 27. Soon after Able and Baker flew, Sam, a rhesus monkey (named after the Air Force School of Aviation Medicine (SAM)), launched on December 4th on board the  Mercury spacecraft. Approximately one minute into the flight, traveling at a speed of 3,685  mph, the Mercury capsule aborted from the Little Joe launch vehicle. The spacecraft landed safely and Sam was recovered with no ill effects. He lived a good long life and died in 1982. Sams mate, Miss Sam, another rhesus monkey, was launched on January 21, 1960. Her  Mercury capsule attained a velocity of 1,800  mph and an altitude of nine miles. After landing in the Atlantic Ocean, Miss Sam was retrieved in overall good condition.   On January 31, 1961, the first space chimp was launched. Ham, whose name was an acronym for  Holloman  Aero  Med, went up on a Mercury  Redstone rocket  on a sub-orbital flight very similar to Alan Shepards. He splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean sixty miles from the recovery ship and experienced a total of 6.6 minutes of  weightlessness  during a 16.5-minute flight. A post-flight medical examination found Ham to be slightly fatigued and dehydrated. His mission paved the way for the successful launch of Americas first human astronaut, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., on May 5, 1961. Ham lived at the Washington Zoo until September 25, 1980. He died in 1983, and his body is now at the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The next primate launch was with Goliath, a one-and-a-half-pound squirrel monkey. He was launched in an Air Force Atlas E rocket on November 10, 1961. He died when the rocket was destroyed 35 seconds after launch. The next of the space chimps was Enos. He orbited Earth on November 29, 1961, aboard the  NASA  Mercury-Atlas rocket. Originally he was supposed to orbit the Earth three times, but due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties, flight controllers were forced to terminate Enos flight after two orbits. Enos landed in the recovery area and was picked up 75 minutes after splashdown. He was found to be in good overall condition and both he and the  Mercury  spacecraft performed well. Enos died at Holloman Air Force Base 11 months after his flight. From 1973 to 1996, the Soviet Union, later Russia, launched a series of life sciences satellites called  Bion. These missions were under the  Kosmos  umbrella name and used for a variety of different satellites including spy satellites. The first  Bion  launch was Kosmos 605 launched on October 31, 1973.   Later missions carried pairs of monkeys.  Bion 6/Kosmos 1514  was launched December 14, 1983, and carried Abrek and Bion on a five-day flight.  Bion 7/Kosmos 1667  was launched July 10, 1985 and carried the monkeys Verny (Faithful) and Gordy (Proud) on a seven-day flight.  Bion 8/Kosmos 1887  was launched September 29, 1987, and carried the monkeys Yerosha (Drowsy) and Dryoma (Shaggy).   The age of primate testing ended with the Space Race, but today, animals still fly to space as part of experiments on board the International Space Station. They are usually mice or insects, and their progress in weightlessness is carefully charted by the astronauts working on the station.   Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Research Methods used in Educational Psychology Essay

Research Methods used in Educational Psychology - Essay Example This study also integrated in an experimental group for comparison by observing the Title I students but also the non-Titled. Each teacher was observed for a total of 5 hours (totaling 175 hours) of reading instructional time. The Settings Factor Assessment Tool (SFAT), an ecobehavioral protocol, was used to measure a range of variables during the observational periods. Among the 4 Levels included in the SFAT, Levels 2-4 were used to verify factors such as the context of instruction; prompt, feedback, and instructional characteristics; non-instructional talk; and behaviors exhibited across the students. Levels 2-4 were then coded in real-time using the Multiple Option Observation System for Experimental Studies (MOOSES) (Stichter, Stormont, and Lewis 175). Statistical analyses were then performed to establish the relationship between the factors described with the SFAT and the status (Title I or non-Titled) of the classroom. The findings

Implementation of a competency framework workbased learning programme Dissertation

Implementation of a competency framework workbased learning programme on acute skills for ward nurses - Dissertation Example A learning programme for acute ward nurses responsible for caring of critically ill patients has been the central focus of nursing practice development. According to Coad et al, a work-based learning approach has been found to empower ward staff with the necessary skills of nursing and the authors studied the efficacy of a five-day competency based high dependency skills course in enhancing professionalism and quality of care in nursing. The aims of comprehensive critical care are developing leadership potential and enhancing networking opportunities for nurses within critical care and acute ward areas. Critical care is the most challenging aspect of nursing care and acute skills in nursing are enhanced not just by work-based learning programs but also from first hand nursing and emergency experiences. Titchen describes emergency care in which one professional learns from another as ‘critical companionship’ that serve as a framework for learning from practical healthcare experiences.

Needs of Customer Essay Example for Free

Needs of Customer Essay When customers walk into a restaurant, whether it is McDonalds or Chez Pierre, they expect to be acknowledged. This is a small service, but it is imperative to the success of the restaurant, as customers who are not greeted may simply walk out and eat somewhere else. The type of host a restaurant has will depend on the type of restaurant it is as well as how busy it is. Some restaurants pay hosts to greet customers, call names off waiting lists and walk customers to their tables. In other restaurants, management and wait staff take over this duty. Regardless of what you can afford for your restaurant, always make sure someone has the responsibility of greeting the guests and that person knows it is her responsibility. Wait Staff When customers go to a restaurant, they expect a good wait staff, unless they are dining at a fast-food chain. Even then, customers expect the counter workers to get their orders right in an appropriate amount of time and solve problems quickly and courteously. In traditional, sit-down restaurants, customers expect the wait staff to be attentive, but not too attentive. Wait staff should not hover or interrupt, but they also should come back frequently enough to attend to their customers needs. In addition, they should bring food in a timely manner and handle problems, such as food that has been sent back pleasantly. Customers also expect wait staff to be friendly and personable. Environment Customers usually go to restaurants to meet with others socially in a friendly environment. Although environment is not usually considered a service, service plays a large role in creating a good environment. In addition to making sure the restaurant is clean, attractive and the decor is consistent with the food and restaurants image, restaurant owners need to tell their staff it’s OK to let guests linger. Wait staff should not hint that it is time for the guests to go. For example, they should not rush the food to the table unless the customer requests it. They also should not start to clean nearby tables in an obvious manner or wait for customers to get out their money to pay the check. To the contrary, wait staff should say things like, Feel free to chat as long as you like let me know if youll need some dessert or a drink refill. Food and Drink Probably the most important service that a customer expects to receive when dining out is a good selection of delicious and well-presented food. According to London wine writer Jamie Goode, it is more important that food be simple and good tasting, made with quality ingredients, than to be fancy or pretentious. Goode also notes that customers expect a large wine selection that is not overpriced. Furthermore, customers expect food to be consistent with the image of the restaurant. Customers who are dining at a family restaurant, for example, expect sandwiches, traditional dinners and moderate prices. At a more elegant restaurant, prices can be higher but food needs to be more of the gourmet variety.

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings :: Literary Analysis, Gabriel Marquez

The residents of the little town in the story â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,† by Gabriel Marquez, did not understand that they very well could have been in the midst of one of gods’ heavenly creatures. The old man that Pelayo found groveling in the mud on the beach, had wings like an angel, he didn’t speak their language like an angel might not, and he was peaceful and innocent like angel might be. But since he didn’t fit the exact â€Å"standards† of grandeur that the people thought that angels should have, they disregarded him, and set him aside as being irrelevant and â€Å"†¦father Gonzaga was forever cured of his insomnia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (403). In the text â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,† the townspeople’s inability to determine the winged mans’ â€Å"being† highlights their paradigms. The townspeople determine that the old man does not fit the â€Å"criteria† of an angel. They disregarded him partly because of â€Å"His huge buzzard wings, dirty and half plucked† (401), He was old and decrepit and seemed crazy. Also, Angels are thought of as elegant and beautiful with a sort of spiritual presence. But instead the old man looked like a â€Å"rag picker† (401), and smelled of the wilderness. Next, the priest tries testing the man to see if he could speak Latin, â€Å"the language of god.† But since the man could not speak Latin, he was under the â€Å"suspicion of an imposter† (401), he was thought of as the devils â€Å"carnival trick† (401). Moreover, the man’s main significant terrestrial qualities were his wings and his oddity. As far as how angels are thought of, The only other feature that closely resembled a celestial being was that he could take everything that his spectators did to him as if â€Å"His onl y supernatural virtue seemed to be patience† (401). But his imperturbability and innocence are very misinterpreted by the people and taken advantage of to the extreme. The townspeople are cruel and treat he man poorly because they don’t understand him. They pull out some of his remaining feathers to â€Å"touch their defective parts† (402). The people have the audacity to take from the man, without permission, in an attempt to add to themselves and seem to feel no remorse for their taking. Also, at one point in the story a spectator burns him with an iron for branding steers, because they thought that maybe he was dead.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Island Of The Blue Dolphins I believe that Karana should have jumped rather than stayed on the boat. I think this because it shows her love for her brother, secondly she does it because she feels like she has to protect her younger brother and lastly it is an unselfish act to do. Firstly, Karana should jump because it shows she loves her brother. The thought going through her mind was that she should jump for your younger brother. The love that Karana and her younger brother had for one another should make her jump. For example in a situation like Karana's it is the right thing to go back for her little brother, Karana was going through painful thoughts like the thoughts that her little brother may die. This would make anyone jump. Secondly, she does this because she feels the need to protect her younger brother. Karana is the type of person who would do anything if she had a older or younger sibling in danger or wounded. So in this type of situation in which her younger brother needs a big sisters help, Karana would be doing anything possible to get to her little brother like jumping off the boat. I felt as if I had been gone a long time as I stood there looking down from the high rock. I was happy to be home. Everything I saw- the otter playing in the kelp, the rings of foam around the rocks guarding the harbour, the gulls flying, the tides moving past the sandpit filled me with happiness. A qoute from the novel. (Scott O'Dell) Finally, it was an unselfish act towards her brother. Because if Karana did not have jumped her younger brother would've felt useless with nothing to live for and unfortunately killed himself. Even if Karana hadn't of jumped she would have felt selfish and she would have lost all the love and sympathy that her brother had for her. The love that they had for each other drove Karana to do the most unselfish and Christian act that any human would be able to do. In conclusion, Karana did what was best for her and everyone else. It must have been one of the hardest choices any person could ever make but in Karana made the best of choices. This shows the courage and ability Karana had to do to be able to save and be with her younger brother. A Matter of Life or Death Mrs Hicks EN505 Matt Oakford Week 5-Week 8

The Robin Hood Tax – Summary

Business Tax: Reading Week Notes The Robin Hood Tax * The idea behind the RHT is to generate hundreds of billions of dollars * That money could be used to kick-start the US economy and get America back on its feet * The RHT = 0. 5% tax on Wall Street transactions * Benefits: * It won’t affect the vast majority of Americans * It’s easy to enforce * It’s tough to evade * It taxes those who are to blame for the global financial crisis, rather than the average American * It will help limit riskless speculation that threatens financial stability The RHT is seen as justified as â€Å"the banks can afford it† * â€Å"It’s not a tax ON the people, it’s a tax FOR the people† * It will be implemented using a Financial Speculation (or Transaction) Tax (FST/FTT) * The FST is a small tax of less than half a percent on trades in derivatives, stocks, bonds and foreign currency * With an FTT, a small percent (between 0. 005% and 0. 5%) of the value of the trade is collected in tax revenue The tax will deter the most risky transactions and prevent some of the â€Å"gambling† which helped trigger the financial crisis * Why is the RHT needed? The financial crisis has left a massive hole in the US’s public finances and this needs to be filled. The money raised will generate jobs and strengthen public services * The money can also be used to fund new Green projects to help curb global climate change * Disadvantages The article is incredibly biased so it downplays this point: the tax will affect regular investors as well which could discourage normal people from investing * The tax will affect the value of pension funds, possibly discouraging trading which would see the value of pensions of many normal American’s fall * Banks may just past the cost of this tax onto the consumer * The affected companies may just move their business offshore or start trying to avoid other types of taxes * The tax could alter dealing s between US firms and other foreign firms.For example, foreign firms will be less likely to invest in the US markets * Overall that article was disgustingly bias but it does make a good point of taxing those who have the money and those who have put America (and the rest of the world) in the global financial mess its currently in * The RHT is also sometimes incorrectly called the ‘Tobin Tax’. The Tobin Tax is basically the RHT except it focuses solely on taxing financial taxation between countries to reduce rapid foreign investmentPAYE System Benefits| | Disadvantages| Simple| | Lack of accuracy| Provides real-time information to the government| | Reliance on Tax codes| Unavoidable| | No P45 form| Reduced the tax forms for employees| | Does not include Benefits in Kind (BIK)| No bad debt| | HMRC mistakes| Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme Benefits| | Disadvantages| Incentives for businesses to become environmentally friendly| | How many permits do you issue? What is the upper limit of pollution? Who decides? Reduces carbon emissions| | Low emission companies will have no incentive to reduce emissions further| Tax revenue for government| | Complicated system| Incentivises businesses to look for more environmentally friendly fuel sources innovation| | Inconsistent system| | | Higher costs for businesses passed onto consumers? | UK VAT System Benefits| Disadvantages| Difficult to avoid| Costly to implement| Simple| Users must be ‘tax savvy’| VAT is transparent| Regressive tax|Price does not increase when VAT is added| VAT is inflationary| Fairness| | Huge tax revenue for government| | VAT may be selectively applied| | Cheap admin costs for HMRC| | More efficient tool for macroeconomic policy than income taxes| | VAT charged on sale VAT charged on sale VAT paid on purchases VAT paid on purchases VAT Due VAT Due Input VAT Input VAT Output VAT Output VAT Exempt| Zero rated – 0%| Reduced rated – 5%| Standard Rated – 20%| Financial services| Cakes| Energy saving materials that are permanently installed (e. . loft insulation)| Too much to list| Insurance| Basic food| Mobility aids for the elderly| | Betting & Gambling| First aid| Nicotine patches + gum| | Education| Books| Sanitary protection products| | Burials/cremations| Children’s clothes| Fuels| | | Public transport| Protective equipment e. g. baby car seats| | | Books + Newspapers| | | The supply is taxable Can reclaim ALL input tax paid The supply is taxable Can reclaim ALL input tax paid

Blue Mountain Spring Water Final Case Study

Blue Mountain Spring Water Final Case Study Free Online Research Papers Blue Mountain Spring Water will increase our customer base and expand our distribution by reaching beyond the borders of Pennsylvania. We plan to start selling our product in the state of Florida, Georgia and other southern states by the end of this fiscal year. Our revenues over the past five years have provided us with a significant portion of the amount we need to expand our production facility to accomplish this task. As with any company we are always trying to improve our product and develop new product lines. Our research team currently is developing a new product line: flavored water with all natural ingredients. We are also developing a delivery service of our water. Our bottle design team has finished a 5 liter design that will be fitted to a water dispensing unit. These units will be rented to office buildings and houses for a very low cost per month. We will stop production on the 2 liter bottle. The machinery that was manufacturing the two liter will start producing the 5 liter bottles. 2. These two new product lines will increase our revenue by 15%. 3. We plan to donate 100 cases of our water to each school in the area around our facility. We will take out the soda and replace it with our water for a month. Nonfinancial Goals 1. New product line – Flavored water, 5 liter bottle and also distributing coffee machines that will be able to hook up to the 5 liter bottle. 2. Our new geographic market will be the southern states. 3. Along with our campaign when a consumer turns in 25 of the cardboard bottoms from our case they will receive a free case of our water. We are also starting another campaign, when they return 100 plastic bottles they will receive a free case of our water. We have joined together with a company that will grind up our bottle and recycle them into the raw form of plastic so we will be able to manufacture more bottles with purchasing any new raw materials. Core Competencies At Blue Mountain Spring Water we strive to go beyond what our competitors are offering as far as a product line and the price of their product. We have achieved this for the last five years and will continue to do so. We are continuing to develop new product ideas along with ways to make our production aspect run more efficiently. Product Strategy We are in the final stages of designing a 5 liter bottle with a water dispenser unit that will be rented to office buildings and available for sell to the home user. We are testing flavored water to see how the public would respond to this new product line Additional Competitive Factors Projected Sales 2010 $3.90 million 2011 $4.5 million 2012 $6 million Timeline Year 1 Launch of the â€Å"Junior† (8oz bottle) in retail packs of 12 Launch the 5 liter bottle and dispenser Year 2 Flavored water in the market Year 3 Coffee machines sold with our 5 liter bottle Blue Mountain Spring Water Marketing Plan Executive Summary This three year marketing plan has been developed to show where our company is heading and how we are going to get there. For us to reach these goals we had to obtain a loan to expand our facility to accommodate the additional machinery and storage that will be needed. We have been in business for the past five years and have showed a significant profit each year. The next coming three years will be no different. We are expanding our facility, along with our distribution area. We are introducing new products along with different sizes of our bottles. Financial Goals Blue Mountain Spring Water will increase our customer base and expand our distribution by reaching beyond the borders of Pennsylvania. We have several target markets; children for the age of 5 -13, active teen agers and the elderly. We plan to start selling our product in the state of Florida, Georgia and other southern states by the end of this fiscal year. Our revenues over the past five years have provided us a significant portion of the amount we need to expand our production facility to accomplish this task. The loan we have received has no interest for three years .We expect to have it paid back in full within two years. As with any company we are always trying to improve our product and develop new product lines. Our research team currently is developing a new product line: flavored water with all natural ingredients. We are also developing a delivery service of our water. Our bottle design team has finished a 5 liter design that will be fitted to a water dispensing unit. These units will be rented to office buildings and houses for a very low cost per month. We will stop production on the 2 liter bottle. The machinery that was manufacturing the two liter will start producing the 5 liter bottles. We are also investigating doing a cross promotion with local area dealers who have their coffee machines placed in office buildings. We have proposed to these companies’s let us supply the water for your product. We are in the process of find dealers who only deal with high quality coffee. We don’t want our name to be tarnished. These new product lines will increase our revenue by 15%. We plan to donate vending machines and stock those with our water free for a year in each grade school in the area around our facility. This has also been proposed to different schools in the new area we are going to distribute in. As will be described below, we have joined together with a company that will grind up our used bottles and recycle them into material we will be able to make more bottles out of. The raw form of plastic is very dependent on the price of oil. Given the current situation of oil prices today and the possibility of another disaster on an oil rig, This process of grinding up used bottles will save us money. The cost of this process will be a fraction of the cost of being new raw materials. Nonfinancial Goals New product line – Flavored water, 5 liter bottle and also distributing coffee machines that will be able to hook up to the 5 liter bottle. Our new geographic market will be the southern states. Along with our campaign when a consumer turns in 25 of the cardboard bottoms from our case they will receive a free case of our water. We are also starting another campaign, when they return 50 plastic bottles to a local recycling center they will receive a coupon for a free case of our water. We have joined together with a company that will grind up our bottle and recycle them into the raw form of plastic. This company will sanitize and clean each bottle before the grinding process. This will allow us to manufacture bottles with purchasing any new raw materials. This will keep our costs down and the price of our product the same. Core Competencies At Blue Mountain Spring Water we strive to go beyond what our competitors are offering as a product line and the price of their product. We have achieved this for the last five years and will continue to do so. We are continuing to develop new product ideas along with ways to make our production aspect run more efficiently. With our new product lines we will not sacrifice quality to manufacture a product that doesn’t meet our high standards. This is also true for the partnerships we are going to develop with other companies. We are only going to do business with companies that have the same high standards that we have. Opportunities Distribute to the active over 55 communities within our region and the southern states Place mountain spring water in vending machines in local grade schools. We plan to donate the machines and stock. The water will be free for a year. Place cartoon labels on the â€Å"Junior† (8oz bottle) in retail packs of 12 Threats There is the constant fear another company trying to sell a better product will steal our loyal customers away. Public feels that mountain spring water is nothing but tap water. Public will start to drink other beverages Company gets too big for its own good. Management gets spread too thin Competitive Factors We feel that with our new plans to have five liter bottles in office buildings and available for home use. Along with joining in a cross promotion with area coffee machine dealers, will make our name much more visible. These opportunities provide us to attract more customers. Target Market Blue Mountain Spring Water has noticed an increased growth with the 65+ age group. If we want to keeps this trend going in an upward motion we have to expand our marketing outside of our existing area. Our company will have to start a concentrated marketing strategy in these southern states. Our strategy is quite simple we will place our product on the shelves of the local pharmacy. We performed data mining on three of the biggest pharmacy’s in the south, Walgreens’, Rite Aid and CVS and found that the majority of their customers are in our target group. When a prescription is filled, the doctor recommends that the patient starts immediately taking the prescription. Our strategy is to provide each elderly person who picks up a prescription a bottle of our water at half price. By doing so our product will become a house hold name. We also are going to target the children ages 5 to 13 with our â€Å"Junior† size bottles. These bottles will have a variety of cartoon characters on them. They will also be able to be placed in lunch boxes or bags. The active teenager market is also a huge area for us to explore. With more teenagers getting involved in sports and be more active, they will need to replenish their fluids. We will have poster with the detail information on why it’s healthier to drink water instead of soda after a sport’s activity. These posters will also have a web site where they can go and receive all the information on why water is so important. We will also continue to market to our biggest group, the active consumers between the ages of 18 to 49. Product Strategy We are in the final stages of designing a 5 liter bottle with a water dispenser unit that will be rented to office buildings and available for sell to the home user. We are testing flavored water to see how the public would respond to this new product. We are investigating area coffee dealers who supply coffee machine to office building. We are offering to do a cross promotion with them if they use our water with their machines. In exchange we have asked that the coffee dealers provide Blue Mountain Spring Water with 1 pound packages of coffee. We will place these packages in specially marked cases of our water. Distribution strategy We are now going to start selling our product in southern states. For us to sell our product in this new area we will have to rent a warehouse. Our refrigerated trucks will deliver water to the refrigerated warehouse where it will have a quick turnover. Water will not sit for more than five days in the warehouse. We will scan each pallet of water as it arrives with our computer controlled inventory system. This will allow us to keep track of each pallet of water and make sure no pallet is older than five days. This is also true for 5 liter bottles. We will have our locally refrigerated trucks make the delivers to the stores, every three weeks. Our truck drivers will stock the shelves; if any of our water is over two weeks old our drivers will remove these cases will be removed from the shelves. Each case has a best by used date stamped on each case. The cases that have expired will be donated to local homeless shelters and other area community shelters. Promotional Strategy Our promotional strategy will take place in fall and run for a week. We will have three displays in the northern states. One will be on college campuses and the other two will be placed inside malls at major cities, in neighboring states around Pennsylvania. The college campuses will be Ohio State. There will be three more displays in Florida, in cities were are target group, the elderly, are located. We will place ads on the side of public transportation, signs placed on the side of bus stops and billboard signs on the highway, a few weeks before our promotion starts. The advertisement will have a picture of our product along with our slogan, â€Å"Blue Mountain is Nature’s Fountain† With the statement â€Å"Come taste Nature’s fountain Saturday September 18 through Saturday September 25†. We will advertise that free samples will be available.The advertisement will have the prices of our various sizes of our water; our product is placed in eco-friendly b ottles; for just stopping by you will receive a coupon for a free case of water. Our display will be of a mountain 10 feet high with water flowing down it. It will collect in a pool at the bottom and be recalculated to the top. The mountain stream will be lined with plastic as well as the man-made lake. The lake will be contained in a huge plastic tub. We will have professional landscapers landscape the display to transform it into a life like mountain landscape. We will provide samples to prospective customers form one of the five liter bottles that are attached to the water dispensing units. There will be no water sitting on the tables waiting for someone to drink it. The samples will be handed out fresh. We will have employees walking around the area where the display is handing out the free coupons for the free case of water. Having the five liter bottles with the dispensing unit on display will give the consumer a chance to see these units before they buy one or tell their office manager about them. Business cards will be printed up and handed out to any customer who is interested in one of these units. Pricing Strategy Our product has been on the market for five years and we have experienced excellent revenue. We must develop a new pricing strategy since Blue Mountain Spring Water is going to be sold in new areas around the country. We must keep our product reasonably priced so we don’t drive away our very large loyal customer base while attracting new customers. This will be accomplished with four pricing objectives: profitability, volume, meeting competition and prestige objectives. Profitability – This will be accomplished by delivering our product to the new target areas. We have run promotional events in all the areas and our advertizing billboards will remain visible for quite some time in these areas. We have established a strong foothold in the water business with our various sizes of bottles. With the marketing campaign we have started to promote our 500 and 750 ml bottles we will expand our lead over any other manufacture who also sells the same size bottles. While doing this we must also continue strong growth with our 1 and 2 liter bottles. Our engineering department is always looking for ways to increase efficiency while cutting down on the cost. Volume – As stated we have seen excellent revenue growth just in the select area we have been selling to in the last five years. Now we have expanded our area by ten times. With this expansion our selling volume will naturally increase. We will experience an increase production cost, such as manufacturing, storing and transportation. The selling volume has increased which will offset these cost increases. Meeting Competition – We understand that the water business is a very competitive business and the competition is always trying to sell their product at a lower price than the next guy. Our cases of water will have something the others don’t. We offer two ways to receive a free case of our water, return 25 of the cardboard bottoms or 50 used bottles. Projected Sales Projected Sales 2010 $3.90 million 2011 $4.5 million 2012 $6 million Timeline Year 1 Launch of the â€Å"Junior† (8oz bottle) in retail packs of 12 Launch the 5 liter bottle and dispenser Year 2 Flavored water on the market Year 3 Coffee machines sold with our 5 liter bottle Research Papers on Blue Mountain Spring Water Final Case StudyAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Hockey GameThe Spring and AutumnThe Project Managment Office SystemPETSTEL analysis of IndiaOpen Architechture a white paper

Manco Incas Rebellion (1536-1544)

Manco Incas Rebellion (1536-1544) Manco Inca’s Rebellion (1535-1544): Manco Inca (1516-1544) was one of the last native lords of the Inca Empire. Installed by the Spanish as a puppet leader, Manco grew increasingly angry at his masters, who treated him with disrespect and who were plundering his empire and enslaving his people. In 1536 he escaped from the Spanish and spent the next nine years on the run, organizing a guerrilla resistance against the hated Spanish until his assassination in 1544. Ascent of Manco Inca: In 1532, the Inca Empire was picking up the pieces after a long civil war between brothers Atahualpa and Huscar. Just as Atahualpa had defeated Huscar, a far greater threat approached: 160 Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro. Pizarro and his men captured Atahualpa at Cajamarca and held him for ransom. Atahualpa paid, but the Spanish killed him anyway in 1533. The Spaniards installed a puppet Emperor, Tupac Huallpa, upon Atahualpas death, but he died shortly thereafter of smallpox. The Spanish selected Manco, a brother of Atahualpa and Huscar, to be the next Inca: he was only about 19 years old. A supporter of the defeated Huscar, Manco was lucky to have survived the civil war and was thrilled to be offered the position of Emperor. Abuses of Manco: Manco soon found that serving as puppet emperor did not suit him. The Spaniards who controlled him were coarse, greedy men who did not respect Manco or any other native. Although nominally in charge of his people, he had little real power and mostly performed traditional ceremonial and religious duties. In private, the Spanish tortured him to make him reveal the location of more gold and silver (the invaders had already carted off a fortune in precious metals but wanted more). His worst tormentors were Juan and Gonzalo Pizarro: Gonzalo even forcibly stole Mancos noble Inca wife. Manco tried to escape in October of 1535, but was recaptured and jailed. Escape and Rebellion: In April of 1836 Manco tried to escape again. This time he had a clever plan: he told the Spanish that he had to go officiate at a religious ceremony in the Yucay Valley and that he would bring back a golden statue he knew of: the promise of gold worked like a charm, as he had known it would. Manco escaped and summoned his generals and called for his people to take up arms. In May, Manco led a massive army of 100,000 native warriors in a siege of Cuzco. The Spanish there only survived by capturing and occupying the nearby fortress of Sachsaywaman. The situation turned into a stalemate until a force of Spanish conquistadors under Diego de Almagro returned from an expedition to Chile and dispersed Mancos forces. Biding His Time: Manco and his officers retreated to the town of Vitcos in the remote Vilcabamba Valley. There, they fought off en expedition led by Rodrigo Orgoà ±ez. Meanwhile, a civil war had broken out in Peru between the supporters of Francisco Pizarro and those of Diego de Almagro. Manco waited patiently in Vitcos while his enemies made war on one another. The civil wars would eventually claim the lives of both Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro; Manco must have been pleased to see his old foes brought down. Manco’s Second Rebellion: In 1537, Manco decided it was time to strike again. Last time, he had led a massive army in the field and had been defeated: he decided to try new tactics this time. He sent out word to local chieftains to attack and wipe out any isolated Spanish garrisons or expeditions. The strategy worked, to an extent: some Spanish individuals and small groups were killed and travel through Peru became very unsafe. The Spanish responded by sending another expedition after Manco and traveling in larger groups. The natives did not succeed, however, in securing an important military victory or driving the hated Spanish out. The Spanish were furious with Manco: Francisco Pizarro even ordered the execution of Cura Ocllo, Manco’s wife and a captive of the Spanish, in 1539. By 1541 Manco was once again in hiding in the Vilcabamba Valley. Death of Manco Inca: In 1541 the civil wars broke out again as supporters of Diego de Almagros son assassinated Francisco Pizarro in Lima. For a few months, Almagro the Younger ruled in Peru, but he was defeated and executed. Seven of Almagros Spanish supporters, knowing they would be executed for treason if captured, showed up in Vilcabamba asking for sanctuary. Manco granted them entrance: he put them to work training his soldiers in horsemanship and the use of Spanish armor and weapons. These treacherous men murdered Manco sometime in mid-1544. They were hoping to gain a pardon for their support of Almagro, but instead they were quickly tracked down and killed by some of Mancos soldiers. Legacy of Manco’s Rebellions: Mancos first rebellion of 1536 represented the last, best chance the native Andeans had of kicking out the hated Spanish. When Manco failed to capture Cuzco and annihilate the Spanish presence in the highlands, any hope of ever returning to native Inca rule collapsed. Had he captured Cuzco, he could have tried to keep the Spanish to the coastal regions and maybe force them to negotiate. His second rebellion was well thought-out and did enjoy some success, but the guerrilla campaign did not last long enough to do any lasting damage. When he was treacherously murdered, Manco was training his troops and officers in Spanish methods of warfare: this suggests the intriguing possibility that had he survived he many have eventually used the Spanish weapons against them. With his death, however, this training was abandoned and future rogue Inca leaders such as Tà ºpac Amaru did not have Mancos vision. Manco was a good leader of his people. He initially sold out to become ruler, but swiftly saw that he had made a grave mistake. Once he escaped and rebelled, he did not look back and dedicated himself to removing the hated Spanish from his homeland. Source: Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970).

Past and Present Politics and Development Research Paper

Past and Present Politics and Development - Research Paper Example In his tour, he learnt that the natives were always hostile to the new people who purportedly brought in new blood into the political organization and development practices of the natives. In the early years, missionaries played a predominant role in changing the political and organizational scenario of the places where they went. The traveling of missionaries to places that had not developed economically marked the beginning of civilization and modernization in most undeveloped or underdeveloped societies. It was only after the insurgence of missionaries that native undeveloped societies began to embrace peace, governance, professionalism such as teaching, soldiers, doctors and bureaucrats all of whom contributed to the common good of the societies. Diamond (1999) believed that the first step to the true development of the society was through the practice of agriculture on commercial basis. Given that the ancient people and not so long ago the undeveloped states had no regular econo mic specialization and land was subdivided among group members and subgroups, the political organization was considered egalitarian. ... d since Eurasia which was blessed with local/indigenous domestic able grain cereals and animals that facilitated traction animals like the donkeys and bulls. This encouraged the development of commercial large scale agriculture which enabled economic growth and also stratified societies such that there emerged social classes. Reasons for Lack of Single or Complex \political Organizations Although Diamond argued that states â€Å"expand and develop based on their level of agricultural practice and that this happens in a virtuous circle† (1999, p. 266), there have been occurrences that counter his argument which in Diamond’s view was assumed and therefore needs to be added to the theory of why states develop and expand. Therefore, it implies that, instead of states eventually growing to large and more complex organizations, there is either unequal growth of societies into becoming on single large complex organization or eventual stagnation of states. This lack of large an d more complex organizations are attributed to internal factors within the States themselves; a fact Diamond does not incorporate in his theory. The first reason is based on the fact that political organizations are slowly, but steadily emerging that is not necessarily egalitarian in nature. In other words the states themselves are greedy and are often unwilling to distribute public funds that are supposed to facilitate growth of complex organizations. Secondly, given the divergent states interests, it is hard or perhaps impossible for the world to attain a single world or complex organization that Diamond proposes (Diamond 1999, p. 290). In the face of democracy and human rights, political organizations and by far autonomy is slowly revolving into a new era of leadership and political authority. In the