Educational Services an Overview

Development of an Instrument to Assess Student Perceptions of the Quality of Tertiary Education in INDIAN Context Suparswa Chakraborty Educational services can be categorized into five parts: (a) primary education services; (b) secondary education services; (c) higher education services (i. e. , education beyond secondary education includes all tertiary education); (d)  adult education; and (e) other education services (e. g. , liberal arts, business, professional). Such education and training encompass degree courses taken for college or university credits or non-degree courses taken for personal edification or pleasure or to upgrade work-related skills. Such education and training services can be provided in traditional institutional settings, such as universities or schools and in specialized institutions. Higher (tertiary) education, adult education, and training services are expanding rapidly. These services include academic and training courses on information technology; languages; executive, management and leadership training and hotel and tourism education. They also include educational testing services and corporate training services. Many of these are practical courses for use on the job. Some can be used as credits toward degrees; and some are non-degree courses. Increasingly, educational institutions and publishers are teaming up with information technology companies and other experts to design courses of instruction on a variety of subjects. Large companies also are developing education and training courses to improve the skills of their employees and to keep them up to date on their latest products. Such services constitute a growing, international business, supplementing the public education system and contributing to global spread of the modern â€Å"knowledge† economy. Availability of these education and training services can help to develop a more efficient workforce, leading countries to an improved competitive position in the world economy. Education is at present one of the least committed of services sectors, due to recognition of its â€Å"public good† element and the high degree of government involvement in its provision. The benefits associated with liberalising education services and facilitating greater and stronger public and private education services can co-existing which would benefit students and education service providers would get improved in the following manner: Facilitating access to education and training courses that in qualitative and quantitative terms which are not otherwise available in the public sector; and †¢ Providing a competitive stimulus to institutions with flow-on benefits to all students. †¢ The education services negotiations should aim to give consumers (students) access to the best education services wherever they are provided and through whatever mode of supply they are provided. †¢ Ensuring measures that consumers (learners) are not damaged by services of low quality, and a safety-net in such areas. There are cases, for example, where the quality of a service supplied by a â€Å"university† in one state is not necessarily of the same level as that supplied by a university of another state, due to the difference in higher education system of the two states. It has also emerged that the quality of education services fails to be correctly judged, in cases where the service is supplied by a â€Å"degree mill† of one university by means of Distance-Learning. It is difficult to arrive at a universally acceptable articulation of what quality in education means. At the same time, such articulation is critical since it plays an important role in shaping the practice of education. It has often been possible to bring about such quality in education at a small scale with intensive utilization of recourses. However, the provision/distribution of quality education by a large-scale system is a daunting challenge. ’ Quality’ as a term refers to ’how well’ certain objects and processes achieve their given aims. It is validating as well as comparative. Its most immediate connotation is ’better’. ’ Better’ as ifferentiated from ’good’, and implying the existence of at least two objects or processes, between which a comparison across a decided set of parameters can be established. Understanding quality in education requires an appreciation of the aims of education; the social and philosophical roots of these aims as well as determining the nature of the organisation and system that is best oriented to achieve them. Educational quality concerns typically encompass topics such as teacher training, textbooks and materials, evaluation and physical infrastructure especially institution buildings. However the quality of these processes/topics can only be understood with reference to the objective of the education system of which they are but a part. Educational objectives in turn are influenced by societal notions of a child, human learning and schooling. The most common worldly application of the term and concept of quality is in the context of products and services. To define quality in the field of education, it may be instructive to examine the more widely practiced usage of quality, and explore its appropriateness or applicability for education. Quality: A Conceptual Exploration Owlia and Aspinwall (1996) interpreted the quality for higher education in terms of the quality dimension by using Garvin’s quality framework (Garvin, 1987), service quality dimension (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry, 1985; 1988), and software quality dimension (Watts, 1987). However, the dimension identification frameworks focuses mainly on defining the quality aspect of the product features (Garvin, 1987) and service features (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry, 1985; 1988). We adopted a more comprehensive approach to classify the quality attributes of education. The framework we proposed is derived from West, Noden and Gosling (2000)’s viewpoint of quality in higher education. We called it the Input–Process–Output (IPO) framework in which ‘Input’ refers to the entry requirements, ‘Process’ refers to the teaching and learning process, and ‘Output’ refers to the employability and academic standings (as shown in Figure 1 below). This classification of quality attributes is in accordance with the organization’s operation system of converting the inputs (e. g. raw materials) into outputs (e. g. products and services) via the process (e. g. procedures). In this way, one can associate the quality improvements with the operating system of any organization, including those from the education sector. Some of the quality dimensions identified in Owlia and Aspinwall’s (1996) study are partially covered in the IPO framework. Current understanding and interpretations of the word ’quality’ owe much to their roots in the evaluation of manufactured products. Pioneering management techniques and concepts related to quality and quality management have become common place, and many applications to the field of education can be sought while cautiously keeping in mind the large differences between the commercial world and education. In fact, quality in education has increasingly been understood through the framework of users and in terms of its value for money. To the extent that the service of education and the provision of commercial services are similar, that is both have ’end-users’ and an expectation of ’value-for-money’, parallels are feasible. However, such parallels often regard the provision of education as similar to a marketable service such as getting a haircut. In such cases, (as the market understands it), the individual seeking the service is generally aware of the outcome that the service will provide her with–a haircut usually results in kempt hair for instance. In other words, the user has the means to evaluate the quality of the service. In the case of education, except for very specific skill-oriented training that has readily identifiable outcomes in the short term, it is not very easy to determine what the rather long term process of ’being educated’ will lead to. This is largely because the ’aims’ of education that is the pressing reasons for educating members of a population in any society or country, emanate from the need to create a social and intellectual environment as members of which individuals will be capable of making and acting on rational decisions concerning themselves and their society rather than building people with a specific set of skills. Most users–parents or children–in the case of education, do not have the means in terms of either understanding and/or experience to evaluate quality–whether the child is receiving an education (given the stated aims or those which a parent understands), except in very rudimentary ways–and how it could be better (i. e. through comparing it to some sort of ideal). In other words, the information asymmetry between the service provider and the user, especially poor users, is an important characteristic of education that must be taken into explicit account. In addition to the lack of a shared understanding of quality between consumers and providers, the field of education is also characterized by the absence of a consensus on the notion of quality. For instance, most consumers and the providers of a service, for example telephones, not only agree on what is meant broadly by ’high quality’ in their domain, but, until new technological innovation comes about, this notion remains largely constant. On the other hand, education likes many other systems or endeavours (such as good health, reform or democracy) has a continuously evolving discourse as well as vibrant debates on what constitutes quality, how can it be achieved and provided in the most optimal way to a large number of children14, making it difficult for such a constant notion to exist. Additionally, inherent in the concept of a desirable social and intellectual environment (to be evolved through educating the population), are ideas concerning values which individuals should possess as this is in the interests of society, even though all individuals themselves may not want to imbibe these (take for example, religious or racist tolerance, or fairness in the face of ’self-interest’). Many such values would not be pertinent as an outcome, were the individual’s education being carried out from a purely market oriented (i. e. mployability) perspective, but they are the founding principles of systems of governance such as democracy. This further jeopardizes the application of market or management-derived concepts of quality to education, since the good/commodity being examined for quality, i. e. education, contains many features not demanded explicitly and in some cases actually even shunned by its customers. Therefore, ’quality’ as appl ied to the provision of commercial services or products cannot be directly applied to the provision of education due to the nature of education, and the inherent ’aims’ in its provision. A Framework for Quality in Education As discussed above, the notion of quality in education is not one, which can be simply transcribed from the predominant concept of quality that has evolved from the commercial world. It needs to be unique to the field of education and based on a deeply contextual, need-based view incorporating pedagogic principles and educational aims rather than a fixed prescription or set of guidelines. A viable framework for quality in education could be envisaged as consisting of the following main components: Aims of education, curriculum, pedagogy and material, school organization and relationships, evaluation and assessment, and the nature of provision. The relationship between the design and constitution of these various components would have to be carefully conceptualized to ensure coherence in the experience of education by children. For instance, design of a curricular document needs to be based on the aims of education and epistemological concerns. Similarly, assessment needs to be understood as a means to strengthen and constantly improve children’s education in the context of the stated curricular objectives through appropriate pedagogic practice, rather then as a tool for classifying children as ’failed’ or ’passed’ and thus deciding whether their education will continue. Each of these aspects of education and its quality are discussed in more detail in the following sections. Aims of Education The ’aims of education’ refer to a broad set of principles that provide direction to the practice of education. They play an important role in determining the institutions, curriculum, and pedagogy and assessment system for providing education. What aims are worth pursuing in education is therefore an important question and the answer is often complex, especially in the context of a diverse socio-cultural milieu. In general, the aim of education could be articulated as building capabilities and instilling values in individuals considered necessary for leading personally and socially fulfilling lives. The form and nature of education in any society is deeply influenced by the notion of a human being predominant in that society, and is closely linked to the understanding of what is ’good’ for people which in turn is based on views regarding human nature, needs and potential. It is therefore not surprising and somewhat inevitable that different societies, and even different groups of people in the same society, propound different notions of education making it a contested concept. Other concepts that influence the process of formulating the aims of education include the understanding of human learning and the notion of a child in society. In education, learning is understood as ’. . . having acquired ability to do something on the basis of experience and effecting a change in the learners’ understanding’ and while learning, thus defined, is an inevitable outcome of living for most, ensuring that the aims of education become part of learning requires active teaching. What these aims actually comprise of, and more importantly translate into through the working of a system of education depends on the nature of governance in a specific nation. For example, France and Prussia historically implemented education systems designed by the elite aimed at developing their respective countries into industrial powers. Given that India is a democracy, the educational aims in the country implicitly imbibe the special characteristics of such a governance system. These include equal participation of all members, an interest in social relations and their control, the potential to make amendments without disorder, and institutions that are flexible to readjustment. As Dewey explains, even a superficial examination of a democratic government’s (such as India’s) interest in the education of its citizens yields that since a democracy dismisses the idea of external authority, education is a must to ensure that popular suffrage leads to an appropriately chosen government. Further, the author suggests that since democracy represents almost a way of life (since it requires understanding the effect of one’s action on others and thereby communicating and accommodating continuously on an individual, societal or communal level) rather than just a governance system, it is only through education that these capacities can be built and such behavior brought about. Further, given that education has been discerned as a means towards progress for not only social and economic prosperity but also for facilitating equitable access to commonly provided, individually appropriated experience, it is important that the distribution of education should be characterized by the ideal of equality of educational opportunity. This is particularly in the case of India where the social order represents pervasive inequalities of wealth and opportunity, and can often lead to social position in terms of wealth and opportunity being correlated with future access to, and experience of, education. This is where the public system of education provided by the state assumes importance as the large majority of India’s poor can afford to access education only through the government system since it is free, and this is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it is important to realize that in the context of India, the state has an active interest in shaping each citizen–indeed, the idea or concept of ’state’ itself virtually depends for its existence on education, since it is only education that can effectively transmit the ideal of a democratic state to the next generation, thereby ensuring its perpetual continuity. Following the 86th Constitutional amendment, free and compulsory education in the age group of 6 to 14 is now a fundamental right in India under Article 21 (A). Thus, the aims of a system of education reflect the underlying values on which it is built, which in turn are contextual to human society, with individuals viewed both as atomistic constituents of that society as well as a collective. In practice, the aims of education are often stated in somewhat indeterminate terms. For instance, an oft-stated aim is ’the all round development of children’. This statement clearly requires clarification if it is to provide any direction for the content or the process of education. There is a need to specify what defines such all round development and once a list is drawn it has to be determined whether to include all or select on the basis of relative importance. On the other hand, examples of very specific aims include the focus on producing skilled labour for the economy. While such an aim certainly provides some direction to the educational context, it is too narrow and can impede excellence in other worthwhile aspects of life. Formulating aims that refer to general abilities such as rationality, critical thinking, creativity and others as an end, do avoid being too narrow on the one hand, but are also relatively more specifically definable on the other; and therefore, may work better for school systems. By virtue of being better-definable they help educators translate educational aims into classroom processes. For instance, teaching the concept of numbers and other mathematical operations maybe one of the accepted means of inducing rational thinking in a child, and therefore worthy of inclusion in the curriculum. Further, it is important to ensure that the content and process of teaching mathematics to children actually does translate into rational thinking and does not get restricted to the narrow objective of passing examinations Other common classroom processes prevalent in many schools include repetition of words and poems after the teacher without adequate comprehension and copying ? Sart S (such as a flower) drawn on the blackboard without error. It is questionable whether such practices provide meaningful stimulation for expression or creativity. Meaningful decisions about content and method in education require consciousness of the aims of education as articulated by an education system. The above illustrations are indicative of the absence of such an awareness governing the practice of teaching. In order to ensure that classroom strategies actually emerge from the professed aims of education it is important to include teachers in the discourse on the aims of education and not restrict this dialogue to a few educationists. The agreed-upon aims of education should broadly constitute a ’philosophically and historically informed set’ whose rationale is ’fully stated, public, and revisable’. Indian scenarios The professional education sector in INDIA comprises various types of providers. The largest group is made up of Universities and Affiliated colleges, which are large institutions offering a broad range of vocational and academic subjects at various levels, and are attended by both young people (17-28 year olds) and adults. Deemed Institutions and Autonomous colleges are another substantial group and have traditionally catered for 17-15 year olds taking Advanced level courses. More recently, however, they have broadened both their course offering and their student profile. Specialist Colleges concentrate on specific areas of the curriculum such as management , engineering and professional or land based subjects. They often have well developed links with employers and industry because of the specialist nature of the subjects taught. Finally, Specialist Designated institutions cater mainly for adults, as do External Institutions. The latter, however, also cater to the needs of educationally disadvantaged students through Distance Learning Mode. The purpose of this study is to explore the professional education classroom and its effects on student persistence and satisfaction. In order to face the challenges of student retention, the classroom must be explored to determine how these experiences affect the student attrition process. The classroom is a part of the curricular structure that links different disciplines around a common theme. Understanding the elements of the classroom experience will provide students, faculty, staff, and administrators with a vital sense of shared inquiry. The classroom experience must be designed to provide positive experiences through the adoption of various learning strategies. The article seeks to ascertain to what degree the classroom experience enhances student learning and persistence and, if so, how it does so. Beyond its obvious policy implications, the study purports to provide the context for a series of reflections on the ways in which current theories of student persistence might be modified to account more directly for the role of classroom experience in the process of both student learning and persistence. The study identifies variables associated with student integration or lack thereof, into the educational environment and whether or not these variables have an effect on student persistence. Lastly, the study purports to provide the aspects of student satisfaction and student perceptions of their learning experiences. The Problem As a result of low retention rates, administrators are seeking strategies to create a positive atmosphere that is supportive in meeting student needs in order to ensure student persistence. There is a critical linkage that exists between student involvement in classrooms, student learning, and student persistence. Research studies have identified factors that contribute to and influence student decisions to persist, or leave college before accomplishing their intended educational goals (Astin, 1987, 1993; Bean, 1983; Braxton, 1995, Bogdan & Biklen, 1992; Endo & Harpel, 1982; Tinto, 1975, 1987, 1993). In particular, Tinto’s attrition model (1975, 1987, & 1993) is among those strategies that have been used in an attempt to describe and categorize the student attrition process. Although persistence in college is important, students’ overall satisfaction with their educational experiences and their interactions on the college campus are the most important factors (Tinto, 1993). Collectively, the educational environment and organizational culture is important in determining student satisfaction and their motivation to persist. Statement of the Problem Research studies in the past have analyzed student retention, particularly among traditional university student populations (Anderson, 2001; Astin, 1993; Braxton, 2000; Cope & Hannah, 1975; NCES, 1997, 1998, 1999; Noel et. al. , 1985; Tinto, 1975, 1987, & 1993). As McLeod and Young (2005) have proposed, it is necessary to investigate the factors that influence a student’s decision to remain or not to remain enrolled at a minority institution. The most important factor in predicting a student’s eventual departure from college is absence of sufficient contact with others (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1979). Ostrow, Paul, Dark, and Berhman (1986) found that supportive relationships enable students to better cope with the demands of the college environment. Few studies exist which focus on the higher education classroom and the manner in which it can effects student persistence and satisfaction of students enrolled on traditional university campuses. Evident in previous studies is the recognition that institutional variables do influence a student’s decision to persist in attaining their educational goals. There is a critical linkage that exists between student involvement in classrooms, student learning, and student persistence. The classroom plays an important role in the student learning and persistence process. According to McKeachie (1970, 1994) and Smith (1980, 1983), it is evident that multiple relationships exist between teacher behaviors and student participation in classroom discussions and learning. Student participation in the higher education classroom is relatively passive (Smith, 1983; Karp & Yoels, 1976; Nunn, 1996), and lecturing is dominant (Fischer & Grant, 1983). The author Nunn (1996) found that classroom traits, specifically a supportive atmosphere, are as important to student participation as are student and faculty traits. The recognition of the importance of classroom environment is part of another area of inquiry, namely the role of classroom context, its educational activities and normative orientations, in student learning. Instead of focusing on the behaviors of faculty, a number of researchers have focused on the role of pedagogy (Karplus, 1974; Lawson & Snitgen, 1982; McMillan, 1987) and, in turn, curriculum (Dressel & Mayhew, 1954; Forrest, 1982) and classroom activities (Volkwein, King, & Terenzini, 1986) as predictors of student learning. Generally speaking, these have led to a growing recognition that student learning is enhanced when students are actively involved in learning and when they are placed in situations in which they have to share learning in some positive, connected manner (Astin, 1987). As numerous researchers have suggested (Astin, 1984; Mallette & Cabrera, 1991; Nora, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980; Terenzini & Pascarella, 1977), the greater students are academically integrated in the life of the institution, the greater the likelihood that they will persist. Students who feel they do not fit academically in the environment of the institution possess lower levels of satisfaction than those who feel they belong (Bean & Bradley, 1986; Pervin & Rubin, 1967). Astin (1993), Friedlander (1980), Parker and Schmidt (1982), Ory and Braskamp (1988), and Pascarella and Terenzini (1991), all suggested that student involvement in the classroom influences learning. When students are actively involved in the life of the college, especially academically, they will possess greater acquisitions of knowledge and skill development. Juillerat (1995) determined students who participate actively in their learning experience possess higher satisfaction rates than less involved students. According to Endo and Harpel (1982) and Astin (1993) student and faculty engagement, both inside and outside the classroom, are important to the student development process. Endo and Harpel (1982) suggested further those students who persisted which were reported to have had higher levels of contact with peers and faculty and also demonstrated higher levels of learning gain over the course of their stay in college. High levels of involvement prove to be an independent predictor of learning. The more time students invest in their own learning, the higher their level of effort, the more students learn. Braxton, Milem, and Sullivan (2000) wrote that research studies left social integration unexplained. Institutional type (Chapman & Pascarella, 1983), organizational attributes ( Berger & Braxton, 1998; Braxton & Brier, 1989), motivations for attending college (Stage, 1989), financial aid (Cabrera, Nora, & Castaneda, 1992), fulfillment of expectations for college (Braxton, Vesper, & Hossler, 1995), sense of community in residence halls (Berger, 1997), student involvement (Milem & Berger, 1997), life task predominance (Brower, 1992), and self-efficacy (Peterson, 1993) are among the concepts given to understand both academic and social integration and their effects on student departure decisions. Various constructs may also be derived from the role of the institutional classroom in the student departure process and the identification of forces that influence academic integration and social integration. Tinto (1997) suggested that if social integration was to occur, it must occur in the classroom, because the classroom functioned as a gateway for student involvement in the academic and social communities of a college. Thus, the college classroom constitutes one possible source of influence on academic nd social integration. Student Satisfaction and Perceptions of the Classroom Experience The authors, Bean and Bradley suggest student satisfaction is defined as â€Å"a pleasurable emotional state resulting from a person’s enactment of the role of being a student† (1986, p. 398). Overall life realization includes fulfillment with specific domains, such as student satisfaction (Coffman & Gilligan, 2000). Therefore, it is assumed that a students’ overall satisf action with the learning experience is an indicator of college persistence. In addition, Coffman and Gilligan (2000) further found that those students who withdraw from college prior to graduation are less likely to be able to identify someone on campus with whom they had developed a significant relationship. These students report low satisfaction with their personal interactions, social isolation, and absence of opportunities for academic contact. Most of these students report academic difficulties which occur in the classroom highly influenced their departure from college. According to Juillerat (1995), a student related variable that has been found to be connected to student satisfaction is institutional fit. The more acquainted a student is with the environment of the institution, the more he/she will fit into the culture of the institution. Students who feel as if they do not fit into the culture of the institution possess lower levels of satisfaction than those who feel that they belong. According to Juillerat (1995), student satisfaction is the extent to which a students’ perceived educational experience meets or exceeds his/her expectations. Student satisfaction can be defined by the positive and negative gaps in the expectation level and perceived reality. If a students’ expectation is matching or exceeds his/her evaluation of reality then seemingly the student is satisfied. On the other hand, if a students’ expectation is higher than his/her evaluation of reality then seemingly the student is dissatisfied. This approach to defining student satisfaction assists institutions in determining satisfaction levels and closes the gap between reality and expectations. Bean and Bradley (1986) determined that the number of friends a student has, along with his/her confidence in his/her social life, has a significant effect on satisfaction levels. Weir and Okun (1989) found similar results in the amount of contact a student has with peers, faculty, staff and administrators was positively correlated with academic satisfaction. The availability and formal and informal interaction with faculty, staff and administrators for interaction with students is related to student satisfaction and persistence. Endo and Harpel (1982) further suggest that a student expectation for peer involvement academically is a contributor to student satisfaction and persistence. Another important factor of a students’ overall satisfaction with the learning experience is their perceptions of their academic programs of study. The authors Bean and Bradley (1986) suggest if a student is academically integrated and interested in their course of study, motivated to study, and likes the faculty teaching the course will possess high satisfaction. Juillerat (1995) suggests, stimulating coursework and high teaching ability of professors is related to academic satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to explore the higher education classroom and its effects on student persistence and satisfaction. In order to face the challenges of student retention, the classroom must be explored to determine how these experiences affect the student attrition process and ultimately the BRANDING of the Institution by minimizing the GAPS in the service delivery. The classroom is a part of the curricular structure that links different disciplines around a common theme. Understanding the elements of the learning experience will provide students, faculty, staff, and administrators with a vital sense of shared inquiry. The classroom experience must be designed to provide positive experiences through the adoption of collaborative learning strategies. The article seeks to ascertain to what degree such strategies enhance student learning and persistence and, if so, how they do so. In conclusion, administrators in higher education should embrace an understanding of strategies for minority student retention. Administrators have continuously overlooked the essentially educational and developmental character of persistence as it occurs in most institutional settings. There is a rich line of inquiry of the linkage between learning and persistence that has yet to be pursued. Administrators must continue to fully explore the complex ways in which the experiences in the classroom shape both student learning and persistence. The author Braxton (1995) questioned the role of faculty teaching in student satisfaction and persistence. Administrators must be equipped to face the challenges of minority student retention and be proactive in their approaches retain minority students. A students’ ability to be connected to the institutional environment and their ability to adapt to the organizational culture are related to vocational and educational stability, student satisfaction, and student success. The institutional environment and the organizational culture mediate student academic and social experiences in college. Educational stability, student satisfaction, and student success are the building blocks of the retention process this service quality delivery only reinforces the EDUCATIONAL BRAND. [pic]

Reflection paper On Buddhism Essay

Buddhists past and present have looked to the incidents in Buddha’s life for inspiration. Pick any three major episodes in the Buddha’s life and discuss what lessons they impart to a typical Buddhist householder. 1. His first time realizing leaving his house and seeing normal people in the outside world. I think that this incident in Buddha’s life taught typical Buddhist householder that they can’t ignore the outside world. He taught them that even though your life might be going great that as soon as you step outside your door there is still going to be pain and suffering and death all around. I think it’s a lesson to makes them realize that all the suffering and death a pain are normal things in life and that they need to get used to it and even become okay with the thought of these things being are a normal part of life. Personally I think that this is a very good way to think because it opens people’s eyes and since they are able to see these things they can make changes to them. If you do not know that there is pain outside your door there is no way of stopping this pain and suffering from happening but if you are completely aware of the pain and suffering you have the ability and chance to take the pain and suffering away with actions which in this religion will give you good karma and lead you eventually to enlightenment. 2. The five men who Siddhartha met up with on his quest and who laugh at him when he thought that there ways were too extreme. The Buddha left the five men because he did not want to starve himself to death and thought that it was too dangerous and that it did not produce enough results for what he was looking for. Buddha also realized that a mix of this extreme life of giving everything up and a mix of the luxurious life that he had before would be the perfect match to reach enlightenment. This part of Buddha’s life is my favorite. I feel like it teaches the householders that you need balance in your life and that moderation if a great trait to have in your life. It teaches the householders that they should not only live life for the pleasures in it like food, women, and riches. Also they should not live their life completely for the religious aspect and they should not renounce everything they own and give up all pleasures in life. I think that this is a great thing to teach people because if you have moderation in your  life you can do more things and enjoy/master more things in life. 3. The temptation from Mara and his hordes. The story of a god or deity that tempts the hero in the story is common in religions for examples Satan temps Jesus while he is in the desert for 40 days in the Christian religion. I think that this story is meant to teach the householders that there will always be temptations in life and that if you do not give in to these temptations you will prosper and good things will happen to you. In Buddha’s case after he rejected the temptations he reached enlightenment. Therefore the goal that typical Buddhist householders have is to resist all bad temptations and reach enlightenment.

North American Indian Religions Essay

North American Indian religions rely on icons to give meaning to the immediate environment and the cosmos in general. Icons also symbolize the elemental powers of nature – the spirits, the supernatural world, and the forests. In addition, icons also describes man’s relationship with the so-called ‘Supreme Being. ‘ In many North American Indian religions, the ‘Supreme Being’ occupies an integral role in value formation. The Supreme Being is the foremost source of morality and tribal authority. Indeed, in totems, the Supreme Being occupies the highest position by virtue of power and seniority. Icons can also be analyzed in terms of its social and cultural sense. Icons represent the general values of a community – that is, imprinted images of cherished values. The more revered icons are, the more respected are accepted values in the tribe. Culturally, icons are imprinted beliefs – that is, they symbolize man’s immediate concerns about the environment. These concerns are as follows: survival initiatives, self-esteem and belongingness, and self-admiration. Icons serve to remind man that his natural habits are still active. Objectives: To determine the use of icons or images in North American Indian religions To define the relationship between the use of icons and the immediate environment

Mobile Computing and Mobile Computing Security Essay

Mobile Computing and Mobile Computing Security - Essay Example Today, a whole variety of 'mobile computing platforms' such as in-dash VGA displays and automobile computers which feature a variety of applications and functions such as global positioning systems (GPS) and radar detection systems are available for the mass market ("Mobile computing", 2006). Some mobile computing devices use WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) as their means to communicate and acquire data. A WLAN is a LAN (Local Area Network) connected through radio or other wireless means. One of the advantages of using a WLAN is the flexibility it offers to overcome restrictions of physically connected networks to space restrictions. It is easy, wire-free and simple to use. WLAN allows data access without having to "jack-in" or plug to a wired network (Shriraghavan et al, 2003). Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) transmits and receives data through fixed line network called access points. An area called a "hotspot" results from the area covered by each of the access points. Each access point serves numerous subscribers and they alter their 'access points' as they transfer from one point to another. As the number of access points in a WLAN increases, the size of the network also increases (Shriraghavan et al, 2003). Satellite Networks This type of network uses communications satellites acting as central points for transferring data. The subscriber uses a 'satellite dish antenna and a transceiver to transmit and receive data'. This network is usually a better alternative for rural areas where 'broadband, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and cable television' systems are not accessible (Shriraghavan et al, 2003). Cellular Networks The advent of mobile phones or cellular phones ushered in the creation of cellular networks. A cellular network operates by serving different frequencies or bands to handle calls and other services such as short message service (SMS). A cell site is commonly composed of 3 basic parts: a control unit, a receiver and a transmitter connected to a Mobile Telecommunications Center that is also interconnected with the public telephone systems (Shriraghavan et al, 2003). Ad-hoc and Sensor Networks An ad-hoc network results from the creation of several small nodes or "motes", tiny powered self-contained computers that are linked through radio around a small area. Motes are capable of communicating and exchanging data with each other over short distances and are usually formed temporarily. Ad hoc networks are common and have several practical military applications (Shriraghavan et al, 2003). Mobile Devices Mobile devices could include the following: Laptop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and handheld PCs, Pagers and cellular phones and task devices, such as bar code scanners. Laptops, PDAs and portable handheld PCs are computing devices that can run a number of programs and applications for every sort of business, enterprise and more recently for the modern home. Laptops are basically portable versions of personal computers (PCs) which equal or even rival the computing power of modern desktop units. They are similarly supported by their manufacturers in the

Wal-Mart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wal-Mart - Case Study Example Wal-Mart is envisioned to help people save their money so that they can live a better life. It has a reputation for convenience and wide range of products all in one store (marketingteacher.com, 2011). It is however, facing some threats and challenges like any other organization. Since it is number one, it means that it is the target of both local and global competition. Also being a global retailer, it is exposed to political problems in the countries it operates in. Intense price competition is also one of the major threats it is facing which has resulted in price deflation in some ranges (marketingteacher.com, 2011). Wal-Mart is world’s largest retailer and despite of its edge in IT, control of its empire could leave it weak in some areas due to its huge stretch of control. Since it has a large product diversity ranging from food to clothing to stationary, it may not have the flexibility of some of its more focused challengers. Although the company is global, it still has i ts presence in relatively few countries across the world (marketingteacher.com, 2011). 2. What priorities did Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott set in his Wal-Mart: Twenty-First Century Leadership address (24 Oct 2005)?  ... Lee Scott set this commitment as one of his priorities and promised to abide by it. He also addressed his opportunities one by one, starting with the environment. He highlighted that by being one of the largest companies in the world, environment is their responsibility and environmental problems are their own problems. They can supply natural products such as fish, food and water only if the environment is safe and protected. This can be possible only if there is zero wastage and they are supplied by 100% renewable energy (Lee Scott, 2005). Another goal is the reduction of waste and this is one of their most visible opportunities. This can be achieved if the materials in the packaging are made up of recyclable materials. This can save them a lot of money and in turn help the environment (Lee Scott, 2005). Lee Scott’s another goal is built around the products Wal-Mart sells wherein customers should not make compromises when they buy products at Wal-Mart stores. Similarly, heal thcare and wages structure, community involvement or diversity are other areas which were emphasized by Lee Scott in his Twenty-First Century Leadership address (Lee Scott, 2005). 3. Wal-Mart’s Board discussed proposals to meet (some of) these challenges at a board retreat in 2005. To counter the challenges, the team proposed Wal-Mart to implement the nine limited-risk initiatives and five bold steps. The first initiative is to change the eligibility criteria for health insurance so that Wal-Mart becomes more competitive in the part-time labor market. The second initiative is to decrease cross-subsidization of spouses which would allow more dollars to be put towards Associates and their children. The third initiative is to provide information related to healthcare and health

Evaluation of the leadership and management style of Jeff Bezos Coursework

Evaluation of the leadership and management style of Jeff Bezos - Coursework Example From a logical perspective, it can be stated that appropriate development of business processes in the present marketing scenario requires the implementation of change management and change leadership under different situations. For instance, a leader will have to bring in continuous levels of transformation within its leadership style for maintaining the motivational levels of the followers. In a similar manner, the management administering the overall functionality of the workforce will also have to implement varied types of employee motivational techniques through which they can attain their desired goals within a specific timeframe (Kuzic & et. al., 2002). Considering these aspects, the discussion will mainly focus towards evaluating the leadership style and the managerial skills implemented by Jeff Bezos that supported in developing the overall performance of Amazon in the present competitive retail-marketing scenario. The discussion will also encompass the implementation of suitable leadership theories and change management concepts in order to make the understanding levels associated with the same in an effective manner. Through this discussion, a possible attempt will also be made towards evaluating the characteristics possess by Jeff Bezos that until date have paved successful path for this ecommerce business organisation. Jeff Bezos, a technology enthusiast, presently holds the position of CEO of the world’s second biggest e-commerce retailer named Amazon. As known, the brand has been previously involved in conducting online retail business of books and magazines. However, due to the increasing level of business market competition and higher inflow of new market entrants, Jeff Bezos made deliberate efforts in shifting the focus of his e-commerce business process from just being concentrated on retailing books top other retail goods such as

Should Stem cell research be federally funded Essay

Should Stem cell research be federally funded - Essay Example The potential contributions to treatment justify the claim for federal funding in order for stem cell research to achieve this potential. Funding for various specialized areas of stem cell research are required, including embryonic research, since development in one area affects progress in other areas. The difficulty in asserting this position is the lack of tangible treatment results to convince policymakers, legislators and the public to allocate federal funds for research advancement. On the other hand, those who oppose federal funding for stem cell research gravitate towards the argument that stem cell research involves the destruction of embryos, which have the potential for human life. Those who oppose federal funding for stem cell research do not denounce stem cell research in general but only stem cell research on human embryos. In effect, the federal government is participating in the destruction of life by funding stem cell research. With the two arguments grounded on very different belief systems, there appears to be no point of reconciliation for the two sides of the debate. The discussion describes stem cell research, the debate, the quest for federal funding, and political and legal trends, public opinion trends, and recommended solutions to support the response to the question: should stem cell research be federally funded? 2. ... These stem cells can be found in embryos at the early stage of development, fetal tissue and adult organs. Of these three sources, stem cells are more abundant and easier to isolate from embryos than from other sources, especially adult tissue. Moreover, reengineering stem cell is less feasible if these came from adult organs and more likely in stem cell from embryos. Stem cell research involves isolating and replicating stem cells from embryos and then reengineering stem cells to become any cell type. (â€Å"New Limits† 29) As such, progress in stem cell research for the purpose reengineering stem cells to become specific cell types would progress when working with embryonic samples. There are different kinds of stem cells depending on the degree of plasticity or variability in creating cell types. A totipotent stem cell is considered to have the greatest plasticity. A fertilized egg is a totipotent stem cell because it can create all human organs of a living organism. Totipo tent stem cells are used in fertility laboratories. During the initial stage of embryonic development, cell divisions lead to totipotent cells. Latter cell divisions give rise to more stem cells that are beginning to give rise to more specific cell types. (Biven 95; Wagner 8) A pluripotent stem cell emerges from the latter stages of cell division. An embryo has two layers, an outer layer that will form into the placenta and an inner layer called embryoblast that will form the human organism. The inner layer needs the outer layer to give rise to an organism. Pluripotent stem cell comprises of the inner layer of the embryo. By isolating the embryoblast, the potential to create an organism is eliminated, which comprises the foundation of ethical opposition to stem cell research.

Firms Making Competitive Moves Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Firms Making Competitive Moves - Assignment Example This study stresses that among the advantages of being a first mover, is especially when making the exceptional initial moves in a particular market that allow a specific firm to come up with a dominant position that other businesses strain to overcome. A sufficient example of this is the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) that established a very strong bond with the officials of China in leading the Western Fast Foods, as they were the initial western restaurant that entered China first. Currently, they are still the leading firm in the rapidly growing market. Among the disadvantages, a first mover cannot be so certain about the likelihood of the customers in embracing the offerings that make the initial moves inherently risky.This paper declares that  a time a rival or even a competitor introduces a disruptive innovation that in most cases conflict the existing competitive practices for instance the emergence of online trading where the executives make informed choices from three main responses. First, they might think that the innovation could effectively replace the established offerings therefore choice on focus particularly on the traditional methods of business. Second, a firm could choose to overcome the challenge by attacking different dimension and perspective. Finally, simply a firm may decide to match the competitors’ direction of the move.  A Blue Ocean Strategy entails the creation of a new and untapped market instead of competition with rivals in an existing market.

The impact of competitive strategy on culture and organizational Essay

The impact of competitive strategy on culture and organizational behavior - Essay Example Organizations have to be conscious of their effect on their workers’ behavior both within as well as in their personal lives outside the company. This is especially true where multinational corporations such as ‘Xerox’ which have foreign subsidiaries are concerned. Xerox, a $22 billion firm which was founded in 1906, is a multinational corporation which operates in 160 nations, and has 160, 000 employees. Companies of such magnitude naturally have to tackle different issues concerning organizational behavior so as to inspire members of staff from different cultural backgrounds and remain relevant in the competitive business industry. The success of Xerox is actually dependent on the productivity of its workers. Levels of the Analysis of Organizational Behavior The main objective of seeking to comprehend principles concerning organizational behavior is to acquire a better understanding of concepts that affect group as well as individual dynamics in the workplace. S tudying organizational behavior consists of conducting three levels of evaluation on corporate resources. In the first level of analysis, which considers the individual, the study of organizational behavior will take into account factors such as the learning patterns of the individual, the individual’s creativity, turnover, motivation, cooperative behavior, cognition, and ethics. The psychology of the individual, and how it affects his or her decisions in the workplace, is considered (Schermerhorn, Hung, and Osborn, 2005). Individual personality plays a big role in determining if organizational behavior will be based on being cooperative or portraying deviant behavior. Workers are suited to different types of organizations because of their personalities (Schermerhorn, Hung, and Osborn, 2005). For example, individualistic workers tend to be openness to new experience, self-monitoring, and possess other proactive qualities. Workers who are more individualistic in nature will re adily take risks, generate different forms of communication, and engage in proactive socialization. In the second level of analysis, which takes into account the significance of groups in organizations, the subjects that are evaluated have to do with dynamics such as cohesion, intra- and intergroup conflict, power, leadership, networks, interpersonal communication, and roles (La pierre and Hackett, 2007). What is emphasized in this stage is the function of sociological processes within the workforce in an organization. In the third level of analysis, what is emphasized on is the dynamics concerning the organization. These could include organizational structure, corporate culture, inter-organizational cooperation, cultural diversity, and external environmental forces. In organizational analysis, the investigation of corporate behavior is based on office politics and anthropology. The Role of Workers in determining organizational Behavior In order for a company to assess the success o f organizational behavior within its workforce, it has to conduct a number of internal examinations. According to Luthans and Youssef (2004) ten percent of workforce behaviors in nearly all organizations are responsible for 80% of organizational performance. It is therefore important for an organization to ensure that it identifies these critical behaviors. People who work

Literature Review on Lime Essay Example for Free

Literature Review on Lime Essay LIME Grenada Ltd is a well established company that has been in operation since 1989 on the island of Grenada. Currently, LIME Grenada serves a customer base of over 109,000 residents, excluding the large number of visitors to its shores. This company has a significant role to play in bringing the telecommunication services to the nationals of Grenada. They are referred to as the market leader in fixed-line services and broadband services in the state of Grenada. As a result, this company has the competitive advantage of offering the widest range of broadband and fixed-line services. With one competitor namely DIGICEL, LIME Grenada operates as one of the leading providers of mobile technology and as such, facilitates an important aspect on the path towards globalisation. â€Å"Mobile communications have fundamentally changed the way in which we are able to live our lives. The way we work, the way we play, the very way in which we communicate have all changed since the advent of the mobile phone† (Cable Wireless Communications Plc. 010). This company, competing strongly with its market challenger DIGICEL, offers a wide choice of quality, leading-edge mobile devices including the latest blackberry, Samsung galaxy and much more of the latest gadgets used in data and voice services to ensure that nationals of Grenada is on the same level with the rest of world. In terms of fixed-line services, LIME Grenada stands strong since they are the sole provider of this service which facilitates the quick and easy communication amongst nationals themselves and the rest of the world. With the provision of broadband services via fibre-optic submarine cable and satellite system, LIME Grenada proves be very valuable in the transformation of various means of conducting activities. In the education sector, LIME Grenada facilitates E-learning through the provision of internet or broadband services. Students are no longer confined to the walls of a classroom since LIME Grenada makes it possible for persons to pursue education through distant learning via the internet. Individuals are now able to access, interact and share information without the physical classroom. Importantly, this company allows easy access to a wide choice of sources of information for educational purposes to enhance learning and teaching. Added to this, is the implementation of videoconference connectivity to link campuses on the island and thus, allow access to a wider range of programmes to all individuals. This was not possible many years ago, however, with the assistance of LIME Grenada this has become a reality. The education sector is therefore transforming in this rapidly evolving digital society as Grenadians are now privileged to capture and utilize various educational opportunities. In Grenada’s domestic business sector, there is an increasing use of the internet, a key factor propelling ICT use, for conducting business transactions. In the banking sector, LIME Grenada makes available the opportunity for banking institutions to provide 24-hour online services to their customers. Persons can visit the various websites and access their accounts to conduct and view transactions. Among the many companies are Grenada Cooperative Bank, Republic Bank Grenada Ltd and First Caribbean International Bank. Furthermore, individuals and businesses can also conduct electronic commerce (e-commerce) via the internet. One such example of this is Carriasoap. com where numerous electronic, household, office and even party supplies are sold over the internet. Besides the aforementioned, LIME Grenada also provides employment opportunities in the business sector as the company endeavour to meet the needs of its market. In the not too distant future, there is high anticipation for the potential use of the broadband services provided by LIME Grenada to include E-taxation services through the Electronic Governance Regional Infrastructure Project (E-GRIP) within the country. This would comprise persons registering online and obtaining a tax identification number, taxpayers filing their monthly and annual returns online and taxpayers paying their taxes online thereby avoiding long lines. With the introduction of this system, the Inland Revenue Division will provide 24 hour online services to all taxpayers (Mitchell, Keith C. 2013). There is also the potential for development of an ICT knowledge park, the provision of WI-FI service in public buildings such as Government offices, schools, hospitals and police stations, which has already begun as stipulated by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell in his budget presentation in March of this year. With this, the importance of the telecommunication sector in Grenada is certainly visible. With proper measures in place the telecommunications sector is bound to encourage technology transfer across the globe which results in improved productivity in all sectors and increased standard of living. On the contrary, there are many hurdles that may be faced by LIME Grenada Ltd in the telecommunication sector. With globalisation, competition among mobile operators is inevitable. In Grenada, this is evident with the establishment of DIGICEL, a company offering mobile services to nationals of the country. This has ended LIME Grenada’s monopoly in that aspect and increased the potential for the penetration of other mobile service providers. Although competition amongst companies results in low costs and continuity in bridging the digital divide, LIME Grenada has to critically improve services in order to effectively compete with its rivals. This company has to look critically at the services they can offer and at the pricing strategies they can use so as to counteract the hindrances or threats that new competitors present. They have to effectively monitor their competitor’s strategies and develop many ways to counteract their plans and tactics to gain customers. Another hurdle that LIME Grenada may be faced with is the ability to speedily obtain updated technological and communication infrastructure and to modify operations. As with many other developing countries in the Caribbean region, lack of resources, particularly financial and qualified human resources, may also significantly hamper their development process. The telecommunication sector in Grenada is not alone in facing challenges on the path towards rapid growth and expansion via the globalisation process. According to Hylton, Shallon (2012), in Jamaica the challenges encountered with the provisions of telecommunication services vary in nature. Despite the many employment opportunities, there still remains a shortage of trained and highly qualified workers in the field. There is also the problem of cybercrime ranging from software conspiracy, the spreading of software viruses, software hacking and phishing. In Barbados, the high cost of the underlying transport network is creating a drag on the economy. Service firms are keen on liberalization of telecommunications services. Hotels, tour operators and travel services recognize the need for a state-of-the-art network infrastructure for local and international clients. Banks, insurance firms and retailers are heavy data users that require economically priced telecommunications services to be competitive.. Service companies are already at a disadvantage in the lending market due to regional loan practices that fail to recognize intellectual property and soft assets as a basis for working capital. Barbadian service firms advocate telecommunications reform to lower the cost of communications (Schmid, Linda. 2013). Overall, in previous years, people could not communicate across the world or interact without barriers, delays or difficulty (Hylton, Shallon. 012. p. 3). Currently, the new digital and mobile technologies along with the internet services offered by LIME Grenada allow persons to operate as if the world has no boundaries. Grenada in undertaking the liberalisation of its telecommunication market enhances its competitive position and economic growth and improvements in many sectors. Though there are challenges, the benefits outweigh them signif icantly. The literature exploring the significance and impact of telecommunication in this globalising world is quite extensive. Jeniffer Mohammed in Caribbean Studies– An Interdisciplinary Approach (2007) provides a critical insight into information on globalisation and information and communication technologies (ICT’s) which has guided this research thus far. Mohammed stated, â€Å"What a truly globalized world is about is one where there is a ‘level playing field’, where, for instance, everybody can benefit from the trade in technology. This has been happening with cell phones. From the nomadic people of the Sahara to Caribbean people in shanty towns to fishermen going about their trade, almost everyone uses cell phones to communicate. This is an example of something that has been truly globalized and gives us a good understanding about what globalization as a process is really about. It is not that those groups of people are necessarily communicating globally, but the use of the cell phones is a global phenomenon touching all income groups†. (p. 270). â€Å"Digital technologies, the internet and cell phones truly operate as if the world has no border†¦This is the logical meaning of – globalisation – whether applied to trade, finance flows or communication- for some commodity to be equally available to all, anywhere, as if the nation- state did not exist†(p. 70). Moretti, Marco (n. d), in his writing in Globalisation of Mobile and Wireless Communication: Today and in 2020 (2010) stated â€Å"what is happening to the mobile communication market is a good example of positive globalization: in few years mobile phones have spread all around the world becoming a low-cost tool capable of providing wireless connectivity almost everywhere†(p. 19). â€Å"Mobile communications, thanks to the effect of a globalized process of development, are probably one of the most effective means to close the digital divide†. p. 23). The World Bank in their June 2012 publication stated â€Å"Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have great promise to reduce poverty, increase productivity, boost economic growth, and improve accountability and governance. That promise only grew when ICTs underwent a revolution in the 2000s. Nearly 5 billion people in developing countries now use mobile phones, up from 200 million at the last decade‘s st art, and the number of Internet users has risen 10-fold. People across the globe do much more than chat and play games. They learn where best to fish and what market to sell their produce in. They trace cattle from pastures to supermarkets. They report illegal logging and misuses of local budget. They pay bills, send money back home, and receive cash transfers. They do business on mobile phones. They use ICTs to prevent violence against women—and community radio to empower them. They get state-of-the-art schooling online. Governments can use ICTs to transform public service delivery across sectors—health, education, social protection, justice, agriculture, water, energy, and transport—both central and local. ICTs offer an opportunity to revolutionize public service management by capturing information efficiently in shared databases accessible to all government agencies (such as a national database of electronic identification of citizens). ICTs help governments to simplify administrative procedures and share services (such as citizen authentication and payment systems). And governments can pool resources, reduce costs, adopt common standards for information exchanges, and perform government functions more efficiently (with faster response time and fewer errors)† (The World Bank. 2012).

Globalization In Morocco

Globalization In Morocco Globalisation is transforming the face of the global economy in many places around the world such as India, Japan, as well as Morocco etc. But what roles does globalisation involve exactly in Morocco? The first section defines what globalisation is, noting, first, that it is not a recent phenomenon, with waves of globalisation dating back to the 1800s and, second, that it is about much more than the location of production in low wage economies. The second section discusses the various drivers of the current wave of globalisation. We identify three relatively recent developments in particular the adoption of more open economic policies, increasing technological innovation, and the emergence of developing, low-wage economies on the world stage as the central to the current wave of globalisation. Having discussed the driving forces behind the current wave of globalisation, we go on to note that these developments have facilitated greater cross-border trade in goods and services, foreign direct investment, and migration. Unlike previous episodes of globalisation, the latest wave is also very closely associated with the development of globally-distributed production systems. In fact, Globalisation can be defined as the network of connections of organisations and people across national, geographic and cultural borders and boundaries Globalisation is nothing new as ancient trade routes such as the Silk road spanning several countries, have existed since the advent of mankind. In Europe, the first extensive trade network was established by the Romans via trade with other regions especially in the Mediterranean Sea. Other trade networks such as the Hansa or the British Commonwealth are more examples of trade routes in history. However globalisation even in past eras has not just been seen as a tool for economic activity but also caused events such as the discovery of America. This shows that globalisation cannot be seen as a new process even though the speed of globalisation has increased phenomenally in the last decades. we can see that globalisation is a network of organisations across nations therefore accentuating the importance of international relations. It has often been seen as a purely economic aspect however, globalisation also comprises cultural, political and ideological relations. Although globalisatio n is often used to explain the development of under developed countries, the effects of this concept are not always as positive as may seem. Thus, many of the levers of economic power seemed to be out of reach, because Morocco had become so integrated into global economy, basically at a conference in Barcelona the European Union agreed with governments from the southern shore of the Mediterranean to set up bilateral industrial free trade areas between the Union and Individual countries. This was to develop by 2015, into a Mediterranean free trade area. However, the agreement also specifically excluded agricultural produce and strictly limited migration. In fact, they started stopping Moroccans from trying to enter Europe illegally, despite intensive Spanish and Moroccan Naval patrols of the strait of Gibraltar. Bechir Znagie,the Voyage Perilous, Index on Censorship 3 (1994): 19-20. From the economic side, Morocco has made and still making the wrong choice when it is about accepting to step into globalization. In fact, the country agreed on opening its borders gradually until the complete disappearance of taxes. In one point of view, one can say that it will encourage investments in our economy, but what kind of investments will it be? Certainly it would not be about a high technology. As a consequence, these incoming investments which will mainly use cheap manpower can end with the complete destruction of Moroccos internal development. Moroccan companies are not ready yet to face international competition, since they are still stuck in primary industries and are hardly moving towards services. This shows the dangers of an evolution that is not emerging internally but is just imposed by the most powerful part in the negotiations. Morocco still has difficulties on the Industries to move towards services. This shows the dangers of an evolution that is not emerging internally but is just imposed by the most powerful part in the negotiations. There is the use of cheap labour in Morocco that will still make us stuck with the third world development and will affect of course the social innovation in a negative way. We cant ignore that globalization has some advantages concerning the creation of jobs in Morocco especially to young people this will completely decrease their will to build a developed society with its own global companies and its high technological production. Morocco will in fact be benefiting from globalization; however, it will also suffer from the hidden sides of this concept. Economy is just one side of globalization. In fact, globalization concerns economical, social and cultural aspects, and Morocco is far from benefiting from all these aspects. Morocco-Globalization 2010 There are some advantages that globalization offer to third developing countries such as morocco, basically the liquidity of capital increases and then the developed countries can invest in developing ones as well the environment protection increases, the free trade between countries increases as well as the interdependence of the nation-states, it provides also a propagation of democratic ideals, the goods and people are transported with more easiness and speed and even the possibility between the countries decrease, in fact, the cultural barriers reduce and the global village dream becomes more realistic. Globalization has effects that make the percentage of immigration increases between the countries which makes it an opportunity for people in need to work in order to earn money and in general they come back to their own countries and do investments, so the cross culture contacts grow and the cultural diffusion takes place, otherwise, the global environmental problems like cross boundary pollution over fishing on oceans make climate changes that are solved by discussions. The global common market has a freedom of exchange of goods and capital and this leads to an increase in the desire to use foreign ideas and products, and to adopt new practices and technologies to be part of world culture and a decrease in the subsidies for local businesses. This are some effects adopted between the countries due to globalization. Moreover, to explain more the advantages of globalization in the developing world including Morocco, a research has been done by Abhay Burande saying that It is claimed that globalization increases the economic prosperity and opportunity in the developing world. The civil liberties are enhanced and there is a more efficient use of resources. All the countries involved in the free trade are at a profit. As a result, there are lower prices, more employment and a better standard of life in these developing nations. It is feared that some developing regions progress at the expense of other developed regions. However, such doubts are futile as globalization is a positive-sum chance in which the skills and technologies enable to increase the living standards throughout the world. Liberals look at globalization as an efficient tool to eliminate penury and allow the poor people a firm foothold in the global economy. In two decades from 1981 to 2001, the number of people surviving on $1 or le ss per day decreased from 1.5 billion to 1.1 billion. Simultaneously, the world population also increased. Thus, the percentage of such people decreased from 40% to 20% in such developing countries. Otherwise, there is also the process through movement people. Globalization represents an important shift in the amount of the world output being and as well it is based on some dimensions such as internationalization, restructuring of the product process and ideological dimension. In Fact Morocco has been as well instructed through those dimensions which the rapid integration of the economies was involved and as well as the movement of capital and migration of people. They are basically some disadvantages and weaknesses concerning Moroccos globalization, several questions about the consumption are asked like why corruption is business weakness nit business strength; the answer is pretty simple as corruption impedes almost all positive characteristics of countrys economy. However, Moroccos biggest business disadvantage is the damage ways in which it conduct business, as long as Morocco continuous its cycles of corruption it will not have a significant impact on Globalization and as a result globalization is becoming the key to a nations economic survival. Moreover, some manufacturing in Morocco grew, but other industries however stagnated, specifically in electric power and cement production. Food output decreased as a reduction in labor input , agriculture in Morocco lacked specification and the lack of technology in the agriculture industry implied little division of labor, which was necessary for economies of scale, but after new technologies were implied to agriculture, laborers sufficient training to use the new technology, and thus proved useless . Critics however claim that globalization increases inequality, despite growth. In addition , globalization would lead to increased wages paid to working children, thus increasing child labor. However, empirical evidence suggests otherwise. Evidence strongly shows that growing countries actually have reduced poverty levels. Furthermore, rising domestic rice prices as a result of market integration would also increases household income. Families would then substitute this income towards income that would have been brought in by the children and child labor is thus reduced. This current wave of globalization has been driven by policies that have opened economies domestically and internationally. In the years since the Second World War, and especially during the past two decades, many governments have adopted free-market economic systems, vastly increasing their own productive potential and creating myriad new opportunities for international trade and investment. Governments also have negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services, and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. A defining feature of globalization, therefore, is an international industrial and financial business structure. Silicon Valley, 2010 Conclusion: Morocco has met many opportunities through globalization in many factors including the economic, social, cultural, environmental Etc. As globalization is the key aspect for the world economic development such Morocco has made benefit in increasing disparity within and between nations, also threatens employment and living standards and thwarts social progress. It has made the whales larger and the minnows stronger. Morocco knew how to use globalization and therefore make best use of it, which out country has made development and progress and has bought wonderful opportunities and benefits, including the increasing interaction, or integration, of national economic systems through the growth in international trade, investment and capital flows. It is the raise in consecutiveness and a procedure where geographical distance becomes less important in the establishment.

Supply And Demand Chain In Music Industries Marketing Essay

Supply And Demand Chain In Music Industries Marketing Essay Since the inception of humankind, music has been significant to civilization of human race providing various advantages physically and mentally to every person involved in making or listening of music and tasting pleasure in doing so. Prior to 19th century, musical pursuit suggests attending live performances and playing of music instruments by people on their own at home. A soaring percentage of people involved in playing and singing by themselves and rest went to see the live performances in concert halls, taverns and music halls. During this era, the only way of recording music was on paper with support of some pre-programmed mechanical devices to play notes. This clearly shows that there was demand for devices which will help in developing and recording the music and can be easily distributed at listeners place. Before moving towards the process of recording and distribution of music let see how music-making is being categorised by society. Society has differentiated music making in two types i.e. classical music and popular/pop music. The classical music consists of well trained musician and pop music consists of untrained populace. The classical music suggest three large periods of music i.e. (Baroque, classical and romantic) where as popular music can be any modern day contemporary music. The basic difference between the classical music and pop music is classical music is also known as art providing entertainment whereas later only provides entertainment. Classical music has greater musical complexity and it is appreciated by older generation while pop music lacks the structural complexity for multiple structural layers but have universal appeal. Factor governing buyer behaviour Information on consumers potential behaviour becomes a strategic resource enabling promoters to anticipate competitors, improving the fit between supply and demand of music in the digital environment Quality Uncertainty Cultural goods are experiential goods in the sense that their quality may not be learned or measured even after consumption. There are no suitable parameters to make a claim regarding an unsatisfactory music album. When the quality is uncertain, people prefer what other people prefer. This represents the second feature of consumption in the cultural industries the presence of socio-network effects. Cultural-dependence Represents a way of fulfilling desires identified with highly valued life styles by consuming cultural goods, people express who they are and the social groups they belong. Demand Reversal Phenomenon Once too many people participate in a particular fashion, it ceases to be attractive, and the trend reverses. In this sense, the consumption process is cyclical, and the consumer segments may be influenced by the dynamics of fashion. This reversal process may also be repeated, such as when an anthology of Beatles songs, after being first fashionable, and then less attractive, may once again become valued as classics, experiencing repeated streams of consumption. Demographic factors Classical Music Willing to pay more for Interested in better sound quality Buy records as a package: not just music but notes, lyrics and cover art. Enjoy live concerts Prefer subscriptions than daily tickets Popular Music More interested in convenience Need flexible medium to listen Comparatively more fascinated discovering new music and artists Curious about the new phenomenon Consumer use music in two ways i.e. they own the product in the form of a CD/ DVD or use as a service, and listen to radio station or online. The listening of songs through radio station also used as promotional channel where the awareness is created and consumer is tempted to be the owner of the product. The market can be largely grouped into two segments: music owner and casual listener. It is possible for a consumer to be a part of both the segments i.e. customer being casual listener for some music and music owner for other kinds of music. When the casual listener is converted into music owner the profit starts coming in. Internet being a two-way interactive tool gives benefit to sales channel for downloading music as it is also used as a promotional channel. Consumer analysis suggests that adolescents and college going student perceived buying of CDs/DVDs as expensive. This perception exists due to mass piracy and copying, devaluing the commercial value of music and other reason being there is only one or two good value songs on the CDs/DVDs. The easy accessibility of technologies (MP3 player), digital downloading and CD/DVD writing has given power to consumer in-turn changing their buying behaviour. The music industry has drastically transformed in the last couple of decades, all credit goes to the increasing penetration of strong broadband connection, which provides convenient service to music lovers to download or buy the MP3 tracks or any music via internet. This technological change in music industry has adversely affected the traditional chain of high street music specialists. But in turn has resulted into heavy selling of physical music and DVD music online. This activity also lays the foundation for promoting digital downloads as well as the stealing of music illegally from the web. T he illegal downloading of music is the current major problem faced by the members dealing in music industry and the owners of the music. Downloading music illegally has not only started devaluing the value of music for entire generation of youth but also affecting the content owners in terms of their financial returns which is decreasing day-by-day. A huge challenges also faced by the retailers as there is a rapid ranges of price deflation due to free downloading of music by the new generation of consumers. While essential modifications are taking place in the music and video retailing as well as major upsetting among the specialist players, they are being provoked by the swift escalation of technology set up in the consumers place. With the influx of broadband connection there is a mass increase in the ownership for iPods and MP3 players. Other reasons for growth in online sales are due to the moving of supermarkets from food to non-food categories creating and continuing the huge impact. Thus, in this environment the challenges for retailers are to find different ways to cater their consumers for retaining their expected profitability which will help them to survive in this tough competition. On the whole, the music industry is facing an enormous challenge. A few of the most popular artists have an undersized product life cycle as the temperament of the industry has changed. Then alongside is the modern technology and broadband letting consumers to obtain classical and popular music at superior quality for free or diminutive cost during exchange of the MP3 tracks or file sharing. According to music recording companies and their representatives the massive and regular use of this method for obtaining classical and popular music has been a major setback for recording companies as this being the reason to their declining sales and profitability. Members and followers of the file sharing partly blames the commercial desire of the recording companies and indicate towards the comparatively great prices of DVDs, CDs and recorded music as the most important reason of consumers looking out for new and other choices. When we talk about technology it is clear that modern technology is here and will be upgraded time to time will become even more sophisticated in future. Numerous artists have problems and fail to get their music heard because of the governance of the quick buck super marketing of the present trim of top acts. Internet is the useful tool for the performers and artists and may offer useful resources for delivering their music to their follower all over the world. No matter what the point is? The music industry will counter the challenge of encountering the changed market place and how they act in response to such difficulties is going to be critical in their success and prolong development of music industry. Implications to Supply chain, Publisher and Demand chain The Music industry consist of performers/artists, labels/publisher, producers, manufacturer, engineers, marketing agencies. To realize all the arguments affecting each members of the supply chain, recording companies and demand chain it is important to know how music industry operates. It is huge and complex industry. In real meaning, a performer or an artist, is undersigned in a contract by the record companies to create an album or tracks. Then recording company pay or may pay for the produced albums to market it or manufacture the CDs which will be distributed all over the world. In return, the revenue is generated by the sale of the albums which covers all the cost incurred on producing the CDs and thus the income is passed to each member involved in the process. The music company are therefore smashing their business in search of providing a variety of music to meet the various range of tang of the consumer. For doing this, it is very important to manage the product portfolio sensitively as any action taken will have an adverse effect on cash flow. The music company has to ensure that there is a sufficient cash flow in the business to manage its liabilities. Almost every main record company will highlight the fact that they have dozens of other company that has set up under it or they have bought them. For example, The Universal Music Group owns: Jazz recording company Verve Classical recording company Deutsche Gramophone Apart from this the labels also has different companies under them which distribute conventional pop and rock material. Therefore, the market is dominated by five major companies sharing 75% of the total sales of recorded music all across the world. But to the fact, there are dozens of other labels and companies which are reputed as a individual entity but may have been under taken or set up by their parents company over the years. (Source: IFPI, Market Share of the Music Industry, 2008) The Problem The problem centres on several issues: Increase in piracy has affected the record labels severely as they experience a worst in declining sales. If sales are not official the artists are not bound to receive any royalty income from the sale of the music. The complexity of modern technology is also responsible in making of fake CDs which is again affecting the market of the music industry. Some artists struggle to get into mainstream as they are not signed by the major labels; they opt for the internet as it is potential source of getting their music to mass audience. Due to decline of CD sales physically, retailers of all size are facing the heat. Some smaller size retailers are complaining the difficulty they face in competing the larger stores as they have the advantage of providing the songs through downloaded music. The effects of music piracy has created the dispute for the record industry as it claims that piracy generates further sales but recording company wants to protect their monopoly powers by keeping the artificial prices high, and thus affecting the customer base. Other Problems The other aspects of music industries are also affected by the changing market in the music world. The method used by music lovers to purchase music is also going under drastic change as there is development in new forms of media entertainment i.e. DVDs and videos. Companies selling music have also come to provisions with the impact of changes taking place in the market. Amazon coming in on-line retailing made other companies like HMV, Virgin and Tower Records, which are the three major retailers to face the competition. Amazon also created the impact by providing the features like speedy delivery times and extensive range of stocks through global access. Digital distribution saviour of supply and demand chain in music industries The RIAA (Recording Industry Association America) forced Napster and other peer-to-peer companies to closed music sharing business with the help of severe legal process. The commotion was temporarily stopped but it clearly suggested that there is a need of such crucial products and services which will help in understanding the customers tastes and will meet their actual requirement. The basic objective was to re-organize the traditional supply chain for the survival and this was only possible by inculcating various digital distribution strategies. The content creators, content developers and marketers and retailers/ distributors are the three major players for the current supply chain in the music industry. Composers, lyricists, and artists are the part of content creators. The music publishing and record companies are included in content developers which are central to the industry. s are the They not only procure the musical rights, recognise and develop performing artists, record music in studios but also produce and distribute the music, advertise and promote music through various channels. The distributors consist of large national retail chains and recording company. 85% of sales come from record companies and larger national retail chains which are owned by retail outlets and are also high compared to record clubs and mail orders and online retailers which only account for 12% and 1 % respectively. In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the market share from unaccounted music to P2P music sites as the record companies have had a significant influence on the demand as well as the supply chain. Cost Breakdown of digital distribution (Source: Alternate digital distribution, G. Premkumar, 2003) The above cost structure proposes latent opportunities to develop the efficiency of current supply chain. The above table provides the breakdown of the costs involved using averages from various published sources. From this the royalty to composers/artists account to 12% as manufacturing cost is only 5% of total cost and costs such as labour, rent, and local inventory of retail outlet account for 35%. Meantime, the costs involved in retail outlets also account for 35% of selling price. The operating profits ranges from 4%-6% of sales in relation of price markdown and after writing off the inventory. An additional cost of 20% is absorbed in promotion and advertisement. The breakdown of these cost facts disclosed 25% of variable cost is comparatively small to fixed cost which is 75%. This is important because 60%-80% of music labels are meant to be flopped and they fail to cover the fixed cost. Most of the consumers do not realize that there is natural risk in this business and the suc cessful labels do only compensate the losses. Alternate strategies for Digital Distribution Distributing music digitally through supply chain can have a variety of strategies. The three major members of the supply chain are content creators/artists, recording companies and retailers. In order to ensure the success of digital distribution, multiple marketing and social issues must be solved instead of technological issues. Due to other restraint, concentrating only on supply chain will may or may not give the solution which can be implemented. Six different strategies given below are the suggestion for distributing music digitally. Recording company-retailer-customer Some consumer support this strategy as it suggests flexibility to produce modified CDs without altering the packaging CDs. This strategy introduce consumer to new artists also gives quality experience of music. This strategy is categorized into three stages as per changes taking place in the market. The primary stage consists of developing customized CDs and it advances to second stage where the assembling of CDs is done overcoming the in-store inventory problems. In the third stage, this strategy provides inventory less in-store and help consumer to recognize types of music they want, different artists, and can also create CDs. Due to inherent cost efficiency in this strategy, it provides benefits to Retail store operations. This strategy also helps recording companies to protect their copyrights. Record company-customer This strategy of direct distribution take advantage of eliminated retailers as it reduces the cost of retail operations for distributing music. Thus creating potential market for digital distribution between recording company and customer. Record company-intermediary-customer This strategy is also called one-stop shop. The consumer can get their music by visiting multiple sites at one place. Music from multiple recording companies is consolidated at one place by intermediary and this gives consumer to buy their favourite music at one place. Online retailers like Amazon.com can generate extra sales revenue by providing quick search facility and good system network to download music. Artist-customer This strategy creates the most efficient supply chain by eliminating the intermediaries and save cost in every aspect for music industries for distributing music. Although this strategy suggest expenses for artists in terms of direct advertising and maintaining the cost of the web site. It is also important to address other issues for the success of this chain. Artist-intermediary-customer In this strategy, an intermediary combines the artists and offers them services to minimise their search and information problems related to consumers also does expand the market reach for the artist. The intermediaries creates online communities with similar music interest also offers services like online reviews and provides email alerts to consumer for new releases and concerts. Thus they add value to this strategy. Audio-on-demand (AOD) This option helps consumer to create their own playlist of their favourite songs and can listen as per their convenience through internet radio stations. This strategy uses simple subscription model for delivering the music to consumer. A consumer can change their playlist as per their choices during the subscription period this will help consumer to get rid of old and few songs considering the ownership model. (Source: Alternate digital distribution strategies, G. Premkumar, 2003) Comparison of distribution strategies (Source: Alternate digital distribution strategies, G. Premkumar, 2003) It is thus necessary to educate the people about negative effects of piracy and protecting the copyrights. This is also critical for keeping the music industry healthy and flow of income and royalty to artists will encourage them to create new music portable devices. Internet radio stations require two-way connection with each consumer compared to broadcasting radio which will creates load on server and system infrastructure. These problems will be solved in future with the help of surplus bandwidth. Future of Music Distribution The above table provide the summary of merit and demerits of each distribution channels for stakeholder, artists, labels and publishers, retailers and consumers. Although it will be enticed to say which strategy is going to succeed in future, it is obvious that quite of them will survive in their own niche markets. The absolute victory of every channel depends on their relative features. A single feature that will induce the reformation of the industry is the dominance between the artists, publisher, retailers and consumers. As formerly stated, some of the big labels and publisher not only have control of creation, marketing, and distribution of MP3,CDs, DVDs dominating the market but also have substantial control on the artists. Boost in consumer power to copy the music files from P2P file sharing sites, which was abandoned because of legal actions taken by recording companies followed the closure of P2P music sites. But the impact of action taken by RIAAs did not stop launching of many new P2P music sites. Due to the risk of breaching copyrights, artists have started supporting the point of labels and publishers related to digital distribution of music. The above table suggest that the situation for retailers is on risk in future, they need to diversify their services to on-line retailing. E.g. ARKIV.com, NAXOS. Looking at the future of music industry the recording companies will influence the most to each distribution strategy as they will have proper control on incentives and disincentives for consumer to operate one strategy or the other. Various business models can work all together to give absolute supple to consumer when music is accessible digitally. As a matter of fact, the business model adapted by Naxos, MuiscNet is the mixture of strategies recording company-intermediary-customer and audio on demand which gives ownership and listening features to consumers. Conclusion The information given above provides opportunities for re-engineering the traditional supply chain by digitizing the music. The negative impact on members of supply chain, publisher and demand chain due to the illegal copying and downloading of music can be solved with the use of six digital distribution strategies. These six distribution strategies were investigated in terms of cost structure and the relative roles of stakeholders for the music industry. The major problems linked to the successfully implementation of each strategies were discovered and explicated. Bibliography and Referencing http://www.bized.co.uk/current/research/2003_04/011203.htm http://www.oligopolywatch.com/2003/06/28.html http://www.ifpi.org/site-content/press/20030909.html http://www.bmg.com/ http://new.umusic.com/overview.aspx http://www.emigroup.com/About/Overview/Default.htm http://www.timewarner.com/corp/index.html http://www.scopus.com/record/display.url?fedsrfIntegrator=METALIB-SCOCIT origin=fedsrf view=basic eid=2-s2.0-3142691513 http://www.scopus.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/record/display.url?fedsrfIntegrator=METALIB-SCOCITorigin=fedsrfview=basiceid=2-s2.0-61549099931 http://www.springerlink.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/content/42g3531nv41u17t4/fulltext.pdf http://academic.mintel.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show/display/id=393867/display/id=437587#hit1   http://academic.mintel.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show/display/id=280587/display/id=326982?select_section=326984   http://www.anstendig.org/classical_vs_street_music.html http://stason.org/TULARC/music-genres/classical/9-What-distinguishes-classical-music-from-popular-music.html http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_pop_and_classical_music   http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5731.html   http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4206.html