Harmonium and Nettles Essay

Harmonium and Nettles both highlight the theme of memory. As they both are looking back over past memories that are painful, the poems feature the feelings of being helpless in stopping the hurt that was caused. The writer in Harmonium feels remorse for the things he hadn’t said to his father as Armitage states â€Å"then mouth in reply some shallow sorry phrase or word too starved of breath to make itself heard†. The writer in Nettles is protective of the recurring threat to his child that he can’t destroy. â€Å"rain had called up tall recruits behind the shed,† this quote shows the father cannot destroy them .They differ in the way they felt powerless however as in Nettles the father is feeling powerless because of a physical threat whereas in Harmonium it is an emotional threat of the inevibility of death and unspoken feelings that makes the writer feel powerless. Furthermore they both include the reality of family life as the poems are realistic and the poems, especially Nettles, have both the love and misery of family relationships. In Nettles the love in the poem is the protective instincts of a parent towards his son but the misery is the Nettles that had hurt his child and the fact that being protective isn’t enough to stop him from getting hurt. The realistic relationship in Harmonium is the family resentment and frustration from a son to his father. We can tell that the writer resents and is frustrated by his father as it says â€Å"and he being him can’t help but say†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. and I, being me† which shows that he is frustrated at their relationship. However the Harmonium is used to describe his father so therefore his family life whereas in Nettles it is reversed. The Nettles, that had caused pain for the boy, is actually describing soldiers and war therefore the underlying message is not about family b ut about war and the underlying message in Harmonium is not about the Harmonium but about family.

History About Death

Death, the inevitable aspect of life. Many think that death is a portal to another realm, others think that it is the end of all life and existence. Me, on the other hand, like to think of death as a motivation factor. A reason to keep pushing and moving on, a reason to stay healthy, a reason to correct yourself. It may sound weird, but when you hear of people dying from new things, doesn't it give you a sense of awareness about the world that you live in. If someone dies from a staying on the phone for long periods of time, wouldn't you measure the amount of time that you spend conversing tit friends?Death is powerful, death may be the only thing on earth that can change the earth. The power of death is remarkable, it is the only thing that you have no choice in, if it's your time, then it's your time, no re-runs or asking for second chances, you're gone, no questions asked. Death is the hardest when it hits the ones that you love and adore. When death hits those close to you, you d o not understand, you attempt to deny it and you get unsettling rage within yourself not understanding why you couldn't be with that loved one.On the other hand, if you're a more mature individual, then when a loved one dies, you accept the fate of the passing, you don't dwell on the fact that they are dead, but you dwell on the life that they lived, and think about what they would want you to do in their memory. If you accept death in that manner, you will use it as a motivation factor. A factor that when you feel like giving up, you won't because in your head you hear the voice of your deceased loved one telling you to not stop. Death is a major factor in the progress of society.If it wasn't for the deaths of any legends and idols, our world wouldn't have progressed to the point that it has. America gained its independence in a war, then slavery was abolished because of a war, and Germany, Italy, and Japan could not control the world as they desired because of English, American, a nd Russian soldiers putting their lives on the line during World War 2. If it wasn't for 9/1 1 America's National Defense wouldn't be as strict and powerful as it is today. If it wasn't for people passing away from cancer and Stud's, scientist and doctors wouldn't have founds cures for future interactions with he diseases.Because no one wants to die, it promotes everyone to do whatever they can to stay alive longer, thus promoting the progress of our world. The most difficult interaction that I had with death is when I was in 8th grade and my aunt passed away. Her passing made me understand that death is real and that anyone can die. Everyone has those role models in their lives that seem to live forever, and when they die, your heart is torn apart and it takes time to rebuild it. My aunt was so loving. She had charisma, love, and was very friendly to everyone she came in contact with.She was my grandfather's sister, and she was like a grandmother to me, she spoiled me, and did ever ything for me, and when she passed it tore a piece of me out of my body. I went into a dark vibe, I cut myself from society and I had to take time to find myself. One day I told myself that she wouldn't want me to be down and out, she would want me to work hard and stay strong for her. I love her and my love for my aunt, motivates me, and will continue to motivate me all the way though my entire life. Part of death. Many people live their lives in fear of death, but in all reality, death is unavoidable, you cannot run from it.Although there are violent and peaceful ways to die, death is still going to occur. When your heart stops and your brain ceases to flow, your dead, and you cannot take it back. That is why you should live your life to the fullest, with no regrets, and with happiness, so that when it is your turn to die, you would've made such an impact on the world that you live in that you don't have a funeral, you have a celebration, celebrating the life that you lived, and t hat you have inspired and motivated someone to keep going on, working hard on the road to success.

High Schools Students Essay

No Child Left Behind mandates placed tremendous pressure on schools throughout the country to succeed in helping our students achieve. School leaders are spending time and money to find ways to improve their schools. Many leaders have chosen to restructure their everyday scheduling format. Schools need to explore if this is beneficial or not. The purpose of this study is to determine if block scheduling has an effect on student achievement of high school students who are enrolled in block scheduling classes versus those enrolled in traditional classes. The block format will consist of four 90-minute classes. The traditional format will consist of six 50 minutes classes. To examine student achievement, the researcher will explore three critical areas. They are academic achievement, student discipline, and student attendance. The sample population will consist of students, teachers and administrators. The students of this population will be students enrolled at a high school that uses the block format and students enrolled at a high school that uses the traditional format. To examine academic achievement, only students who have completed their 11th grade year and taken the social studies portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Test will be used. To examine discipline and attendance, the teachers, administrators and some students will be randomly selected. The case study will consist of interview questionnaires and data from the students’ records to determine if there is a difference with block scheduling compared to traditional scheduling. The research will explain and explore if block scheduling versus traditional scheduling is a wise decision for school leaders throughout the country. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Statement of Problem It is no secret that schools in the United States have come under much fire lately for their failure to meet the basic educational needs of students. Globally, students in the United States lag far behind those of other countries. Education reform is a catch phrase on the lips of politicians and educational researchers alike. Dobbs reports that in a global math skills test, the United States ranked 24th out of 29 wealthy, industrialized countries. Approximately 5500 students in 262 high schools were studied; their poor performance suggests a widening gap between US students and their counterparts in Europe and Asia (Dobbs, M. , 2004). In addition an International Math & Science Study reported the high school seniors were out-performed by 90% of other tested nations in math and by 76% in science (Hodges, 2003). In reading, students are equally unprepared. The Alliance for Excellent Education reports that nearly 6 million middle and high school students do not read at grade level. In addition, over half the students entering college scored at unacceptable levels on college entrance exams in reading, and these trends seem to cross gender and racial lines (Aratani, 2006). The current debate about school reform came in response to the report, A Nation at Risk (2004) which made the above statistics and their implications public to the nation. The National Commission on Excellence in Education remarked that if a foreign power had attempted to impose our current education performance on any nation, it would have been deemed an act of war. In a nutshell, schools in America were characterized as failed systems (Finn, 1997). The No Child Left Behind Act (NCBLA) by the current Bush Administration is one of the most groundbreaking educational reforms in years. Approved by Congress in December 2001 and signed into law on January 8, 2002, this legislation expanded the federal government’s role in the operation of public schools and imposed new obligations on all school districts. The NCLBA’s basic reform principles feature stronger accountability of the schools, administrators and teachers, increased flexibility and local control of funds from the federal government, expanded options for parents in choosing schools, and an increased emphasis on successful teaching methods (No Child Left Behind Act, 2001). Policymakers are also accountable not just for the enhanced consumer satisfaction of the parents who have an active role in school choice, but also for the overall improvement of opportunity and performance for students who have only a limited role in school choice (Leckrone & Griffith, 2006). To combat these downward trends and to provide for the new obligations and standards in the NCLBA, public education reform has turned to a revision of the structure of the school day. This included changing the schedules from a traditional six or seven period day which consisted of 45 to 55 minute classes that met daily for an entire school year to a block schedule. Block schedules take many forms, but basically, the class times per period doubles to about 90 minutes each and the number of classes taken is reduced from six or seven to four per semester. 1. 2 Statement of Purpose Since the trend toward block scheduling began several years ago, and reports have been mixed as to whether block scheduling has been beneficial or deleterious in solving some of the problems of US high schools. Many factors are involved when it comes to student achievement. These include, among other things, school climate, teaching practices, familial support, motivation and resources. This study seeks to determine the effectives of block scheduling on the academic performance of high school students with regard to the discipline, attendance and test scores. 1. 3 Definitions For the purposes of this study, the following definitions will be used: †¢ 4 x 4 Block Scheduling – Four classes, approximately ninety minutes in length, every day for the first semester. Four completely different classes, again ninety minutes in length, every day for the second semester. Each class equals one credit (The Change Process and Alternative Scheduling, 1996). †¢ A/B Block Scheduling – Four classes, approximately ninety minutes in length, meeting every other day (â€Å"A† days) for an entire school year. Four completely different classes, again ninety minutes in length, meeting on alternate days (â€Å"B† days) for an entire year. Each class equals one credit (The Change Process and Alternative Scheduling, 1996). †¢ Combination Block Schedule – A combination of 4 x 4 and A/B block schedules (The Change Process and Alternative Scheduling, 1996). †¢ Flexible Schedule – A combination of 4 x 4 and A/B block schedules, but class length varies from day to day. One example: On three out of every five days throughout the school year, each class could be 90 minutes in length. On the other two days, designated as Advisement/Resource Days, each class is 75 minutes in length. An Advisement/Resource Hour is 60 minutes in length (The Change Process and Alternative Scheduling, 1996). †¢ Traditional Format – six (or more) 50-minutes classes per day †¢ FMS – the Flexible Modular System designed by J. Lloyd Trump which introduced alternative scheduling options and provided for differing times for classes depending on the needs of the student and the content of the particular course. †¢ GHSGT – The Georgia High School Graduation Test which must be passed by all seniors in public high schools in Georgia. †¢ Carnegie Unit – 120 hours of class or contact time with an instructor over the course of a year at the secondary school level †¢ No Child Left Behind Act – NCLBA, 2001 legislation which tightened federal control over the standards and processes of American public schools. 1. 4 Assumptions of the Study This study assumes that all schools and students and teachers polled are enrolled or teaching in schools that follow the typical formats discussed above, that they have no previously diagnosed mental disabilities or learning problems and that the school is not participating in any additional enrichment programs which may distort the results of the study. 1. 5 Significance of the Study This study is important for anyone interested in improving education in American high schools. This study is significant in that it provides to the body of research that determine a) if the block scheduling concept is perceived by teachers and students as efficient and advantageous and b) if the block scheduling concept is actually responsible for improved academic achievement based upon variable factors of attendance, disciplinary records, and achievement test scores. 1. 6 Limitations of the Study This study is limited by the existence of several variables which cannot be tested by these researchers or that cannot be completely controlled. First, the research obtained is limited to those participants who willingly elect to complete the surveys and questionnaires in their entirety. All personal data to be collected is limited by the veracity of the respondents. Because of the small scope of the research, it is difficult to statistically proportion the number of respondents from necessary categories such as gender, race, income level, and college plans. It can also not take into account existing problems in the schools unrelated to scheduling such as teacher turnover, violence, etc. 1. 7 Summary The problems faced by high schools in the United States are wide-ranging and diverse. No one change will provide an instant cure for all that ails the education system. The NCLBA mandates and the general demise of educational achievement has prompted several new methods of teaching, administrating and funding education in America. The issue of scheduling may hold promise as to improving some aspects of academic performance. CHAPTER TWO REVIEW of the LITERATURE 2. 1 Historical Background of Block Scheduling Students of the 20th century spent nearly all of their high school time in 45 to 55 minute class periods, six or seven classes a day. During the 1960s, some experimental ideas emerged, notable the model of J. Lloyd Trump, who proposed creating classes of varying lengths depending upon the course. Science courses with lab requirements could meet for 100 minutes while lectures could be scheduled for 40 minutes and tutorials for 20 minutes. This system was called the Flexible Modular System (FMS). Later, a similar type of scheduling was dubbed the Copernican Plan which resulted in a reported benefit of improved graduation rates (Carroll, 1995). The plan gives students an extra chance each year to pass a semester class that they may have failed. In 1984, John Goodlad warned education leaders that the traditional school structure spends way too much time on six or seven class changes and does not allow â€Å"for individualized instruction, for extended laboratory work, or for remediation and enrichment† (Queen, 2000). Eventually, the extreme flexibility of time produced discipline issues, scheduling headaches and teacher planning problems, and FMS’s popularity began to wane (Dobbs, W. , 1998) Nonetheless, the importance of this system has not been overlooked, and it is generally regarded as the precursor to the modern block scheduling system. Tradition has always played a role in high school scheduling. The Carnegie Unit became a standard for determining a students required yearly course load. Most critics of the traditional system likened the Carnegie Unit to simply amassed seat time (Canady and Rettig, 1995). This point was reiterated in the National Education Commission on Time and Learning’s publication of A Prisoner of Time. It states that Learning in America is a prisoner of time. For the past 150 years, American public schools have held time constant and let learning vary. The rule, only rarely voiced, is simple: learn what you can in the time we make available. It should surprise no one that some bright, hardworking students do reasonably well. Everyone else—from the typical student to the dropout—runs into trouble. Time is learning’s warden. (National Education Commission on Time and Learning, 1994, p. 7) â€Å"The pace is grueling† (Irmsher, 1996). A student will spend nearly seven hours a day in seven to nine locations pursuing seven to nine different lessons and activities which produces an impersonal and inefficient approach to instruction. â€Å"The pace is grueling† (Irmsher, 1996). Unfortunately, many administrators, teachers and parents resisted any type of change to the system that they had experienced themselves. This resistance was challenged with the report A Nation At Rise was published in 1983 which revealed the American educational system was not up to par with international systems. Thus, restructuring schools became a focus in improving educational achievement (Queen, 2000). 2. 2 Summary of Current Knowledge and Theory Relevant to Block Scheduling 2. 2. 1 Overview of Perceived Advantages to Block Scheduling Several researchers (Dobbs, W. , 1998; Hurley, 1997; Zepeda, 1999; Staunton, 1997; Staunton and Adams, 1997; Pisapia, and Westfall, 1997; and Eineder and Bishop, 1997) reported the following perceived strengths and advantages by both students and teachers to block scheduling: †¢ Increased teacher preparation time (in both teams and as individuals). †¢ Double the class time for certain core subjects such as language arts and math. †¢ Half as many students for teachers per semester †¢ Additional elective class choice for 9th grade students; more choices for upperclassmen, including options of Advanced Placement and other higher level coursework †¢ More time for completion of labs, incorporating technology, class trips, and other various applications of learned material †¢ Improved school climate and decreased disciplinary referrals †¢ More time to do homework and for guided practice under the direction of the teacher †¢ Improved academic achievement by students †¢ Ability of students to accumulate enough credits to graduate early. †¢ More one-on-one time between teachers and students In general, surveyed students liked the block scheduling. They claimed to be getting better grades, to have time for more in-depth study, and got more attention from the teachers. They said their lives were less stressed and they liked having a fresh start each semester. Nearly all students asked said they would not want to return to the traditional schedule. One of the greatest effects of the 4 x 4 schedule is that students report having less homework. Of the 37 students interviewed, 20 said they had less homework, 7 said they had more, and 6 said they had about the same. If you don’t like the teacher, you don’t have to deal with him all year, or if you don’t like the subject. When the semester ends, it’s like a new school year. You’re not bogged down. Clearly, these students reaped academic benefits from the change to the 4 x 4 schedule. Both college preparatory and general students reported they were learning more and receiving more individual attention (Hurley, 1997). Surveyed teachers indicated that they enjoyed lecturing less and spending more time one-on-one with students. Teachers teaching in block scheduling used more of a team approach and allowed them to experiment more in the classroom (Staunton, 1997; Staunton and Adams, 1997). Teachers also reported that their teaching methods and practices changed as block scheduling was implemented. They used a wider array of strategies and activities. In one Florida study of over forty high schools on block scheduling, â€Å"forty percent of the teachers reported less stress at school, one-third reported increased common planning time, and 80 percent noted that they preferred the block schedule to their previous schedule† (Deuel, 1999). There seem to be several perceived advantages associated with block scheduling. 2. 2. 2 Overview of Perceived Disadvantages to Block Scheduling Several researchers (Dobbs, W. , 1998; Hurley, 1997; Zepeda, 1999; Staunton, 1997; Staunton and Adams, 1997; Pisapia, and Westfall, 1997; and Eineder and Bishop, 1997) reported the following perceived weaknesses and disadvantages by both students and teachers to block scheduling: †¢ Additional costs in hiring teachers. †¢ Additional costs in adding space for teachers or the need for teachers to ‘travel’ which means he has no permanent classroom †¢ Difficulty in making up work from absences because missing one day equivalent to missing two classes †¢ Some classes clearly benefit from meeting every day (i. e. performing arts classes) †¢ Need for teachers to commit to using new teaching methods †¢ Ninety minutes is a long time to hold the attention of students †¢ Uneven schedules in which the harder classes all end up lumped into one semester making it too difficult and the next semester too easy. †¢ The possibility that there will be a long gap in between sequential courses if they are not taken in back-to-back semesters. The primary disadvantage given by surveyed students is that the classes are too long. Students particularly gave this as a weakness when their teachers lectured for nearly all of the time period. Others noted that â€Å"bad classes are really bad when they are held for 90 minutes† (Hurley, 1997). Surveyed teachers voiced concerns about interruptions of sequential material from one semester to the next and consistency issues with students. However, teacher opinion seemed to be mixed about this issue. Some foreign language teachers feared a sequential break between levels (Scheduling Foreign Languages on the Block, 1998). Other researchers found that some schools actually showed an increase in foreign language test scores because students could take level I and level II courses in back-to-back semesters (Schoenstein, 1996). Some teachers felt more comfortable with the lecture approach and had little comfort with experimentation of teaching methods (Staunton, 1997; Staunton and Adams, 1997). 2. 2. 3 Actual Advantages to Block Scheduling via Research Studies. A Temple University study found that block scheduling had distinct advantages in academic achievement. Students who made the honor roll at the three schools studied rose from 22% to 31%. SAT scores rose by an average of 14 points. In addition, the number of detentions declined while student attendance increased (Evans, Tokarczyk and Rice, 2000). Most recently, a 2006 study indicated a variety of advantages to block scheduling. Five Connecticut high schools were studied to determine what, if any, positive outcomes would result. The researchers used test scores and surveys as a means of data collection from school guidance counselors, teachers, administrators and students. The study found that gains in math rose significantly over a two year period, achievement test score averages rose in a statistically significant manner over three years, and PSAT and SAT scores increased within the first three years but then leveled off. (Wilcox, 2006). This study is one of the few longitudinal studies available. This study also stressed the importance of time as a factor in determining the success of block scheduling. â€Å"Almost all of the results which indicated significant differences were shown after two or more years† (Wilcox, 2006). Clearly some time is necessary in order for students and teachers to become accustomed to the changes. Some of the school studies Wilcox (2006) examined had been operating on a block schedule for as long as ten years. Unfortunately, not all the schools had baseline data for years before the block schedule or had opened with a block schedule. The study further stresses the level of support by the staff can be a determining factor as to the success of any type of block scheduling, which seems to correlate, at least on surface examination of the results, with training procedures and teacher confidence. 2. 2. 4 Actual Disadvantages to Block Scheduling via Research Studies A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study studied achievement in reading and mathematics of students in a high school which ran a tri-schedule. This schedule consisted of a traditional schedule, a 4 x 4 schedule and hybrid schedules which all operated in the same single school. The NC state mandated tests in reading, language and math were used to determine achievement. For reading and language test results, there was no statistically significant difference based on the types of schedules. There was, however, a statistically significant difference in math computation subtest. The traditional schedule saw slightly higher scores in understanding and retention of mathematical computation for tenth grade students. Thus, this study â€Å"supports the importance of daily instruction and contact time to student achievement in mathematics as distinct from other academic skills† (Veal and Shreiber, 1999). Another study tested students in the Wilmington area of North Carolina. It, too, found that students on traditional schedules scored higher on tests of algebra, English, biology and history than did students on a block schedule (Lawrence and McPherson, 2000). 2. 2. 5 Studies that were Inconclusive in Determining the Efficacy of Block Scheduling in Increasing Academic Achievement. A third North Carolina study, this one undertaken by the Department of Public Instruction, compared End-Of-Course (EOC) test scores in five areas (English I, Algebra I, Biology I, US History, and Economic, Legal and Political Systems (ELP)). It sample scores from schools that operated on block schedules and on traditional schedules for 1993 to 1996. It mentions at the outset that the first schools to adopt block schedules in NC were those that had lower achievement scores to begin with. These schools’ scores were adjusted for the purpose of this study. The overall results were inconclusive. Some blocked schools showed some improvement in some years but then lower scores in other years. â€Å"At present, there are essentially no significant differences between groups of blocked and corresponding non-blocked school groups in terms of student performance in state EOC Tests† (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 1997).

Inland Waterways transport in France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inland Waterways transport in France - Essay Example The two most frequently carried commodities are agricultural products (28%), and Building materials (24%). One of the complications of studying European transport systems is the lack of standardization in terminology, or even languages, but there are umbrella organisations, often funded by the European Union who publish overviews in English. The Inland Navigation Europe is just such a body and they provide these illustrations. There are six, or in some countries seven, class categories which apply to the various sections of waterway and the INE, based in Brussels, describes them as follows: Over the centuries a number of different traditions have built up, with a variety of standards and measurements. In order to exploit this network the fleet is therefore correspondingly varied, with different types of vessels designed to operate on the various waterway sections, ranging from the smaller vessels of the canal systems in the north to the very large Rhine push convoys. An overview is provided here: The map shows that there is a concentration of river and canal connections around Paris, and heading out from there to the north and west, where there are internationally connected sea ports. The two great arteries of the Seine and the Rhine provide the backbones of the French system, but there has been extensive work to connect up distant provinces to the capital. France has over 18,000 kilometers of waterways and at the present time over 8,500 kilometers are navigable. In the past the development of the network has been hindered because of the fragmentation of its management into different local and national ownership arrangements. In November 2004 a ways and means contract was signed (running from 2005 to 2008) between the French government and the VNF (Voies Navigables de France – French waterways authority) to enable a more targeted management and development which meets both national and local needs. Part of this

Positivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Positivism - Essay Example Contrastingly, the school of positivism which followed, introduced the scientific method of the natural sciences for studying criminal behavior. Though the main elements of the two concepts: classical criminology and positivism focus on different issues as causal factors, both emphasize the role of social factors in fuelling crime, as well as psychological, biological and economic reasons underlying criminal behavior. The classical school’s emphasis on the free will of individuals resulting in behavior patterns, which could be corrected by appropriate punishment, was replaced by the positivist school which was geared only towards practical goals such as the elimination of anti-social conduct (Taylor et al, 1973), and not hampered by irrelevant philosophical, ethical, religious, and retributory beliefs of classical criminology. Originating in eighteenth century Europe, classical criminology was the study of human criminal behavior, in which the basic theory was that people are rational human beings who choose to commit criminal behavior, and can be discouraged from doing so by the threat of punishment as consequence for criminal behavior (Burke, 2005). Classical criminology, based on social contract theories formulated by Hobbes, Montesquieu and Rousseau, was developed by reformers such as Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794). This approach described the motive behind the crime, and the method for its control. It was meant to be a more moderate and just approach to crime and punishment, instead of public executions which served to frighten people into obedience. On the other hand, positivism is the branch of social sciences that uses the scientific method of the natural sciences as a basis for studying criminal behavior. According to positivism, human behavior results as a manifestation of several forces: social, b iological, psychological, and economic (Siegel, 2007). In the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, for

Digital Marketing in the Healthcare Industry Research Paper

Digital Marketing in the Healthcare Industry - Research Paper Example Through the system, the number of patients served per day increases and the space required to store all the data concerning the patients becomes minimal. Thus, there is increased workflow and improved productivity in the health sector. The system replaces paper records that are usually incomplete; some parts usually found in different places thus being fragmented and hard to find and read (Cavalieri and Rupp 22). The accuracy and efficiency of the health sector also improve the systems results in improved results management and the care of the patients with reduced margins of error within the medical care practice. There is also a reduction in the production cost such as overtime expenses for labor and the costs of transcription. For this reason, this automatically results in an increase in the acceptance of the system in the health sector. EMR also leads to the development of customizable and scalable records that are in a position to grow with time. The advancement of e- prescribing and documentation of the clinical records leads to improved practice in the health care system. There also results from an enhancement in the ability to more efficiently and accurately process the patients bills. The ultimate goal of having an EMR within a given hospital, is to make patients data available to anyone who needs it, where and when they need it. With the system in place, patients lab results can be obtained with much ease compared with the paper system, and this will lead to saving a lot of time and money. The system provides data that is always ready for analysis, audit, quality assurance and research and disease surveillance for continuing medical education (Cavalieri and Rupp 36). In conclusion, the emergence of the EMR into medical systems is expected to decrease medical errors, reduce health care costs and influence peoples decision in selecting their

International Currency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

International Currency - Essay Example However, it is not secret that dozens of countries all over the world including Great Britain define the value of their currencies through a fixed exchange rate with the dollar. Many others, especially in Asia, keep their currencies tightly linked to the U.S. currency (Altman, 2004) Much of the world has come to realize that the dollar's value is steadily being undermined. But few Americans understand that the government along with the Federal Reserve is accomplishing the undermining. And few also realize that the main cause of the continuing failure of the American dollar is federal indebtedness brought on by virtually uncontrolled federal spending. Responding to the vast hole they have dug for all Americans, the US leaders have paid the nation's bills by borrowing from almost every corner of the globe and by creating more currency out of nothing (inflation). According to the statistics from 2006, the YS current-account deficit equals $857 billion that is absorbing the major part of the world's capital outflows. To finance this constant deficit, the United States has accumulated trillions of dollars of foreign debt, depreciating their currency, the dollar, and appreciating other world currencies. Current paper looks at the trends and implications of the "cheap " US dollar and its effects on the world major currencies, emphasis the British pound. Causes of the dollar decline Since the introduction of the euro in 1999, the US experiences severe balance of payments deficits on current account. The biggest deficits were with China and Japan. However, in order to protect their export competitiveness, both China and Japan followed macroeconomic policies that would maintain fixed exchange rates between their currencies and the US dollar. In order to accomplish this result, both China and Japan had to intervene in the foreign exchange market by buying up massive amounts of US dollars while selling corresponding amounts of their own currencies, the Chinese Yuan and the Japanese yen. These purchase showed up as capital inflows into the US. However, as the US continued to maintain historically low interest rates to stimulate its domestic economy, some critics wondered if China and Japan would continue to hold so many US dollars (Eiteman, Stonehill, Moffett 2007). As a result of extensive US exports, the country has become the world's largest debtor, rather than th e world's largest creditor, the position it held in earlier years. Net foreign purchases of US securities have retreated from their peak in 2001, while the US balance of current accounts has worsened, as show in Figure 1. Figure 1: Balance of US current account 1960-2001 According to APF Business news1, the US balance of payments deficit narrowed in the second quarter to 190.8 billion dollars from 197.1 billion in the first quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The US current account figure, roughly in line with analysts' forecasts, represented 5.5 percent of US economic output or gross domestic product. For the first quarter, the current account deficit was revised up to 197.1 billion dollars or 5.8 percent of GDP. The improvement in the current account deficit, the broadest measure of trade and income flows, suggested some easing of balance of paymen

Benefites and drawbacks of the internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Benefites and drawbacks of the internet - Essay Example Internet is just like an ocean of knowledge for all the people. But the problem is that this ocean consists of good and evils. Only the matured persons will be able to select and segregate good things from internet whereas immature people always fell in to this ocean as victims of the bad things. This paper briefly analyses the advantages and disadvantages of internet. â€Å"Internet can provide explicit sex and violence related materials which can harm the development of modern generation. Exhibitions of genitals, the use or sale of weapons, illegal drug sale, illegal gambling, alcohol consumption, explicit violence against people or animals including hate crimes, tobacco use etc are some of the major disadvantages of using internet. One of the major reasons for juvenile offenses is the influence of internet upon children. Segregation of good and evils is difficult for kids because of the growth of sex hormones at the adolescent period. It is easy for the juveniles to watch movies filled with violence and sexual activities using internet websites like YouTube. Internet is a paradise for gamblers and antisocial elements. Credit card forgery, phishing like internet scams are increasing day by day and even intelligent adults fall victims of such cheaters. It is easy for such tricksters to cheat the kids, if the parents fail to put an eye on their child’s activities in internet. Another major disadvantage of internet is the threat of viruses. â€Å"Over 50% of all companies report being hit by a virus each year. Over 20% of all computers are currently infected with spyware† (Computer Internet Security). In short, many companies are facing severe problems in keeping their data safe in their computers because of the virus threat from internet. Internet addiction may sometimes reduce the thinking ability of a child. Children will use internet for everything and the readily available information may result in seldom usage of their brains. The growth of mental

Globalization and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization and Technology - Essay Example When all things are considered, the relationship between globalization and technology is very strong. Technology supports globalization because of what it allows businesses and individuals to do now that they could not do before. As one author notes, there is "widespread agreement that information technology (defined to include telecommunications, computer hardware and software and access to the Internet) serves to promote globalization and that this influence is transmitted through a wide variety of different mechanisms" (James 507). When one considers the day-to-day effects of new technology, it is not difficult to understand this point. For example, before the Internet and email, international communication was by telephone or regular postal delivery. Before integrated software was developed, businesses had no way of efficiently working with one another across international lines. The pure speed at which businesses can operate together has been increased dramatically, making business markets more efficient. Economic globalization puts national economies into the same markets as o ther countries and, as the markets become more "interconnected," these national economies become "increasingly interdependent" (Lupel 156). Most people see globalization and this relationship between countries as a good thing. ... .[or] a group of software experts from Bulgaria can communicate about technical matters with their counterparts in the United States and understand them perfectly well...it is a miracle [that] does not even begin to describe how fast we have advanced and how far we have come in terms of technology and globalization" (Samli 2). For sure, these abilities have been made possible by new technologies, and the advance of technology still to come will only increase this concept. Some people do not think that technology has driven globalization, but that it has followed it. In other words, it isn't because of technology that we have globalization; it is because of globalization that we use the technology. One author says it like this: "...in spite of the enthusiasm for science that accompanied each wave of globalization, as a historical rule it was primarily commerce and finance that drove globalization, not science or technology" (Pettis 52). I don't think that this position makes that much difference in how the two things work together. Whether technology causes globalization or globalization makes technology improve is not that important; the point is that technology is a very important part of globalization and plays a strong role in supporting its growth and efficiency. The relationship between globalization and technology is very strong. Technology supports the process because it helps individuals, companies, and entire national economies work together to become more efficient. There is also a social aspect because different cultures are being exposed to one another, which promotes more business and understanding. Whether the technology comes in the form of telecommunication, new computer software, or just an Internet chat room, the world is

Electric vehicle Essay Example for Free

Electric vehicle Essay 1. Summarize the content of this movie. Keep it to the space below, please. Electric car was around in 1960s. During the energy crisis in 1970s and 1980s electric cars started disappearing. In 1990s first electric car EV1 from a company named General Motors became popular in California simply because it was more environmental-friendly while it was affordable. A Zero-emissions vehicle mandate require companies to offer electric cars if they wanted to continue selling gasoline vehicles. The oil industries were fighting against the electric cars. Less people wanted to use it in that they wanted to pay less for electric cars which were limited. California dropped the mandate after getting sued by auto-makers. Drivers protested to try to save electric cars. There was almost no demand for GM’s electric cars. In a survey, 4000 said they would drive an electric car but at the end it narrowed down to only 50. GM started taking back EV1s from the drivers to be crushed and recycled. The last consumer EV1 was given up by its driver in 2004. Someone put her last effort to put EV1 back to the road; within 48 hours, 80 people signed up to get an EV1 while GM only had 72 cars. There were several suspects about the situation with GM. GM stated that there was no demand in the market for those electric cars, but several interviews with consumers showed that people wanted those electric cars. Another suspect was batteries. The batteries that EV1s had at the time were acid batteries with 60 miles of range. Average driving distance of Americans was less than 30 miles per day which meant EV1s would actually satisfy consumers. The EV1s made later which was the second generation came with better batteries that lasted around 100 miles. Oil companies were financing campaigns to stop the utility efforts for building public charging stations. President George W. Bush joined the auto industries to go against the ZEV mandate. Hydrogen fuel cars were introduced in the film as well. The problems with hydrogen fuel cars were high cost and limits on driving distance range. People who were trying to save the EV1s from being crushed got arrested from police officers. People who were being interviewed in the film think that we will be entering a clean world with bright future with electric cars. An example is that electric cars are working just fine in Japan. 2. Would you buy an electric car? Why or why not? As a civil engineering major student, I’m concerned about the environment that we’re living in. I would definitely buy an electric car. I’m not only doing this for my son or daughter in the future but for every single person on earth. And I believe it is everybody’s responsibility to protect the earth. 3. Answer on the back of this sheet. Search for an electric car in production today. Who makes it? How much does it cost? Does it use any fuel? What is the battery life? How long does it take to charge? Would you buy one? Why or why not? Find out as much about it as you can. Be VERY thorough. Nissan Leaf manufactured by Nissan. Nissan Leaf has a starting price of $27,700. It doesnt not use fuel but only electricity. It takes around 7 hours for a full charge on Nissan Leaf. This is someone I would not be interest buying because it is too small of a car. I would get an electric car but bigger size.

Influence of Promotional Activities on Fast Food Buying

Influence of Promotional Activities on Fast Food Buying Dining out in Pakistan is an exciting and rich experience. In Pakistan food has many different styles with many great restaurants in all the major cities of Pakistan. Fast food trend is quite new in Pakistan. It was introduced in Pakistan about two or three decades ago and it is growing very fast which indicates that this type of food industry have a very bright future in Pakistan. Fast food is pre-prepared food or which can be quickly cooked when you order for it. Two major fast food restaurants having strong presence in Pakistan are Mc Donalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Fast food restaurants attract customers through different techniques in which promotional tools are widely used. Our research is based on the hypothesis that several promotional techniques like coupons, new product, value deals, price discounts and promotional deals are having influence on fast food consumers buying behavior or not. A research has been carried out which is based on the consumers response to s urvey which involved questions regarding several promotional techniques used in fast food. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The concept of sales promotion could easily be understood by considering this simple example â€Å"Suppose you visit the market to buy any product and there it is suggested to you that if you buy two of that product then you will get an extra piece according to their scheme. You will be delighted to know that you are saving money of that extra piece of product given to you. That extra piece can be a product used on a regular basis which you can keep for later use. These are exactly the sales promotion techniques for increasing sales of a certain product which every business person wants for the sales of goods that he deals in and he can use many different ways for this purpose. Some of those methods you might have heard about such as â€Å"Win a tour to Dubai†, â€Å"20% extra on a large pack†, â€Å"Scratch and win†, â€Å"Free gifts like lunch box, pencil box and shampoo sachet, â€Å"Buy one get one free† etc. In every industry, promotions are key sources of increasing sales of products. Fast food industry is one of the industries which very much rely on its foods promotion to increase the sales. For this purpose, it practices several techniques including price discounts, coupons, new product and offer different deals to attract its customers. Every organization wants a greater share of the total customer market and for this purpose it becomes very important for organizations to know their consumers reactions and responses towards their promotional campaigns in order to implement them successfully. Now we will look at fast food industry and its presence in Pakistan. FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS Fast food restaurants are those restaurants where no table service is provided. Its a self service restaurant and food is ordered only at a counter. The term fast food is the term used for food which is prepared and served very quickly with precooked ingredients. Fast food restaurants represent one of the largest segments of the food industry. Some of the largest players in this category include international giants like McDonalds, and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS IN PAKISTAN Fast food chains are becoming increasingly commonplace in nations around the world. Many American based companies have expanded into and are thriving in the global market. The concept of fast food restaurants was introduced in Pakistan in the early 1980s. There are several fast food chains operating in Pakistan but two of them are very dominant. A brief introduction of these fast food chains is given below. MCDONALDS Mc Donalds was opened in 1940 by brothers by Dick and Mac Mc Donald in San Bernardino, California. McDonalds opened its doors in Pakistan in September 1998 at Lahore and presently operating in almost every major city with a network of several restaurants in each city. McDonalds Pakistan has an aggressive plan to expand in all over Pakistan and is rapidly growing with the passage of time. It has a strong presence in Pakistan with locations in Lahore, Karachi, Hyderabad and Islamabad. KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN (KFC) The company was founded as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952. KFC has a strong presence in Pakistan. In Pakistan its locations include Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Karachi. KFC opened its first outlet in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in 1997 and today KFC has several branches in main metropolitans throughout Pakistan which include Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sukkur and Murree with more than 60 outlets nationwide. FAST FOOD DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN Our nation has been denoting a fast food nation as we look around. We see them on road corners, shopping areas, petrol pumps and even in hospitals whether is an international franchise of fast food or a lo al burger wala, people spend extra money on burger and French fries as compared to other food; in a very short time period our civilization has become faster paced and attracted to this style of dining out. Dining out is an important part of our emerging lifestyle as compared to the past as it was considered as an unusual luxury. Children are also an important market targeted by fast food because they offer special value meals for them. The young generation who considers it faster is the potential high fat fast food consumers. The fast food environment is not considered only for eating but for enjoyment also today, keeping in mind the several activities practiced in fast food especially for children such as birthday, get together parties and other unforgettable occasions. Several p romotional activities are practiced in order to attract the new customers and to retain the existing one. Now lets look at some sales promotion approaches used by fast food restaurants. COUPONS A coupon is a printed document that can be exchanged for reduction when buying a product. Basically coupons are issued by manufacturer of a product which is used as sales promotion method. Coupons usually fall into three categories. (1) Absolutely free, (2) Discounted, (3) Buy one get something. These are often seen in newspapers and magazines and packs. PRICE DISCOUNTS Price discounts are incentives offered to consumers in order to catch their attention. Actually price discounts is the initiative which give consumers feeling of receiving some additional value by not paying a certain percentage of amounts of that product such as 10%, 20% or 50%. This is one of the most commonly used ways to convince customers to increase their purchases. PROMOTIONAL DEALS In the fast food industry, different deals are offered to its customers better suited to their needs and requirements as it is a quick service food. Such kinds of deals are known as midnight deals and lunch deals etc to provide value to customers. VALUE DEALS Value deals are those deals offered by fast food restaurants to their customers as value for their money. Fast food restaurants come up with these attractive ideas by offering some extra amount of food with a minor difference of amount. For example, upsizing the meals by paying extra smaller amount or getting 20% for the same price. NEW PRODUCTS Fast food chains such as Mc Donalds and KFC introduce new products to its consumers in different seasons to attract new customers and keep hold of the existing customers by offering/ adding something new in their menu. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The objective of sales promotion is to market activities in order to add the basic value of a product or services which encourages people to purchase. As the fast food industry is growing in Pakistan and obviously the reasons are speed, convenience and price. People are now more attracted towards fast food with the introduction of different promotional offers which suits customers in different occasions and timings. The rapid rate at which the fast food industry continues to include promotions to its menu to attract its customers is as much a reflection of consumer attraction towards those promotions itself. Therefore, with an emphasis on sales promotional activities, its impact on sales and consumers responses towards them is going to be analyzed. The main purpose of this research is to study the different independent variables which could encourage fast food consumers to dine in the fast food franchises. To investigate the consumers behavior/ response towards sales promotion in fast food industry, Consumers can have a positive or no response to sales promotion. PURPOSE OF STUDY The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of promotional activities practiced in the fast food restaurants. For this purpose some important and most practiced promotional approaches which are used in fast food franchises are taken which are given below: Price discount Coupons Promotional deals Value deals New products RESEARCH SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS The scope of this research is to investigate the influence of several promotional activities practiced in fast food restaurants. These are some limitations imposed on this study: Respondents are randomly selected and mostly were youngsters and college/university students because they are more attracted towards fast food and definite users. Access to fast food franchises was limited in order to meet respondents inside because they did not allow. The questionnaire was filled by researcher from respondents outside the franchises. Lack of response from some respondents. THESIS STRUCTURE This thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the problem about which the research was carried out and in general about the fast food industry and its scope in Pakistan. Chapter 2 is about the literature review. In Chapter 3, researcher describes the methodology adopted including sources of information and data collection methods are discussed. In chapter 4, the experiential data collected through questionnaire is analyzed and results are concluded on the basis of a survey. Conclusions are drawn and necessary recommendations are suggested. CHAPTER II- LITERATURE REVIEW In todays competitive environment it is very important for marketing managers to utilize the complete variety of marketing mix tools to achieve maximum result and one of these marketing tools is sales promotion which has been very important in the food retail division(Sue Peattie; 1998). Nowadays several promotional tools such as coupons, bonus packs, free samples and sweepstakes are very commonly practiced activities offered by manufacturers to its consumers but the next step which is the consumer response to these activities has not been understood well in this regard (Chem L. Narayan and P.S. Raju; 1985). So keeping in mind the importance of consumers reactions and response towards promotional campaigns of organizations in order to implement these promotional activities successfully, the influence of these promotional activities on sales and consumer decision is going to be analyzed. Promotional campaign is an attempt to influence the consumer buying decision; and promotional stra tegist is a functional behavioral analyst who finds the nature of the response towards any promotional activity and seriously weighs up the facts and support provided by the respondents via behavioral research in order to achieve utmost results and efficient findings (Peter L. Wright; 1973). The impact of advertising on the purchasing behavior of the consumer has been acknowledged in the marketing literature while the impact of promotional activities has given lees consideration (Deborah L. Owens, Michael Hardman, Bruce Keiller). Advertising has a much closed relation with sales promotional tools. Sales promotion is consist of short term incentives to encourage purchase or sale of a product or service while advertising offers reasons to buy a product or service. Sales promotion offers reasons to buy now (Kotler, Principles of Marketing). Recently the use of promotional activities has availed noticeably increased attention due to the effectiveness of easily measurable and manuscript promotional campaign as compared to advertising campaign. This investigation has been intended to assist managers of marketing and sales departments in order to implement various consumer promotions efficiently in a combined marketing program. The usage graph of sales promotions has gone up significantly in few years and one of the major reasons for this is that effectiveness of sales promotions is very much easier to calculate than the effectiveness of advertising campaign (Deborah L. Owens, Michael Hardman, Bruce Keiller). There are some internal factors and external factors which contribute in the growth of sales promotional activities. The main internal factor is the acceptance of sales promotion as an effective sales promotion technique by the product managers because they face greater pressure by top management to increase their current sales while external factors include large number of brands and then the increasing competition among them seeing that the competing brands are less differentiated. Third, advertising efficiency has declined because of changing economic conditions, rising costs and media disorder (Philip Kotler), (Chem Narayan and P.S. Raju; 1985). Given the importance of sales promotional techniques the most important decision for marketers is to choose the mixture of suitable sales promotional activities (Philip Kotler), (Chem Narayan and P.S. Raju; 1985). The modern fast food uprising basically was originated in the US in 1950s and since then this style of cuisine has captured the whole world. Fast food is seen as a symbol of globalization and post-modern society and the world is attracting to this style of food (Yasser Ibrahim, Claudio Vignali; 2005). The fast food industry is more global now and international fast food expenditure goes on to enhance in popularity (Ali Kara, Erdener Kaynak, Orsay Kucukemiroglu; 1997).In the developing countries a very little research has been done on fast food and its consumers thus a very little is known about fast food consumers. Timothy J. Richards and Luis Padilla in 2007 has found that promotional activities increase the market share of the company and also expand the fast food demand generally. This shows that promotional activities influence the buying decision of fast food consumers due to price change. Promotions obviously contain a great impact on buying decision. What is important to keep clear is the process through which consumers act in response to these offers. This understanding is very important for successful scheming of promotions as well as for assuring the minimum harmful causes of other communication elements (Meryl P. Gardner, Roger A. Strang). A very little work has been done in the past concerning consumers perceptions and preferences for fast food industry. Previous researches done on fast food industry have been limited to the features of fast food consumers in terms of demographic and socio-economic factors while a very little attention has been given to study the behavior and attitude of fast food consumers (Ali Kara, Erdener Kaynak, Orsay Kucukemiroglu; 1997). Consumer behavior is expected to be found fairly different as compared to the developed countries in view of the fact that these countries are mainlyinfluenced by social, political and economic conditions (Raju, 1995). It can be forecasted that the concept of fast food in developing countries is different than developed countries and their perceptions and attitudes differ as compared to international fast food industry in the industrialized countries (Brady and Robertson; 1999; Watson; 2000; Eckhardt and Houston; 2002). It has been acknowledged that marketing m anagers and strategist should have sufficient knowledge and understanding of consumers perceptions and preferences of dining out in fast food restaurants and how they are diverse across cultures and countries. This understanding will help in targeting countries and their different cultures in order to promote fast food culture and to improve and modify the perception of fast food restaurant there to increase the demand of the consumers (Ali Kara, Erdener Kaynak, Orsay Kucukemiroglu; 1997). Fast food restaurants practice several types of promotional activities throughout the year in which coupons are the most used promotional tool. Coupons have grown by more than 500% in the last decade which proves the importance of coupons (Chakravarthi Narasimhan1984) and coupons are the representative among other promotional tools like new product offers, promotional deals and price discounts etc. It is well acknowledged in the marketing literature that coupons have immediate impacts on sales (Jeongwen Chiang 1995). Fast food restaurants offer consumer a mixture of tangible and intangible elements. Here the purpose of the study is to examine the influence of promotional activities on consumer decision in fast food industry. Several big fast food giants are engaged in satisfying consumer needs and Kentucky fried chicken (KFC) is the leading fast food franchise satisfying its consumer needs followed by Mc Donalds, Subway and Mr. Burger. CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY DATA COLLECTION Two types of sources are used in data collection for any research function which are primary and secondary data. In this research study, both types of sources are operated. Secondary data is obtained from the books, articles, research journals, and internet while primary supply of data is dependent on questionnaire survey. According to the requirement the researcher is dependent on both the sources for academic and experimental data. We are very much relying on the questionnaire survey results for empirical data because limited information is available on promotional activities and its influence on consumer buying behavior in Pakistan. RESEARCH AND TESTING INSTRUMENTS Questionnaire has been used for surveys for this research and for testing purpose SPSS has been used as a testing tool. During the analysis of data in SPSS researcher has used technique of one sample T- test. FEEDBACK FORM For the purpose of data collection about different promotional tools and its influence on consumer buying behavior in the fast food restaurants a questionnaire has been used. Information regarding the influence of different promotional activities offered in fast food restaurants on consumer buying behavior is availed by knowing the satisfaction and agreement level with every promotional activity independently offered in fast food. QUESTIONNAIRE TESTING T o detect weaknesses in the instrument a questionnaire testing was conducted. According to Malhotra (2003), pre-testing refers to the testing of the questionnaire on a small sample of respondents to recognize and to get rid of likely trouble. For such purpose the researcher filled out 10 questionnaires from fast food consumers. Burns and Bush (1998) suggested that a pre-test of 5-10 representative questionnaires is usually adequate to spot the problems in a questionnaire. SAMPLING For this thesis, the influence of different promotional activities on consumer buying behavior was carried out through a survey of consumers of selected fast food restaurants. A questionnaire was filled out from 100 respondents in a good environment in order to avoid any hustle and weak response. SAMPLE SIZE The sample size of research is 100 respondents. It includes the following: Male/ Female Age group: 20 years or above Employed/ unemployed Fast food consumers Karachi based HYPOTHESIS h3= Price discounts influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. h3= Coupons influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. H3: Promotional deals influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. H4: Value deals influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. H5: New product influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In our finding the statistical test which has been applied is the one sample t-test. One sample t-test compares the mean value of a sample (computed from a set of observed values) with the hypothesized mean value so this is the easiest test to understand and determine the likelihood or the difference between sample score and hypothesized values. Following is the output of our research. We compared the mean level of our output to a known test value of 4 because 4 is our agreement level. First see the descriptive statistics. The mean of our samples are the following: Price discounts = 4.0 New products = 3.9933 Coupons = 3.9767 Promotional deals = 3.9033 Value offers = 3.8767 The above mean values are closest to the test value of 4. Price discounts is having the highest mean value 4 which is equal to the test value of 4 and then new products have mean value (3.9933) and followed by coupons (3.9767), promotional deals (3.9033) and then value offers (3.8767). Now, see the results of our one sample t-test: Our T-value for each observation is: Price discounts = 0.000 New products = -.111 Promotional deals = -1.219 Value offers = -1.559 Coupons = -.306 The cut point of T-value is 1.5. If the T-value is greater than 1.5 then the significant value becomes lower and goes to significant level. We have 99 degrees of freedom. Our significance values are: Price discounts = 1.000 New products = 0.912 Promotional deals = 0.226 Value offers = 0.122 Coupons = 0.760 It means that the mean difference is not significant and the test value which is (4) â€Å"Agreement level† is equal to the mean value of price discounts, new products, promotional deals, value offers and coupons and there is no significant difference between the test value and the mean values of the sample. ACCEPTED HYPOTHESIS: Following hypothesis has been accepted: h3, h3, H3, H4, H5 Based on statistical test and results of above table, following hypothesis has been accepted and it was found that these factors influence the consumer buying behavior in fast food restaurants. h3= Price discounts influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. h3= Coupons influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. H3: Promotional deals influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. H4: Value deals influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. H5: New product influence purchase decision of fast food consumers. CONCLUSION A very little research has been done so far on fast food consumers and their buying behavior as well as promotional activities practiced by fast food restaurants and its influence on consumer buying decision. To the best of my knowledge, the research work done so far of fast food outlets have been limited to the explanation of the characteristics of the fast food consumers in terms of demographic and socio-economic factors and some work is done on the restaurants brand equity and their competitiveness while a very small number of consideration has been related to the fast food consumers behavior and attitude orientation. Research conducted by Syed Mehdi Raza and Tariq Jalees in 2005 measures the brand equity of fast food chains operating in Karachi. Timothy J. Richards and Luis Padilla believe that fast food promotion is a major cause of the obesity. The purpose of the learning is to understand the influence of promotional activities on the buying behavior of fast food consumers. For findings we apply the One Sample T-test to check the significant impact of all selected variables, it was found that the all variables (Coupons, Price discounts, Promotional deals, value offers and new products) significantly influence the buying behavior of fast food consumers. The results of the study have shown very optimistic response from fast food consumers for the influence of promotional activities in fast food restaurants. Consumers really think and appreciate that promotional activities influence their dining out decision in fast food restaurants, it also affect their frequency of dining out in fast food and they think that promotional activities should be offered by fast food restaurants.

The State of Being ‘Human’ in Kanes Blasted Essay -- Literary Analysi

â€Å"I’ve only ever written to escape from hell-and it’s never worked-but at the other end of it when you sit there and watch something and think that’s the most perfect expression of the hell that I felt then maybe it was worth it. (Sarah Kane, Royal Holloway College, London, 3 November 1998).† (Saunders. 2002: 1). Both representative and reflected in this statement made by the British playwright Sarah Kane (1971-1999) (Sierz. 2001: 90-91) is the state of being human. In its literal sense the state of being human could be illustrated as an expression of existence. That of the individual and characteristics and traits experienced through the life of mortal man. (Oxford English Dictionary. 2006: 61 & 366). In addition to this, the associated meaning with the word ‘tested’ suggests ‘a difficult situation that reveals the strength or quality of someone or something.’ (Oxford English Dictionary. 2006: 785). When defined in t hese terms, this then opens up the question to how an expression of human-existence is revealed under pressure in Sarah Kane’s play Blasted (1995). The twentieth century British playwright Sarah Kane’s (1971-1999) first and sensational drama Blasted opened in the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, in January 1995. (Saunders. 2002: 2). From the outset Kane’s play stirred much controversy within the media. The title itself had a great impact upon its audience, as blasted through its formed meaning and literal association is a term ‘expressing annoyance.’ (Oxford English Dictionary. 2006: 70). As stated by the British theatre critic Aleks Sierz, Kane’s Blasted is â€Å"a shocking play whose raw language and powerful images of rape, eye-gouging and cannibalism provoked critical outrage†¦Kane exploded theatri... ...tp://www.robertsilverstone.com/wp-content/articles/Art_of_Being_Human_Part1.pdf. [Accessed 21st April 2012] Stephens, S. (2010) Sarah Kane’s debut play Blasted returns. [On-line] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/oct/24/sarah-kane-blasted. [Accessed 21st April 2012] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, (2009) War. [On-line] Available from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/war. [Accessed 21st April 2012] The Guardian, (2005) ‘Suicide art? She’s better than that.’ [On-line] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2005/oct/12/theatre. [Accessed 21st April 2012] Wixson, C. (2005) â€Å"In Better Places†: Space, Identity, and Alienation in Sarah Kane’s Blasted. [On-line] Available from: http://muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.falmouth.ac.uk/journals/comparative_drama/summary/v039/39.1.wixson.html. [Accessed 19th April 2012]

Management and Leadership Essay -- essays research papers

Leadership and Management are two notions that are often used interchangeably. However, these words actually describe two different concepts. For this paper, I am going to try to discuss these differences and explain why both terms are thought to be similar. Leadership is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. Care must be taken in distinguishing between the two concepts. The main aim of a manager is to maximize the output of the organization through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake the following functions:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Organization  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Planning  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Staffing  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Directing  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Controlling Leadership is just one important component of the directing function. A manager cannot just be a leader, he also needs formal authority to be effective. â€Å"For any quality initiative to take hold, senior management must be involved and act as a role model. This involvement cannot be delegated†(Predpall, 30).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In some circumstances, leadership is not required. For example, self-motivated groups may not require a single leader and may find leaders dominating. The fact that a leader is not always required proves that leadership is just an asset and is not essential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Managers think incrementally, while leaders think radically. â€Å"Managers do things right,... Management and Leadership Essay -- essays research papers Leadership and Management are two notions that are often used interchangeably. However, these words actually describe two different concepts. For this paper, I am going to try to discuss these differences and explain why both terms are thought to be similar. Leadership is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. Care must be taken in distinguishing between the two concepts. The main aim of a manager is to maximize the output of the organization through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake the following functions:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Organization  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Planning  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Staffing  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Directing  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Controlling Leadership is just one important component of the directing function. A manager cannot just be a leader, he also needs formal authority to be effective. â€Å"For any quality initiative to take hold, senior management must be involved and act as a role model. This involvement cannot be delegated†(Predpall, 30).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In some circumstances, leadership is not required. For example, self-motivated groups may not require a single leader and may find leaders dominating. The fact that a leader is not always required proves that leadership is just an asset and is not essential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Managers think incrementally, while leaders think radically. â€Å"Managers do things right,...

Organizational Ethics Essay -- Business Management

Market economies as ultimately embarked consumer sovereignty as the cornerstone of capitalism; further, bearing moral compasses in a pluralistic society of ethical behaviour. Hence, dictating the normative enactment of corporate social responsibility subsequently undertaken via individual businesses. Consumers under capitalism are, accordingly to ideology, the decision makers on the allocation of society’s resources (N. Smith, 1990). Echoing, mere imperatives for companies to articulate their role, scope & purpose in order to maintain their validity, reputation & self worth depends on their ability to understand their place in society (W. Visser, D. Mallen, M. Pohl, N. Tolhurst, page 101). As such, meriting thorough analysis of FirstGroup plc rather compulsion of fulfilling both ethical and corporate social responsibility in an ever evolving societal landscape will be undertaken. FirstGroup plc operates a transportation business model with a wholesome revenue stream of over  £6 billion & employs 130 000 staff throughout the UK & North America with a testimonial annual total passenger calculus of 2.5 billion and a justifiable 23% market share (UK bus and rail division). Griseri et al (2010) points out such core stakeholders of the company which are reluctantly vital for the existence and success of the company. These stakeholders form the principal resource base for the company. As FirstGroup maintain and improve their ability to on the resources held via their core stakeholders. In contrast, the second group (depicted above) relates to the company’s competitive position within the company’s particular industry and market. The main challenge for the company with this group of stakeholders is to establish and sustain relati... ...ivil society: emerging embedded relational governance beyond the (neo) liberal and welfare state models’, Journal of Corporate Governance, 5 (3), 159–74 Robert W. Kolb (2008), Encyclopedia Of Business Ethics And Society, Vol. 5, page 71 John Henry (2004), Between Enterprise and Ethics-Business and Management in a Bimoral Society, page 111 FirstGroup plc., 2010. Section 3 – Employment, . [online] FirstGroup plc Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2010]. Ghoul, S. et al, 2010. Does Corporate Social Responsibility Affect the Cost of Capital?, [online] Available at: [Accessed 2 December 2010]. Heinkel, R., A. Kraus and J. Zechner, 2001, The Effect of Green Investment on Corporate Behavior, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 36, 431-449.

Giligan Oakmont Country Club Case

Gilligan oOakmont Country Club 1 Thomas W. Gilligan University of Southern California I t is the summer of 1996 and management must decide whether or not to alter the process used to trade the club’s 450 memberships. The current fixed price system, in which management sets the transfer fee for club memberships, offers some degree of financial certainty for existing and prospective members as well as for the club’s financial planners. However, the fixed price system promotes chronic imbalances between the number of members wishing to leave the club and the number of eligible candidates wanting to enter the club.These imbalances create frustrations for eligible candidates, hardships for long-time club members, difficulties in developing suitable new members and problems for club planners. Management is considering several alternatives. THE CLUB Oakmont Country Club is a private golf and social club located along the Arroyo Verdugo in northern Glendale, California. Establi shed in 1922, Oakmont has long provided the kind of relaxed social life prized by many Southern California families. Oakmont’s mission statement reveals the club’s goals and orientation. . . to provide its members with a premium golf and country club experience that includes a well maintained, highly respected and competitive golf course; an attractively designed and efficiently operated clubhouse that meets the membership’s requirements for excellent service, top-quality food and beverages and ample meeting and banquet facilities; and the maintenance of the Club’s unique atmosphere of a strong and friendly family orientation. All contemporary management issues at Oakmont are evaluated through the lens of this mission statement.This case was prepared by Thomas W. Gilligan, University of Southern California, as a basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation.Oakmont’s challenging 18-hole, 6,736-yard golf course is a tough test for golfers of any ability. The course was designed by Max Behr, architect of many local courses including the one at Lakeside Country Club, and modified by William Bell, Sr. , creator of courses at the Riviera and Bel Air Country Clubs. Oakmont’s course is currently the site of an annual Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournament and over the years has hosted many important professional and amateur events. Among the notable winners of golf tournaments held at Oakmont are Ben Hogan and Al Geiberger.Oakmont’s clubhouse, which was renovated in 1995, is a 42,000 square foot, single-story structure characterized by an elegant reception area, formal dining room, private meeting and banquet rooms, a member’s grill, a casual dining room and a terrace grill for indoor and outdoor eating. In addition, there is a fully equipped state-of-the-art exercise room and men’s and women’s locker rooms. A competitive short course pool, with toddler swimming area, is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year. Oakmont’s assets are valued at nearly $13 million while its annual operating expenses are more than $3 million.Tables 1 and 2 are statements of the financial position and activities of Oakmont Country Club for fiscal years 1995 and 1996. Oakmont is organized as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the state of California. According to its bylaws, Oakmont’s membership is fixed at 450 regular members each with an equal proprietary interest in the club’s assets (Oakmont also has several non-equity membership categories). Regular members govern Oakmont through the election of a Board of Directors (the Board), the chief policy-making body of the club. The Board appoints members o standing and special committees and, together with the club’s General Manager and senior staff, supervise the daily operations of Oakmont. Regular members also vote on the adoption of new articles or amendments to Oakmont’s bylaws.THE MEMBERSHIP PROCESSMost of Oakmont’s regular members are professionals, entrepreneurs or corporate leaders who reside in Glendale and the neighboring communities of La Crescenta, La Canada-Flintridge and Pasadena. Some are executives or high-ranking managers in the entertainment industries that permeate the Los Angeles basin.Many current members are children of long-time Oakmont members. Surveys conducted by the club indicate that many members consider other clubs before joining Oakmont. Three nearby clubs – Annandale Country Club in Pasadena, San Gabriel Country Club in San Gabriel, and Lakeside Country Club in Burbank – compete directly with Oakmont for new members. Indeed, the need to provide competitive club characteristics and amenities was a major motivation for the recent renovation of Oakmont’s Clubhouse. Regular members wishing to leave Oakmont do so for a varie ty of reasons.Some have moved or are planning to move to locations that would limit or preclude their use of Oakmont. Others wish to give up their golfing privileges but continue their association with Oakmont as social members. Some find that due to changing life circumstances (e. g. , the death of a spouse), their club usage has declined and it is no longer sensible to continue to pay the monthly membership dues, which can approach $500 even with little or no use of the club. And some are no longer economically able to cover the cost of membership. Historically, roughly two members leave the club each month.The process of becoming a member at Oakmont is typical of private country and social clubs in Southern California. Prospective members are invited to join Oakmont by two current members (a â€Å"proposer† and â€Å"seconder†) and endorsed by five additional regular members. These prospects are then interviewed by the club’s Membership Committee and evaluate d by the Board.Eligible candidates become members of Oakmont by remitting an entrance fee to the club’s business office. Part of the entrance fee, the transfer fee, is used to defray the current expenses of the club. Table 2 illustrates that the transfer fee is an important revenue source, constituting roughly 14 and 19 percent of the club’s operating revenues in 1996 and 1995, respectively. The balance of the entrance fee, the member’s equity, is paid to the resigning member. Currently, the entrance fee, transfer fee and member’s equity are set by Oakmont’s Board.This so-called fixed price membership system is typical of social and country clubs like Oakmont and has several desirable features. The fixed price system allows the Board to reliably budget transfer fees. The fixed price system also appears to provide some certainty about the costs of joining Oakmont to prospective members and the value of member’s equity for members planning to resign. Since the fee structure adopted under the fixed price system is at the discretion of the Board, it permits some flexibility in adjusting to relevant changing circumstances.For example, the vicissitudes of the Southern California economy have a large bearing on the number of members wishing to resign from or join Oakmont. During the economic boom of the late 1980s and prior to the recession of the early 1990s, the Board increased the entrance fee by almost 50 percent (from $34,000 in May 1989 to $50,000 in March 1992). After the recession of the early 1990s, the Board reduced the entrance fee by nearly a quarter (from $50,000 in March 1992 to $39,000 in June 1993).Changes in the entrance fee also reflect the financial requirements of construction or acquisition of new assets. Also in June 1993, the Board increased the entrance fee by $6,700, an amount equal to the assessment levied on all current Oakmont members to cover the costs of the Clubhouse renovation (note that the ol d entrance fee plus assessment yields the new entrance fee of $45,700). Table 3 reports the entrance fee, transfer fee, and member’s equity for October of each year from 1989 to 1995, as well as for August of 1996.THE PROBLEMSThe fixed price membership system used at Oakmont is associated with at least one potentially undesirable feature; a chronic imbalance between the number of members wishing to resign and the number of eligible candidates wishing to join the club. The last column of Table 3 reports the number of people waiting to join (in parenthesis) or resign from Oakmont for several months during the 1989 to 1996 period. In October of 1991, there were 11 eligible candidates for membership to the club who, due to the paucity of members wishing to resign, remained eligible candidates for at least one month.Inspection of Table 3 indicates that the number of eligible candidates waiting to join Oakmont at the end of October of 1990 and 1989 was even greater; 42 and 27, resp ectively. Indeed, some members who paid Oakmont’s highest historical entrance fee late in 1991 or early in 1992 had waited over two years to join the club. A long waiting list of eligible candidates wishing to enter Oakmont had its good and bad points. Some members viewed a long queue of eligible candidates as indicative of the value and exclusivity of the club.After all, it is traditionally difficult to get into a desirable social club; why should Oakmont be any different? Others, however, were troubled by the impact of this lengthy wait on eligible candidates. All of the eligible candidates had been asked to join by current Oakmont members. Many of these members were embarrassed and frustrated by the lengthy wait that accompanied their invitations. In addition, some felt that the long waiting list to enter Oakmont generated â€Å"speculative† eligible members; individuals that declined to exercise their option to become a member when they reached the top of the list. While these two membership categories addressed some of the problems associated with the long waiting list to join Oakmont, they also created some new issues and abuses, as well. During 1992, the imbalance between the number of members wishing to resign or join Oakmont continued unabated.Paradoxically, the relationship that existed during the late 1980s and early 1990s reversed itself; there were now more members wishing to resign than to join. The factors behind this new trend were evident. The weakening national and, especially, Southern California economy shrank the number of individuals with the discretionary income necessary to belong to a country club. Changes in the tax law in the early 1990s that reduced allowable deductions for club dues and entertainment further limited the number of prospective members.Moreover, the average age of Oakmont members, a good predictor of the number of members wishing to resign, had increased from 55 years in 1971 to 62 years in 1996. As Table 3 reports, at the end of October of 1992 there were 10 members who wished to leave Oakmont but could not because there were no eligible candidates waiting to enter. By the end of August of 1996, this number was now 41 and the member at the top of the list to sell his membership had waited since June of 1994. Club management soon discovered that there is nothing good about a long list of members waiting to leave Oakmont.By the second half of 1994, those waiting to leave were quite bitter. These resigning members had endured the physical disruptions of the Clubhouse renovation, which still had a year to go and was at the time 50 percent over budget. The resigning members who had left the area thought it unfair that they be required to continue to pay monthly dues. Management tried to accommodate these individuals by establishing another membership category – inactive member – with reduced monthly fees in exchange for the surrender of club privileges.This plan placated f ew resigning members. And the general negativity of the current situation accelerated the number of members wishing to resign and diminished further still the number of prospective members wishing to enter Oakmont. Indeed, during several months in 1994 and 1995, few prospective members made inquiries and no eligible members were admitted to the club. Ironically, by the middle of 1996 the national and regional economy had recovered with a vengeance. Real estate prices, the stock market, and national and regional employment were all rising dramatically.The Clubhouse renovation had been completed and, by all accounts, greatly increased the utility and desirability of Oakmont. Yet, the number of members wishing to resign from Oakmont continued to accumulate. All of the long-term fundamentals for a strong and popular club were now in place. Where were the prospective members that a modern club and healthy economy and stock market should help create? Could the allure of country club livin g have declined in contemporary Southern California? Or might savvy prospective members have anticipated a better deal around the corner?THE ALTERNATIVESDuring 1996 the Board contemplated possible solutions to the membership problem. One possibility was to promote the club more effectively among prospective members. In the 1990s the Board had adopted a variety of plans to generate eligible candidates, such as offering existing members prizes for successful referrals (e. g. , vacations to Hawaii, free dues for three months). These plans had been judged to be only moderately successful and created a backlash among members who felt that such promotions were in poor taste and counter to the Club’s recruitment goals.Some current members felt that new members should be those who fit well within the club’s niche, not those simply financially able to be Oakmont members. The renovation of CaseNet ®  ©South-Western College Publishing Oakmont Country Club 5 the Clubhouse help ed generate new members, as well. Following its completion there was an initial surge of interest. Some Board members felt that an aggressive promotional plan coupled with some minor improvements in the Club’s physical plant (e. . , the pool) would go far towards alleviating the membership imbalance. Many of these same Board members believed that the strengthening economy would naturally solve the current problem. Another alternative the Board considered was to reduce the entrance fee, as was done in 1992. This simple solution, which was favored by some of the Board’s members, was consistent with the long-time practices of the club and would require few if any changes to the administrative procedures governing the membership process.Other Board members felt that it was unfair to members wishing to leave the club to force them to sell their memberships at a discounted fixed price. And even if the Board reduced the club’s entrance fee, what should the new fee be? Should the fee be set to generate a waiting list of eligible members, as had existed prior to 1991? If so, what was the right length waiting list? Some Board members felt that, under the current circumstances, any change in the entrance fee would have to be modified in the near future and, depending on the volatility of several factors, on a periodic basis.A third alternative considered by the Board was to abandon the fixed price membership system altogether and adopt the so-called float method to determine the entrance fee, transfer fee and member’s equity of Oakmont memberships. This method had been adopted at some neighboring clubs (e. g. , San Gabriel Country Club and Lakeside Country Club) with varying success. Generally, the float method permits the entrance fee to change monthly as a function of the number of members wishing to enter and leave the club and the value that these members place on membership in Oakmont.Board members who favored the float method felt it wou ld alleviate the imbalance between the number of individuals wishing to leave and enter Oakmont. They also felt that the float method would get club management out of the business of trying to guess the value of club memberships and addressing, on an ad hoc basis, the problems that might arise from lengthy waiting lists to enter or leave the club. Some Board members opposed the plan because they felt it would interject uncertainty in budgeting for transfer fee income.Others opposed the plan because they felt that membership in Oakmont was not like a piece of real estate to be transacted on the open market. These members felt memberships should be allocated by the Board, with consultation from the Membership Committee, to prospective members who would help further Oakmont’s values and mission.THE DECISIONIn late September of 1996, the Board abandoned the fixed price membership system and adopted a float method to determine the entrance fee, transfer fee, and member’s eq uity of Oakmont memberships.Under the float method, a resigning member offers to sell his membership at any price he wishes. At the end of each month the Board presents these offers, from lowest to highest, to eligible candidates. Priority is given to eligible candidates based on the submission date of their membership application. If an eligible candidate accepts the offer, the candidate remits a check in the amount of the offer to Oakmont’s business office. The transfer fee is half of the offer price or $15,000, whichever is greater, with the remainder constituting the resigning member’s equity.If an eligible candidate declines the offer, he assumes the lowest priority in the following month’s membership sale. A candidate can decline three offers before losing his eligibility. The highest selling price, the number of memberships transacted, and the number of remaining eligible candidates is reported each month to Oakmont members, eligible candidates and prospe ctive members.Smith and Mr. Jones, both long-time Oakmont members, submit offers to sell at $35,000 and $40,000, respectively. Currently, Mr. Brown, Mr. Black and Mr. White are the only eligible candidates. Based on the timing of their membership applications, an offer will be presented first to Mr. Brown, then to Mr. Black, and finally to Mr. White. The Board presents Mr. Smith’s $35,000 offer to Mr. Brown. Since Mr. Brown declines the offer, he is placed on the bottom of next month’s eligible candidate’s list and Mr. Black is presented with Mr.Smith’s offer. Mr. Black accepts, remitting a check for $35,000 to Oakmont, $17,500 of which goes to the operating budget of the club as transfer fee and $17,500 of which goes to Mr. Smith as member’s equity. Mr. Jones’ $40,000 offer is now presented to Mr. White, who declines and goes to the bottom of next month’s eligible candidate’s list behind Mr. Brown. Mr. Jones’ $40,000 of fer stands unless he advises the Board that he wishes to either withdraw or alter his offer. The Board would report that one membership changed hands at $35,000.If more than one membership had been traded, the Board would report the highest price only. Table 1 reports the monthly history of the float method at Oakmont Country Club from October of 1996 through January of 1999. This table catalogs the number of members waiting to sell their membership, the number making offers to sell, the number of offers accepted by eligible candidates, and the highest selling price. In Oakmont’s 1997 Annual Report, President Charles J. Gelhaar offered the following summary. The success of our â€Å"float† process continued in 1997.Our waiting-out list has [been] reduced from 43 to 0. We sold 34 regular [memberships]. The last membership sold for $57,750. Oakmont’s President in 1998, David A. Werbelow, provided the following assessment. [The] Membership Committee continued the p ositive turnaround which began in . . . October, 1996, with the introduction of the â€Å"float† system. This year, every offer to sell was accepted by a buying new member – the 1998 average selling price of just over $60,000 was $12,000 higher than the average of the prior year.The average age of incoming members is more than 20 years younger than retiring members, and Oakmont Country Club has firmly established a niche in Southern California as a family club. The History of Oakmont Country Club, published on the club’s 75 th Anniversary in 1997, provides a more theatrical description of the events surrounding the adoption of the float method. . . . it was now time to tackle another pressing problem: the membership. The recession that damaged Southern California had impacted Oakmont as well. The average age of golf members had climbed to 61, and there were some 40 members waiting to get out.Unfortunately, new members were coming in at a snail’s pace. At one point, only one new member applied in a three-month period. Spearheaded by 1996 Club President Olaf Falkenhagen, the idea of a floating membership fee was implemented in October, 1996. Other clubs in the area had tried it with varying success; and after considerable debate at the Board level, it was time for Oakmont to try it. It was an instant success. Five new members applied immediately. Thirty five members applied in six months.A high of $60,000 was reached in May, 1997, and a waiting list to join seems a real possibility for the first time in years. The float method developed at Oakmont, referred to as the Oakmont Float, is now used by a variety of equity-based golf and social clubs in the Southern California and Las Vegas areas.