Geckos as Pets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geckos as Pets - Assignment Example In making the decision to purchase any kind of pet, whether it be a mammal or reptile, the main considerations are personal lifestyle options, purpose for getting the pet, time that must be spent on care, money for care, habitat requirements, and longevity of the pet (Humane Society, 1-3). For active individuals or those with extended work hours, finding the time to properly care for and train a puppy would be extremely trying, for instance. Both cats and dogs require a minimum of an annual visit to the vet along with vaccinations and preventive maintenance, all of which take time and money. In planning for the purchase of a dog, availability of an area to play and take care of bodily functions is a necessary consideration - a large breed of dog such as a Labrador Retriever cannot be kept confined in a small apartment without it being considered cruel. Longevity of the chosen pet is also a factor in choosing a pet; some birds can live up to one hundred years old! All of these aspects of pet ownership must be considered before making a decision that will be life-impacting. Geckos, conversely, require a minimal amount of care. Leopard geckos, or Eublepharis macularius, in particular, are one of the most popular reptiles kept as pets. ... The Crested gecko, or Rhacodactylus ciliatus, hails from New Caledonia. The Crested gecko was previously thought to be extinct but a number of them were found on the island in the 1980s. Today they are raised in captivity for the purpose of selling as pets. The Crested gecko comes in a variety of beautiful and extreme color combinations. They are a bit smaller and just a few years shorter-lived than their Leopard variety cousins as well being omnivorous as opposed to insectivorous. The Crested gecko is arboreal and enjoys being housed in a tall cage with plants, real or artificial. Crested males must be kept separate from each other as their natural instinct is to fight each other to the death (LaFerriere). Proper care for geckos includes providing the right habitat and environment. A 15 - 20 gallon glass tank is large for several geckos, but males should be kept separate from females unless the owner is prepared to deal with offspring. Some sort of soft substrate, such as paper or a piece of outdoor carpet, is sufficient while providing a hiding place, such as a half piece of bark, will allow them a place for privacy. Unlike other reptiles, geckos do not require a UV light but a small, dim bulb above the tank can be installed for the purpose of basking. A shallow dish of water and a diet of insects will keep the gecko happy and healthy (McLeod). Crickets or mealworms can be given once a day for young geckos and once every other day for adults. These foods are easily and inexpensively purchased at most pet supply stores. Owning a gecko can be a very positive and rewarding experience for a young child. The housing tank can easily be kept in a child's bedroom, where they can

Children Reading Essay Example for Free

Children Reading Essay â€Å"Children are not reading as much as they should presents danger† As Mr. Russell states, children not reading presents a risk in terms of their learning abilities. I believe Mr. Russell is correct. When children do not read enough, their development of creativity, attention span, imagination and vocabulary are not as developed as they should be. Overall they fail to develop to their full potential because reading comprehension strengthens our brain by making it active. When children’s brains are not at their fullest potential when they get older, it could lead to a lot of problems. They can receive poor grades, have a difficult time when completing assignments, have a low self-esteem and behavior problems, become shy and get easily frustrated. If a whole generation of children grew up to have these issues, it could lead to many problems in society as a whole. â€Å"A book requires that we think, and that is the great adventure to reading.† When we read a book, it forces us to use or brains. It requires us to take every element in the story such as the characters, plot and setting and putting them together to create a theme. Putting together these elements enhances our creativity and forces us to use our intelligence. While reading a book one imagines in their mind what is going on with the story. This visual then enhances our creativity. It also forces us to use our intelligence. The vocabulary and solutions to the problems makes us think. Personally, I think one of the best things about reading something that you enjoy is the adventure that you have while reading. I forget about my everyday issues and enter into a world where my mind can just explore a whole other world that I cannot physically experience myself. The combination of these aspects makes reading an exciting experience.

Predict the Impact on Organisation and Consumers of Government Policy :: Economics

Predict the Impact on Organisation and Consumers of Government Policy on Industry The government's industrial policies seek to have an impact on organisations and consumers. The government has a wide range of policies effecting three areas: - Monopoly - Privatisation - Location of industry Monopoly and Restrictive Practices Monopoly power may lead to consumers being exploited for example, prices charged above the true marginal cost of supply - leading to excess profits being made by suppliers in the market. Monopoly power can also lead to lower quality output of goods as the protected position of monopolist means that there will be a lack of incentive to improve goods. Because of the potential economic welfare loss arising from the exploitation of monopoly power, the Government regulates some monopolies. Regulators can control annual price increases and introduce fresh competition into particular industries. In terms of regulation of monopoly the government attempts to prevent operations that are against the public interest - so called anti-competitive practices. Problems occur when the market structure in a given industry becomes monopolistic e.g. if a merger or a take-over causes a firm to supply more than 25% of the market output (defined as a working monopoly). The Competition Commission investigates mergers. Oligopolies can also lead to market failure - particularly if there is evidence of collusive behaviour by the dominant businesses within an industry. The Competition Commission The Competition is a public body established by the Competition Act 1998. Formerly known as the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, it came into being on 1st April 1999 The Competition Commission has two main roles: - Reporting on referrals made by the Director General of Fair Trading, the DTI and the main utility regulators - Hearing appeals against prohibitions under the Competition Act 1998 New legislation comes into force from 1st March 2000 and the Competition Commission will hear appeals against decisions made by regulators. Regulators and DGFT will carry out the prohibitions. Regulators have the power to enforce prohibitions and to impose fines of up to 10% of turnover. Prohibitions - These fall into two main categories: Anti-competitive agreements, which include fixing purchasing and selling prices, limiting production, technical development, investment, sharing markets or supply sources and applying different trading conditions to equivalent transactions. Abuse of dominant market position normally where a firm has over 40% of the market and imposing unfair purchasing or selling prices. Referrals to the Competition Commission A last ditch effort if the Director General of Fair Trading cannot remedy the problems. Tends to follow the merger business cycle (very strong at the moment!). Agreement can be reached to rectify the offending area of conflict - ITV companies were requested to reduce advertising sales contracts

Amy Tan: The Joy Luck Club

The novel, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan takes place in a couple of different places. All of Suyuan Woo’s childhood memories take place in China. After coming to America the setting takes place in San Francisco California in 1949. Also there are few different time frames. The time frames consist of the 1920’s to 1980’s. I have to give this timeframes because of the flashbacks that are given in the book. The characters that I believed are most fully developed are Jing-ming â€Å"June† Woo, Suyuan Woo, An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong and Ying-ying St Clair. Jing-ming has taken her mother’s Suyuan place in the Joy Luck Club after she died. The members of the Joy Luck Club are planning to send June off to China so she can meet her twin sister her mother was trying to find before she died. When she reunites with her twin sisters, she gains a profound understanding of who her mother was. Suyuan Woo started the Joy Luck Club in China. She is the mother of June. Suyuan had to leave Kweilin because of a war. Suyuan was unable to continue her journey because she became weak. As a result she left her twin daughter on the side of the road in China. Despite her struggles she creates happiness and success where it lacking. An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, Ying-ying St Clair are all member of the Joy Luck Club. They all go through trail and tribulation. Trails, tribulation and life lessons that the mothers go through are past down to the children. The character that is most interesting to me is Suyuan. I chose Suyuan because she is a strong woman who refuses to focus on her hardships. She seems like a character who tries to find hope in time of despair. This quality is what I admire about Suyuan. I also believe I am most like Suyuan because I can relate to her fierce love for her child. She fears being estranged from her daughter for some reason such as different upbringings. I believe most parent can relate. Since I am parent I to worry about these things and do want the best for my children as well. Just like Suyuan I can be a little critical as well. The mood of this novel is perplexed, distressed, regretful and deferential. First the mothers all speaking in turn, remember clear memories with their relationships with their own mothers, and they worry that their daughters’ memories of them will never possess the same potency. Secondly when the daughters recall their childhood memories with their mother also supports my idea of the mood. And last when the daughter tell about their delimas in the adult life as they search for an answer which adventually bring them back to their mothers and their relationships begin to heal. The major conflict in this novel is the mothers are trying to instill in their daughter a part of their hertige. The daught take this a medley or their mother lack of american culture. But all the mother want to do is save their daughter from the pain and grief they felt as children. Both the mother and daughter struggles with their identies. The mothers try and reconcile the past is their present and the daughter are trying to find a positive balance between their loyaty to their heritage and some sort of independance. This is resolved when the bridge is gapped between two countries, two generation and two cultures. The ending to the story was very satisfying because June was able to find her inner Chinese identity. And doing that she built a bridge to her mother. June gives hope to all the other characters struggling for a stronger mother and daughter bond despite the culture, age and language differences. I think the author message has to do with finding your true identity and keep your family roots strong. I think despite language barriers, culture and generation gaps people should try even harder to understand each other. But I guess sometimes it take a lose to find something else. I would recommend this story to other people. But most to my daughter when she gets holder. I would hope that the story touches her heart like it touched mine and learn that we could recognize the gaps and bridge it up sooner than later.

Gaps in education sector

Therefore, we applied a quality gaps model to ten courses belonging to the open university system In Brazil, researching course coordinatorsand students. Themulti-methods researchnoticed that institutionsgenerallydo not adopta market- riented model for decision-making in their courses and, therefore do not own d well- defined process to identity students' expectations and, consequently,to create quality strategies andpoliciesbased on theseexpectations. On the otherhand. lthoughhigher educatlonls legallyregulatedby the Ministry ofEducatlon, Institutions seekdifferentiation in the market byhiring and retaining qualified and caring personnel end by thedevelopment oflnnovetlveendexcltlnglearnlng actlvltlesthat stimulatestudent motivation. These actions are strategically differentiated and help reducing barriers related to distance education. Theinfrastructure which Is vital to thesuccess of atechnology-based coursels, stlll,a Ilmltanonlnremote areas. Flnally, a t- test shcwved there was a favorableperception of quality for both students andcoordlnators, but the latterwere moreoptlmlstlc Services quality.Introduction The study of services quality date of 1980's. These studies began with Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry published papers. Until then quality used to be studied only by operations field, which focus on tangible products quality. In operations quality means the absence of defects or compliance with the requirements of production [1]. Operations approach to quality assessment proved inadequate for the study of services, given its peculiar characteristics: intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability . lntangibility means the inability to account for, store and test a service before its delivery.The heterogeneity comes from the intrinsic variability of the service, it means, a service will have different performance depending on the service provider, the client engagement and the context in which service is provided. Finally, inseparability concerns to th e fact that a service is consumed simultaneously to its production. These unique Mantovant Dateliy Mn et. al. l sep. -oct. 2013 | vol. 2 1 Issue 5130-39 characteristics make it difficult to assess quality for a service [1]. Parasuraman et al. were pioneers in assessing quality in services.Their approach was so successful that it has been used since the 80's. For the authors, unlike tangible products, the quality of a service refers to the perception customers have about it[l] and this perception occurs during the interaction between the client and the service provider [2]. Under this perspective, perceived quality is measured by the difference between the perceived erformance of a service and the initial expectations about it (service quality = perception of service performance – expectations about the service). pproach considers that expectations refer to the service desired by the customer and the minimum level of service acceptable in his/her point of view. Then, a zone of Available online at www. management]ournal. info tolerance is created, determining satisfactory and acceptable levels of service [3]. Difference between perception of service performance and initial expectations gave rise to what is called â€Å"gaps model of service quality', the object of this study. Pioneer studies focused on banking services quality, credit card and maintenance services [1].Services quality assessment became popular and other services began to be studied in the same light. Higher education can be understood under services point of view, since education market has become client-oriented (considering student as a client). This means education market is no longer purely education-oriented (pedagogy-oriented), which makes it possible to consider education institutions as providers of educational products and services [4]. It is important to note that education is not a common service, like banking or estaurant services, since it owns a key role in society and has a non-business mission to develop criticalcitizens.Education core mission is social, non-commercial; it means education aims to develop better human beings and better citizens Higher education institutions (HE's) have been facing fierce local and global competition, besides of challenges, such as high dropout rates and limited understanding of the market and students' needs. Online distance education has outstanding participation in increasing competitiveness among institutions around the approach feasible for education comprehension Word of mouth communicationIn Brazil, distance education has been gaining importance. In 2010, 14. 6 % of college students were attending distance education course, compared to Just 0. 2 % in 2002 [7]. This scenario can be explained by the expansion of education in Brazil, with the creation of new institutions, creation of new vacancies and creation of the Open University of Brazil (I-JAB), subject matter of the article. Distance education, for its pecu liar characteristics (space and temporal separation between instructor and student, technology intensive use, learner empowerment etc. faces its own challenges, such as student motivation ifficulties, high dropout rates and time management trouble. Given social importance of education, the growing role of distance education in Brazil and the challenges faced by this modality, the purpose of this article is to assess quality gaps in a distance education undergraduate course. We studied Public Administration undergraduate distance course from the Open University of Brazil, using the perspective of services quality.Thus, we compared students' and managers' (course coordinators) perceptions about the education services provided. We collected data from institutions belonging to I-JAB project and applied oth qualitative and quantitative methods in a multi-method research approach. Quality Gaps Parasuramanet al. [1] were pioneer on services quality research. As a result, they observed gaps between executives perceptions and consumers' perceptions about a same service quality, which gave rise to a five gap model, presented in Fig. 1.

Vision, its malfunctions ; diagnostic methods Essay Example

Vision, its malfunctions ; diagnostic methods Essay Example Vision, its malfunctions ; diagnostic methods Essay Vision, its malfunctions ; diagnostic methods Essay 1.0 Preface This essay is on vision, its malfunctions diagnostics methods. The content included is concordant with the criteria listed on the specification of the institute of biophysics at 2nd Faculty of Charles University in Prague. Additional acknowledgements are mentioned under the reference section. 1.1 Visual acuity and its measurement Visual acuity is the measurement of the ability to discriminate two stimuli separated in space at high contrast relative to the background1; it is a quantitative measure of the ability to identify black symbols on a white background at a standardized distance as the size of the symbols is varied. It happens to be the most common clinical measurement of visual function. Visual acuity is typically measured using optotype chart for close and distant vision (snellen test). The eye which is not under test is occluded by means of instructing the subject to place an obstacle, for example a hand in front of the eye. This prevents intentional peeking, which would adversely affect the validity of the examination results. A variety of charts convenient for the patient are used, particularly in cases where a subject is unable to read the alphabet. In such cases the Tumbling E chart may be used, where the perceived letter, capital E is facing a different direction. Subsequently the subject is then required to determine the direction of the letter. (For further details read on below) 1.2 Basic geometrical defects of the eye optical system and their correction Namely, there are three basic types of defects of the optical system. These are Myopia (nearsightedness), Hyperopia (farsightedness) and Astigmatism (inappropriate path of light rays to the eye). Myopia and hyperopia are termed spherical disorders as both can be corrected with spherical lens. Astigmatism on the other hand is an aspherical disorder as it is corrected with cylindrical lenses1. Myopia influences the ability to see distant objects, in which the object is perceived as blurry. This is because the object is not focused directly on the retina, but in front of it. A clinical explanation for this may be that the eyeball is longer in length or the refractive power of the lens is immensely strong. Correction of this defect is achieved by wearing concave lenses which help to focus the object being viewed onto the retina. Fig 1 Compensating for myopia using a corrective lens. Hyperopia is the opposite of myopia, in which distant vision is intact but problems only arise when viewing things at close proximities. In this case the object being viewed is focused somewhat behind the retina rather than upon it. A clinical explanation for this may be that the eyeball is shorter in length or the refractive power of the lens is too weak. Correction is achieved by wearing convex lenses which focus the object being viewed onto the retina. Fig 2 Restoring of vision with convex lens Astigmatism is a defect of the eye in which light rays are localized at different regions of the retina rather than being localized on a single focal point of the retina. Strictly speaking, there are two forms of astigmatism. The first is a third-order aberration, which occurs for objects (or parts of objects) away from the optical axis. The second form of astigmatism occurs when the optical system is not symmetric about the optical axis. Problems persist when viewing lines placed at differing angles and the lines running in one direction appear sharp, whilst those in other directions appear blurred. Correction is achieved by wearing cylindrical lenses, which are placed in the out-of-focus axis. Fig 3 Showing the faint lines viewed by a person with astigmatism 1.3 Objective subjective methods for measuring eye refractive power Commonly employed methods to assess optical power are among subjective methods, although in the recent years objective strategies (e.g. nerve fiber analyzers) have been implemented which, however do not rely on patient responses. Optical power is adversely affected by glaucoma, a major risk factor for vision loss, caused by the loss of retinal ganglion cells. Fiber analyzers are used to measure physical thickness of nerve fibers in the retina. As fiber layer thickness is a measure of glaucoma progression, thin thickness concludes the onset of glaucoma and thus impaired vision. Subjective methods include the Snellen Chart Test, in which the optotype is placed twenty feet (6 meters) away from the subject. Some individuals may well wear spectacles in which case the examination is performed with the subject wearing them. The eye which is adversely impaired out of the two is examined first. Usually the examination commences by using large optotypes followed by the smaller ones. The subject is then prompted to recite the letters (or symbols) visible to them. This procedure is then repeated for the other eye. Normally read at 60 metres. Normally read at 36 metres. Normally read at 18 metres. Normally read at 12 metres. Normally read at 9 metres. Normally read at 6 metres. Normally read at 5 metres. Normally read at 4 metres. Fig 4 Showing distances at which letters can be read The results from the snellen test are processed and denoted as fractions. For example 6/18 means that the third line down can be read from 6 meters away; 6/6 or 6/5 is considered to be normal distance vision. If no lines can be read from 6 meters then shorter distances are tried. For example, 3/36 means that the second line can be read from a distance of 3 meters away; 2/60 means that the top line can be read from 2 meters away1 (If the top letter cannot be read even with prescription lens or glasses then the subject is considered to be legally blind). Alternatively a Lea test aimed at pre-school children may be used. In this case the optotypes denote an edible fruit (e.g. an apple). The Tumbling E chart (see visual acuity and its measurement) may also be used. In both cases the same principle applies as with the Snellen test. Indirect subjective methods to access optical power include intraocular pressure (see below). 1.4 Intraocular Pressure its measurements As the name suggests, intraocular pressure is the pressure exerted by a fluid inside the eye. Fluid secretion may be triggered by genetic factors, side effects of medication, the inflammation of the eye or simply, during exercise. Normal intraocular pressure lies between 10 mmHg and 21 mmHg. In spite of the optic nerve and visual field being intact, when the intraocular pressure is greater than normal, the condition is termed Ocular Hypertension. Ocular Hypertension is usually correlated with the increased incidence of glaucoma. When the intraocular pressure falls below the critical value (5 mmHg) the condition is termed Ocular Hypotony. Intraocular pressure is typically measured by using a tonometer. Often eye drops are given to alleviate any pain. The procedure involves applying a dye (florescein) to the eye. This eases the examiners ability to see the cornea. The subject is then asked to stare at a bright-lighted slit lamp. The tonometer probe is then made to touch the eye and subsequently the examiner notes down the tension dial which measures the intraocular pressure. 1.5 Color perception and its malfunctions The trichromatic theory proposed by Young 1802, claims that any colour can be produced by a mixture of red, green and blue light. This infers that there only needs to be three types of cones red (erythrolabes), blue (cyanolabes) and green (chlorolabes), with each maximally sensitive to one type of color. The cones respond to different degrees when exposed to light, with the brain synthesising this information to produce all other colors1. Malfunctions of color perception include monochromacy, dichromacy, anomalous trichromacy and achromatopsia Monochromacy, caused by the absence of two of the three cones, is the inability to distinguish between colors. Thus color vision is reduced to one dimension. There are two forms, rod and cone monochromacy respectively. Rod monochromacy, associated with light sensitivity (photophobia) is the absence or malfunction of the retinal cones. As a result the ability to distinguish colors is impaired. Cone monochromacy refers to color blindness which is accompanied by relatively normal vision. Dichromacy constitutes the absence or malfunctioning of one of the three cones, thus limiting vision to two dimensions. It may be passed on to the offspring genetically (i.e. sex linked), in particular having a predilection in the male population. As with monochromacy, this defect comprises two forms, protanopia (a congenital sex linked color vision defect caused by the absence of the red retinal photoreceptors) and deuteranopia (red-green color blindness resulting from the loss of function of medium wavelength cones or M-cones) Anomalous trichromacy is a congenital color vision deficiency, referring to the relatively low quantity of one of the three types of cone photo-pigments. The condition is thought to occur when one of the three cone pigments are altered, but trichromacy or normal three dimensional color vision is not fully impaired. Achromatopsia is congenital or inherited deficiency of color perception. It is caused by the absence of cone cells or severe defect in those initially present. Individuals with this condition typically perceive the world as being gray, black and white2. 1.6 Binocular 3D Vision Binocular vision yields a wider scope of vision. Most objects in our visual world have texture. The acquisition of two eyes (binocular vision) as oppose to one (monocular vision) makes the grain of texture appear finer as we move from one region to another. This gives binocular summation, in which the ability to detect faint objects is enhanced. The perception of depth is the ability to perceive the world in three dimensions1. Binocular disparity arises as each eye has a slightly different perspective of the object being viewed2. Therefore the closer the object, the more disparate the image. Thus binocular disparity is used as a binocular depth cue. Other binocular depth cues include stereopsist (the process in visual perception leading to perception of the depth or distance of objects)3 and binocular convergence (the simultaneous inward movement of both eyes toward each other, usually in an effort to maintain single binocular vision when viewing an object) 4. Because of binocular disparity, light entering one eye can alter papillary diameter in the other closed eye upon opening. It may also affect the process of accommodation (focusing of the eye) as the accommodation of the closed eye, upon opening, will inevitably be equal to that of the first eye. Fig 5 3D processing of the brain The picture on the previous page contains two images of a chair, one red and one blue, from two slightly different angles. When wearing two different lenses, one lens will filter out the blue color and the other the red color. The result is each eye is only receiving one of the two images on the page. Just as if you were looking at a real chair from two different angles, the brain forms these images into one three-dimensional image (hence the term binocular 3D vision arises). 1.7 Devices for night vision Night vision devices are best appreciated by deciding what you intend to use them for. Of the numerous devices available, night glasses are typical preferred amongst others, possibly because of their primitive outlook. Their large lenses can accumulate light and subsequently project it through the exit pupil of 7nm or more, and into the individuals eye, thus enhancing vision in hours of darkness. Thermal vision is a fairly modern exploitation of science in which a device (e.g. security camera equipment) constructs an image in response to microwaves or sound waves, which are transmitted from the source. Thermal vision devices are generally not considered to be night vision devices as they construct images with mechanisms substantially different from the methods used to sense visible light. Amplification of visible light from an image can be achieved by making use of an image intensifier. This allows the image to be viewed by the naked eye.

buy custom Bilingual Education essay

buy custom Bilingual Education essay Introduction There is no doubt that being a bilingual has several advantages especially in the United States where there are numerous people from all regions of the world and from all races. A language like Spanish is widely spoken in the United States especially in the southern states (Garcia, 2008). I fact most individuals have realized knowing a second or even third language has significant advantages especially when it comes to issues of employment and increased opportunities. Essentially, bilingual education is a term or concept that has a both generic and specific meaning with regard to children who do not know English. It entails the presence of two instructional languages in educational institutions. Bilingual education programs can be considered as either subtractive of additive depending on their linguistic goals, depending on whether students are encouraged to augment linguistic range or to replace their native languages with the majority language (Baker , 1981). Most importantly, bilingual education assists students who have a language other than English in their homes and need to learn English. Additionally, English specking students can also endeavor to learn English with the aim of becoming proficient in more than one language. Bilingual education has various benefits, which include improved cognitive ability; increased chances of employment; and it increases an individuals understanding of the native language. The primary purpose of this research paper is to provide a detailed and insightful analysis of the advantages of bilingual education. Cognitive Benefits There is a very close association between bilingual education and increased levels of thinking. According to Bialystok (1991), several positive gains or advantages are associated with the learning of a second language especially in childhood. Bilingualism has been established to foster and promote concept formation, creativity, classification skills, visual-spatial skills, analogical reasoning and other critical cognitive gains. However, all these advantages can only be accrued on condition of fluent bilingualism, that is, particular levels of fluency have to be attained by the students in both languages for them to realize the positive cognitive benefits of bilingualism (Baker, 2006). In addition, by knowing two or more words for one idea or subject, bilingual individuals may possess increased cognitive flexibility. For example, the knowledge of two words-one in welsh and the other in English, for a single subject or concept (school) can bolster an individuals concept and perception of school. In welsh; the word ysgol can refer to wither a ladder of school, therefore knowing the word school in Englih and ysgol in welsh provides the learner or student with the opportunity to have the conception of a school as a ladder (Baker, 2006). Further, bilingual students demonstrate greater and advanced story telling ability and this can be attributed to the fact that they are less bound by words and more flexible in thinking because they can express themselves in two languages. Bilinguals are often very conscious of which language to speak in specific situations and circumstances; therefore, they are more sensitive and responsive to the needs of their listeners as compared t o monolingual individuals. Baker (2006) posits that bilingual education bolsters and enhances an individuals intellectual growth and development. It augments a persons mental development. In fact, research suggests the bilinguals are better at taking IQ tests as compared to monolinguals. Building on the childrens previous skills Ideally, Effective learning makes uses of the skills already possessed by the students as the foundation of building fresh skills and acquiring new knowledge. The need to enhance the previous experiences of young children is a fundamental principle of early childhood education in several regions of the world. Within this setting, there is a crucial collaboration between caregivers, parents and early childhood educators (Baker, 2006). Most educational settings strive to develop some level of continuity between the home and school learning. In fact, some of these institutions find creative ways of working hand in hand with guardians or parents who are not English speaking. Some of the educators when faced with different cultures and languages struggle and eventually lower their overall expectations of minority children may perceive discontinuation as an unfortunate yet unavoidable characteristic of contemporary schooling (Garcia, 2008). A considerable number of students or children join school with primary language skills in their native languages or English. Therefore, the very crucial for the teachers to incorporate and use those skills to assist the students develop and expand the requisite academic competencies necessary for a successful life (Garcia, 2008). The educators should be able to recognize and understand the abilities of their new students with the aim of using these abilities as the starting points for considering what the students can do and how to ensure that all the students are benefiting from the learning process. Subsequently, all the potential bilingual children need sustained and significant opportunities to approach their learning in their native or home languages. By building on their prior skills and knowledge and by using their native languages, students or children are provided with the contextual basis that enables them to maintain the pace with their contemporaries while equipping thems elves with the language they will critically need to interact effectively and efficiently in the current society (Rossell et al., 1996) More Job Opportunities There is no doubt that bilingual education enables advancement in two languages and this can prove to be very beneficial in offering future employment advantages and benefits to all the involved students. The demand for individuals who can speak and write in multiple languages is increasing significantly across in a variety of careers and industries, and workers with bilingual proficiency are definitely the potential beneficiaries. The population of Asians and Hispanics is growing steadily within the American society and is expected to triple over the next 40 years (Baker, 2006). Within this evolving and transforming cultural picture, bilingual workers in various trades or careers become more invaluable. For example, opportunities for Spanish speakers can be found in fields such as social work, business, finance and healthcare. In the west coasts, individuals who have the capability to speak in Japanese are also becoming very useful for employers in different industries. The need for bilingual workers is rising significantly is careers such as translation, tourism, healthcare and trained bilingual individuals are getting more career opportunities than ever. Further, research suggests that bilingual workers may earn higher salaries as compared to their monolingual counterparts of equal qualification (Garcia, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, bilingual education means having two instructional languages within the educational institutions. The benefits of bilingual education are evident in both the professional and social lives of the involved students. I support bilingual education because it has the advantage of offering an increased sensitivity to language, added creativity in thinking and cognitive development; and increasing an individuals understanding for native language. Moreover, bilingual education has the benefit of offering future employment advantages and benefits to all the involved students. The need for bilingual workers and employees is increasing considerably is careers such as translation, tourism, healthcare and trained bilingual individuals are getting more career opportunities than ever before. Even though bilingual education has some disadvantages, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Buy custom Bilingual Education essay

Sediment Grain Size Chart for Rocks

Sediment Grain Size Chart for Rocks The grain sizes of sediments and sedimentary rocks are a matter of great interest to geologists. Different size sediment grains form different types of rocks and can reveal information about the landform and environment of an area from millions of years prior. Types of Sediment Grains Sediments are classified by their method of erosion as either clastic or chemical. Chemical sediment is broken down through chemical weathering  with transportation, a process known as corrosion, or without. That chemical sediment is then suspended in a solution until it precipitates. Think of what happens to a glass of saltwater that has been sitting out in the sun.   Clastic sediments are broken down through mechanical means, like abrasion from wind, water or ice. They are what most people think of when mentioning sediment; things like sand, silt, and clay. Several physical properties are used to describe sediment, like shape (sphericity), roundness and grain size. Of these properties, grain size is arguably the most important. It can help a geologist interpret the geomorphic setting (both present and historical) of a site, as well as whether the sediment was transported there from regional or local settings. Grain size determines just how far a piece of sediment can travel before coming to a halt.   Clastic sediments form a wide range of rocks, from mudstone to conglomerate, and soil depending on their grain size. Within many of these rocks, the sediments are clearly distinguishableespecially with a little help from a magnifier.   Sediment Grain Sizes The Wentworth scale was published in 1922 by Chester K. Wentworth, modifying an earlier scale by Johan A. Udden. Wentworths grades and sizes were later supplemented by William Krumbeins phi or logarithmic scale, which transforms the millimeter number by taking the negative of its logarithm in base 2 to yield simple whole numbers. The following is a simplified version of the much more detailed USGS version.   Millimeters Wentworth Grade Phi (ÃŽ ¦) Scale 256 Boulder –8 64 Cobble –6 4 Pebble –2 2 Granule –1 1 Very coarse sand 0 1/2 Coarse sand 1 1/4 Medium sand 2 1/8 Fine sand 3 1/16 Very fine sand 4 1/32 Coarse silt 5 1/64 Medium silt 6 1/128 Fine silt 7 1/256 Very fine silt 8 1/256 Clay 8 The size fraction larger than sand (granules, pebbles, cobbles. and boulders) is collectively called gravel, and the size fraction smaller than sand (silt and clay) is collectively called mud.   Clastic Sedimentary Rocks Sedimentary rocks form whenever these sediments are deposited and lithified and can be classified based on the size of their grains. Gravel forms coarse rocks with grains over 2 mm in size. If the fragments are rounded, they form conglomerate, and if they are angular, they form breccia.Sand, as you may guess, forms sandstone. Sandstone is medium-grained, meaning its fragments are between 1/16 mm and 2 mm.  Silt forms fine-grained siltstone, with fragments between 1/16 mm and 1/256 mm.  Anything less than 1/256 mm results in either claystone or mudstone. Two types of mudstone are shale and argillite, which is shale that has undergone very low-grade metamorphism.   Geologists determine grain sizes in the field using printed cards called comparators, which usually have a millimeter scale, phi scale, and angularity chart. They are especially useful for larger sediment grains.  In the laboratory, comparators are supplemented by standard sieves.

Approaches to reduce occupational stress Research Paper

Approaches to reduce occupational stress - Research Paper Example We will discuss the stress involved in their work. Moreover, we will analyze the situations in which stress arose among employees in Wal-Mart, the programs they initiated to increase productivity and recommendations will be provided to curb its adverse effects on the individual so that there is a minimum impact on productivity. Wal-Mart Wal-Mart is a multi-national retail corporation, which has numerous chains, departmental stores and warehouses in different parts of the world. This company is owned by Walton Family in the United States of America and is operating in 15 countries. The employees at Wal-Mart in retail sales have been subjected to various issues over a span of time due to which the stress among employees is rising and there is a need to initiate such progressive programs through which the working conditions can become conducive and there is a regulation that promotes and projects a fair treatment among employees. Issues at Wal-Mart Employees who deal with sales at Wal-M art are always required to submit a report at the end of the month regarding the percentage of sales, which have occurred during that time. It was seen that the company faced a weak performance and sales were a total disaster. The factors, which were highlighted, showed that the decrease in sales was due to the fact that the economic condition of the United States is affected. It was seen that there was an increase in the Social Security tax due to which the customers could be facing unemployment issues, rise in price of gas etc. Due to these crises the management in Wal-Mart initiated a plan to increase workload but cut hours of employees who were working as retailers which gave rise to a period of lost sales and lower morale of employees (Boyle). The Composition of Stress at the Workplace In organizations, there are certainly outer fields of risk, uncertainty, and challenges which create the inner field of stress for employees at the workplace. Every organization contains this int ernal influential factor of stress which is described as one state of transaction between individual and environment (Dewe & Cooper, 2012). According to the Lazarus model of stress, employees’ needs and wants make them accept the factor of stress in their working environment. They accept stress because of the formal agreement with their organization or workplace which induces the elements of obligation and responsibility on employees. When employees are to fulfill the obligation and responsibility they inevitably catch the element of stress which is associated to work responsibility and obligation altogether. These are some primary causes of how stress gets involved in employees’ lives (Dewe & Cooper, 2012). The Theory of Work Design by Theorell describes stress as an influencing state that originates from employees’ work designs and more specifically from work demands (Aldwin, 2012, p.73). If demands of work are complex and are of burdening nature, stress is mo re prominent on employees at the work time. Karasek proposes Job Demands-Control model to control the demands of work on employees at the workplace. The author describes two levels of work demands- physiological work demands and psychological demands. If these two levels of work demands are controlled by employees, they can control the affect of stress at the time of work. According to Karasek, moderate stress is optimum for

Inclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inclusion - Essay Example Thus disabled children are intended to be included into the normal group of students in a school, as a part of this concept, supported with the special assistance that they might need (Hall, 2010, pp.11-12). The present study focuses an understanding of the concept of inclusion, the services benefitting disabled students, and the advantages and disadvantages thereof. Services Benefitting Disabled Students: There are certain services that have been found to help the disabled students in schools. Here three of such services shall be discussed that include: Inclusive Service Models, Collaborative teaming or planning, and Family Involvement. Inclusive Service Models: There are several models for inclusion in teaching intended to serve the disabled students. The consultant model involves consultation of a special educator with a general instructor for lessons in areas related to â€Å"curriculum adaptation, instructional accommodations, remediation for struggling students, and assessment accommodations and/or modifications† (Holdheide & Reschly, 2008, p.6). The coaching model reflects on all-purpose and particular educators teaching and coaching students in turns in the subjects of curriculum and instruction. These are the subjects where these educators tend to be more expert and have greater amount of knowledge. A third model of this service is the collaborative teaming model in which the â€Å"special and general educator share equal responsibility for the lesson design, implementation, and assessment of instruction† (Holdheide & Reschly, 2008, p.6). Collaborative Teaming or Planning: Unlike the early times, in the present times, the educators have realized the need for working in teams in order to share their knowledge in an effective manner to their students. Thus, collaborative practices are welcome more in the recent times, even in the inclusive teaching programs. However, such planning has been found to create complexities as well since general educators may not be comfortable with the practices. However this service has been demanded by the bodies of literature and collaborative teaching has been incorporated as the most preferred system of teaching for disabled students as well. When collaborative teaching is applied on inclusive teaching, then disabled students along with normal students are provided with equal lessons and hence the disabled students do not get ignored. â€Å"Graduates of teacher education programs that practice what they preach and provide general and special education teacher candidates opportunities to see and experience collaboration in practice are better equipped to engage in collaborative teaching models† (Holdheide & Reschly, 2008, pp.7-8). Family Involvement: This is one of the most important components of the services to disabled students. It has been observed that when students and their families are supportive in nature and well informed then they tend to become powerful advocates for the inclusive form of teaching for disabled students in classes. This service requires that the parents are well involved in the process and are capable of anticipating the students well otherwise the efforts may be at loss. â€Å"Sharing consistent and frequent information on the purposes and benefits of inclusion and involving the students and families during the development and implementation of inclusion plans facilitates buy-in and secures support†

Ethos, Logos and Pathos that Rev King Used Essay

Ethos, Logos and Pathos that Rev King Used - Essay Example This document analyzes the use of Ethos, Logos and Pathos that Rev King uses in his argument. The document concludes with the essence of using these forms of argumentative writing and their application in a real-life situation. Introduction An argument can be defined as a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal. In other cases, an argument is a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true. Arguments are defined by the circumstances in which they fall (Ramage D John, Bean C John Bean & C Johnson 94). There are three ways of presenting an argument. These are Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Ethos refers to the impression given by an author to his or her audience. It is being based on the convincing the reader of the potential of a character. Pathos is a form of argumentative based on how well the author impresses the reader’s emotions. The language of choice is of much weight since it predicts the emotional appeal of the audi ence which in turn can be used to develop an argument. Logos is simply the swaying of people by making use of reasoning, which can either be the inductive or deductive reasoning. Its impact on the audience is referred to an argument’s logical appeal. The logos can also be termed as the details and statistics that aid in sustaining the argument. Ethos It is determined by the credibility of the authors. It is expressed through tone and by how the authors refer to various views. The authors’ character  influences ethos. The writers show this by showing how one can make an argument to triumph for professional and also personal reasons fall (Ramage D John, Bean C John Bean & C Johnson 132). In the book ‘Informed argument,’ the others portray this style of writing Rev King writes a letter to the clergymen in Birmingham. In the letter, he tries to respond to the wrong accusation posed by the clergymen. The clergy referred to the activities of King Luther as unw ise. Rev King was unhappy about the  treatment of black people  in Birmingham. The bombing of degrees in Birmingham city was a sign of racial segregation that annoyed Rev King. He influenced the reaction of people in opposition to racism. The clergymen accuse him of taking this course and refraining from solving the problem diplomatically. He argues that dialogue cannot occur with only one party involve in the decision making. This was in reference to the white people. He farther insists that people in Birmingham live in monologue rather than dialogue. Ethos is present in this argument as the authors try to create an impression on why the black people resisted oppression. Rev King argues that the black people did not opt for chaos but were forced to react after their hope of negotiation with the white failed to produce results. Rev King tries to convince the clergymen that he was not wrong when he indirectly convinced the people to rebel. He argues by creating an impression that the situation was out of hand due to the bombing in Birmingham and the failure of dialogue to make peace. Ethos can simply be referred to as a convincing language.

The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources Usage in London Essay

The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources Usage in London - Essay Example The essay "The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources Usage in London" talks about the effectiveness of energy sources usage in London area and the factors affecting the availability of fuels. The most important issue affecting the availability of fuels is the change in the climate and the global warming. Fears from the environmental changes tend to hinder the exploration processes of fuels. Controlling the usage of fuel energy has increased, leading to the inadequate availability of the same. Moreover, economic constraints are also prevalent from the fact that the fuels are often available at larger distances difficult for consumers to reach. Another factor that might affect the availability and usage of fuels is any kind of instability in the political environment. London has its energy policy that includes developmental planning to capitalize on the available efficiency of the energy sources and minimize the emission of carbon contents in the air. The energy plan of the city focuses on the use of combined heat and power (CHP) and renewable energy in order to make efficient use of the available sources. Several applications on the strategic planning of energy usage have been approved over the years that are based on addressing the issues of climate changes, reduction of energy usage, saving energy, and other relevant factors. Thermodynamics deals with the study of energy and the transformation processes of such energy. According to the first law of thermodynamics, it is possible to conserve the energy and its usage. Thus this law is also known as the law of conservation of energy. The law focuses on the internal energy changes and the effects that occur as a result of transfer of heat (Potter, 61). Several engineers and scientists who contribut ed in the formulation of the above mentioned law include eminent personalities like James Joule, James Watt, Benjamin Thompson and others. For the particular study a biological sketch of Sir James Watt has been obtained and his contribution in the first law of thermodynamics has also been studied. James Watt: James Watt was born in Scotland in the year 1736. He became interested in mathematical instruments when he was 17 years old followed by his interests in the functioning of the steam engines required to pump water. By the time he was 29 years old, the mechanical engineer was involved in the formation of condensers for steam engines after he thoroughly conducted studies on the features and applications of steam engines. Further in the year 1767, the engineer aided in the vision at long distances with his creation of telescopes. Moving on, Watt was concerned and focused his work on

An Intuitive Scrutiny of the White Noise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Intuitive Scrutiny of the White Noise - Essay Example Novel Characters The male protagonist in the novel is Jack Gladney who is founder and a professor of Hitler studies at the educational institution named College-on-the-Hill (Delillo 1-326). The current wife of Jack in the novel is named Babette who is the mother of Denise, Wilder and Eugene (Delillo 1-326). The other principal characters in this novel are Heinrich, the son of Jack and Janet Savory who is a pseudo-philosopher and media fanatic; Denise, the daughter of Babette and Bob Pardee, who frequently exerts the most effort in aiding her mother work out her problems; Steffie or Stephanie Rose, the daughter of Jack and Dana Breedlove; Wilder, the son of Babette and Jack and the youngest of all the children, who barely says anything though he is oftentimes missing; and Murray Jay Siskind, who is a professor fascinated with car crashes and Elvis and frequently seen in the grocery store (Delillo 1-326). The other characters in the novel namely, Howard Dunlop, the German instructor of Jack; Dana Breedlove, Jack’s first and fourth wife and who works as a part-time spy; Mary Alice, the oldest child of Jack, who is the result of the first marriage of Jack to Dana, she works with whales in Hawaii; Janet Savory, the second wife of Jack who works as a foreign currency analyst and an ashram member; Tweedy Browner, the third wife of Jack and the mother of Bee; Bee, the child of Tweedy and Jack; Willie Minks known also as Mr. Gray, the Dylar doctor who conducts the affair with Babette; Vernon Dickey, the father of Babette who Jack mistaken as Death one morning; Eric Massingale who is a computer science professor; and Alphonse Stompanato who is a popular culture professor (Delillo 1-326). Novel Plot and Summary The novel is divided into forty chapters and the said chapters are divided into three parts. The first part is labelled Waves and Radiation which consists of Chapters 1-20. The second part is termed as The Airborne Toxic Event which involves Chapter 21. Fina lly, the third part is called Dylarama which encompasses Chapters 22-40 (Delillo 1-326). The story commences with the occurrence of an Airborne Toxic event that hits the small college town where Jack Gladney resides. This crisis had led to the evacuation of the Gladneys but eventually later in the story, they were permitted to go back to their home. During the said incident, Jack was exposed to Nyodene D, which is said to be possibly detrimental and fatal; conversely, Simuvac is not contented with the data that they have obtained from the incident and wishes that a simulation is necessary to prepare the town. On the contrary, Jack’s present wife named Babette has been furtively taking an experimental drug called Dylar, as an exchange she provides sex to the drug inventor named Willie Minks (Delillo 1-326). Eventually, Jack finds out about the affair of his current wife and confronts her; in the end, Jack will also confront Willie and will also shot himself in the process (Del illo 1-326). Novel Scrutiny The novel focuses on death wherein it is shown that the characters fear, obsesses or is fascinated with the concept of death as evidenced by Murray’s line â€Å"He looks like a man who find dead bodies erotic† (Delillo 1-326). Other issues were also tackled in the novel which will be analyzed in this paper. An ethic as defined ecologically by Leopold (214-226) is a limitation on freedom of action in the struggle for existence. Conversely, Leopold (214-226) also define ethics philosophically as a differentiation of

The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources Usage in London Essay

The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources Usage in London - Essay Example The essay "The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources Usage in London" talks about the effectiveness of energy sources usage in London area and the factors affecting the availability of fuels. The most important issue affecting the availability of fuels is the change in the climate and the global warming. Fears from the environmental changes tend to hinder the exploration processes of fuels. Controlling the usage of fuel energy has increased, leading to the inadequate availability of the same. Moreover, economic constraints are also prevalent from the fact that the fuels are often available at larger distances difficult for consumers to reach. Another factor that might affect the availability and usage of fuels is any kind of instability in the political environment. London has its energy policy that includes developmental planning to capitalize on the available efficiency of the energy sources and minimize the emission of carbon contents in the air. The energy plan of the city focuses on the use of combined heat and power (CHP) and renewable energy in order to make efficient use of the available sources. Several applications on the strategic planning of energy usage have been approved over the years that are based on addressing the issues of climate changes, reduction of energy usage, saving energy, and other relevant factors. Thermodynamics deals with the study of energy and the transformation processes of such energy. According to the first law of thermodynamics, it is possible to conserve the energy and its usage. Thus this law is also known as the law of conservation of energy. The law focuses on the internal energy changes and the effects that occur as a result of transfer of heat (Potter, 61). Several engineers and scientists who contribut ed in the formulation of the above mentioned law include eminent personalities like James Joule, James Watt, Benjamin Thompson and others. For the particular study a biological sketch of Sir James Watt has been obtained and his contribution in the first law of thermodynamics has also been studied. James Watt: James Watt was born in Scotland in the year 1736. He became interested in mathematical instruments when he was 17 years old followed by his interests in the functioning of the steam engines required to pump water. By the time he was 29 years old, the mechanical engineer was involved in the formation of condensers for steam engines after he thoroughly conducted studies on the features and applications of steam engines. Further in the year 1767, the engineer aided in the vision at long distances with his creation of telescopes. Moving on, Watt was concerned and focused his work on

Academic Integrity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Academic Integrity - Assignment Example The present research has identified that a leader who has integrity also has the courage to differentiate right from wrong and to act on what he believes and stands for it. The signs of the leader having integrity are that he is honest not only to himself but also to the world, he learns from his mistakes and is also not afraid to accept his mistakes and speaking up when something wrong or out of the ordinary is observed. A Leader who has integrity engraved within him also becomes a role model for others and has the potential of affecting the world on a large scale. Hence, a person who demonstrates exquisite leadership skills with an added asset of integrity is bound to the road to success. Academic integrity is taught in many academic institutions in the form of moral conducts, it is mentioned in the universities websites. Moreover, students are given classes on how to practice it to the fullest. According to MSU, academic integrity means to submit authentic and genuine work and to praise people work by acknowledging them. The failure to comply with academic integrity leads to the failure of student and even dismissal of a student from the university. MSU has strict policies against academic dishonesty. It states various rules and regulation regarding academic dishonesty in research, the duties of a student regarding academic integrity etc. If a student is accused of conducting academic dishonesty, he is evaluated by his supervising teacher and is then given the penalty on the basis of his degree of dishonesty. The student may then appeal for a hearing. It is also the responsibility of the students to practice integrity in scholarships, grades, and standards of the professions.

British Airways Essay Example for Free

British Airways Essay I remember going to parties in the late 1970s, and, if you wanted to have a civilized conversation, you didnt actually say that you worked for British Airways, because it got you talking about peoples last travel experience, which was usually an unpleasant one. Its staggering how much the airlines image has changed since then, and, in comparison, how proud staff are of working for BA today. British Airways employee, Spring 1990 I recently flew business class on British Airways for the first time in about 10 years. What has happened over that time is amazing. I cant tell you how my memory of British Airways as a company and the experience I had 10 years ago contrasts with today. The improvement in service is truly remarkable. British Airways customer, Fall 1989 In June of 1990, British Airways reported its third consecutive year of record profits,  £345 million before taxes, firmly establishing the rejuvenated carrier as one of the worlds most profitable airlines. The impressive financial results were one indication that BA had convincingly shed its historic â€Å"bloody awful† image. In October of 1989, one respected American publication referred to them as â€Å"bloody awesome,† a description most would not have thought possible after pre-tax losses totalling more than  £240 million in the years 1981 and 1982. Productivity had risen more than 67 percent over the course of the 1980s. Passengers reacted highly favorably to the changes. After suffering through years of poor market perception during the 1970s and before, BA garnered four Airline of the Year awards during the 1980s, as voted by the readers of First Executive Travel. In 1990, the leading American aviation magazine, Air Transport World, selected BA as the winner of its Passenger Service award. In the span of a decade, British Airways had radically improved its financial strength, convinced its work force of the paramount importance of customer service, and dramatically improved its perception in the market. Culminating in the privatization of 1987, the carrier had undergone fundamental change through a series of important messages and events. With unprecedented success under its belt, management faced an increasingly perplexing problem: how to maintain momentum and recapture the focus that would allow them to meet new challenges. Crisis of 1981 Record profits must have seemed distant in 1981. On September 10 of that year, then chief executive Roy Watts issued a special bulletin to British Airways staff: British Airways is facing the worst crisis in its history . . . unless we take swift and remedial action we are heading for a loss of at least  £100 million in the present financial year. We face the prospect that by next April we shall have piled up losses of close to  £250 million in two years. Even as I write to you, our money is draining at the rate of nearly  £200 a minute. No business can survive losses on this scale. Unless we take decisive action now, there is a real possibility that British Airways will go out of business for lack of money. We have to cut our costs sharply, and we have to cut them fast. We have no more choice, and no more time . Just two years earlier, an optimistic British government had announced its plan to privatize British Airways through a sale of shares to the investing public. Although airline management recognized that the 58,000 staff was too large, they expected increased passenger volumes and improved staff productivity to help them avoid complicated and costly employee reductions. While the 1978-79 plan forecasted passenger traffic growth at 8 to 10 percent, an unexpected recession left BA struggling to survive on volumes, which, instead, decreased by more that 4 percent. A diverse and aging fleet, increased fuel costs, and the high staffing costs forced the government and BA to put privatization on hold indefinitely. With the airline technically bankrupt, BA management and the government would have to wait before the public would be ready to embrace the ailing airline. The BA Culture, 1960-1980 British Airways stumbled into its 1979 state of inefficiency in large part because of its history and culture. In August 1971, the Civil Aviation Act became law, setting the stage for the British Airways Board to assume control of two state-run airlines, British European Airways (BEA) and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), under the name British Airways. In theory, the board was to control policy over British Airways; but, in practice, BEA and BOAC remained autonomous, each with its own chairman, board, and chief executive. In 1974, BOAC and BEA finally issued one consolidated financial report. In 1976, Sir Frank (later Lord) McFadzean replaced the group division with a structure based on functional divisions to officially integrate the divisions into one airline. Still, a distinct split within British Airways persisted throughout the 1970s and into the mid-1980s. After the Second World War, BEA helped pioneer European civil aviation. As a pioneer, it concerned itself more with building an airline infrastructure than it did with profit. As a 20-year veteran and company director noted: â€Å"The BEA culture was very much driven by building something that did not exist. They had built that in 15 years, up until 1960. Almost single-handedly they opened up air transport in Europe after the war. That had been about getting the thing established. The marketplace was taking care of itself. They wanted to get the network to work, to get stations opened up.† BOAC had also done its share of pioneering, making history on May 2, 1952, by sending its first jet airliner on a trip from London to Johannesburg, officially initiating jet passenger service. Such innovation was not without cost, however, and BOAC found itself mired in financial woes throughout the two decades following the war. As chairman Sir Matthew Slattery explained in 1962: â€Å"The Corporation has had to pay a heavy price for pioneering advanced technologies.† Success to most involved with BEA and BOAC in the 1950s and 1960s had less to do with net income and more to do with â€Å"flying the British flag.† Having inherited numerous war veterans, both airlines had been injected with a military mentality. These values combined with the years BEA and BOAC existed as government agencies to shape the way British Airways would view profit through the 1970s. As former director of human resources Nick Georgiades said of the military and civil service history: â€Å"Put those two together and you had an organization that believed its job was simply to get an aircraft into the air on time and to get it down on time.† While government support reinforced the operational culture, a deceiving string of profitable years in the 1970s made it even easier for British Airways to neglect its increasing inefficiencies. Between 1972 and 1980, BA earned a profit before interest and tax in each year except for one. â€Å"This was significant, not least because as long as the airline was returning profits, it was not easy to persuade the workforce, or the management for that matter, the fundamental changes were vital. Minimizing cost to the state became the standard by which BA measured itself. As one senior manager noted: â€Å"Productivity was not an issue. People were operating effectively, not necessarily efficiently. There were a lot of people doing other peoples jobs, and there were a lot of people checking on people doing other peoples jobs† . . . As a civil service agency, the airline was allowed to become inefficient because the thinking in state-run operations was, â€Å"If youre providing se rvice at no cost to the taxpayer, then youre doing quite well.† A lack of economies of scale and strong residual loyalties upon the merger further complicated the historical disregard for efficiency by BEA and BOAC. Until Sir Frank McFadzeans reorganization in 1976, British Airways had labored under several separate organizations (BOAC; BEA European, Regional, Scottish, and Channel) so the desired benefits of consolidation had been squandered. Despite operating under the same banner, the organization consisted more or less of separate airlines carrying the associated costs of such a structure. Even after the reorganization, divisional loyalties prevented the carrier from attaining a common focus. â€Å"The 1974 amalgamation of BOAC with the domestic and European divisions of BEA had produced a hybrid racked with management demarcation squabbles. The competitive advantages sought through the merger had been hopelessly defeated by the lack of a unifying corporate culture.† A BA director summed up how distracting the merger proved: â€Å"There wasnt enough management time devoted to managing the changing environment because it was all focused inwardly on resolving industrial relations problems, on resolving organizational conflicts. How do you bring these very, very different cultures together?† Productivity at BA in the 1970s was strikingly bad, especially in contrast to other leading foreign airlines. BAs productivity for the three years ending March 31, 1974, 1975, and 1976 had never exceeded 59 percent of that of the average of the other eight foreign airline leaders. Service suffered as well. One human resources senior manager recalled the â€Å"awful† service during her early years in passenger services: â€Å"I remember 10 years ago standing at the gate handing out boxes of food to people as they got on the aircraft. Thats how we dealt with service.† With increasing competition and rising costs of labor in Britain in the late 1970s, the lack of productivity and poor service was becoming increasingly harmful. By the summer of 1979, the number of employees had climbed to a peak of 58,000. The problems became dangerous when Britains worst recession in 50 years reduced passenger numbers and raised fuel costs substantially. Lord King Takes the Reins Sir John (later Lord) King was appointed chairman in February of 1981, just a half-year before Roy Wattss unambiguously grim assessment of BAs financial state. King brought to British Airways a successful history of business ventures and strong ties to both the government and business communities. Despite having no formal engineering qualifications, King formed Ferrybridge Industries in 1945, a company which found an unexploited niche in the ball-bearing industry. Later renamed the Pollard Ball and Roller Bearing Company, Ltd., Kings company was highly successful until he sold it in 1969. In 1970, he joined Babcock International and as chairman led it through a successful restructuring during the 1970s. Kings connections were legendary. Hand-picked by Margaret Thatcher to run BA, Kings close friends included Lord Hanson of Hanson Trust and the Princess of Waless family. He also knew personally Presidents Reagan and Carter. Kings respect and connections proved helpful both in recruiti ng and in his dealings with the British government. One director spoke of the significance of Kings appointment: â€Å"British Airways needed a chairman who didnt need a job. We needed someone who could see that the only way to do this sort of thing was radically, and who would be aware enough of how you bring that about.† In his first annual report, King predicted hard times for the troubled carrier. â€Å"I would have been comforted by the thought that the worst was behind us. There is no certainty that this is so.† Upon Wattss announcement in September of 1981, he and King launched their Survival plan— â€Å"tough, unpalatable and immediate measures† to stem the spiraling losses and save the airline from bankruptcy. The radical steps included reducing staff numbers from 52,000 to 43,000, or 20 percent, in just nine months; freezing pay increases for a year; and closing 16 routes, eight on-line stations, and two engineering bases. It also dictated halting cargo-only services and selling the fleet, and inflicting massive cuts upon offices, administrative services, and staff clubs. In June of 1982, BA management appended the Survival plan to accommodate the reduction of another 7,000 staff, which would eventually bring the total employees down from about 42,000 to nearly 35,000. BA accomplished its reductions through voluntary measures, offering such generous severance that they ended up with more volunteers than necessary. In total, the airline dished out some  £150 million in severance pay. Between 1981 and 1983, BA reduced its staff by about a quarter. About the time of the Survival plan revision, King brought in Gordon Dunlop, a Scottish accountant described by one journalist as â€Å"imaginative, dynamic, and extremely hardworking,† euphemistically known on Fleet Street as â€Å"forceful,† and considered by King as simply â€Å"outstanding.† As CFO, Dunlops contribution to the recovery years was significant. When the results for the year ending March 31, 1982, were announced in October, he and the board ensured 1982 would be a watershed year in BAs turnaround. Using creative financing, Dunlop wrote down  £100 million for redundancy costs,  £208 million for the value of the fleet (which would ease depreciation in future years), even an additional  £98 million for the 7,000 redundancies which had yet to be effected. For the year, the loss before taxes amounted to  £114 million. After taxes and extraordinary items, it totalled a staggering  £545 million. Even King might have admitted that the worst was behind them after such a report. The chairman immediately turned his attention to changing the airlines image and further building his turnaround team. On September 13, 1982, King relieved Foote, Cone Belding of its 36-year-old advertising account with BA, replacing it with Saatchi Saatchi. One of the biggest account changes in British history, it was Kings way of making a clear statement that the BA direction had changed. In April of 1983, British Airways launched its â€Å"Manhattan Landing† campaign. King and his staff sent BA management personal invitations to gather employees and tune in to the inaugural six-minute commercial. Overseas, each BA office was sent a copy of the commercial on videocassette, and many held cocktail parties to celebrate the new thrust. â€Å"Manhattan Landing† dramatically portrayed the whole island of Manhattan being lifted from North America and whirled over the Atlantic before awestruck witnesses in the U.K. After the initial airing, a massive campaign was run with a 90-second version of the commercial. The ad marked the beginning of a broader campaign, â€Å"The Worlds Favourite Airline,† reflective of BAs status as carrier of the most passengers internationally. With the financial picture finally brightening, BA raised its advertising budget for 1983-84 to  £31 million, compared with  £19 million the previous year, signalling a clear commitment to changing the corporate image. Colin Marshall Becomes Chief Executive In the midst of the Saatchi Saatchi launch, King recruited Mr. (later Sir) Colin Marshall, who proved to be perhaps the single most important person in the changes at British Airways. Appointed chief executive in February 1983, Marshall brought to he airline a unique resume. He began his career as a management trainee with Hertz in the United States. After working his way up the Hertz hierarchy in North America, Marshall accepted a job in 1964 to run rival Aviss operations in Europe. By 1976, the British-born businessman had risen to chief executive of Avis. In 1981, he returned to the U.K. as deputy chief and board member of Sears Holdings. Fulfilling one of his ultimate career ambitions, he took over as chief executive of British Airways in early 1983. Although having no direct experience in airline management, Marshall brought with him two tremendous advantages. First, he understood customer service, and second, he had worked with a set of c ustomers quite similar to the airline travel segment during his car rental days. Marshall made customer service a personal crusade from the day he entered BA. One executive reported: â€Å"It was really Marshall focusing on nothing else. The one thing that had overriding attention the first three years he was here was customer service, customer service, customer service—nothing else. That was the only thing he was interested in, and its not an exaggeration to say that was his exclusive focus.† Another senior manager added: â€Å"He has certainly put an enabling culture in place to allow customer service to come out, where, rather than people waiting to be told what to do to do things better, its an environment where people feel they can actually come out with ideas, that they will be listened to, and feel they are much more a part of the success of the company.† Not just a strong verbal communicator, Marshall became an active role model in the terminals, spending time with staff during morning and evenings. He combined these actions with a nu mber of important events to drive home the customer service message. Corporate Celebrations, 1983-1987 If Marshall was the most important player in emphasizing customer service, then the Putting People First (PPF) program was the most important event. BA introduced PPF to the front-line staff in December of 1983 and continued it through June of 1984. Run by the Danish firm Time Manager International, each program cycle lasted two days and included 150 participants. The program was so warmly received that the non-front-line employees eventually asked to be included, and a one-day â€Å"PPF II† program facilitated the participation of all BA employees through June 1985. Approximately 40,000 BA employees went through the PPF programs. The program urged participants to examine their interactions with other people, including family, friends, and, by association, customers. Its acceptance and impact was extraordinary, due primarily to the honesty of its message, the excellence of its delivery, and the strong support of management. Employees agreed almost unanimously that the programs message was sincere and free from manipulation, due in some measure to the fact that BA separated itself from the programs design. The program emphasized positive relations with people in general, focusing in large part on non-work-related relationships. Implied in the positive relationship message was an emphasis on customer service, but the program was careful to aim for the benefit of employees as individuals first. Employees expressed their pleasure on being treated with respect and relief that change was on the horizon. As one frontline ticket agent veteran said: â€Å"I found it fascinating, very, very enjoyable. I thought it was very good for British Airways. It made people aware. I dont think people give enough thought to peoples reaction to each other. . . . It was hardhitting. It was made something really special. When you were there, you were treated extremely well. You were treated as a VIP, and people really enjoyed that. It was reverse roles, really, to the job we do.† A senior manager spoke of the confidence it promoted in the changes: â€Å"It was quite a revelation, and I thought it was absolutely wonderful. I couldnt believe BA had finally woken and realized where its bread was buttered. There were a lot of cynics at the time, but for people like myself it was really great to suddenly realize you were working for an airline that had the guts to change, and that its probabl y somewhere where you want to stay.† Although occasionally an employee felt uncomfortable with the â€Å"rah-rah† nature of the program, feeling it perhaps â€Å"too American,† in general, PPF managed to eliminate cynicism. The excellence in presentation helped signify a sincerity to the message. One senior manager expressed the consistency. â€Å"There was a match between the message and the delivery. You cant get away with saying putting people first is important, if in the process of delivering that message you dont put people first.† Employees were sent personal invitations, thousands were flown in from around the world, and a strong effort was made to prepare tasteful meals and treat everyone with respect. Just as important, BA released every employee for the program, and expected everyone to attend. Grade differences became irrelevant during PPF, as managers and staff members were treated equally and interacted freely. Moreover, a senior director came to conclude every single PPF session with a question and answer session. Colin Marshall himself frequently attended these closing sessions, answering employee concerns in a manner most felt to be extraordinarily frank. The commitment shown by management helped BA avoid the fate suffered by British Rail in its subsequent attempt at a similar program. The British Railway program suffered a limited budget, a lack of commitment by management and interest by staff, and a high degree of cynicism. Reports surfaced that employees felt the program was a public relations exercise for the outside world, rather than a learning experience for staff. About the time PPF concluded, in 1985, BA launched a program for managers only called, appropriately, Managing People First (MPF). A five-day residential program for 25 managers at a time, MPF stressed the importance of, among other topics, trust, leadership, vision, and feedback. On a smaller scale, MPF stirred up issues long neglected at BA. One senior manager of engineering summarized his experience: â€Å"It was almost as if I were touched on the head. . . . I dont think I even considered culture before MPF. Afterwards I began to think about what makes people tick. Why do people do what they do? Why do people come to work? Why do people do things for some people that they wont do for others?† Some participants claimed the course led them to put more emphasis on feedback. One reported initiating regular meetings with staff every two weeks, in contrast to before the program when he met with staff members only as problems arose. As Marshall and his team challenged the way people thought at BA, they also encouraged changes in more visible ways. In December 1984, BA unveiled its new fleet livery at Heathrow airport. Preparations for the show were carefully planned and elaborate. The plane was delivered to the hangar-turned-theater under secrecy of night, after which hired audio and video technicians put together a dramatic presentation. On the first night of the show, a darkened coach brought guests from an off-site hotel to an undisclosed part of the city and through a tunnel. The guests, including dignitaries, high-ranking travel executives, and trade union representatives, were left uninformed of their whereabouts. To their surprise, as the show began an aircraft moved through the fog and laser lights decorating the stage and turned, revealing the new look of the British Airways fleet. A similar presentation continued four times a day for eight weeks for all staff to see. On its heels, in May of 1985, British Airways unveiled its new uniforms, designed by Roland Klein. With new leadership, strong communication from the top, increased acceptance by the public, and a new physical image, few on the BA staff could deny in 1985 that his or her working life had turned a new leaf from its condition in 1980. Management attempted to maintain the momentum of its successful programs. Following PPF and MPF, it put on a fairly successful corporatewide program in 1985 called â€Å"A Day in the Life† and another less significant program in 1987 called â€Å"To Be the Best.† Inevitably, interest diminished and cynicism grew with successive programs. BA also implemented an â€Å"Awards for Excellence† program to encourage employee input. Colin Marshall regularly communicated to staff through video. While the programs enjoyed some success, not many employees felt â€Å"touched on the head† by any successor program to PPF and MPF.

Marketing Plan For Airtel Broadband Services

Marketing Plan For Airtel Broadband Services Bharti Airtel (Airtel) is one of the leading providers of telecommunications services in India. The company offers mobile, wire line, broadband and television services. The telemedia services division which includes services like broadband etc recorded revenues of INR30,930.9 million ($674.9 million) in FY2009, an increase of 13.7% over 2008. Bharti Airtel enjoys 13% market share in the broadband market. The total subscribers for the Bharti broadband are 1.14 million. As per TRAIs annual report, the number of broadband subscribers is growing at a healthy rate of 44% year-on-year basis. The estimated total broadband subscribers by the end of financial year 2011 are going to be around 12.3 million. Internet access has become a necessary service. As per Data Monitor, the Indian internet access market grew by 24.7% in 2009 to reach a value of $2,979.3 million. In 2014, the Indian internet access market is forecast to have a value of $6,152.7 million, an increase of 106.5% since 2009. Broadband revolution is upon us, it will be next big thing to Wireless revolution India witnessed in the last decade. Hence it is imperative for Bharti Airtel to increase its footprint in broadband market. It cannot achieve its objective of being the number one telecom industry in India if it ignores this opportunity. In this report we will discuss the plan how Airtel should increase its market share. As a part of report, we have done the situational analysis of Airtel the broadband service provider, as well as the broadband market in India. Our objective is to penetrate the current broadband market. We have identified the market segment Airtel needs to target to achieve its objective. We have proposed marketing action programs considering the 4Ps i.e. Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. In the final section we have analysed the possible impact of these strategies on Airtels bottom line. Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited formerly known as Bharti Tele-Ventures LTD (BTVL) is an Indian company offering telecommunication services in 19 countries. It is the largest cellular service provider in India, with more than 140 million subscriptions as of July 2010. It offers fixed line services and broadband services. The company is structured into four strategic business units Mobile, Telemedia, Enterprise and Digital TV. The mobile business offers services in 18 countries across the Indian Subcontinent and Africa. Telemedia business provides broadband, IPTV and telephone services in 89 Indian cities. Digital TV business provides DTH TV services across India. Enterprise business provides end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national and international long distance services to telcos. Globally, Bharti Airtel is the 3rd largest in-country mobile operator by subscriber base, behind China Mobile and China Unicom. Airtel Broadband Services Airtel is the largest private operator having presence in the voice, broadband, IPTV and data. Since launch it has focused on SMB segment Broadband at Homes. It has launched several services the broadband category ranging from DSL with speed 256kbps to 16 mbps. Average Revenue per User ARPU for Quarter ended Jun10 $ 20.6 per month. This segment contributes to 7% of overall revenues of the company. The EBIDTA margin for the product is very high. The total subscribers for the Bharti broadband are 1.14 million. Currently Telemedia services which include broadband services contribute nearly 7% to the companys total revenue. It has its presence in 95 cities across India. Airtel Revenues: $8,150.2 million (FY2009), an increase of 38.3% over 2008. Business divisions Contribution Revenues 2009 Increase over 2008 Mobile services 80.5% $5,998.7 million 36.8% Telemedia services 9.1% $674.9 million 13.7% Enterprise services carrier 7.1% $527.7 million 10.6% Enterprise services corporate 3.3% $243.4 million 19.9% other operations 0.1% $7.9 million 7.2% Others 6.1% $453.9 million 29.6% Purpose and Mission Bharti Airtel recently announced in the Quarterly presentation to the investors there is strategy is Dominant Broadband in targeted 95 cities. With estimated total 12.3 million broadband subscribers in the financial year 2011, to gain about 17% market share the total number of Airtel subscribers needed to be nearly 2 million. Currently BSNL is a market leader with above 60% market share. Hence it is imperative for Bharti to increase its footprint in broadband market. It cannot achieve its objective of being the number one telecom industry in India if it ignores this opportunity. In this report we will discuss the plan how Airtel should increase its market share. The marketing objectives can be summarized as: Increase total number of subscribers to 2 million by the end of 2011. Resulting in capturing the market share of around 17% for broadband users. Increase the contribution of telemedia services which include broadband services to 10% Maintain EBITDA margin of atleast 44% Situational Analysis Current Products Airtel currently offers a number of plans at different prices to suit the requirements of the customers. A brief summary of the current plans is as follows: Plans Tariffs Features-offers Features-speed Airtel Surf Broadband plan Airtel Surf-749 Rs.749 per month  · Comes with Rs.100 free talktime on your Airtel mobile and Free calling value of Rs.100.  · Speed @ Day 256Kbps  · Free Calling Value Worth Rs. 100  · Speed @ Night 1Mbps  · Free Talktime Airtel Pre-paid Worth Rs. 100  · Data Transfer Limit 8GB Airtel Surf-899- Rs.899 per month  · Comes with Rs.100 free calling value on your Airtel fixed line.  · Speed @ Day 256Kbps  · Free Calling Value Worth Rs. 100  · Speed @ Night 256Kbps Airtel Swift Broadband Plan Airtel Swift-1099- Rs.1099 per month  · Free Calling Value Worth Rs. 100  · Browse and download fast at 512kbps.  · Speed @ Day 512Kbps  · Speed @ Night 512Kbps  · Data Transfer Limit Unlimited Airtel Turbo Broadband Plan Airtel Turbo-1299- Rs.1299 per month  · Comes with free world class games.  · Speed @ Day 512Kbps  · Free Calling Value Worth Rs. 100  · Speed @ Night 1Mbps  · Data Transfer Limit Unlimited Airtel Freedom Broadband Plan Airtel Freedom-1699- Rs.1699 per month  · Free Calling Value Worth Rs.100  · Speed 1Mbps  · Free Anti Virus Worth Rs.100  · Data Transfer Limit Unlimited  · Free Unlimited Gaming Worth Rs.199  · Download whatever, whenever without worrying about the bill  · Free Speed on Demand Worth Rs.100  · Free Online Desktop Worth Rs.99 Airtel Freedom-2999- Rs.2999 per month  · Free Calling Value Worth Rs.300  · High speed and unlimited downloads bundled with a host of exciting package.  · Free Anti Virus Worth Rs.100  · Speed 2Mbps  · Free Unlimited Gaming Worth Rs.199  · Data Transfer Limit Unlimited  · Free Online Desktop Worth Rs.99 Airtel Velocity Broadband Plan Airtel Velocity-8999- Rs.8999 per month  · No Free Calling Value  · Speed 50Mbps  · Free Anti Virus Worth Rs. 125  · Data Transfer Limit 200GB  · Free Unlimited Gaming Worth Rs. 199  · Free Online Desktop Worth Rs. 99 Airtel Velocity-7999- Rs.7999 per month  · No Free Calling Value  · Speed 30Mbps  · Free Anti Virus Worth Rs. 125  · Data Transfer Limit 200GB  · Free Unlimited Gaming Worth Rs. 199  · Free Online Desktop Worth Rs. 99 Airtel Velocity-4999- Rs.49999 per month  · Free Calling Value Worth Rs. 300  · Browse faster than ever before at 16Mbps.  · Free Anti Virus Worth Rs. 100  · Speed 16Mbps  · Free Unlimited Gaming Worth Rs. 199  · Data Transfer Limit 100GB  · Free Online Desktop Worth Rs. 99 Airtel Broadband Value Combo 749 Plan  · Monthly Commitment Rs.749  · Broadband Data Transfer Limit : Unlimited  · Free Call Value Rs.150  · Download Speed 256 Kbps Current distribution network In this segment, we try to analyze the distribution strategies of Airtel for its Broadband services, and try to compare and contrast them with the strategies employed by its main competitor in terms of market share, BSNL broadband. From the time of its launch, Airtel tried to position itself as a niche product, charging higher prices for similar products, and expecting the price differential to be covered by the value received by the end user in terms of after sales service, other Value Added Services, Customer Relationship Management etc. While this strategy helped it to gain a sizeable number of loyal customers, with very high preference for the brand Airtel, in absolute terms of market share, it was limited to around 8% of the total broadband market in India, compared to the over 50 % of share commanded by BSNL Broadband. Airtel focused on attracting customer attention and eventual conversion into customers, by the use of celebrities in advertisements, and trying to communicate its significant value proposition to target customers through these advertisements. The actual operational task of converting the interested segment into customers was left to a service agent, who conducted all transactions such as filling up of forms, payment of fees and delivery of modems and other paraphernalia at the place of choice of the customer, most often the place of installation, such as the residence or workplace. While this strategy ensured that the customer did not have to leave the comfort of his own environs for subscribing to an Airtel Broadband connection, it also meant that the visibility of Airtel in comparison to its significant competitors was always less. These factors together could be attributed a major portion of the blame for the comparatively low market share of Airtel. Performance: Airtel has performed at least as better, or in some cases, to a much higher standard, with comparison to its competitors, with respect to its backward chain. Airtel sources its modems from Beetel for its Indian and other South Asian markets, which are supplied to its distributors at the state and regional levels, through a dedicated chain of suppliers. Airtel has internally estimated the efficiency of its backward chain to be 99.9963 %( Source: Company Data), which shows its high dedication and expertise in this area. The distribution to customers is primarily, as mentioned above, through sales representatives, who directly visit the place of installation, and form, to a very high extent, the public image of the company and its products and services, for the general consuming population. BSNL/MTNL: While Airtel competes with many other service providers for the same market segment, BSNL as the major player and the one with the highest market share (on the basis of actual number of subscriber, BSNL has over 53% of the market share: 2009), deserves a special analysis, with focus on its distribution strategies. In the broadband market, BSNL entered with a significant advantage over its competitors. Till the past decade, BSNL was the only provider of fixed line telephones (MTNL for Mumbai and Delhi), and hence could provide the broadband services as a product bundle to its existing and new customers. This made attracting existing customers from BSNL, a major issue for new entrants into the market, as consumers were unlikely to switch from phone numbers and connections, which they had held, in most cases for over a period of 5 -10 years. BSNL focused on distribution of its broadband services through existing telephone exchanges, and its existing network of linemen who wer e already well known in their neighborhoods. This strategy, while playing on the familiar cues for the customers and increasing customer perceptions of trust, also reduced distribution costs for BSNL and led to lower per consumer cost as compared to other consumers. Its modems were sourced from Huawei, a Chinese firm, which again reduced capital costs. However, this had a significant downside in terms of quality of service, with complaints being lodged against disruptions in broadband services at an average estimated rate of 6.3 per day per 1000 consumers within 6 months of launch of the service ( Source : TRAI reports) Airtel realized that the existing strong BSNL telephony network, covering around 93 % of the urban fixed population, in 2000, was a major hindrance in its own growth, within one month of launch of its services, and tried to shift its marketing strategy accordingly, something which has been covered in detail in our analysis of Airtel marketing strategies. To give an overview, it has been established that Airtel launched a new bouquet of plans, immediately after launch, to attract the consumer surplus, by targeting the early adopters and pioneers, by providing services at differential prices, something that was not covered by BSNL. The most famous of these plans, is the Unlimited Plan which provided 256 kbps of speed at Rs. 599 per month, along with unlimited surfing and downloading. This product went on to revolutionize the market, with copycat products being launched by almost all competitors. Current Competitors The TRAI report FY 2010 related to broadband services describes the following subscriber base statistics for the major players in the sector. The total size of the subscriber base for broadband in this time period stood at 8773096. These figures can be further translated into a percentage wise holding which gives a clearer split of the market in terms of Airtel and its broadband competitors. Locations/Coverage: Except for MTNL which operates only in Mumbai and Delhi (and hence falls under category B), the others have a pan-India presence and fall under category A. BSNL of course, is present everywhere except for Mumbai and Delhi. An interesting case in is that of Hathway which offers broadband services only in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Nashik, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mysore and Baroda but accounts for 3.5% of the subscriber base. In stark contrast is the Chennai based ISP Sify, which provides broadband in almost 86 cities across all states except for Himachal Pradesh and the northeastern states barring Assam, but still accounts for only 2.24% of the total subscriber base. Products/Packages: Most competitors offer packages in both prepaid and postpaid plans. Reliance and TATA offer wired as well as wireless connections, both are offered in prepaid and postpaid plans. A restriction could be placed on the amount of data downloaded in a plan or on the number of hours it could be used in a month, thereby making it a Limited plan. The opposite of this is the Unlimited plan. MTNL: MTNLs package is called the MTNL Triband. It offers unlimited plans in speeds ranging from a minimum of 320 KBps costing Rs. 395 per month all the way up to a maximum of 4 MBps costing Rs. 9999 per month. In the limited plans category, MTNL offers a basic plan for Rs. 49 per month for a variable speed from 256 KBps 2 MBps restricted by a limit of 200 MB per month. Anything beyond 200 MB will be charged at Re. 1.00 per MB. There is a variety of these plans which range up to Rs. 1499 per month for variable speeds from 256 KBps-4 MBps restricted by an 8 GB per month download limit and an additional charge at the rate of Re. 0.70 per MB BSNL: BSNL offers plans to the home user ranging from variable speeds of 256 KBp-2 MBps at a minimum monthly charge of Rs 125 restricted to 150 MB data download per month up to 2 MBps for minimum charge of Rs. 3300 per month. Marketing Strategy Segmentation Targeting The household penetration and number of Internet users in India saw growth of 2,243% from 2000-2007, whereas PC penetration increased by 267%. According to the statistics of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), in 2007 33% of active Internet users in India are working men and 11% are working women. College students account for 21% and schoolchildren make up 14% of active Internet users. Older men and non-working women account for the remaining 21%. According to the association, 16.8 million active Internet users in 30 cities access the Internet from cybercafà ©s. However, the share of cybercafà © as main access point is falling as more people have the ability to access the Internet from their offices. This could be due to an increase in the number of people working in the IT/ITES sector. Usage of the Internet in schools and colleges increased due to the introduction of computers and the Internet in the educational system. Favourable broadband policy and other initiatives by the IT and Telecom Ministry have encouraged Internet use by the masses. Internet usage is mainly prevalent in urban areas since, as most of the content on the Internet is in English, its usage is restricted to the population familiar with English. Another barrier to increased Internet penetration is the exposure to using a PC. In the future, increased Internet penetration would depend on increased literacy, PC education and vernacular content on the Internet. Source: IAMAI Hence we can conclude that majority of the users of internet are College going students (21%) and working men (33%) and most of the users are English Speaking based out of cities. So we can deduct that the segmentation variables in our case would be Age Occupation Location As Airtel broadband has its presence in 95 cities hence the location part of the segment is already in place. Lets analyze the various segments: College Going Student: Heavy users of internet, Demand High speed network Working Professional: Largest in terms of market size Heavy users Demand for high speed network Non-working women Casual users, time spend on internet is much less than time spend by college going student and working professional Indifferent to network speed Price Sensitive Older Men Indifferent to network speed Price Sensitive School Children Limited purchasing power, generally provided by parents Airtel wants to increase its market share hence criteria for evaluation before targeting the market segment should be in line with marketing objectives. Hence to increase market penetration it can look at each segment based on; Market Size Extent of Usage Purchasing Power As market size is evident from the internet usage data provided by the IAMAI we can say Working professionals and college going student forms the majority of market share. For purchasing power we need to look at the average disposable income and monthly expenditure of the segments. Expenditure by Type of Household: 2009 Source: Euromonitor International Key: A. Food and non-alcoholic beverages B. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco C. Clothing and footwear D. Housing E. Household goods and services F. Health goods and medical services G. Transport H. Communications I. Leisure and recreation J. Education K. Hotels and catering L. Miscellaneous goods and services Non working woman, School going children, college going student have limited incomes however working professional can satisfy this criteria. As stated by above graph and average household spends about 8-15% of their income on communications. However, given the couple with children also spends nearly same amount of money on communications school going children can be indirectly targeted by targeting working professional Lets evaluate each market segment on these criteria by plotting a matrix and assigning grade points to each segment. (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) Evaluation Criteria Market Size Extent of Usage Purchasing power Total College Student 4 4 2 10 Working Professional 5 5 5 15 Non-working women 4 2 2 8 School Children 2 3 1 6 Older men 2 2 2 6 Hence we can say to meet our objectives we can target Working Professional and College going student. Sales objectives Let us analyze these two segments on the basis of meeting our sales objectives. Objective: Total Subscribers by 2011 = 2 million Current Subscribers = 1.14 million Additional Subscribers to be added for the next year = 0.86 million Expected Market size Segment 2010 2011 Net Increase College 1.8417 2.596797 0.755097 Working Professional 2.8941 4.080681 1.186581 Hence out of new added 1.94 million subscribers we need to target nearly 0.8 million subscribers to Airtel broadband. This assumption is totally based on new addition. Switchers can make the total subscribers to go beyond the stated objectives. So Target Segments for the AirTel Broad Band are College Going students and Working Professionals. Connections forecast: Subscribers Base (in millions) QE Mar 2009 QE Mar 2010 QE Jun 2010 Y-on-Y Growth QE Jun 2011 Broadband Connections (>=256 Kbps download speed) 6.22 8.77 8.960 41% 14.24(assuming 60% growth) Airtel Connections 0.87 1.1401 1.1648(13% of market share) 84% 2.4208(17% of market share) Revenue forecast: (in mn) Jun-09 Jun10 Y-on-Y Growth Jun 11 Total Revenue 8,551 8,960 5% 9408 EBITDA 3,466 3,938 14% 4489 EBIT 1,797 1,910 6% 2025 EBITDA / Total revenues 40.5% 44.0% Positioning Since college students and working professionals are the target segment for Airtel broadband, the following points can be defined: Point-of-Difference: Airtel should aim at being differentiated from its competitors on the following attributes: High Performance: Airtel should create a strong association between its offerings and high performance at the product/service level primarily by concentrating on providing extremely fast speeds consistent connection speeds across times and distance Reliability: Airtel broadband should concentrate on being characterized by high up times low failure rates and connection drops 24/7 customer assistance and support and reduction in service level agreement metrics like turnaround times and problem resolution times Affordability: Airtel sells its product offerings at a higher price compared to its competitors. This will work for professionals who are well settled and have a steady source of income, but not for college students and price sensitive young professionals who are just a few years into their careers. Customization: Airtel can do well to offer different propositions to different target segments based on an understanding of different needs that college students have from working professionals. This could translate into a better product-pricing offering that takes into account the Internet needs of the targeted users instead of just basing the proposition on speeds, time limits and prices. Points-of-Parity: High speed: Most consumers do tend to associate the word broadband with always-on Internet connections that offer perceptibly higher speeds than narrow band or dial-up connections. Based on these points and the target segment, we can arrive at a positioning strategy that is built around its product-pricing mix as follows: To College students and young working professionals Airtel Broadband offers the best broadband experience for every user Among all broadband providers Because it offers extremely high performance backed by reliability and affordability Pricing Comparison of Airtel Top 5 Selling Plans with Competition (BSNL) Provider Plan Cost GB Limit Download Speed Additional Download Rs/MB Others Airtel Impatience 799 799 5 2 0.2 BSNL BBG 700 4 Airtel Impatience 899 899 6 4 0.1 BSNL BB Home Combo ULF 900 900 UL 4 ( 256 (>8GB) NA Airtel Surf 599 599 3 0.5 0.2 BSNL BBG FN 500 500 2.5 0.6 Night UL Airtel Surf 699 699 4 1 0.2 BSNL BBG 700 700 4 0.5 Airtel Browser 899 Unlimited 899 UL 512 ( 256 (>8GB) NA BSNL BB Home Combo ULF 900 900 UL 4 ( 256 (>8GB) NA BSNL BB Home Combo UL 750 750 UL 512 NA A comparison of Airtels top selling plans with that of the competition shows clearly that the competition is available at a cheaper rate, on almost all the plans. However the difference is not much. Recommendation: Airtel should go in for a competition pricing strategy. Other Avenues BSNL Broadband also has the prepaid option. Just like a mobile phone, one can either buy a value card that will extend the download limit or a validity card that will extend the validity. It is easily possible for Airtel to match BSNL pricing in this regard. It would also benefit a number of sporadic and variable users of the Internet. Recommendations for Distribution Strategy: Based on this analysis, we wish to recommend certain changes in the distribution strategy for Airtel broadband services. The backward chain is operating at optimum, or better than optimum levels, and requires, at this time, no modifications. The forward chain,may however, be slightly modified to help us achieve our marketing objectives better. Some of these are listed below, and detailed financial analysis, may be done, based on data annexed to this report: Open new CSC centers: Existing Customer Service Centres are calculated to be at a density of 1 per 9.63 sq. km of urban area, whereas for the same regions, BSNL has telephone exchanges, which provide a large boutique of services at 1per 4.81 sq. km. Diversify scope of CSC centers: Current CSC centers have been reduced to bill collection and primary consumer redressal agencies, which does not provide significant per acreage returns. Other competitors of Airtel, especially in the GSM arena, such as Vodafone ( Vodafone Stores) and Reliance ( Reliance World), provide a wide variety of services and products at the same location. Airtel, due to its late adoption of this strategy, will have to primarily follow the trends set by the earlier entrants and try to consolidate its own position. This strategy has significant benefits, not only for broadband plans, but also for the entire range of products. Promotion Strategies: Airtel Broadband has a mix of current promotion strategies that pan across online paid ads, websites, tie-ups with major names in personal computer vendors, TV ads, print ads, cold calls. Some of them are cited below: Advertisements on Google and Facebook: One of the promotion strategies used by Airtel is use of ads on Google and Facebook. One such advertisement is show below: The advantage of such advertisements is that they reach out specifical