Emi Group Plc In The Music Publishing And Recording Industry Essay Example for Free

Emi Group Plc In The Music Publishing And Recording Industry Essay Music and recording industry present interesting development due to the introduction of new artists and the development of new music genre, to name a few. In addition, the industry also experiences significant challenge due to the advancement in digital technology that drives the industry to find appropriate ways in winning the competition. The challenge occurs since there is a difference circumstances in the competition of media industry where previously the existence of new media does not eliminate the old media. The existence of commercial radio, for example, does not kill the print media like magazines and newspaper. Similarly, the existence of television broadcasting also does not eliminate the existence of radio and newspaper. In many cases, the television broadcaster also owns radio and newspapers companies to complement their media business. However, the situation may be completely different in the digital age where the existence of internet and the development of digital technology like file compression (MP3, mpeg, and file-sharing technologies etc) could completely kill the old model of music distribution such as compact disc. The so-called MP3, often refers to MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, is an audio encoding format that reduce the file size from tens of megabyte (when using WAV or compact disc format) into less than 5 Megabyte (MB) in MP3 format for one same song. Audio Galaxy and Napster are two companies that employ file-sharing technology that enables their members/customers to exchange their music or video with others members/customers (Karp, 2007). Immediately, the invention of new audio encoding format increases the sales of portable digital music players like iPod. Coupled with the increased international internet bandwidth, the exchange of MP3 files rises significantly. A number of websites that enable users or music lovers to download the desired songs in MP3 format also rises. Despite the attractiveness of MP3 technology for audio, MP4, and MPEG for video, the technologies causes severe violation of copyright as downloading music and video without paying royalties to the owners/singers of the music is considered as piracy in digital world/domains. Concerning the challenges in the music and recording industry, this paper will discuss about Emi Group plc, a giant in music and recording industry. In particular, there are several issues including the identification of strategic choices that EMI performs, EMI and its critical success factors in competing in the industry within the last five years, and the use of appropriate management concepts in evaluating the suitability of EMI’s current strategies to deal with future competition. 2. Aim and Objectives The objectives of this paper are to analyze current and future positions of EMI Group plc in the music publishing and recording industry. Systematically, we can derive the objectives into four points. First is to analyze the strategy of EMI Groups plc that positions the company in the music and recording industry. Second is to use the appropriate research methodology, this paper is to assess EMI Group plc and its critical success factor in the last five years. Third is to use the relationship of research approach, deductive, quantitative to explore key resources and capabilities of EMI in the next five years and assess whether they can create sustainable competitive advantage. And fourth is to use the non-participant observation method, collecting data and analyzing qualitative information from journal, books, magazine and online materials, this paper is to adopt the management concepts to evaluate the appropriateness of EMI’s current strategies for the future. 3. Porter’s Five Forces This section will discuss Porter’s five forces on EMI Group the recording industry which details the threat of new entrants, power of buyers, power of suppliers, rivalry among existing competitors, and the threat of substitute products for market place organizer or transaction service provider industry satisfy following diagram: Figure 1 Diagram of Porter’s Five Forces Source: Porter, 1998 3. 1 Rivalry In music publishing and recording industry, competitive advantage plays a significant role in winning a competition. This is because it represents not only the greater benefits in terms of products but also in other Ps of marketing mix (place, promotion, and price). The possession of specific competitive advantages increasingly important since nowadays, customers use emotional side than rational side when decide which products or services they want to use (Manjoo, 2003). The rivalry in recording industry is quite intense since EMI Group does not only compete with similar company like Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, and Warner Music Group but also illegal distribution both in traditional and web-based distributors through several kinds of file-sharing program like Napster. Napster becomes the catalysts of online music service (Rupley, 2003). In order to prevent the distribution of illegal copy of music, Hodges Shaw and Brian B Shaw (2003) says that government has persuaded users regarding importance of not using file sharing for copyrighted materials over the Internet by considering it as illegal actions. 3. 2 Barriers to Entry One of common barriers to enter a new market is brand loyalty or in terms of multinational business, the main barrier could be the nationalism. In music industry, one significant challenge that continues gains popularity is iTunes, a legal web-based music distribution from Apple Company. In music industry, especially regarding the competition between EMI Music and p2p companies and iTunes, the brand loyalty is obvious since the fever for iPod products has driven the use of iTunes to download legal music (Manjoo, 2003). The entry to some markets like educations gets fiercer as Jason E. Lane and Margaret A Healy (2005) revealed in their article File Sharing, Napster, and Institutional Responses: Educative, Developmental, or Responsive Policy that file sharing (including music, video, and file sharing) has been parts of students activities. They usually use the internet to share their favorite music and movies illegally. In addition, Scott (2001) and Dong et. al (2002) reveals that file sharing remains a popular services due to their offering free downloading music and video. 3. 3 Products Substitution Impact of product substitution is possibly the most overlooked factor although its impact is damaging. Therefore, it is imperative that business must not only look at what the company’s direct competitors are doing, but what other types of products people could buy instead. The products substitution for EMI Group is the introduction of various digital formats like MP3 and MP4 that easily downloadable that enables customers to convert the CD format to MP3 and distribute it by e-mail. This is because EMI Group mostly still relies on the distribution of music in CD format that they believe is still better than others do. Figure 2 Music Format Source: RIAA, 2006 3. 4 Buyer Power In music distribution and recording industry, there are some factors that influence buyer power including size of buyer (larger buyers will have more power over suppliers), number of buyers (when there are a small number of buyers, they will tend to have more power over suppliers), and purchase quantity. 3. 5 Supplier Power Concerning the supplier power in recording industry, we find that digital format developer that invent MP3 and p2p technology continue gain popularity that further drive the customers to increasingly avoid the use of products distributed by recording companies (Manjoo, 2003). 4. EMI Groups plc Strategic Position in Music Publishing and Recording Industry Realizing the fierce competition that occurs in the music and recording industry, EMI Group develops several strategies such as the selection of new talents that will hit the market and develop sustainable distribution strategy to speed up the existence in new market. Among the distributions system, EMI Group appropriately conduct joint venture with foreign companies in order to smooth their distribution. One of them is with EMI Televisa joint venture that helps EMI Group to distribute Celestial and other English language album (EMI Group, 2006). The decision to conduct joint venture is a good strategy to be implemented for EMI Group since it is a model in business that composes of two or more enterprises that join hand-in-hand to increase their competitive advantages. In this scheme, joint venture is somewhat similar to partnership but joint venture is derived from one business transaction. Joint venture is preferred because it can help companies to divide potencies, reduce threats, and raise competitive advantages in the market. Joint ventures can be formed as separate business units or cooperation between businesses (â€Å"Corporate Venture Strategies†, 2001). Developing a joint venture properly can obtain many benefits and advantages, such as dividing expenses and risks, enhancing right of entry to monetary resources, admission to innovative knowledge and consumers, and admission to new decision-making performs. Moreover, companies are able to have some bearing on structural development of the business. Conduction of knowledge and skills are also accomplished easily (â€Å"Corporate Venture Strategies†, 2001). 5. EMI Strategic Choice EMI Group plc is a well-known company in music and recording industry. The company is currently perceived as the fourth largest recording company in the world behind Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, and Warner Music Group. The company main business is the distribution of compact discs, videos, and other formats under the auspices of their subsidiaries and partners including EMI Records, Capitol, and Virgin (Yahoo Inc, 2008). The label company is behind the success of many famous artists such as Norah Jones, Lenny Kravitz, and The Beastie Boys. Currently, the company also handles more than one million songs. The strategic position of the company has attracted many larger companies such as Warner Music Group (WMG) to takeover EMI Group plc. Although many acquisition attempts, the company finally bought by Terra Firma, a private equity firm, for $4. 9 billion in 2007 (Yahoo Inc, 2008). 6. EMI and Its Critical Success Factor The winning strategy of EMI Group exists since the company is suitably conducting several strategies that benefit the company in the long term. One of popular strategy is the decision to outsource their CD manufacturing in Australia. This decision occurred in 2004 where EMI Music and Warner Music conduct agreement with Summit Technology Australia Pty Ltd to own CD Manufacturing business together (EMI Group, 2006). This strategy provides great benefits for EMI Group since the company significantly obtains costs reduction and helps the company to insulate the business from the effects of changing volumes. Figure 3 Reasons of Outsourcing Source: Outsourcing World Summit This is in line with the general benefits of outsourcing where costs reduction becomes the main issues that companies perceive. When discussing the outsourcing business model, the images refer to advantages that organizations obtain, especially refers to costs reduction. However, the benefits of outsourcing do not merely the cost reduction. Figure 3 shows six main reasons of carrying out outsourcing in an organization like EMI Group according to Outsourcing World Summit. Similarly, to costs reduction, outsourcing also provides benefits of helping the company to focus on core competencies. In theory, outsourcing is only used for delegation of non-core activities concerning the mission statement of the company. Nevertheless, many corporations outsource some of their core functions to gain more value in competitive advantage. Furthermore, many if an organization is able to develop a good relationship with its outsourcing partner, the long-term effect would be a sustainable competitive advantage. Another critical success factor is the decision of EMI Group to take benefits of digital technology. Previously, the company relies on tradition supply chain as shown in the Figure 4 below. In traditional supply chain (figure 4), we witness that recording companies make huge revenue and thus the profits from the two elements (in blue boxes). However, this model soon changes considering technology advancement in music like MP3 that immediately spawned illegal peer-to-peer music download over the Internet. Concerning the issue, coupled with wide coverage of high-speed Internet access, recording labels realize that they should change their supply chain to adopt the advancement in information technology as described in the following section. However due to the benefit that digital distribution provides, the company also offers the digital option for the supply chain (Figure 5). By developing the digital distribution, the company starts receiving significant growth on digital revenues. In 2006, digital revenue contributed about 8. 5% of total Group revenues. In addition, digital revenues also experienced significant growth by 78. 2% in 2006, providing more opportunity to receive more revenue from this technology (EMI Group, 2006). In this web-based supply chain model, we witness that recording labels are massively legalize licensing strategy that significantly fire up a legal digital music subscription (in contrast to Napster that was illegal). 7. Key resources and capabilities of EMI in the last Five Years and Suitability, Feasibility, and Acceptability Concepts There are several key advantages and resources the company possessed within the past five years. First is EMI Music keep finding new talents that bear success in UK and North America, in particular, and in the world, in general including Letoya, 30 Seconds to Mars. This strategy represents the feasibility of strategy taken by EMI Group since competitions between recording industries is mainly regarding the artists that the company manages their music creation. Second is the success of current managed artists including popular artist such as All Saints, Keith Urban, Norah Jones, Robbie Williams, and Depeche Mode. This artist management represents the suitability to manage the popular artists and release the unpopular one. Meanwhile, EMI Music Publishing successfully finds songwriting talent that result in the attractive performance revenues that represents the acceptability (EMI Group, 2006) 8. Conclusion In the basic marketing management study, four factors characterize the successful marketing; they are product, place, promotion, and price. In the recording industry while product represented by the artists, distribution or place factor also provides significant contribution to the company. This is in line with O’Brien and Springman (2004) suggestion that say companies should balance supply and demand since focusing entirely on the supply side may result in unnecessary capital expenditures, inventory investments or suboptimal solutions. Concerning the challenges in the music and recording industry, this paper has discussed about Emi Group plc, a giant in music and recording industry. In particular, there are several issues including the identification of strategic choices that EMI performs, EMI and its critical success factors in competing in the industry within the last five years, and the use of appropriate management concepts in evaluating the suitability of EMI’s current strategies to deal with future competition. Reference: Carlson, Scott. (2001). Napter Was Just the Start of the Bandwidth Invasion. Chronicle of Higher Education, v47 Corporate Venture Strategies’, [Online] Available at: http://www. 1000ventures. com/business_guide/venture%20strategies. html Daugherty, Tyson. 2002, ‘Creating a Digital Music Marketplace’, [Online] Available at: elab. insead. edu/publications/mbareports/ Creating%20a%20digital%20music%20marketplace. pdf Elizabeth Scott, M. S. 2008, ‘Music and Your Body: How Music Affects Us and Why Music Therapy Promotes Health’, [Online] Available at: http://stress. about. com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy. htm EMI Group Limited. 2005, ‘EMI Group Overview’, [Online] Available at: http://www. emigroup. com/About/Overview/Default. htm EMI Group. 2004, ‘EMI continues manufacturing outsourcing strategy with agreement to sell Australian CD plant’, [Online] Available at: http://www. emigroup. com/Press/2004/press18. htm . 2006, ‘EMI Group plc results for the six months ended 30 September 2006’, [Online] Available at: http://www. emigroup. com/Press/2006/press70. htm Forness, Megan J, ‘Copyright and Fair Use’, [Online] Available at: http://lrs. ed. uiuc. edu/students/forness/copyright. html Freeman, Jillian S. 2005, ‘The Pros and Cons of Sharing Music on the Internet’, [Online] Available at: http://www. angelfire. com/de3/jfreeman/termpaper. htm Harcourt, Robert H. and Robert W. Hutchinson. 2004, ‘Sup

astronomy :: essays research papers

Space exploration has been going on since the 1960s. Both women and men have traveled in space. Every day we are discovering different things about space from satellites and astronauts, and every day more people are landing on the moon. The first human, the first animal, and the first spacecraft in orbit, were all Soviet achievements. There are many reasons why space is explored and why people take the time to explore the solar system. One reason is that we want to find out how our solar system was created and how it works, and another reason is that we want to find out how all the planets move and how they change rotations. We also want to learn about everything on the planets and how to make advanced enough spacecrafts so that we can visit all the planets. The first man to travel in space was Yuri Gagarin. He made history on April 12, 1961, by orbiting the earth in the Votsok 1. His flight was one hour and 48 minutes long, going at a speed of about 17,000 mph on the Votsok 1 as he circled the earth. Gagarin was later killed in a crash of a test airplane. Neil Armstrong was the first person to ever land on the moon. He was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and after he graduated from college in 1955 he joined NASA. In 1962 he became the first civilian to enter an astronaut training program. In 1969 Armstrong lead the Apollo 11 mission and became the first person to set foot on the moon. His companions were Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins. In 1971 Armstrong became a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Valentina Vladimora Nikolayeva Tereshkova was the first woman to be in space. She joined a Soviet training program in 1961 and in 1963 she successfully orbited the earth 48 times in the Votsok 6. "Born Galileo Galilei, his main contributions were, in astronomy, the use of the telescope in observation and the discovery of sunspots, lunar mountains and valleys, the four largest satellites of Jupiter, and the phases of Venus." In December 1609, Galileo built a telescope of 20 times magnification, and with it he could see craters and mountains on the moon. He also saw that the Milky Way was made up of stars and looked at the four largest satellites of Jupiter.

Modifications to the National School Lunch Program Essay

Introduction Recent modifications made to the National School Lunch Program menu have caused controversy all across the nation. In last year The National School Lunch program have been under scrutiny and major changes have been made to the ingredients and preparation of school lunches. The USDA reports that the all the modifications to the school lunches are focus towards improving the health of all school age children, contributing to the fight against childhood obesity and succinctly to improve the health of all children across the nation. This research would explore the history of the different federal agencies involve in the national nutritional services, the most comprehensive changes in the school nutritional environment , the old and new menus choices and how changes are impacting students (National School Lunch Program,[NSLP] 2012). Research Statement According to the Unites States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service the recent changes to the National School Lunch program have been an important aid in the fight against childhood obesity and to help change student eating habits towards a healthier approach. In the last 4 years the Senate of the United Stated has proposed different legislature changes to the National School Lunch menu allowing millions of dollars to contribute towards a healthier approach modifying what student age children are consuming during school hours. The most comprehensive changes have been oriented towards reducing fat, sugar and sodium, and including more vegetable as part of the daily school cafeteria menu (United States Department of Agriculture, [USDA] 2012). Initial Research Question How the recent changes to the national school lunch program can improve the student’s health? By analyzing the recent changes to the national school lunch program we will be able to compare some of the differences between some the new and improve school lunch menu and how these changes are impacting students across the nation. Review of literature The National School Lunch Act was a law established under the administration of President Harry Truman in 1946. The original purpose of the act was to help local farmers with surplus produce and using these foods to feed school age children. After reviewing the principles of the act, members of the senate requested the establishment of a national program that under the guidelines of the National School Lunch Act, would oversee all operations associated with school lunch meals, reason for the creation of the National School Lunch program. The National School lunch program manages one of the largest federally assisted meal programs that provides nutritionally balanced meals free or at low cost to school age children. The national school lunch program takes cash subsides and foods provided by the U.S Department of Agriculture, in return the national school lunch program must meet nutritional federal requirements and most important must offer meals free or at low cost to all student age children. According to reported statistics from the U.S Department of Agriculture the National School Lunch feeds over 30 million students each day (NSLP, 2012) There is no doubt that the student nutrition subject has been an important topic of national concern in the history of our country. In 1966, The Child Nutrition Act was a law signed by President Lyndon B Johnson, encouraged by a national concern over nutrition in school age children. The Child Nutrition Act became to be an instrument to facilitate the process of meeting nutritional needs of children under the guidelines of the National School Lunch Program. The act also helped established the school based breakfast program providing free breakfast for children in public and nonprofit schools, during the signing of this act president Johnson use a famous phrase that would change forever the futures of national school lunches â€Å"Good food is essential to good learning† (USDA, 2012) U.S Department of Agriculture is a federal funded division who is responsible to all operations in the nation pertaining to farming agriculture and food. Better known as the USDA the department not only promotes and helps farming and agriculture issues but ensures food safety across the nation. The USDA is one of the oldest federally department created by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. The USDA oversees a vast amount of operative units in the united states including the USDA Food and Nutritional Services who major goal is to provide healthy food to families in need, the department also collaborate closely with the National School Lunch program providing foods that are of nutritional value (USDA, 2012) On December 13th, 2010 President Obama sign into a law the Healthy, Hunger –Free Act of 2010. This act was creating to combat the alarming rates of childhood obesity cases in the U.S. The now law came to update the school meals standards who reflected very little changes in nutrition in the last 15 years, the HHFK Act also had an impact on the USDA, changing the foods providing to the National School lunch program and succinctly reflecting changes in meal nutritional standards in schools across the nation. In the 2009 a review from the Institute of Medicine recommended several updates to the National School lunch menus, the review found that the school cafeteria menus were not meeting the dietary guidelines for school age children stated by the U.S Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services (Healthy Hunger-Free Act, [HHFA] 2012) In 2011 the USDA proposed new regulations based on the finding of the Institute of Medicine of the United States. The process of modification of the school cafeteria menus begin slowly but steady on schools across the nation, the changes included whole grain servings on all meals; reduce saturated fat sugar and sodium, and more fresh fruit and vegetables. Elizabeth Ippel, executive director of The Academy of Global Citizenship in Chicago, talks about the important of nutrition’s â€Å"good nutrition is essential and a very integral component to effective learning†. The changes are significant and according to Mrs. Ippel the students are responding positive to the modifications (Leamy, 2012) Here’s an example of a before and after lunch menu: BeforeAfter Breaded beef patty on a white roll Baked Fish Nuggets Fruit popsicleWhole wheat roll Low fat milkMashed potatoes Broccoli Peaches Skim Milk Discussion On December 13, 2010 president Obama signed into law 111-296 the Healthy Hunger –Free Act of 2010. The act is one of the most comprehensive proposals in the school nutritional environment in over 15 years; the main goal of this law is to update school meals nutritional standards to help combat childhood obesity and help students achieve healthy eating habits. Beginning in July 2012 the new lunch meal pattern will be in effect changing what students will be consuming during lunch in the school year 2012-2013.The new proposed meal components includes key changes for children K and above, these changes requires that school lunches offer a daily variety of whole grains, fruit and vegetables. In the fruit category, each meal provided by school cafeterias must include  ½ cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruits, prepared or compound with water and not syrup.  ½ of vegetables on each meal is another requirement in the daily school lunch menus; the new regulations required a variety of vegetable groups including: dark green, red/orange, legumes, starchy and other vegetables. On the area of whole grains, breads and cereals are required on each meal as long as the food item includes more than 8 grams of grains. The act has also limit the amount of flavored milks opting for only low fat milk during meals. Calories are also under a scope view limiting the calorie ranges according to age groups. Trans-fat is banned completely from school cafeteria menus and the act has also a plan to limit sodium gradually over the next decade, to reach the goal of keeping sodium at a no more than 600 mg per meal, equal to a diet frozen meal (HHFKA, 2012). The changes in the cafeteria school menu are impacting students and teachers equally, besides of more nutritional value, the new menus now offered more quantity amounts of healthier foods, satisfying the hunger of millions of students and reflecting healthier attitudes in the classrooms. LuAnn Coenen from Appleton Central High School in Wisconsin cheers the new regulations in the cafeteria menus and states† Since the introductions of the new food program, I have noticed and enormous difference in the behavior of my students in the classroom,†Ã¢â‚¬ I can say without hesitation that it’s changed my job as principal†. It seems that less sugary foods and drinks are impacting student’s behavior. An associate professor of education at the Lehigh university conducted a study of over 2000 lunchrooms across the nations, the conclusions indicated that healthier and less sugary meals carries a calmer atmosphere in the classroom this calmer demeanor is reflects when students go back to the classrooms creating a trickling effect. Taylor a student from Appleton High commented about the changes she felt since the cafeteria menus changed â€Å"I’d say being able to concentrate better†. Susan Graham principal from Melrose Elementary in Tampa Florida confirms that her discipline referrals have decreased 50 % â€Å"We get a lot more done, I think it’s a lot more efficient work environment for all of us,† Grahams said (abcnews,2012). Berger (2005) wrote about the importance of a well balanced meal for the proper development of children’s brain development, and how school meal programs played an important rolled in children’s brain development, by providing a well balanced meal while in school children can achieve proper brain development a subsequently their ability to learn will be maximized (Berger, 2005). The changes happening in schools cafeterias might seem insignificant, but replacing extra-cheese pizza, deep fried chicken for whole wheat pizza and baked fish nuggets, represent a huge step towards making students healthy. Some modifications to the school lunch menu have happened slowly and some hidden from students, like replacing full fat cheese with a low fat mozzarella cheese in the pizzas, as well as using whole wheat bread on grill cheese sandwiches. Dr. Saira Jan a Rutgers University Professor (2006) comments on children obesity and diabetes rising numbers â€Å"Kids choose from what they are offered. They are hungry, they will eat. You can offer carrots or French fries. We have a big health-care problem. We can’t just talk about it† (Weekly Reader, 2006). Conclusion In conclusion the overall national concern over childhood obesity and the rising rate of diseases in children related to overweight issues is currently being addressed by different entities in charge of school nutrition. The National School lunch program has and will make modification on the students’ lunch menu to feed students healthier foods in the effort to fight childhood obesity. Even though there has been mixed opinions about the effectiveness of the lunch menu modifications, the HHFKA guidelines demonstrate how References About USDA. (2012). United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved from http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=ABOUT_USDA Berger, Kathleen. (2005).The Developing Person Throughout the Lifespan. 6th ed.Worth. 140-142 Child Nutritional Act.(2012). United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf Food Fight! Should School Lunches be healthier? Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication,17 Feb.(2006) Retrieved from Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. (2012).United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/legislation/cnr_2010.htm Questions & Answers on the Final Rule, â€Å"Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs†(2012).United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/Policy-Memos/2012/SP10-2012osr2.pdf Lazor, K., Chapman, N., & Levine, E. (2010).No.80. Vol.4. 200-206 Soy Goes to School: Acceptance of Healthful, Vegetarian Options in Maryland Middle School Lunches. Journal Of School Health. Leamy, Elizabeth.(2011). Exclusive: USDA to Announce Healthier New School Lunch Guidelines. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ConsumerNews/usda-announce-school-lunch-guidelines/story?id=12603193 Mary Bruce. (2010). Coming Soon? Healthier School Lunches. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/healthier-school-lunches-senate-approves-45-billion-bill/story?id=11345256 Mcginn, D., & Popescu, R. (2007).No 150. Vol.17. Unlucky Charms At Lunch. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://mediacast.usw.edu:8045/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA169875850&v=2.1&u=nm _a_elin&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w National School Lunch Program.(2012).United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/ Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, No 17, Vol.77. (2012). United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf Students behave better with healthy lunches. (2012). Abc. go. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily/story?id=125404&page=1

Modern approach to teen substance abuse help and management methodologies Essay

Teen drug and alcohol abuse management is aimed at arresting adverse indulgence that lead to clinical cases. Serological evidence on sub-clinical cases of depression and alcoholism show preventive counseling is effective in managing depression and alcoholism. About 51% of teens within a random cluster of 20 males and 10 females are actively involved in alcoholism. Clinical cases are on the rise within Hispanic and Black teens. Arresting the cases within their early stages is feasible with the institution level M. Rosenbaum (2003). Teachers should identify effective means for recreational and rehabilitative timetables. Alcoholism often takes place between 3pm and 7pm are on the rise among teen students (www. samhsa. gov). Students indulge outside the school compound or homestead, or in the most neglected and limitedly visited areas. The commonly abused alcohol is beer and spirits (www. samhsa. gov). Factors leading to alcoholism need to be identified so as to limit any sub-clinical measures. This will facilitate to find a consistent approach to arrest alcoholism in its early stages. Factors such as stress, abuse, stereotyping lead to depression. Aping friends, parents or some public figures. Also, interest in alcohol, searching identity in age mates and friends and proving maturity and sexuality lead to indulgence M. Rosenbaum (2003). Socio-economic backgrounds contribute to alcoholism. Teens from poor families are less aggressive in alcoholism while those from rich families are indulgent. A sample of six middle income families and six high level income families responded to a questionnaire about if their teenage children were involved in alcoholism. Only two of the middle level parents admitted to alcoholism in their teens while out of the six respondents from the higher income family five admitted their teens were into mild and profound alcoholism (www. nida. nih. gov). Teen alcoholics admit they drink due to peer pressure, to be identified and to fit in their peer groups and avoid isolation. Others admit they are aping the movie stars, their idols and role models, having fun, self redemption, thwarting stress and problems and seeking a unique position in the society. Social integration in this age level and addressing this plight in a concerted effort is necessary in school level and beyond. On a cross cultural-community approach, more black and Hispanic teens are engaging in alcoholism. Increased exposure to wages in the low level income families has upped the level of substance abuse and alcoholism in teenagers. Teenage girl alcoholics are on the rise within the low level income families. A certain portion of this group is involved in irresponsible sexual behavior and prostitution while some are working as young prostitutes. This constant rise in alcoholism and depression is seen in the context of declining literacy in the teens. Hispanic teens collectively have made less progress in graduating from high school compared to their Black counterparts. Up to 28% Hispanic teens are dropping out in comparison to 15% Blacks. Teen alcoholics have problems in the society. The creation of a positive social interaction environment in a friendly and unrestrictive atmosphere offers the proper environment for therapy and manageable counseling. It’s aimed at improving collective social behavior so as to inspire and correct the students. The school counselor should counsel based on teaching pedagogical approaches. This instills discipline and encourages the students to share their problems. Within the recreational context the teacher should initiate recreational activities like playing chess, bridge, and other in-house games (Ken & David 2007). Through a cognitive-control system the teacher manifests self analysis, self recognition, and self help so as to regulate behavior. The student reads materials wherein the teen reads her problem and follows a set of procedures like, playing with her pet, watching an inspiring video, etc. The procedure is used in the environment created by the school teacher (above). The objective is to create competing system within the brain and make adolescents lessen brain capacity to want physical engagement with substances. The counselor has a role to comparatively review the potential of the students and assess their capacity. Authoritatively, he should embark to make impact on their socio-academic well being. The perspectives borne within this context are purported to limit clinical interventions incase of adverse depression and alcoholism. Involvement of capacity building and establishment of more positive youth groups so as to build on youths’ strengths, (through advising on developing positive mental attitude towards their abilities in education and entrepreneurship). The school counselor should as often as possible make groups which consist of most disciplined students to act as the role models. These role model groups actively integrate incorporate the students who have depression or alcoholism problems M. Rosenbaum (2003). This makes these students sociable and gradually makes them feel acceptable in these groups and most important, desists from substance abuse. The teacher should invite the community to lead in playing a role of advisors while he is the active leader. These community members and the school counselors have the obligation to present appropriate role-models and opportunities for remediation for young people growing up in the school community. The message to young adults and their peers must be that they understand the dangers of substance abuse and make appropriate choices when confronted with opportunities of drug use. A school counselor should address the teen alcohol problem through an educative perspective; He gives complete clinical views on use and abuse of substances. He should comprehensively emphasize the importance of the context through giving cases study projections on serological outcomes and clinical intervention risks and impacts on human health. This perspective scope is on teenage cases who are supposed to actively attend and play roles in the education and during the classes. The concept is to keep these teens safe from alcohol and to stop substance abuse. The school counselor should give social and drug life education to enable teenagers to make responsible decisions by providing honest information. The novelty of the advice and counseling will discourage the teens from excessive or partial indulgence. The counselor is also supposed to advise the students to understand their place in the society and their future as citizens in the educative approach (Flannery, 2007). Students tend to have various social networks where they interact. The school counselor should integrate these networks as extracurricular activities by allocating time to be with the students. According to research, drug abuse takes place mostly after school and evening hours as stated above (Bachman, Johnston & O’Malley 1990). As a school counselor it is important to be involved in participating, and listening to what students express and how they relate with their peers. In a group setting, I would encourage the students to speak freely, express their views, thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. I will intervene only while asking them why they feel or think a certain way, then offer my support. Students can have a friend or family member participate in order to improve the advice being offered. The setting should be a homely, conducive, and well equipped with communication and research tools to help these students research their problem with guidance from the school counselor. This is a very effective method and creates a backbone for the gradual and even instant ceasing of alcohol habits. According to (Rosenbaum, 2003), the after school programs form the basis of a communal approach to the problem. The students are able to understand their problem through guidance. If a student’s drug use becomes a problem, the after-school drop-in program enables her to make informal contact with a professional, even if she is not ready for formal treatment. If problems escalate, a referral to the appropriate agency can be made (Rosenbaum 2003). Conclusion Safety and correction to reduce harm and to reconstitute behavior and perception in the teens is important. The school counselor can actively and consistently provide extra attention and consideration to the teens with the problem and follow up their recovery. Counselors should encourage discussion of trauma experience among the peers and the counseling group. Over weekends, they should refer these teens with the problems to active involvement in community recovery work, church and sporting activities. Counselors should urge participation in sports and athletics and encourage resumption of regular social-recreational activities like in-house games and sport. This way the traumatized and the recovering teens will become social figures who’ll be symbolic role models and successful and responsible people in the future. Sources (Ken & David 2007), Social-economic decline due to substance abuse by teens: An intelligence approach to teen physiology through counter brain measures. Goldman Intelligence, Nairobi p1-5 Barbra Flannery, (2007) International Research Institute, Baltimore Hser, Y-I. ; Grille, C. E. ; Hubbard, R. L. ; et al (2002). An evaluation of drug treatment for adolescents in four U. S. cities: Archives of General Psychiatry; Volume 17, pp 1 M. Rosenbaum, â€Å"‘Just Say No’ Wins Few Points with Ravers,† Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2001: A13. M. Rosenbaum (2003) Safety first: A reality based approach to teen’s drugs and drug education. Drug Policy Alliance www. safety1st. org (J. G. Bachman, L. D. Johnston and P. M. O’Malley 1990), â€Å"Explaining the Recent Decline in Cocaine use Among Young Adults: Further Evidence That Perceived Risks and Disapproval Lead to Reduced Drug use: Journal of Health and Human Social Behavior 31. 2 (1990): 173-184 Texas drug and rehabilitation center http://www. drugfree. org www. samhas. gov www. nida. nih. gov

4 ways to strategically develop your employer branding

4 ways to strategically develop your employer branding It’s probably not news to you that hiring has gotten more complicated in recent years. Longer time-to-hire, higher costs, more variables in the pipeline, reaching the best candidates: all have made the recruitment and talent acquisition process into a bit of a hiring crunch. Add to that a buyer’s market for job seekers and it means your organization needs every advantage it can get. Employer branding is not only the first thing to do to improve your hiring, it’s also one of the most important things you can do for your organization’s long-term recruiting health.It’s important to separate your employer brand from your organization’s outward-facing brand marketing. The latter is important in cultivating customers and partners, but the former is what you need to make sure you’re putting the right talent in place. Consider your employer brand as a separate type of marketing. To that end, you should be able to answer these questions, if you want a secure sense of employer brand:What makes you an appealing place to work?What is the public perception of your organization as an employer?What is your employee value proposition (EVP)?Approximately how many of your current employees would recommend you as a place to work?How much visibility do you have into your current employees, and the potential employee pool?If you’re looking to develop a strategy to shore up your employer brand, thinking critically and openly about those questions (and improving the responses, as necessary) is the place to start. After that, there are steps you can take to make sure you’re developing your employer brand in a way that improves your hiring.Clarify your missionYour company website or career platform may be the first experience someone has of your company. You want to make sure you’re presenting a cohesive mission statement and voice in any public-facing platform that potential employees will see. Make your companyâ₠¬â„¢s goals, values, and culture clear, and be sure to play up the factors that make your company unique, or at least better.Know your employeesIf you don’t really know how your employees think of you as an employer, it’s time to do some research. These are people who were already selected to be part of your team, and they bring the most relevant perspectives on what you’re like as an employer. Surveys and requests for feedback (particularly anonymous ones) can provide you with the constructive information you need to make sure you’re the high-quality workplace you want to be. You may learn some uncomfortable or surprising truths from this kind of research, but this whole thing is about being better- not being comfortable.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Understand what the public hears and says about youSites like Glassdoor give former employees to give anonymous feedback about their experience, for the reference of tho se who might be thinking about applying at a certain company. Online reviews can be a mixed bag at best- people with axes to grind can often outweigh genuine perspectives. However, it’s important to know what people are saying about you, positive or not. This can help you figure out which positives to emphasize as part of your employer brand, and also which negative perceptions you’ll be fightingUse metrics and marketing tools to assess your employer brandThese are the same methods you’d use to track your customer marketing, brand awareness, employee engagement, and other data points that inform your marketing decisions. The information you get as you get deeper into the employer branding process will help improve your strategies moving forward.Investing in your employer branding strategy is one of the best things you can do to future-proof your recruitment and hiring. By refining your employer brand and ensuring that you’re appealing to the candidates yo u want to attract, you’ll be less affected by the ups and downs of the talent acquisition trends of the day.

Sample - User Manual for Snapchat

Sample - User Manual for Snapchat This report outlines the initial proposal for the Snapchat user manual. This report should cover some of the broad and basic information that first-time users of the Snapchat application need to know. This report shall also cover the unique stylistic components that the author shall use in his final report- which would be the actual Snapchat user manual. The purpose of this report then is to guide the author in planning and writing what to write, how to write the contents, and where to place them in the actual manual. Needs Assessment The focus of the project would be on the application Snapchat. Snapchat is a social media application that allows users to share videos called snaps. This is, in fact, a new trend in the digital arena because as of the moment it is the process of sharing photos that is most prevalent. What Snapchat is all about, however, is the process of sharing videos. It is important to note, however, that users may also take and share photos, drawings, and texts and then send them to a controlled list of people (i.e. the recipients). Essentially, Snapchat is a messaging tool that has a high level of multimedia sharing capability. Considering all of these features, it can be said that Snapchat is virtually intended to be used (and can actually be used) by everyone; from businessmen to casual and professional photographers and graphic and video artists. Students may also take advantage of the enhanced sharing capability of Snapchat. What is unique with Snapchat, however, is the fact that it enable s the users to specify how long the snaps (i.e. the sent videos and photographs) can be viewed by their recipients and actually stay in the company’s servers- after which the developers of the app claim that it would already be deleted. Additional Research One of the latest features that Snapchat users can enjoy is the Snapchat Lenses. With lenses, users can take snaps using real-time special effects, sounds, and filters. This way, they would not have to edit their snaps. Whenever there are updates, new filters (e.g. rewind, slow-motion, force touch) and effects may get released so it would be best to frequently update the version of Snapchat installed on the smartphone or a tablet computer. Audience Analysis The intended audience for the Snapchat user manual would be all of the potential users of the application. Some of the specific examples include: Business men Professional and casual photographers Professional and casual graphic artists Students and teachers Government agencies, departments, and organizations For-profit and non-profit organizations Researchers The application user manual that will be published shall cater to all the users’ needs. No separate version of the user manual will be released for a particular group or audience. The target audience for the user manual would be those who have basic to intermediate smartphone and internet navigation skills; those who actually own a smart phone or a tablet computer equipped with a decent camera capable of taking pictures and recording videos- because these are the main hardware requirements for an individual to utilize Snapchat. Suggested Table of Contents About the Manual Acknowledgement Table of Contents Glossary Introduction Wiki Section Wiki Contents Basics Intermediates Advanced Using Snapchat How to take a picture How to take a video How to create a text message How to organize a list of recipients How to send texts, pictures, videos How to store your contents Snapchat Terms, Policies, and Conditions How to Install and Uninstall the Application Setting up and Account Troubleshooting Frequently Asked Questions Participating in the Snapchat users’ community and forum Frequently Asked Questions The most basic information about Snapchat shall be placed within a consolidated FAQ section. The purpose of the FAQ section would be to enable the users to get started in using the Snapchat application. This may contain instructions on how to install the application, where the download links may be obtained, and how to set up the application on their device after installation. This can be presented within any section of the user manual. In any case, the most important component would be the content. This section has to be simple and easy to understand. Design Layout The purpose of the Snapchat user manual is to get the users started on how to use the application. The focus of the writing process should then be on the content because it is the most important component that would determine the success of the project. The design process should, however, be not taken for granted. The design and layout should embody the following characteristics: elegance, professionalism, and neatness. The design should be creative but not to the point that it would look untidy and too artistic. After all, this was not intended to be an art project. The design and layout should make it easier for the readers to read and understand all sections of the content; this is where the neatness component should be factored in. The layout should follow the outline of the contents provided earlier where each section should have its own design in order for the readers to understand how each section is independent of each other.

Automation Tools Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Automation Tools - Math Problem Example The pane, labeled 'Classes' (encircled in blue), displays the name of all objects that are contained in the library, VBA; these objects are called classes, modules and enumerations. These objects have constants, properties and functions, which are listed in pane, labeled 'Members of XXXXX' (encircled in green), through which they define their attributes and set of actions that they can perform. For example, in above figure, it can be noted that there are only two constants, vbModal and vbModaless, are defined in enumeration, FormShowConstant. Also note that the summarized detail for the selected member, vbModaless, is also displayed in the bottom pane (encircled in pink). Executes code one statement at a time; when not in design mode, Step Into enters break mode at the current line of execution. If the statement is a call to a procedure, the next statement displayed is the first statement in the procedure. At design time, this menu item begins execution and enters break mode before the first line of code is executed. This option is similar to Step Into; the difference in use occurs when the current statement contains a call to a procedure. It executes the procedure as a unit, and then steps to the next statement in the current procedure. ... For example, in above figure, it can be noted that there are only two constants, vbModal and vbModaless, are defined in enumeration, FormShowConstant. Also note that the summarized detail for the selected member, vbModaless, is also displayed in the bottom pane (encircled in pink). Question 1(c): What debugging facilities are available within the Visual Basic Editor (VBA IDE).Describe how they might be used to debug code Answer 1(c): In Visual Basic Editor, all debugging facilities can be accessed through options that are available in 'Debug' menu; this menu contains the following menu items: 1. Step Into Executes code one statement at a time; when not in design mode, Step Into enters break mode at the current line of execution. If the statement is a call to a procedure, the next statement displayed is the first statement in the procedure. At design time, this menu item begins execution and enters break mode before the first line of code is executed. If there is no current execution point, the Step Into command may appear to do nothing until something is done that triggers code, for example clicking on a document. 2. Step Over This option is similar to Step Into; the difference in use occurs when the current statement contains a call to a procedure. It executes the procedure as a unit, and then steps to the next statement in the current procedure. Therefore, the next statement displayed is the next statement in the current procedure regardless of whether the current statement is a call to another procedure. This option is available in break mode only. 3. Step Out Executes the remaining lines of a function in which the current execution point lies. The next statement displayed is the statement following the procedure call. All of the code is executed