Developing Promotional Strategies for Horticultural Products Essay Example for Free

Developing Promotional Strategies for Horticultural Products Essay INTRODUCTION. The horticulture sub-sector of agriculture in Kenya has grown in the last decade to become a major foreign exchange earner, employer and contributor to food needs in the country. Currently the horticulture industry is the fastest growing agricultural subsector in the country and is ranked third in terms of foreign exchange earnings from exports after tourism and tea. Fruits, vegetable and cut flower production are the main aspects of horticultural production in Kenya. In this write up, the horticultural products I will focus on are coriander, courgettes, cabbage, kales, spinach, indigenous vegetables like ‘terere’ and ‘managu’, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and onions. These products will be directly sourced from my farm in Kitengela. IDENTIFICATION OF THE INNATE ANS ACQUIRED NEEDS According to Boyd (2010) humans become motivated when a need is aroused that they have a desire to satisfy. These needs can be physiological also known as innate e.g need for food, water, sex and cloths or they could be acquired needs which are learnt in response to an individual’s culture or surroundings e.g need for affection, self esteem or prestige. The above mentioned horticultural products are food products that satisfy needs in the first level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs i.e the physiological needs. Moreover, through the right packaging and promotion of these products, the acquired needs will be satisfied. THE PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES BASED ON THESE NEEDS Organizations use promotion to communicate with customers about products they offer because promotion is one half of the communication process with customers. It works co-operatively with market research in an iterative feedback loop so that the constantly changing requirements of users are met by promotional activities that target or even anticipate these expressed needs. Promotion involves making sure that customers are aware of the products that the organization makes available to them. The objective of my promotional strategy is to provide information about my products, increase demand for these products and to differentiate the product. I will design different advertising messages to be placed in certain magazines like healthy eating magazines as well as Saturday Nation newspaper magazine and television advertisment. Moreover, through the social media i.e twitter and face book I will advertise my products. These adverts will focus on the benefits that clients will get on consump tion of my products. The advert will be designed in such a way that it brings out the different innate and acquired needs that will be met. People have to eat and eat good food that is well presented, I will therefore, do word of mouth advertising and attend networking forums for horticultural products e.g the annual horticultural exhibitions says Wu (2012). As I display my products, I will ensure they are well packaged in clean, labeled packages so that as my purchase my products they are satisfied with the packaging thus meeting both their innate and acquired needs. According to Stern and Adel (1988), word-of-mouth is one of the most credible forms of advertising because people who dont stand to gain personally by promoting something put their reputations on the line every time they make a recommendation. In the utilization of word of mouth advertising, I will incorporate brand advocates in this word of mouth ad. I will use personal selling as well. This will be one to one communication with a potential buyer. In this case the potential buyers I will focus on for personal selling are the restaurants, schools, hospitals and hotels. I will therefore, employ the use of sales men and use experiential marketing in this case. I will hire a tele-marketing researcher who will make follow up calls to clients who purchase my products to get their feedback on areas that I need to improve on as the researcher identifies their unspoken needs as well as their spoken needs. REFERENCES Boyd, J.C (2010). Consumer Psychology. England:Open University Press. Stern .L. W. Adel I. E.(1988) Marketing Channels. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall Inc. Wu, J. M ( 2012) Consumer Perception of quality for horticultural products and related agricultural practices. Ontario:Guelph.

Strategy Formulation Essay Example for Free

Strategy Formulation Essay Basic strategic planning is comprised of several components that build upon the previous piece of the plan, and operates much like a flow chart. However, prior to embarking on this process, it is important to consider the players involved. There must be a commitment from the highest office in the organizational hierarchy. Without buy-in from the head of a company, it is unlikely that other members will be supportive in the planning and eventual implementation process, thereby dooming the plan before it ever takes shape. Commitment and support of the strategic-planning initiative must spread from the president and/or CEO all the way down through the ranks to the line worker on the factory floor. Just as importantly, the strategic-planning team should be composed of top-level managers who are capable of representing the interests, concerns, and opinions of all members of the organization. As well, organizational theory dictates that there should be no more than twelve members of the team. This allows group dynamics to function at their optimal level. The components of the strategic-planning process read much like a laundry list, with one exception: each piece of the process must be kept in its sequential order since each part builds upon the previous one. This is where the similarity to a flow chart is most evident, as can be seen in the following illustration. The only exceptions to this are environmental scanning and continuous implementation, which are continuous processes throughout. This article will now focus on the discussion of each component of the formulation process: environmental scanning, continuous implementation, values assessment, vision and mission formulation, strategy design, performance audit analysis, gap analysis, action-plan development, contingency planning, and final implementation. After that, this article will discuss a Japanese variation to Strategy Formulation, Hoshin Planning, which has become very popular. ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING This element of strategy formulation is one of the two continuous processes. Consistently scanning its surroundings serves the distinct purpose of allowing a company to survey a variety of constituents that affect its performance, and which are necessary in order to conduct subsequent pieces of the planning process. There are several specific areas that should be considered, including the overall environment, the specific industry itself, competition, and the internal environment of the firm. The resulting consequence of regular inspection of the environment is that an organization readily notes changes and is able to adapt its strategy accordingly. This leads to the development of a real advantage in the form of accurate responses to internal Figure 1 Strategic Planning Process   and external stimuli so as to keep pace with the competition. CONTINUOUS IMPLEMENTATION The idea behind this continual process is that each step of the planning process requires some degree of implementation before the next stage can begin. This naturally dictates that all implementation cannot be postponed until completion of the plan, but must be initiated along the way. Implementation procedures specific to each phase of planning must be completed during that phase in order for the next stage to be started. VALUES ASSESSMENT All business decisions are fundamentally based on some set of values, whether they are personal or organizational values. The implication here is that since the strategic plan is to be used as a guide for daily decision making, the plan itself should be aligned with those personal and organizational values. To delve even further, a values assessment should include an in-depth analysis of several elements: personal values, organizational values, operating philosophy, organization culture, and stakeholders. This allows the planning team to take a macro look at the organization and how it functions as a whole. Strategic planning that does not integrate a values assessment into the process is sure to encounter severe implementation and functionality problems if not outright failure. Briefly put, form follows function; the form of the strategic plan must follow the functionality of the organization, which is a direct result of organizational values and culture. If any party feels that his or her values have been neglected, he or she will not adopt the plan into daily work procedures and the benefits will not be obtained. VISION AND MISSION FORMULATION This step of the planning process is critical in that is serves as the foundation upon which the remainder of the plan is built. A vision is a statement that identifies where an organization wants to be at some point in the future. It functions to provide a company with directionality, stress management, justification and quantification of resources, enhancement of professional growth, motivation, standards, and succession planning. Porrus and Collins (1996) point out that a well-conceived vision consists of two major components: a core ideology and the envisioned future. A core ideology is the enduring character of an organization; it provides the glue that holds an organization together. It itself is composed of core values and a core purpose. The core purpose is the organizations entire reason for being. The envisioned future involves a conception of the organization at a specified future date inclusive of its aspirations and ambitions. It includes the BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal), which a company typically reaches only 50 to 70 percent of the time. This envisioned future gives vividly describes specific goals for the organization to reach. The strategic results of a well formulated vision include the survival of the organization, the focus on productive effort, vitality through the alignment of the individual employees and the organization as a whole, and, finally, success. Once an agreed-upon vision is implemented, it is time to move on to the creation of a mission statement. An explicit mission statement ensures the unanimity of purpose, provides the basis for resource allocation, guides organizational climate and culture, establishes organizational boundaries, facilitates accountability, and facilitates control of cost, time, and performance. When formulating a mission statement, it is vital that it specifies six specific elements, including the basic product or service, employee orientation, primary market(s), customer orientation, principle technologies, and standards of quality. With all of these elements incorporated, a mission statement should still remain short and memorable. For example, the mission statement of the American Red Cross, reads: The mission of the American Red Cross is to improve the quality of human life; to enhance self-reliance and concern for others; and to help people avoid, prepare for, and cope with emergencies. Other functions of a mission statement include setting the bounds for development of company philosophy, values, aspirations, and priorities (policy); establishing a positive public image; justifying business operations; and providing a corporate identity for internal and external stakeholders. STRATEGY DESIGN This section of strategy formulation involves the preliminary layout of the detailed paths by which the company plans to fulfill its mission and vision. This step involves four major elements: identification of the major lines of business (LOBs), establishment of critical success indicators (CSIs), identification of strategic thrusts to pursue, and the determination of the necessary culture. A line of business is an activity that produces either dramatically different products or services or that are geared towards very different markets. When considering the addition of a new line of business, it should be based on existing core competencies of the organization, its potential contribution to the bottom line, and its fit with the firms value system. The establishment of critical success factors must be completed for the organization as a whole as well as for each line of business. A critical success indicator is a gauge by which to measure the progress toward achieving the companys m ission. In order to serve as a motivational tool, critical success indicators must be accompanied by a target year (i.e. 1999, 1999–2002, etc.). This also allows for easy tracking of the indicated targets. These indicators are typically a mixture of financial figures and ratios (i.e. return on investment, return on equity, profit margins, etc.) and softer indicators such as customer loyalty, employee retention/turnover, and so on. Strategic thrusts are the most well-known methods for accomplishing the mission of an organization. Generally speaking, there are a handful of commonly used strategic thrusts, which have been so aptly named grand strategies. They include the concentration on existing products or services; market/product development; concentration on innovation/technology; vertical/horizontal integration; the development of joint ventures; diversification; retrenchment/turnaround (usually through cost reduction); and divestment/liquidation (known as the final solution). Finally, in designing strategy, it is necessary to determine the necessary culture with which to support the achievement of the lines of business, cr itical success indicators, and strategic thrusts. Harrison and Stokes (1992) defined four major types of organizational cultures: power orientation, role orientation, achievement orientation, and support orientation. Power orientation is based on the inequality of access to resources, and leadership is based on strength from those individuals who control the organization from the top. Role orientation carefully defines the roles and duties of each member of the organization; it is a bureaucracy. The achievement orientation aligns people with a common vision or purpose. It uses the mission to attract and release the personal energy of organizational members in the pursuit of common goals. With a support orientation, the organizational climate is based on mutual trust between the individual and the organization. More emphasis is placed on people being valued more as human beings rather than employees. Typically an organization will choose some mixture of these or other predefined culture roles that it feels is suitable in helping it to achieve is mission and the other components of strategy design. PERFORMANCE AUDIT ANALYSIS Conducting a performance audit allows the organization to take inventory of what its current state is. The main idea of this stage of planning is to take an in-depth look at the companys internal strengths and weaknesses and its external opportunities and threats. This is commonly called a SWOT analysis. Developing a clear understanding of resource strengths and weaknesses, an organizations best opportunities, and its external threats allows the planning team to draw conclusions about how to best allocate resources in light of the firms internal and external situation. This also produces strategic thinking about how to best strengthen the organizations resource base for the future. Looking internally, there are several key areas that must be analyzed and addressed. This includes identifying the status of each existing line of business and unused resources for prospective additions; identifying the status of current tracking systems; defining the organizations strategic profile; listing the available resources for implementing the strategic thrusts that have been selected for achieving the newly defined mission; and an examining the current organizational culture. The external investigation should look closely at competitors, suppliers, markets and customers, economic trends, labor-market conditions, and governmental regulations. In conducting this query, the information gained and used must reflect a current state of affairs as well as directions for the future. The result of a performance audit should be the establishment of a performance gap, that is, the resultant gap between the current performance of the organization in relation to its performance targets. To close this gap, the planning team must conduct what is known as a gap analysis, the next step in the strategic planning process. GAP ANALYSIS A gap analysis is a simple tool by which the planning team can identify methods with which to close the identified performance gap(s). All too often, however, planning teams make the mistake of making this step much more difficult than need be. Simply, the planning team must look at the current state of affairs and the desired future state. The first question that must be addressed is whether or not the gap can feasibly be closed. If so, there are two simple questions to answer: What are we doing now that we need to stop doing? and What do we need to do that we are not doing? In answering these questions and reallocating resources from activities to be ceased to activities to be started, the performance gap is closed. If there is doubt that the initial gap cannot be closed, then the feasibility of the desired future state must be reassessed. Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Building Your Companys Vision. Harvard Business Review, September-October 1996, 65–90. Goldstein, Leonard D., Timothy M. Nolan, and J. William Pfeiffer. Applied Strategic Planning: How to Develop a Plan that Really Works. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993. Harrison, Roger, and Herb Stokes. Diagnosing Organizational Culture. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 1992. King, Bob. Hoshin Planning: the Developmental Approach. Methuen, MA: GOAL/QPC, 1989. Mellum, Mara Minerva, and Casey Collett. Breakthrough Leadership: Achieving Organizational Alignment through Hoshin Planning. Chicago: American Hospital Publishers, Inc., 1995.

Business Process Management Experience Business Essay

Business Process Management Experience Business Essay A study published by Gartner (Gartner: Michael James Melenovsky / Jim Sinur / Janelle B. Hill / David W. McCoy, Business Process Management: Preparing for the Process-Managed Organization, 2005) defines Business Process Management (BPM) as follows: BPM is a management practice that provides for governance of a businesss process environment toward the goal of improving agility and operational performance. BPM is a structured approach employing methods, policies, metrics, management practices and software tools to manage and continuously optimize an organizations activities and processes. My learning experience on business process management started in the early years of my career when I worked as programmer and subsequently a project manager with a local software house (See CV Aug 1981 Aug 1994). I spent many years working in the development, implementation and management of an insurance package for a number of insurance agencies in Malta. Working closely with insurance personnel to understand their pain areas and their business requirements gave me a very good knowledge and insight on the insurance business, and helped me develop my interpersonal and communication skills. Analysing their working practices, identifying areas of improvements and making recommendations for automation developed my analytical skills. This experience was further reinforced when I attended a one-year study course with examination (See CV Training 1985 to 1986) for the attainment of an analysis and design diploma and a graduate membership with the Institution of Analysts and Programmers. Good formal training on internationally-renowned systems analysis and design methodologies, held in the nineties (E.g. SSADM, DSDM, BPR), further strengthened my skills and knowledge in process modelling and business analysis. This also taught me how to intelligently select a variety of techniques and approaches to be used in tackling different kinds of situations. I consider this training as a turning-point in my career because, through it, I discovered a profound interest in structured methodologies, which I continued developing over the years and still at it after thirty years. The in-depth knowledge in structured methodologies acquired in the previous years also turned me into a highly structured individual with good organisational skills who can organise himself and others. In 2005, as Information Systems Strategist at Air Malta, I proposed the setting up of a business process improvement function within my sphere of responsibilities. This recommendation was accepted. Over the next two years I worked on two assignments, namely, the reorganisation of the Airlines Commercial Division, and the Tour Operator Contract Management business process (See AOL1 Project Management Pg 2). A few months ago, in my role as Head of IT at APS Bank, I made recommendations to set up a new BPM unit in order to initiate a number of change programmes that would focus on improving the Banks working practices and introduce further automation. The recommendations were accepted and a change programme set in motion. In this AOL, I will demonstrate the use of my skills and knowledge in the creation of a business process management function at APS Bank and my experiences on the first change projects. Learning Trail My knowledge on business process management has developed over the years throughout a mix of implicit and explicit learning, formal training and on-the-job working experiences. The following is a diagram depicting my learning trail in business process management: Diagram 1: BPM Learning Trail Skills and Activities The following is a table highlighting the skills and relevant activities covered in this AOL: Skills Activities Gaining Organisational Adoption Establish Banks BPM readiness Research best practices Gain buy-in for adoption of new idea Setting up a Business Process Management Competency Centre Establish the organisation structure and services to be offered Select a methodology and toolset Establish a programme of works Deliver a BPM programme Execute a pilot project Execute the first project Promote first achievements and good results Formation of a BPM Competency Centre at APS Bank Gaining Organisational Adoption: APS Bank is relatively small in size and client base when compared to other local banks, but has a niche market and a rich banking history spanning over a hundred years of successful operation. My direct involvement in the preparation of the Banks IT strategy and its business strategy (See AOL 2 IT Strategy Definition), gave me a fairly good insight in its business model and working practices. When I looked at the evolution of the Bank over the past hundred years; its transformation into a commercial bank a few years ago; its fast growth rate; and the findings of a situational analysis; it became apparent that this fast change and constant evolution created operational silos and inefficient working practices. To me, these factors clearly indicated that the Bank needed urgent re-engineering to streamline and standardise its business processes; to realign the organisation structure; and to introduce automation to support this change. It was the perfect site for the adoption of Business Process Management (BPM). As Head of IT I firmly believed that reengineering a business process prior to automating it would be extremely beneficial, because the resultant computer-system would represent a streamlined and efficient process legacy working practices, duplication and redundant steps would be eliminated before embarking on systems development. I decided to research and explore the best possible approach to use in order to build up business process management capabilities within the IT Division. I was concerned about the Banks readiness to accept this culture change. I was aware that introducing and practicing BPM would bring about significant changes and possibly resistance to change. Having researched the subject, I discovered Gartners Enterprise Personality Profile (EPP) method to assess the Banks readiness for this change (Gartner: Elise Olding, Bill Rosser, Getting Started with BPM, Part 1: Assessing Readiness, Pg 3, 2007). On evaluation, I concluded that the Bank could be classified as a Cultural Moderate, whose definition by Gartner is: Cultural moderates operate in a more stable but sometimes disjointed fashion; they tend to seek parity with other enterprises. I could relate to this definition, because of the Banks: (i) operational silos; (ii) conservative outlook and low risk appetite; and (iii) tendency to follow market leaders and rarely venture forward into becoming innovators. The Gartner study also recommended that Moderates are more likely to respond to projec ts that will offer competitive advantage such as improved customer service. I used the results of this assessment to mould my next steps in obtaining organisational adoption. Subsequently, I also used this new knowledge whilst preparing the annual programme of works. The experiences and skills I had acquired in my previous jobs with MITTS Ltd when I set up a Rapid Application Development Unit (See CV Jan 1996 Aug 2000); an Information Management Unit; and an Enterprise Architecture Unit (See CV Sep 2001 Aug 2004); were extremely helpful. The aggregation of positive and negative experiences encountered during these assignments gave me a proved and tested approach to use in the creation of this new unit. My next step was to research approaches used in similar situations by my peers in the industry. I used Gartner research material and found tons of information on the subject. It was comforting to see that my approach was pretty close to the mark. I collected all the information I required and prepared a PowerPoint presentation that provided the rationale behind my recommendation to set up this new function. I then started my usual lobbying grand tour of influential people within the Bank. The first difficult milestone was to convince the CEO, who is a very thorough person whose focus on efficiency, discipline and achieving business results are high on his agenda. I therefore focused my presentation on the current situation and the added value that the new unit would bring. The CEO was interested in this new concept and instructed me to bring it up for discussion at the Executive Management Committee. I used the same presentation at the Executive Management Committee, but the results were different. Some heads felt that BPM was an invasive and meddling exercise in their methods of working they had difficulties accepting external parties telling them whats wrong and how to do things. Other heads questioned the need for any improvements to the current business processes. Others were concerned at their required level of involvement during a BPM project. In short, I realised that I had made a mistake I had rushed into this without having carried out the appropriate level of lobbying with the individual heads before meeting them collectively in a group I had not used my experience and intrinsic learning I had previously acquired. In the following weeks I had to make some corrections and therefore changed tact. In other meetings that followed, I emphasised on some key areas to try and convince the heads that this was good for the company, because: (i) the BPM Unit is to be considered as a consultant that provides re-engineering services to the Head and his division it is not an internal audit; (ii) the Head and his division will rarely ever have the time and opportunity to dedicate weeks of effort to reassess their working practices the BPM unit can do that for them; (iii) every decision or proposed change will be carried out with the division the BPM unit are only facilitators; and (iv) any move to change has to be fully authorised by the Head of the division. This painful but important exercise, that should have been carried out previously, was relatively successful the Executive Management Committee cautiously bought into the concept. My recommendation to set up the new BPM Unit was adopted by the Bank and placed as one of my targets in the new Business Plan. It was now important to tread carefully in the first one or two BPM projects in order to ensure full buy-in. Setting up a BPM Competency Centre: Two years previously, I had set up a unit within the IT Division (i.e. Client Services Unit), to act as a buffer between IT and its internal business clients. This unit is staffed by ex-business personnel who understood the Banks working practices; could speak the same language as their business clients; and who could therefore show empathy towards their business colleagues. Reviewing, understanding and proposing changes to working practices required a good doze of knowledge on banking. I therefore found it suitable and logical to set up the new BPM function under the umbrella of the above mentioned Unit. The objective was to ensure that BPM personnel inherit the mindset of customer care and relationship building. I did not want to start big, so I recruited two bank personnel who had a good mix of banking knowledge, as well as, a good IT know-how. The next step was to research, select and establish a methodology and a toolset that would eventually be used to deliver BPM projects. I consider the use and knowledge of methodologies to be one of my core competencies. In the nineties, I attended a number of good training study courses in methods, such as Systems Development and Design Methodologies (SSADM) and the Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM now known as Agile) (See Relevant Training Courses below). I have also acquired solid hands-on experience in the use of these methods, especially during the period 1990 to 1994, when I worked on large projects in the insurance and oil industries (See CV Jan 1990 Aug 1994). Therefore, establishing and documenting an initial approach to be used for BPM projects was not a difficult task to complete. In 1995, in my new job at MITTS Ltd (See CV Sep 1994 Aug 2000), I was given the opportunity to set up a rapid application development unit for the Government of Malta, whose raison dà ªtre was to deliver small computer-based solutions in a phased and rapid manner. This experience was an extremely positive learning experience because it taught me to: (i) understand the importance of setting a vision, which gave the team a shared and common direction to get there; (ii) understand the importance of heavily involving your personnel during the birth of a new unit I found that this approach instilled a feeling of pride, bonding, comradeship and ownership; and (iii) understand group development, whereby teams go through four phases of maturity as stated by Bruce Tuckman (Tuckman, Bruce (1965), Developmental sequence in small groups, Psychological Bulletin 63 (6): 382-99), namely the forming-storming-norming-performing. I therefore set out to use the above learning experience to create the new BPM function. I engaged the new recruits in the design of the BPM method, techniques and toolset through interactive workshops and proof-of-concept projects. At each step of the way we met, compared notes and discussed areas of improvement. We moved into a natural cycle of continuous improvement, whereby each step of the way was constantly being challenged and refined on the basis of each others experiences. This method proved successful, because the personnel were motivated and fully engaged. Deliver a BPM programme: As already mentioned above (See Gaining organisational adoption), the Executive Management Committee cautiously bought into the new concept of a BPM function. Some Heads were not yet convinced of its benefits and some others were sceptical of the whole concept. I was given the chance to prove that this was the right thing to do. I therefore embarked on an exercise to establish a programme of works for the next twelve months. During the business planning exercise, that takes place each year, I invited my colleagues in the executive management committee to propose pain areas which they felt needed attention and assistance to sort out. I kept in mind the Enterprise Personality Profile assessment I had carried out earlier (See Gaining organizational adoption section above), whereby I had concluded that a corporate moderator would likely à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ respond to projects that will offer competitive advantage such as improved customer service (Gartner: Elise Old ing, Bill Rosser, Getting Started with BPM, Part 1: Assessing Readiness, Pg 3, 2007). Surely enough, the heads proposed four areas that would focus on customer touch-points (e.g. customer on-boarding and the call centre) a very positive turning point and a show of trust. We now had a programme of works and some willing sponsors. Before embarking on the first official project, we decided to initiate a pilot project with the aim to: (i) Test the selected approach and toolset; and (ii) Increase the level of skills and knowledge of the newly set BPM unit personnel on-the-job training. We selected the IT service desk business process that included incident management, change management, service level management and service request management. We piloted the full BPM lifecycle and again used regular meetings to identify areas of improvement at each step of the way. This exercise helped us to fine tune the selected approach and gain enough confidence to proceed with the first official BPM project. During the first project we tried to apply all the skills and knowledge we learnt during the proof-of-concept projects we had previously undertaken. At this point, the approach, techniques and tools were already well refined. We made it a point to use a totally participative and consultative approach across each step of the way. We prepared a detailed project brief and plan and ensured the full involvement of key business personnel selected by the project sponsor (head). The plan and expected outcomes were authorised by the project board. The project proceeded well and the initial outcome was very encouraging. We had passed the first difficult test. Relevant Training Courses Period Training Course Training Institute 2011 Business Process Management Gartner Ireland Limited, UK 1999 Dynamic Systems Development Method Practitioners Course (DSDM) DSDM Consortium 1997 Dynamic Systems Development Method Practitioners Course (DSDM) ITP Limited 1996 Business Process Re-Engineering Parity Training Limited, UK 1992 Systems Analysis Design Methodology (SSADM V4) BIS Applied Systems Limited 1990 Systems Analysis Design Methodology (SSADM V3) BIS Applied Systems Limited 1985 1986 Analysis Design graduate membership after having attended a formal course study and examination approved by the Institute Institution of Analysts Programmers, UK Evidence

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Introduction From any corner in the world you will be surrounded by propaganda: in the streets, in your house, even when you’re driving. Propaganda appears in many forms but I personally believe it to be the shaping of public beliefs, in which communication is used with the intention of manipulating. In short, propaganda is the art of brainwash. This form of art has been going for many centuries and has played an important role in the history of art, especially during the 20th century in which propaganda was used to persuade people to join the military service or to stand for their countries during wartime. At that time the objective was only one, nowadays there is more than one objective; how does propaganda influence the way 21st century society pre-establishes ideas and makes contradictions within taboos such as tattoos, marijuana and sexuality? By focusing on marijuana it can be noticed that there are several public opinions to it. Some believe it should be legalized as a drug, others think it shouldn’t and others think it should only be consumed for medical benefit. Similarly, tattoos are said to be a â€Å"respectable form of artâ€Å" by some while others state that â€Å"they demonstrate a lack of education and classâ€Å" and that â€Å"once you get a tattoo you put yourself in a lower echelon of societyâ€Å". Media and propaganda encourage us to accept all types of sexuality. Propaganda portrays homosexuals and bisexuals as exhibitors of gender-atypical behaviors. Despite the fact that propaganda has become less stereotyped over time, researchers believe that it hasn’t changed that much over the last ten years. Taboo: Tattoos. Social definition. Tattoos are defined to be â€Å"a permanent mark or design made on the skin by a proc... ...d Elisava in Barcelona respectively, and who wish to remain anonymous, I can determine that my conclusion is valid, as all these factors play a role when pre-establishing ideas and making contradictions. I can also state that it is in fact, a form of manipulation, as it makes the audience pre-establish ideas about certain things and then judge others. However, the students stated that, apparently, this was decreasing with the passing of time, as these taboos are becoming more accepted by first world countries. To conclude, I believe this is a vicious cycle; similar to the story of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Society has a pre-established idea. Media and mass communication want to sell what the audience wants, so they portray these ideologies, so in turn, society is subconsciously affected by the concepts conveyed, as they are stereotyped...But by who?

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Based upon the assessment of these important aspects, therapist psycho-educate the family and adolescent about the important findings of the detailed interview and plan out the intervention. Case example of assessment findings in obese adolescent girl: The mother of a 12-year-old girl came for consultation for her daughter’s weight concerns and comments that the girl is concerned about her weight and is being teased about this at school and in the family. There is a family history of obesity in parents and grandparents. During the assessment it was found that the girl’s main interests are sedentary activities like watching T.V., internet use and playing video games. Physical activity is limited, ‘screen time’ is 4-5 hours a day and dietary habits put her at risk of weight gain (skipping breakfast, frequent snacking, consuming soft drinks, and high preference of junk food). The girl has not attained menarche and has a BMI above the 95th percentile on the US-CDC growth chart and normal lipid profile, liver function test, glucose and insulin levels. On psychosocial assessment, she was found to be anxious and depressed due to her increasing weight, body image concerns and previous failed attempts of weight lo ss. She lost her confidence and has low self esteem. She indulged in emotional eating as well to overcome her stress. She has fewer friends as most of the people tease her about her weight. So she prefers to stay alone Impression: Obese with high risk of further weight gain and psycho-social problems. Components & Structure of Cognitive Behaviour therapy There is enough evidence to support the effectiveness of comprehensive behavioural intervention program that include dietary modification and exercise routine as treatment of ... ...cific and realistic goals that can be easily measured (e.g. walking/ running for 40 minutes, five times per week). Give them rewards for achieving goals. 9. Don’t use food as reward. 10. Limit sedentary behaviour Limiting television/computer/video game time gradually from 3 hours/day to 2 hours/day, finally to 1 hours/day (most of the time the strategy of reducing children’s sedentary behaviour can be more effective than a strategy of promoting physical activity). 11. Teach self monitoring to the child Give responsibility to monitor his/ her eating behaviour and physical activity by maintain logbooks/ diaries. Verbally praise the child for taking responsibility. 12. Enhance open communication with the child Let the child be comfortable in sharing his/her feelings with you because many a times child would resort to food to overcome these negative emotions/feelings.

Greeks and romans Essay -- essays research papers

Three ancient civilizations contributed most to Western society. These ancient cultures were the Romans, Greeks, and Judeo-Christians. Although all three had a major impact on our life today in areas such Philosophy, Art, Architecture, Education, Military, Family Life, Government, and many more, it is evident that the Roman civilization has impacted Western Society beyond the other two. But to come to this conclusion you must first look at all aspects of life of all three cultures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Judeo-Christians were highly religious people. In fact, almost all of their contributions to today are moral principals or religious. Although Jews lived in Judea, which was a Roman province since 6 AD, the Jews continued to be monotheistic. The Romans respected this, however, and did not make them worship the Roman Gods. Around 1 AD, a boy names Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem. After about thirty years Jesus began to preach about the Jewish God. People called Jesus the â€Å"Messiah† and the â€Å"King of the Jews† Roman leaders were worried that he would cause a revolt against the Romans. Jesus was considered an enemy. He was tried before Pontius Pilate and was crucified. After Jesus died on a cross, he was resurrected and remained on earth for forty more days to preach. After those forty days, Jesus was ascended into Heaven. The resurrection of Jesus became a main aspect of Christianity. For hundreds of years the Christian religion was put down and not excepted, but during Emperor Constantine’s reign Christianity became widely excepted because the Constantine was given a message from the Christian God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many morals and values of the Christians have been passed down and still are followed today. God gave the Ten commandments to Moses for all people to follow. In these ten, three are laws in today’s society: You shall not kill, You shall not steal, and also you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. It is illegal to kill and steal. Also, lying in a court of law is perjury.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christianity is the most common religion in western society. Although there are many different denominations of Christians today, including Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Lutheran, Methodist and many more, they all are based on the fact that Jesus died for their sins and they are forgiven. &n... ...rom its tradition of law. Many Romans were farmers. Therefore, they had to understand the laws of nature. As soldiers, they had to create laws to regulate the power of some men over others. Religion also stressed laws and obedience to authority. When Rome became a city, they created civic gods. These gods were spirits believed to be in the homes of Romans. All the gods possessed the power to help man only if he served them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More than any other ancient power, Rome was a qualified empire of many peoples and cultures. Roman law respected the differences among people. The idea of Roman life, excited many other cultures. This showed that Roman society was so smart that they were confident and arrogant it would spread throughout the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The history of the Roman Empire influenced Western civilization in many ways. Roman law became the basis of the legal codes of most European areas. Rome preserved Greek culture, the foundation of Western learning and even Christianity. All of these were spread to other lands. The world should be very fortunate of the Roman Empire. It has exploited so many great things throughout its dynasty.

Nature and nurture on development Essay

In the study of development, nature refers to the inherited (genetic) characteristics and tendencies that influence development. Some inherited characteristics appear in virtually everyone. For instance, almost all children have the capacity to learn to walk, understand language, imitate others, use simple tools, and draw inferences about how other people view the world. Thus all children have a set of universal human genes that, when coupled with a reasonable environment, permit them to develop as reasonably capable members of the human species. Other kinds of genes create differences among people. Children’s stature, eye color, and facial appearance are largely determined by genes. Children’s temperament—their characteristic ways of responding to emotional events, novel stimuli, and their own impulses—seems to be in part affected by their individual genetic makeup (Rothbart, Ahadi, & Evans, 2000; D. C. Rowe, Almeida, & Jacobson, 1999). Similarly, being slow or quick to learn from instruction and everyday experiences has some genetic basis (Petrill & Wilkerson, 2000; Plomin, 1989). Inherited characteristics and tendencies are not always evident at birth. Many physical features emerge gradually through the process of maturation, the genetically guided changes that occur over the course of development. Environmental support, such as food, reasonably safe and toxin-free surroundings, and responsive care from others, is necessary for maturation to take place; nature never works alone. Thus nature’s partner is nurture, the environmental conditions that influence development. Children’s experiences in the environment affect all aspects of their being, from the health of their bodies to the curiosity of their minds. Nurture affects children’s development through multiple channels: physically through nutrition, activity, and stress; intellectually through informal experiences and formal instruction; and socially through adult role models and peer relationships. With good environmental support, children thrive. Unfortunately, the conditions of nurture are not always nurturing. For example, children who grow up in an abusive family must look outside the family for stable, affectionate care. Historically, many theorists saw nature and nurture as separate and rival factors. Some theorists believed that biological factors are ultimately responsible for growth. Other theorists assumed that children become whatever the environment shapes them to be. Increasingly, developmental theorists have come to realize that nature and nurture are both important and that they intermesh dynamically in the lives of children. Consider these principles of how nature and nurture exert separate and combined effects: The relative effects of heredity and environment vary for different areas of development. Some abilities are strongly influenced by genetically controlled systems in the brain. For example, the ability to distinguish among speech sounds develops without training and under a wide range of environmental conditions (Flavell, 1994; Gallistel, Brown, Carey, Gelman, & Keil, 1991). In contrast, abilities in traditional school subject areas (e. g. , reading, geography) and advanced artistic and physical skills (e. g. , playing the piano, playing competitive soccer) rest heavily on instruction and practice (Gardner, Torff, & Hatch, 1996; Olson, 1994; R. Watson, 1996). Inherited tendencies make children more or less responsive to particular environmental influences. Because of their genetic makeup, some children are easily affected by certain conditions in the environment, whereas others are less affected (Rutter, 1997). For example, children who are, by nature, inhibited may be quite shy around other people if they have few social contacts. If their parents and teachers encourage them to make friends, however, they may become more socially outgoing (Arcus, 1991; J. Kagan, 1998). In contrast, children who have more extroverted temperaments may be sociable regardless of the environment in which they grow up: They will persistently search for peers with whom they can talk, laugh, and spend time. Environment may play a greater role in development when environmental conditions are extreme rather than moderate. When youngsters have experiences typical for their culture and age-group, heredity often plays a strong role in their individual characteristics. Thus, when children grow up with adequate nutrition, a warm and stable home environment, and appropriate educational experiences, heredity affects how quickly and thoroughly they acquire new skills. But when they have experiences that are quite unusual—for instance, when they experience extreme deprivation—the influence of environment outweighs that of heredity (D. C. Rowe, Almeida, & Jacobson, 1999). For example, when children grow up deprived of adequate nutrition and stimulation, they may fail to develop advanced intellectual skills, even though they had the potential for such development when they were born (Plomin & Petrill, 1997; D. C. Rowe, Jacobson, & Van den Oord, 1999). Similarly, when malnourished, children tend to remain short in stature regardless of their genetic potential to be tall (J. S. Kagan, 1969). Timing of environmental exposure matters. When children are changing rapidly in any area, they are especially prone to influence by the environment. For example, early in a mother’s pregnancy, her use of certain drugs may damage the quickly growing organs and limbs of the developing fetus. Just prior to birth, exposure to the same drugs may adversely affect the baby’s brain, which at that point is forming the connections that will permit survival and the ability to learn in the outside world. In a few cases environmental stimulation must occur during a particular period for an emerging ability to become functional (Blakemore, 1976; Hubel & Wiesel, 1965). In such cases there is a critical period for stimulation. For example, at birth, certain areas of the brain are tentatively reserved for processing visual patterns—lines, shapes, contours, depth, and so forth. In virtually all cases, infants do encounter adequate stimulation to preserve these brain circuits. However, when cataracts are present at birth and not removed for a few years, a child’s vision is obstructed, and areas of the brain that otherwise would be devoted to vision lose some of this capacity (Bruer, 1999). In many and probably most other developmental areas, however, children may be most receptive to a certain type of stimulation at one point in their lives but be able to benefit from it to some degree later as well. Tonya, in the introductory case study, may have encountered only limited exposure to language as a result of her mother’s weakened condition. Immersed later in a rich verbal environment, Tonya would have a second chance to expand her verbal talents. Thus educational experiences at a later time can often make up for experiences missed at an earlier period (Bruer, 1999). Many theorists use the term sensitive period (rather than critical period) when referring to such a long time frame of heightened sensitivity to particular environmental experiences. Children’s natural tendencies affect their environment. In addition to being affected by nature and nurture, children’s own behaviors influence their growth. Youngsters make many choices, seek out information, and, over time, refine their ideas (Flavell, 1994; Piaget, 1985). For example, children often request information (â€Å"What cooperate mean, Mommy? †) and experiences (â€Å"Uncle Kevin, can I play on your computer? †). Children even help create environments that exacerbate their genetic tendencies. For example, children with irritable dispositions might pick fights and provoke others to lash back at them, creating a more aggressive climate in which to grow. As children get older, they become increasingly able to seek stimulation that suits their tendencies. For example, imagine that Marissa has an inherited talent for verbal skills—learning vocabulary, comprehending stories, and so on. As a baby, she relies on her parents to talk to her. As a toddler, she asks her parents for particular kinds of stimulation (â€Å"Read book, Daddy! †). In elementary school she reads to herself from books supplied by her teachers. As a teenager, she takes the bus to the library and selects her own books. Marissa’s experience would suggest that genetic tendencies become more powerful as children grow older—an expectation that is in fact consistent with genetic research (Scarr & McCartney, 1983).