Environmental Analysis Paper Essay

Hospitality is one of those lines of business paths that are widespread. In Australia, Brisbane hotel provides a broad assortment of properties-budget, trade, tourist, lavishness, bed and breakfasts and apartments lodging. Moreover, Holiday City Brisbane hotels offer comfort, excellence and enormous worth for the money, perfect for leisure time and commerce travelers. This paper seeks to examine the environmental analysis of Brisbane hotel in Australia. (Higham, 2005, p. 98) 1. Industry Analysis On the foundation analysis unaccompanied, Brisbane market appears to be a suitable market for an augment in lodging supply. On the other hand there are a number of other considerations such as access to capital, augmented building and labour outlay. (Addis, 2006, p. 103) Brisbane is situated on the eastern coast; it is the capital of Queensland-Australia’s head of state tourist area. It is Australia’ best ever growing city region in South East Queensland and occupies 1,140 square kilometers. (King, 1997, p. 88) For a property shareholder, a significant indicator of hotel viability will be value versus building cost. Hotel values have not kept rate with the enlargement in building costs. See more: how to write an analysis of a research paper Hotel values sky rocketed in 1997 before moribund to a cyclical low of $161K per room in 2001. Building costs on the other hand have augmented each year, moribund only marginally in 2001 in reaction to the worldwide financial downturn. (Garling, 1991, p. 100) The low point of hotel values were 62 per cent of building costs and even as they have augmented by around 10 per cent per annum over the last five years double the rate of building costs, the expansion gap is still 20 per cent at present. This gap will differ across the cities of Australia. (Kohen, 1995, p. 90) The porter’s five forces model is a straightforward tool that supports premeditated understanding where authority lies in an industry situation. It also helps to comprehend both the strength of Brisbane existing cutthroat position, and the potency of a position Brisbane is in search to move into. Regardless of the fact that the five force structure focuses on commerce concerns rather than community policy, it also emphasizes comprehensive rivalry for value to a certain extent than just competition amongst existing rivals. (Freeland, 1968, p. 115) The innovative cutthroat forces model as projected by Porter acknowledged five forces which would impact on an organization’s performance in a cutthroat market. These include the following: (Swaffer, 2002, p. 102) i) The Degree of Rivalry The degree of rivalry, which is the most noticeable of the five forces in the hotel industry, helps decide the extent to which the value fashioned by a business will be dissolute through head to head contest. (Cunill, 2006, p. 78) Perth has overtaken Brisbane as Australia’s number one hotel bazaar after having strengthened its bazaar leader position all through each quarter during 2007 to record the uppermost Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) expansion, highest ADR expansion and uppermost tenancy result (82. 5%) for the full year. (Richards, 2006, p. 120) Hotel section analysis in the three main markets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane reveal that 5-star hotels are driving the sturdy bazaar performance. All the three cities recorded twofold figure RevPAR expansion during 2007 which is higher than the lower-tier segments. (Jamieson, 2006, p. 115) ii) The Threat of Entry Both the prospective and obtainable competitors influence standard business productivity. The threat of new entrants is frequently based on the bazaar entry barriers. They can take varied forms and are used to avert an influx of firms into a business at any time profits attuned for the cost of capital goes up above zero. (Higham, 2005, p. 104) The most widespread forms of entry barriers include: economies of scale, cost of entrance such as investment into expertise; distribution channels such as ease of admission for competitors; cost compensation not connected to the size of the corporation and government legislation. (Swaffer, 2002, p. 105) In a cutthroat market, all firms fabricate a standardized product. This means the goods presented by a variety of sellers are mainly identical. Since competition is based exclusively on the price, and the merchandise is homogenous, it then follows that buyers will buy from whoever’s product is cheapest, and this is also applicable in the hotel industry in the sense that tourist will choose to check inn to a hotel which they are comfortable with the price; therefore each producers is requisite to take up the least-cost method of fabrication and all surplus profits and losses will in the long run be abolished by entrance to, or exit from the business. (Addis, 2006, p. 108) Australia is in threat of becoming a lattice exporter of tourists in 2008 as strong expansion in outbound travel outpaces inbound tourist arrivals. The recently released Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Overseas Arrivals and Departures data reveals that arrivals have exposed some revival in the primary two months of 2008 (up 1. 7%), outbound travel has augmented by a staggering 14. 5%. (King, 1997, p. 94) The major competitor of Brisbane hotel is Sydney. However this was in the past. Sydney attracts a broad range of commerce events, and these proceedings tend to be larger than regular. Whereas the National Business Events Study (NBES) establish that New South Wales hosted 27 percent of the entire meetings in Australia in 2003, this represented 40 percent of the entire delegates. In terms of standard occasion size, Sydney hosted the biggest proceedings (roughly 162 delegates per event), followed by the Gold Coast (102), Melbourne (96), Adelaide (92), the ACT (89) and Perth (80). (Jamieson, 2006, p. 123) Nevertheless, this position is being windswept as other States are attracting an escalating percentage of intercontinental trade proceedings delegates. Queensland is to some extent differently positioned. Because of its chief coastal resort cities, it has key conference amenities at Cairns and the Gold Coast, as well as Brisbane. When these three locations are taken jointly, it reveals that in the mid-nineties they jointly held only about half as numerous meetings as Sydney. Ever since, their position has augmented considerably and in the epoch 2003-2005 they held about as several meetings as did Sydney. (Swaffer, 2002, p. 110) iii) The Threat of Substitutes A threat from substitutes exists if there are substitute products with inferior prices of improved performance parameters for the equivalent function. They could potentially draw a momentous proportion of bazaar volume and for this reason reduce the possible sales volume for existing troupe. This category also relates to balancing products. The threat of substitution is also influenced by switching costs such as retraining, retooling and redesigning that are incurred when a consumer switches to a dissimilar kind of product or service. (Higham, 2005, p. 111) Brisbane hotel faces the barricade of cost of setting up such as renting or owning building and licensing faced by new-fangled entrant. Even though firms in a monopolistically cutthroat market do face a low barrier to entry, the firms vend differentiated products, therefore causing new-fangled firms harder to be recognized. For example; Pier Nine Oyster Bar and Seafood Gril in Brisbane is a well-liked seafood restaurant. It then follows that a new seafood restaurant may have intricacy attracting clientele because of Pier’s recognized reputation. (Addis, 2006, p. 114) iv) Buyer Power Buyer power is one of the two level forces that control the misappropriation of the value fashioned by Brisbane hotel industry. The most imperative determinants of buyer power are the size and the attention of clientele. Other factors are the degree to which the buyers are well-versed and the attention of the competitors. (Jamieson, 2006, p. 130) Brisbane hotels come in all the shapes and sizes one would expect from Australia’s third biggest city-the enormous names like Hilton, Marriott and Sheraton are all there, all along with loads of self-governing establishments which vary from extremely quirky to absolute dirty. Similar to any bed where you relax your head, you acquire what you disburse for. Moreover, at the cheaper end of the range, a flawlessly contented room in an essential visitor hotel in the heart of the city like the Nomads will place you back about $80 a night at reserve rates, whereas a two bedroom suite in the historical 5 star Conrad Treasury Casino will cost you roughly $220 if you are looking less than two weeks ahead-which is fairly of high-quality for a five star hotel. (King, 1997, p. 101) v) Supplier Power This is a reflect icon of the buyer power. As an end result, the examination of supplier power characteristically focuses primary on the relative size and attention of suppliers comparative to commerce involvement in the inputs supplied. (Garling, 1991, p. 107) The aptitude to charge clientele different prices in line with differenced in the value fashioned for each of those buyers more often than not indicates that the bazaar is characterized by high dealer power and at the same occasion by low buyer power. (Kohen, 1995, p. 97) Brisbane hotel is an outstanding example to other main hotel markets in the steady preamble of new supply, as opposed to gesticulate of new-fangled hotel developments flooding the bazaar once the market conditions become encouraging. A slow but stable flow of new stockpile goes a long way towards sustainably increasing the market without causing occupancies and revenues to fall. (Cunill, 2006, p. 91) 2. External Stakeholders and Broad Environment External stakeholders These encompass real land agents, state visitor offices, developers, financiers, body business service providers, hotels with a strata title attention and administration human rights brokers. (Swaffer, 2002, p. 118) The assortment of community schemes is echoed in the range of lawmaking schemes that subsist across Australia. One of the basic differences across jurisdictions is the terms and lawful jargon used to explain key features in Brisbane hotel. This difficulty poses realistic problems for stakeholders in general and for practitioners who are required to function athwart state boundaries. (King, 1997, p. 117) Broad Environment This consists of four significant factors such as current social forces, global economic forces, global political forces and technological innovations. (Garling, 1991, p. 114) i) Current social forces Given that travel was a requirement for numerous workers at the turn of the century, it then follows that homosexuality action in countryside contexts and urban public spaces was inextricably associated. The features of superior population areas, clear in Brisbane hotel and larger local areas were also noticeable in lesser urban settlements. (Higham, 2005, p. 116) ii) Global economic forces Australia’s four principal city lodging markets enjoyed a record year of tenancy levels in 2007, with the outlook for 2008 being evenly as optimistic in spite of far from ideal national and worldwide market circumstances. (Kohen, 1995, p. 101) Australia Bureau of statistics (ABS) data released for the full year 2007 shows that for the initial time the internal city hotel bazaar of Brisbane has achieved tenancy levels over 80% averaged all through the year. This performance underscores Australia’s confrontation to the universal monetary slowdown as trade travel remains burly. High occupancies are also a side-effect of the capital boom, which is supporting Brisbane hotel markets as local centres for these resource-based state economies. (Addis, 2006, p. 122) With continuous expansion in accommodation demand, thanks to affluent economic environment and sturdy market essentials, Australia’s chief city markets of Brisbane will see occupancies linger high and proceeds increase. (Garling, 1991, p. 119) The majority multicultural cities are Melbourne and Sydney. Both cities are well-known for the diversity and quality of universal foods available in their many restaurants, and Melbourne particularly promoted itself as a hub for the arts therefore posing a threat for Brisbane hotel in Australia. (Jamieson, 2006, p. 134) iii) Technological innovations True commerce innovation does take place through a variety of mechanisms such as commerce strategy, organization practices, procedure alteration, and assets investment in new-fangled plant and equipment. To be familiar with this, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) by now has events of technological innovation. (Cunill, 2006, p. 103) iv) Global political forces The worldwide hotel business recorded optimistic growth in standard daily rate and proceeds per obtainable room for the month of July 2008; this is according to the statistics from Smith Travel Research (STR). Moreover, fashion hotels are an element of a speedy development in the market for lavishness recognized customer products. This was incorporated prior to the political situation that arose in Australia. (Higham, 2005, p. 121) 3. Factors that Influence the Sector’s demand and cost structures i) Technological innovation This has debatably been the leading factor in determining fiscal services of Brisbane hotel in the past two decades. Systems for dealing out, communicating and sturdy information are an indispensable element of the infrastructure sustaining fiscal activities. (Kohen, 1995, p. 112) Technology has connected markets around the globe and opened cross-border delivery of both wholesale and retail fiscal products. This has created a competitive advantage to Brisbane hotel in Australia. (Freeland, 1968, p. 119) ii) International Integration This has resulted prior to technological advances and as a result there has been a rising tendency towards international integration amongst financial markets. In numerous areas of the Australian bazaar, predominantly those connected with across-the-board funding, international markets have replaced home markets as the main source of finance. A result of globalization is that competition between fiscal service providers occurs internationally to a certain extent than at the state or local level. Globalization has spawned a production of institutional shareholders who control huge portfolios and have particular loyalty to products and state marketplace thus boosting Brisbane hotel financial status. (Swaffer, 2002, p. 125) iii) Changing customer needs Markets developments have also been fashioned by changing customer needs. In Australia, the most clear of these has been the enlargement of enforced superannuation and the accompanying enlargement in the finance administration business. This has resulted to Brisbane hotel modifying their products and services so as to satisfy the customer since the customer is the king. (Freeland, 1968, p. 121) iv) New Entrants These factors have encouraged new-fangled entrants and innovative ways of doing business. For instance, unlike a decade ago, hotels and construction societies are at present extremely aware of the competition that they face from securitizes. This has made Brisbane hotel and other industries formulate strategies of dealing with new entrants. (King, 1997, p. 126) 4. Strategic Issues facing Organizations in hotel sector i) Location Brisbane is a low-lying terrain mass positioned in a floodplain. Nevertheless, this has worked to the benefit of the hotel. Brisbane is located along the Brisbane River and is neighboring to the Great Dividing Range and the Moreton Bay. This has generated a lot of income since it serves as a tourist attraction base. (Garling, 1991, p. 122) ii) Climate Geologically, Brisbane hotel is situated contentedly in the State’s Southeast corner, at the oceanfront of the Pacific Ocean to the east. Because of this, it then follows that many inhabitants and vacationers from Melbourne and Sydney come over and expend winter in Brisbane thus boosting the hotel’s revenue. (Higham, 2005, p. 128) iii) Events and Festivals Several events and festivals have also boost up tourism in Brisbane hotel. For instance; Brisbane River Festival is usually held in the middle of September every year. In addition to this, Brisbane is becoming a well-liked sports destination in all of Australia and not just in Queensland. It has previously hosted the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup and still hosted a number of events for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. This has generated a lot of income for the Brisbane hotel. Moreover, Brisbane is proposing to support and hold the 2024 Olympics. This will generate the country lots and lots of revenue. (Jamieson, 2006, p. 136) Conclusion The event trade in Australia continues to thrive and events are more and more viewed as vehicles for the facilitation of local growth. Regions may be fashioned for various reasons, counting economic purposes, and debatably such economic purpose will decide the most suitable set of local restrictions, the types of local organizations that will be established and the kinds of local policies and programs that will be implemented. Moreover, technological innovation, international integration, changing customer needs and new entrants have contributed towards the hotel formulating strategies in order to satisfy their customers and as a result Brisbane hotel has maintained a competitive edge thus earning profitable foreign exchange from the tourists.

Pay it forward Essay

I am greatly touched by what the movie shows to me and I also feel so sad for the boy’s pass away at the end. The teacher in this movie not only assign a homework for the students, but also give a chance to the students to think about who they are, how they indentify themselves and what they can do for the whole society. The teacher is an instructor and he instructs his students to begin to consider their role in the society and how to use their actions to influence the world; even they never have such awareness. At the same time, the teacher acts as a link or bridge between Trevor and his mother. Through this social studies assignment, his mother tries to understand her son’s thoughts and his feeling and tries to communicate with the son. Meanwhile, she is also touched by her son’s â€Å"Pay it forward† idea and movement; that’s why she forgives her own mother. In the other hand, Trevor’s mother and his teacher fall in love and get together finally because of Trevor’s help. Therefore, the teacher works like a link to connect the students with their family and open a door for them to communicate with each other; and meanwhile, the teacher is also involved in the relationship between the families he serves. From my elementary school in my country, the parents and the teachers always told us you were the hope of our country and from now on, every one of you should try to be a useful person for society. However, at that time, I didn’t know what a useful person should be. It has to be a famous scientist, a professor or even a president? I didn’t know what the society excepted of me. As I grow up day by day, I understand I was not to be expected as a super great person but to be expected to bring some good change to the world like Trevor’s beings. The good changes may be very little such as throwing different kinds of trashes to specific trash ban; and the changes may be a great and valuable development such as developing a new medicine against lung cancer. It really depends on how this person’s power and abilities, but all of them are valuable and are the society’s expectations from us. For me, I am stronger and have more knowledge than before I was educated, especially on my study areas. The Biochemistry studies of my home country are just developing. Even those industries develop very fast; they still fall behind the United States. That’s why I come here and pursued my master degree at Biochemistry. I hope some day I can go back to home and involve myself to Biology or Biochemistry research areas. After I finished my master degree and worked like a chemist here for more than one year, I have already been in San Francisco for around six years. Through I chatted to lots of my friends here and so many examples I have seen, I found that the early child education here is more systematic, efficient and scientific, which has lots of fundamentals and theories to obey. Therefore, I backed to college again and study for child development as my another professional area. I hope one day, I can bake to my country to help to institute a more safe and health environment for kids and help every kid to develop as a whole child, not only on physical development, but also on mental and emotional development. From the movie, I understand the power of one person is much larger than we expected. Trevor initiate â€Å"Pay it Forward† movement, and he does a favor for three people and ask each of them to doing favors for three other people and so on, which will like a branch tree of good deeds. The movement will be like a relay race, which more and more people will be involved in and will expand more widely. Therefore, we can say one person may have chain change on the world a lot, whatever is a good change or bad change. Don’t miss doing any good thing no matter how insignificant it looks; don’t do any bad thing no matter how insignificant it looks. We don’t have to change the world better by doing really great things. When we help our families, friends or even a stranger as much as we can, we already changed the world better even we normally cannot realize that. For me, I will donate my cloths and old toys to the donation center; I will go to do the volunteer in Book Donation Center to help more people can read books and be educated. However, at most of time, I think we should always think of giving a favor to other people in daily life, not only do some specific things in specific time.

Managing a Multigenerational Workforce

Managing a Multigenerational Workforce Monash University Jason Cheah Introduction A multigenerational workforce can present many challenges for organizations of today and are fast becoming a prominent issue for Australian HR managers. An ageing workforce and continual technological innovation are the main reasons attributing to the issues associated with a multigenerational workforce. To remain competitive organizations will need to utilize such a workforce to their advantage and this can be achieved through effective human resource development. The differences between generations are known to occur due to major influences in the environment in which early human socialization occurs (Macky, Gardner & Forsyth, 2008). These influences can impact on a range of factors of an individual including personality, values and beliefs, which will generally remain stable throughout adulthood (Westerman & Yamamura, 2007). The changing nature of the socio-cultural environment will also influence generational differences as individuals of different generations will have been exposed to different events and experiences during their developmental years (Beaver & Hutchings, 2005). A multigenerational workforce is an issue that cannot be ignored and the challenge then for organizations is to be able to manage, develop and maintain an effective multigenerational workforce. HR departments will need to recognize the demographics of their workplace and to implement an organizational culture that values and rewards diversity (Holland & De Cieri, 2006). This article will aim to address the issue of a multigenerational workforce and its impacts on Australian organizations and HRD. Using the case study of Mixed Ages Technology Corporation (MATC), the challenges and issues presented by managing and developing older and younger employees will be discussed. Then a brief summary of the case study will be followed by a discussion of strategies best suited for MATC to improve the morale of multigenerational workforces and HR’s role in improving efficiency between the Baby Boomers and the Generation Y workforce Issues and Challenges of Baby Boomers The global trend of an ageing workforce and government policy directions towards reversing early retirement trends raises the issue of the costs to employers with an ageing workforce (Brooke, 2003). Recently Australian government policies are being directed towards retaining older workers and reducing costs of pensions, health costs of retirees and superannuation payments; which are estimated to cost the country $46 billion between 2000 and 2031 (Brooke, 2003). This is having a direct impact on Australian organizations as an increase in age of their workforces creates an increase of the human resource costs associated with older workers, consequently making older workers more expensive to employ (Patrickson & Hartmann, 1995). However another worrying factor of a mature age workforce force is that with the impending retirement of the baby boomers; organizations will lose a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills that will be extremely hard to replace (Jorgensen, 2005). Difficulty in replacing such skill and experience can be attributed to Australia’s low fertility rate, and therefore a reduced supply of younger workers joining the workforce and the increasing skill shortages (Anonymous, 2006). This will lead to an increase of competition for talent and Jorgensen (2005) believes that organizations must look at new ways of retaining older workers and to make better use of their skills and experiences. Organizations will have an increased need to retain older workers by creating career paths to help older workers to break out of career plateaus, and to retrain those whose skills have become outdated (Holland & De Cieri, 2006). Organizations that fail to address the ageing workforce issue risk future staff and skill shortages. The key to managing ageing workers is to actively identify strategies to retain, retrain and integrate older workers into their workplace and to capitalize on their skills, knowledge and experiences (Holland & De Cieri, 2006). Managing and Retaining Baby Boomers Organizations need to be wary of losing a wealth of skills and knowledge that older workers possess through poor management (Beaver & Hutchings, 2005). As employees mature they are more likely to experience disengagement with the workplace and career plateauing, which can lead to an increased intention to leave. HR managers will need to work with both the employee and the organization’s goals to eliminate these barriers. There are various options available to organizations faced with the problem of retaining older workers. Providing phased retirement plans, moving older workers to part time work and creating more flexible working conditions can save organizations the costs involved with hiring new employees while maintaining older workers technical knowledge. Additionally it is important for organizations to recognize older workers personal commitments and their need for work life balance (Hutchings & Beaver, 2005). Contrary to the view of a career plateau, Armstrong-Stassen (2008) argues that majority of older workers want to continue learning and developing their skills and also desire a job that is challenging and meaningful. There will also be an increased attractiveness for organizations to hire mature age workers, even if it is on a part time basis, as older workers are readily available sources in terms of expertise that can impact the future success of the organization (Miller & Siggins, 2003). In turn HR managers will have a responsibility to have policies in place to encourage lifelong learning and knowledge management. However older workers can be a popular target during downsizing, and many experience hidden and open pressures to retire early. Addressing these issues through frequent training and feedback programs will assist older employees to feel valued by their organization. (Cadrain, 2007) believes that the costs associated with recruiting and training staff pays off over time, as the longer you retain staff the greater the return is on your investment. Therefore it is vital for organizations to retain and retrain not only the older workers but younger workers as well as generation Y workers present a different challenge for HR managers altogether. Issues and Challenges of Generation Y In a tight labour market the need for organizations to effectively manage younger workers, such as generation X and generation Y have become crucial. During the current skills shortage organizations will need to put new strategies in place to support proactive recruitment and HR policies. The high mobility of generation Y can be attributed to technological advances whereupon there is instant connectivity and experience sharing with others, leading to more information and inevitably more choice (Macky, et al. , 2008). Younger workers relish employment opportunities that allow them to learn new things, meet new people, to work in new ways and to take calculated risks (Schulman, 2007). Therefore organizations will need to include values such as flexibility, creativity and personal development when dealing with the management of younger employees. Due to the high mobility of Generation Y, organizations will need to focus on engagement of their younger employees. Younger employees are eager to showcase their talents when joining an organization, as they have not been tainted by bad working habits and are generally excited to take on new and challenging responsibilities (Fallon, 2009). Although this may be seen as a positive, keeping them happy and motivated requires different strategies than those that have been used with the baby boomers. It is widely accepted that younger workers care about much more than money; Holland & De Ceiri (2006) believe that work life balance is critical to Generation Y employees, while Fallon (2009) states that younger employees aim for a holistic fulfillment through work including feeling good about their job and a healthy balance with their social lives. This view is consistent in that younger generations need to have a perception of meaningfulness associated with their role. A lack of engagement from the employer can produce disillusionment, a lack of creativity and a lack of investment (Shulman, 20007). Organizations will therefore need to have HR strategies in place to retain younger employees and to keep them motivated and productive. Managing and Developing Generation Y There are many strategies that organizations can utilize in order to attract, train and retain the best young talent in the market. As generation Y have incredibly high expectations about the work environment, growth opportunities and rate of advancement (Downs, 2009) it is imperative for HR managers to consider the career plans of younger employees. Generation Y’s are entering the workforce in large volumes, and organizations that are unable to harness this growing resource will find themselves at a distinct disadvantage (Anonymous, 2006). Management of younger workers is crucial in times of financial hardship. Contrary to the view of (Miller & Siggins, 2003), who argues that older workers can assist organizations through financial as they are readily available sources, Anonymous (2009) states that organizations need to consider the long term prospects of generation Y’s. In order to keep generation Y’s challenged, HR managers may consider restructuring certain entry level positions so that the duties of the role vary. Additionally HR managers should discuss various career paths with younger employees and the possible steps in reaching such goals (Downs, 2009). Research shows that communication between managers and younger employees is becoming increasingly crucial (Fallon, 2009). As younger employees are used to direct, ongoing feedback in their developmental years they expect the same type of treatment from their managers. Especially as they have not yet experienced a recession, Generation Y’s will need constant feedback to remain motivated and productive. They will feel more valued and loyal to the company if managers are able to show that they care about the growth and progress of the employee. This will in turn have long term benefits and save the organization costs from a reduced turnover (Fallon, 2009). How organizations manage the generation gap is determined by the demographics of the workplace and strategies available to them. This article will now link effective HR strategies to Mixed Ages Technology Corporations organization culture and goals. Feeling Valued by the Organization There are several generational issues that confront MATC’s newly appointed HR director Tom Fletcher. Employee morale and productivity has dropped due to the rising tension between the baby boomers and the generation Y workers. The baby boomers of the company are unsatisfied with the amount of respect shown to them by the younger workers and are quite resistant to any change in the promotions system, which is based on seniority. On the other hand the generation y workers believe that there is a lack of opportunity for individual growth and oppose the current promotion system; they also believe that the older workers are outdated when it comes to modern technology. To enable both younger and older workers to feel valued by each other and by MATC, the HR team will need to address these two underlying issues. Initially the HR team needs to assess the generation gap by recognizing and openly discussing generational differences with the employees. McGuire, By & Hutchings (2007) believe that effective managers will help employees feel valued by the organization; therefore HR should be proactive in helping managers succeed in this area. As managers nowadays have to deliver in a shorter time frame and with limited resources (Aker, 2009), HR can provide coaching and mentoring programs and develop learning solutions and performance management tools to educate managers on generational differences and the best strategies available to manage a multigenerational workforce. However (Anonymous, 2009) argues that it is up to the employees to adapt to generational differences and that an assessment should be made to identify improvement opportunities within MATC’s organizational culture. The company’s current culture is one of continuous change and adaptation; hence HR needs to remind employees of this culture while adding a culture of embracing and encouraging workforce diversity (Aker, 2009). A diverse workforce is richer because there are many different perspectives, different learning styles and different attitudes towards work. Through effective human resource development, MATC will have the ability to harness this diversity into an organizational strength and investment for the future. Feedback Programs One of the biggest causes of generational tension is insecurity about jobs (Crumpacker & Crumpacker, 2007). Older workers may be involved in a transactional psychological contract and will therefore be reluctant to share information and resources will the younger employees. Additionally younger employees may worry that older employees will resent their attempts to climb the corporate ladder (Downs, 2009). HR needs to encourage an intergenerational learning environment and an environment of continuous learning and a continuous transfer of knowledge by addressing anxiety and tensions through positive reinforcement. HR also needs to reassure all employees that their contributions are valued and may even consider rewarding behaviours displaying knowledge sharing and acceptance of diversity. These types of career management strategies will help employees to feel greater job security and in turn less threatened by other generations. A commonly used strategy to instill confidence in employees and to make them feel valued is to provide frequent and timely positive feedback and offering public praise from management and peers (Cadrain, 2007). However HR needs to understand that feedback programs need to differ according to generational characteristics. It is not uncommon for HR to bring in change and communication consultants to train managers in areas of communication, feedback and negotiation to help managers understand such differences (Crumpacker & Crumpacker, 2007). As baby boomers are facing a growing pressure from a young demographic of workers, they will need to be reassured about that value they add to the organization. However baby boomers can be overly sensitive to feedback and can usually spot transparent feedback (Cadrain, 2007). In contrast generation Y employees rely of feedback from authority figures to assess whether they are on the right track and consequently they can struggle with the processing of feedback (Fallon, 2009). Therefore it is imperative to reassure younger workers that the feedback is designed to support their career progression, which is a major driving factor for generation Y’s. In the same article (Fallon, 2009) it states that it will be worthwhile for HR managers to organize more frequent gatherings among the staff and to explore programs that encourage greater collaboration. Improving Productivity through Mentoring Programs For a multigenerational workforce to function cohesively, MATC needs to build a culture based on open communication and mutual respect. A popular method for achieving such as goal is to encourage frequent group collaborations and teamwork. (Carnevale, 2005) found that brownbag training sessions, special projects and committee work can assist to reduce friction and in turn build camaraderie among employees. Another effective strategy to lower tensions is to assign the older workers as mentors to younger employees. Despite the stereotype of Generation Y’s to be impatient, Downs (2009) states that they keenly understand the value of experience and that they excel at working in teams. By pairing them with older and more experienced workers, this will assist the older workers to feel valued and respected and in turn facilitate the transfer of knowledge between generations, it will also fulfill younger employee’s desires to rocket up the learning curve and improve their chances of promotion. Further to this Caudron (2002) states the importance of dual mentoring relationship. There is a distinct advantage of this method in that two professionals may possess vastly different skill sets, and pairing them will eliminate shortcomings and maximize strengths. However (McGuire, et al. 2007) argues that organizations need to be wary that generational differences in judgments or a destructive tone of relationship such as jealousy or prejudice may have a negative impact on mentoring program and therefore need to link a culture of embracing generational diversity with such HR strategies. This view is supported by Jorgensen (2005) who argues that older employees who are no longer competing for promotion could move into a mentor or coach role to enable effective knowledge transfer to younger employees, while still contributing their skills and experiences directly to specific projects. By engaging all employees, the organization will inevitably improve long term benefits. Engagement of the Workforce Given current economic challenges MATC need to put a premium on fully engaged employees. Promoting employee engagement is one indicator of the effectiveness of HR approaches to talent management, due to the fact that enhancing employee engagement benefits both employees and employers (Downs, 2009). There are a range of benefits resulting from effective engagement including higher productivity, higher job satisfaction, less sick days taken and a longer tenure with the organization. Managing a multigenerational workforce has forced organizations to consider many alternative strategies for engagement. Past research has found varying factors effect the level of engagement; gender, caring responsibilities, physical health, core self evaluation and most importantly, age (Tsai, 2008). MATC needs to identify options for different approaches to enhancing employee engagement. The HR team may want to get suggestions employees about supports that they can rovide for them that would simultaneously support positive work life balance and also enhance engagement. It terms of baby boomers, child care facilities or carers leave may be beneficial. While for generation Y’s past research has shown that work life balance is a priority (Shulman, 2007), therefore an increase in flexible hours may lead to higher levels of engagement. MATC can also put HR strategies in place that directly affect some of the individual characteristics noted above. For example, the offer of wellness initiatives and programs can improve or maintain the health of older workers which can in turn affect their engagement level. While having social gatherings and events may help younger employees have a greater sense of inclusion in the organization. Conversely Gebauer (2006) believes that it is an interaction of an employee’s characteristics and experiences at work that affect their level of engagement. The workplace culture regulates an individual’s experiences at work. Providing employee specific opportunities for training and development, a culture of flexibility, organizational support and perceptions of inclusion and job security are all important in maintaining productive employees. Conclusion Every individual possesses biases that can often prevent them from recognizing the valuable contributions that others can offer; the generational stereotypes that exist in the workplace are usually derived from generational differences in personality and motivational drivers (Brooke, 2003). Tensions arise if these differences are not addressed and can lead to a low morale of the workforce. HR managers need to eliminate generational barriers between older and younger workers and this can be done by imposing an organizational culture that accepts generational differences while promoting the fact that there are consistent drivers across generations (Macky, et al. , 2008). Organizations nowadays can have up to four generations working for them and it is their ability to address generational gaps and manage these differences that is imperative to remaining competitive and having a motivated and productive workforce. As workforce demographics are shifting dramatically, HR managers should aim to provide an effective mix of compensation, benefits, flexible work arrangements and opportunities for growth and development for every individual. Traditional approaches designed to meet the needs of baby boomers are no longer effective and therefore new strategies need to be tailored to a more diverse workforce. Each generation requires a unique set of factors to motivate them at work and human resources plays an important strategic role in enabling diverse talent to thrive (Tsai, 2008). HR strategies should be free of bias from the recruitment, training and development and promotional processes of the organization. Organizations will need to shift away from a mindset that tolerates diversity to one where diversity is valued, harnessed and leveraged to achieve greater business success. This will have implications for organizations to have effective strategies in place to manage and support diversity which are aligned to organizational goals. After all it is a diverse workforce that creates balance and a successful and productive workforce. References Aker, J, M. (2009). Managing a multigenerational workforce. Buildings. 103(1), 46-48. Anonymous. (2006). Beyond age discrimination to leveraging human capital. Human Resource Management International Digest. 14(3). 6-8. Anonymous. (2009). Make plans for Gen Y workers. CU360 Newsletter. 35(7), 2-3. Armstrong-Stassen, M. (2008). Factors associated with job content plateauing among older workers. Career Development International. 13(7), 594-613. Beaver, G. , & Hutchings, K. (2005). Training and developing an age diverse workforce in SMEs. Education & Training. 47(8), 592-604. Brooke, L. (2003). Human resource costs and benefits of maintaining a mature-age workforce. International Journal of Manpower. 24(3), 260-283. Cadrain, D. (2007). Employers prepare to keep, not lose, baby boomers. HRMagazine. 52, 23-24. Carnevale, T. (2005). The coming labor and skills shortage. T&D. 59(1), 37-41. Caudron, S. (2002). Rebuilding trust through communication. Workforce. 81(10), 33-33. Crumpacker, M. , & Crumpacker, J. M. (2007). Succession planning and generational stereotypes: should HR consider age-based values and attitudes a relevant factor or a passing fad? Public Personnel Management. 36(4). 349-369. Downs, K. (2009). Managing Gen Y in recessionary times. Business Credit. 111(4), 28-29. Fallon, T. (2009). Retain and motivate the next generation: 7 ways to get the most out of you millennial workers. Supervision. 70(5), 5-7. Gebauer, J. (2006). Workforce engagement. T&D. 61(2), 28-30. Holland, P. , & De Cieri, H. (2006). Contemporary issues in human resource development: an Australian perspective. NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia. Jorgensen, B. (2005). The ageing population and knowledge work: a context for action. Foresight. 7(1), 61-76. Macky, K. , Gardner, D. , & Forsyth, S. (2008). Generational differences at work: introduction and overview. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 23(8), 857-861. McGuire, D. , By, R. T. , & Hutchings, K. (2007). Towards a model of human resource solutions for achieving intergenerational interaction in organizations. Journal of European Industrial Training. 31(8), 592-608. Miller, M. & Siggins, I. (2003). A framework for intergenerational planning. Foresight. 5(6), 18-25. Patrickson, M. , & Hartmann, L. (1995). Australia’s ageing population: implications for human resource management. International Journal of Manpower. 16(5), 34-46. Schulman, S. (2007). Crossing the generational divide: engaging â€Å"young† employees in your organization. Development and Learning in Organizations. 21(2), 7-9. Tsai, J. (2008). Working with the years. CRM Magazine. 12(11), 15-16. Westerman, J. W. , & Yamamura, J. H. (2007). Generational preferences for work environment fit: effects on employee outcomes. Career Development International. 12(2), 150-161.

Character analysis on the character Mrs. Mallard in the story of an Essay

Character analysis on the character Mrs. Mallard in the story of an hour by kate chopin - Essay Example It suggests that Mrs. Mallard was feeling restricted and limited by the demands of marriage and that the death of her husband was giving her hope of regaining her independence and individuality. This could be the reason why the narrator describes that Mrs. Mallard has â€Å"slender hands†, â€Å"dull eyes† and eminent â€Å"physical exhaustion†. In fact, the narrator’s account of Mrs. Mallard’s physical exhaustion is analogous of a ghost haunting her body and soul. This shows that the bounds of marriage have been taking a toll on Mrs. Mallard (Chopin 11). Mrs. Mallard is integrated into her society’s tradition. It is clear that the people in her society mourn the departure of their loved one. Richard, Mallard’s friend â€Å"leaves the office† and joins Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, in consoling and comforting Mrs. Mallard. Her sorrow is manifest and when she feels overcome by a feeling of elation, she locks herself upstairs. This is probably because she is ashamed of such a feeling and the fear to be construed as one who rejoices in the pain of others. However, locking herself upstairs was also meant to give Mrs. Mallard space to indulge the feeling of freedom away from the eyes of others (Chopin 13). There is symbolism in the excerpt where Mrs. Mallard locks herself upstairs. The narrator paints Mrs. Mallard as a goddess of victory that could be an allusion to the mythical goddess of Athena. If at all this was the narrator’s intended allusion, there is an irony in it. This is because goddess Athena was believed to be the defender of her family but Mrs. Mallard is instead experiencing freedom after her husband’s death. As a goddess though, she gets the authority and the power to order people especially when she authoritatively tells Josephine, â€Å"go away†, when she knocked at her door. The room she locks herself in comes out as her court of majesty wherein she

Benefits and pitfalls of globalization for business Essay

Benefits and pitfalls of globalization for business - Essay Example Anthony Mcgrew defined globalization as a â€Å"process of deterritorialization – as social, political and economic activities are increasingly stretched across the globe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (n.d., â€Å"Ch.1: Globalization and global politics†). This comprehensive view gives a glimpse of the trend towards borderless economic societies of the future from the current nation-states based on political considerations. Given the vast differences among the different countries and their peoples in respect of socio-political and economic conditions, this trend gives rise to both promises and pitfalls for the global businesses. Globalization benefits can be expected from cross-fertilization of ideas, access to best available talent/resources, creativity and technological growth arising out of global competition, creation of networks of alliances, etc. while pitfalls include uncertainty of political conditions and economic policies, impact on local industry and employment, fear of dominance etc. (Ali, 2006, pp.78-81, 141-143). Cross-fertilization of ideas occurs when firms come across different ways of solving a problem or completing tasks, which are more cost effective or in identifying newer opportunities and demands. For example, housing shortage in poor countries can give rise to generation of fresh demand and exploitation of newer/locally available materials and methods of construction. Coming to talent, it is noted that many global firms employ foreign nationals at all levels of organizations recognizing merit. Again, global firms like Procter & Gamble compete at global level through heavy investment i n R&D and this in turn creates new technologies and products. Networking is another beneficial aspect of globalization by which global firms and local suppliers join hands to create value for customers. Global firms face uncertainty when political changes occur which may impact international agreements apart from operations. Stability of government policies on investments, employment, profit repatriation etc. is essential for a business to thrive. Competitive politics give rise to issues like job losses, exploitation, dominance, interference etc. Further, events in one country or a region will quickly impact business prospects of global firms in many other countries. For example, the recent downturn in the US economy is impacting firms across Europe and Asia. Given the above analysis, governments, businesses and organizations like WTO are working towards co-operation among nations by promoting democratic governments that respect international laws and strive for the economic prosper ity of their citizens. This means that global businesses take on the responsibility of actively promoting local industry, skills and employment to create a win-win situation. Q.2: Address to shareholders Dear Shareholders, In the competitive world of business, we have to constantly strategize our operations and our decision to invest in Franistan eight years ago was based on sound economic and business principles. That the decision was right is seen in the nearly 19% reduction in cost of manufacture of our products and the more than corresponding increase in the net profits over the last five years. As per our corporate policy, your

Capital Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Capital Punishment - Essay Example While this is just one way in which the disputants talk past each other in the capital punishment debate, this particular disagreement helps to explain other aspects of the capital punishment dispute. Proponents of capital punishment speak the language of local option and states' rights not only because this insulates the pro-capital punishment orientation of most state governments from federal review, but also because states and localities are the levels of government that usually hold power over ordinary criminal justice decisions. State legislatures, local prosecutors and judges, and the particular values of specific communities are supposed to shape criminal justice outcomes. National government and constitutional values have little direct influence on most punishment decisions. If the availability of death as a criminal punishment were a garden-variety choice of punishment option, state and local power over them would be consistent with an important American tradition. If on the other hand, one regards capital punishment as a fundamental moral and political question, the national government and constitutional values are the appropriate vehicles for decisions. The p... ed nations and even the importance that the proponents of the penalty attach to it are powerful evidence that the death penalty is an issue of transcendent importance, one that is principally moral and political. (Gary, 783-805) There are certain reservations from some corners of public discussions as regards to the unreliable evidences that caused capital punishment but consequently proved false. It is hard to believe how prosecutors can admit evidence from unreliable sources. In some cases witnesses have later recanted or disavowed their testimonies claiming that they had only made their statements under pressure or coercion from prosecution and law enforcement. These false testimonies proved to be the condemning evidence in many cases. Lastly, most of the people charged in capital cases ca nnot afford defense attorneys. The appointed defense counsels in several cases have exhibited incompetence. Some of them did not even look for or missed important evidence that proved the innocence of their clients. In other instances, defense lawyers failed to conduct adequate pretrial investigations, talk to possible witnesses, obtain relevant police reports, or seek pretrial investigative funds. Michael Mello, a renowned capital punishment defense attorney in Florida from 1981-1995, has said "there is today a desperate (albeit difficult to quantify) shortage of competent capital post-conviction defense lawyers" (David, 1037-48). The Supreme Court in the Furman decision ruled that the death penalty is unconstitutional because it is a "cruel and unusual" punishment. Some allusions to racial discrimination appeared in the opinions, but more evidence seems called for.  

Comparative Analysis of Case Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comparative Analysis of Case Studies - Essay Example Enterprise Resource Planning System can be termed as a business software system that assists an organization in running efficiently its resources. Resources in this case can be the finance, the human resource, the materials, or anything that can be managed in that specific organization. The ERP assists the organization in that it provides a complicated solution to the company’s information processing systems wants. The work of the ERP is so easy. Firstly, by allowing the management of the data, which at times is usually integrated in the whole organization. This therefore means that it acts as a transaction processing system. Additionally, it also acts as a workflow management system in that it helps in the management of the many flows that occurs within the organization. In order for information and data to be processed and transacted correctly, the ERP provides a successful of an information technologies system. This is by assisting in the flow of information and any conditi on, which is set. By preventing redundancy of data, entering wrong data, and assisting in the calculation, the ERP assists the company to indulge itself in a competitive world by minimizing the cost incurred. This paper uses the six case studies to assist the managers to achieve the full purpose of the ERP. It analyses the implementation process of the ERP in six companies. The companies include the Rolls-Royce Company, the Dutch construction firms, Pratt and Whitney Canada, Gujrat Heavy Chemicals limited, Texas Instrument and a soft drink bottler. Some of the organizations listed here tried to implement the system and failed while some of them implemented it and succeeded. Implementation phase case study of the Rolls Royce In the implementation phase of the Rolls Royce, this stage proved to be far too large therefore forcing the management to half it into waves. The two waves contained some two things in common. Firstly, it was involved in the implementation of its architecture and its physical. In addition to that, they were both concerned with the modifying the working practices that the organization had. The first wave involved the replacement of the legacy systems in the organization. It should be noted that the SFDM commonly referred to as the shop floor data management was introduced in this phase. The main aim of the first wave was to actually offer new potential for the operations that consisted the gas turbine (Yusuf et al, 2004). The second stage involved the implementation of the human resource, the logistics, the engine assembly, and the spare parts elements. This process occurred one year later. The replacement of the old system with the new system was to occur once the new system responded positively. The Rolls Royce understood that their system was big enough so they gave it quite sometime before the ERP was launched. This proved to be working in their favor. Since the company contains many different steps, the company took its time in understa nding the whole process and gave it its whole energy. However, the management should clearly grasp the implementation of the system. For such an expensive system, the management s

Offenses of burglary Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Offenses of burglary - Research Proposal Example While in the past, the retributive or punitive aspect has been a foremost element of burglary sentences, in recent times, this has been slowly evolving into a kind of restorative justice, or sentencing, aimed primarily at reparation of economic status of the victims, or seeking to put them in a position, had the felony not taken place. This is apparently aimed at providing material succor to the victims for the property lost or destroyed, due to the felonious act. Current studies show that, imparting from the charge of leniency in burglary pronouncements, the restorative and reparation part of sentencing practices of courts are gaining more currency, especially with regard to public attitudes and outlooks towards burglary crimes in United States of America. It is also being increasingly seen that punishment for felony needs to commensurate with levels of actual felony the culprit has indulged in. This proposal seeks to examine public opinion and beliefs towards sentencing practices by Judges and juries and how these have impacted felony cases. It needs to be appreciated that there are many influences that impact upon opinions. Impressions drawn from media coverage and how the general public view felony crimes and its final sentencing results also determines the formulation of opinions. The changing trends in legal pronouncement are also important since they would, to a large extent, set precedents for future trials and sentencing of defendants in burglary cases. Summary and evaluation of seven designs and methods used in previous research with similar objectives Summary: 1. Questionnaires presented to Senate Court Judges on cases of felony. 2. Interviews conducted with executive functionaries of correctional schools 3. Public surveys with selected respondents and responsible private citizens. 4. Interviews with prison wardens and jailers of juvenile homes 5. Conducting studies in prison settings housing criminals with recidivist occurrences of burglary, larceny and similar crimes 6. Information gathered from State police troopers and law enforcement departments. 7. Internet information gathered from US Department of Justice (DoJ) websites 1. Coming to the involvement of senate court judges, it transpires that the members of these juries are responsible for hearing trials and passing verdicts on crimes relating to burglary offences. Their wide ranging knowledge and experience would be important aspects for a study of this kind. 2. It is seen that in cases of burglary crimes committed by juveniles and young people, the courts would sentence them to detention or incarceration, in correctional or reformatory schools, depending upon the severity of the offence. Although forming a minority for the purpose of this survey, this would be useful for the purpose of this survey. 3. Since the public opinion or benefits are a significant part of this research study, it is but natural that this aspect needs to be considered. Therefore, a survey in the line of public research through online questionnaire, or video conferencing

Activity Based Costing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Activity Based Costing - Essay Example The manufacturers or service providers can avoid manufacturing of unprofitable products and also they can lower the price of their overpriced products or services using this method. But it is not necessarily that every time the ABC method will bring the positive results alone or in other words the success rate of activity based costing may not be 100% all the time. In this essay, the methodology of ABC, its positives and negatives are all discussed in a brief manner. Each manufacturing units will have often different products. The consumer demand for some of their products may be high while some other products of the same company may not be popular in the market. For example, a tire manufacturing company, most likely to manufacture tires, for passenger cars, trucks, aircrafts and motor bikes etc. It is not necessary for them to have all their products moving in the market equally well. Suppose the car tires manufactured by the company moving excellent, the truck tires moving good, th e motor bike tire moving fair while aircraft tires moving poorly in the market. Because of the variations in demand the volume of the production of different tires will be adjusted by the company. The company will allocate more resources to the passenger car tire building compared to other types of tires. The technology and resources required to manufacture the aircraft tires is more complicated than the others. Lot of complicated processes is involved in the manufacturing of the aircraft tires though its movements in the market are dull. Mostly Activity Based Costing 3 because of the less movement in the market, only few machine activities will be allocated to the aircraft tire by the company. So if the company calculates the price of the tires based on the machine activity alone, the aircraft tire price must be less compared to others because of less machine activity. But since ABC considers all activities related to the manufacturing of a product, both direct and indirect, fixed cost and variable cost, etc, the company can determine the price of each product logically. If enough demand is there, mass production of product can effectively cut down the unit price of the product. China has successfully implemented such a strategy of mass production and

Collapse of the Pension Schemes Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Collapse of the Pension Schemes - Case Study Example The court did not oblige the government to provide for the compensation of all the victims. The Prime Minister stated that his government has already set up 1.8 billion pounds for its Financial Assistance Scheme. Even though he sympathized with them, the Prime Minister expressed that the solution should be affordable. He also expressed his concern over the decision which may hold the government always responsible for the collapse of any pension scheme which would mean billions of pounds exacted upon the government. Conservative leader David Cameron called for discussions among the government, opposition and representatives of the victims of the collapsed pension scheme to come with compensation packages. David Laws, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesman, expressed his intent to call for the amendment of the Pensions Bill so compensations could be provided. John Hutton, Work and Pensions Secretary of the Government, stated that he government would carefully consider the ombudsman's report. Society owes a big debt to the victims of collapsed pension schemes since these people have been paying taxes. Even though resources are limited, they still deserve help. The government has to set a good example by helping these hardworking people and think of creative ways to solve the pensions crisis. Henry Bradley and Bob Duncan expressed their delight over the decision. The Guardian: Pensions - Back to Basics John Benson, a victim of the collapsed pension scheme, was delighted over the decision of the high court after having suffered so much. All those affected are entitled to two kinds of justice- individual and social. The former concerns their right to receive pension because they paid their dues while the latter concerns the principle that people who have been working hard all their life are entitled to a decent living. The question of who is responsible and to what degree is still unclear even after the judgment but the court has ruled that the government is partly responsible for encouraging the people to invest in such schemes. The work and pensions secretary, John Hutton, is now responsible for the compensation of the affected person due to legal and humanitarian considerations PM Blair's concern regarding the ruling also deserves attention as it may provide the employer the opportunity to transfer the burden of compensation to the government. The government should see to it that the taxpayers are well informed about the repercussions of employers collapsing pension schemes even though it this possibility has already been minimized. Governments are still the only reliable form of material security. The Turner Commission report and the ruling recognize the role of the government in providing that security. On whether the government should compensate The dilemma that now faces us is whether the government should provide for the pension of its constituents who have become victims of collapsed pension schemes. It has been argued that these people deserve some form of compensation because they paid their dues and have been good taxpayers and it is therefore only right for them to be given what is due to them. If the government does take this responsibility, then

Market Entry Strategy for a New Start Up Manufacturing Innovative Essay

Market Entry Strategy for a New Start Up Manufacturing Innovative Smart Television - Essay Example An average viewership is normal of 4 hours 2 minutes of TV a day, up from a normal of 3 hours 36 minutes a day in 2006. A TV License in the UK is obligatory and spreads you to watch on any TV, portable gadget or tablet in your home or progressing. In 2013, not exactly one for every penny of UK customers watches just time-moved TV. As the CEO of our firm, I need to plan the market strategy before entering the marketing in the United Kingdom. Our strategy should look into penetrating the market in order to generate sales. In order to do that, we need to understand the market of Smart televisions in UK. In the following paragraphs, I have done the analysis of market after going through some surveys. (Rivera & Oh, 2013) The UK has fewer TVs: the normal family now has 1.83 TV sets, down from a normal of 2.3 sets in 2003. At the same time, they are viewing more TV on additional apparatuses: a normal of 4 hours 2 minutes of TV a day, up from a normal of 3 hours 36 minutes a day in 2006. A T V Licence in the UK is obligatory and spreads you to watch on any TV, portable gadget or tablet in your home or progressing. In 2013, not exactly one for every penny of UK customers watch just time-moved TV. (Rivera & Oh, 2013) Premium TV characteristics are on the ascent: More than a third of the TV market esteem in 2013 was from sales of 3d Televisions, and sales of kind sized screens (43 inches or more) expanded 10 for every penny in the previous 12 months. Between the first quarter of 2010 and the same period in 2013, Smart TV sales expanded by 211 for every penny, from 115,000 to 358,000 units for every quarter. Complete sales figures demonstrate more than 2.9m Smart TVs have been sold in the UK since 2010. The pattern towards premium characteristics is on the ascent. More than a third of the TV market esteem in 2013 was from sales of 3d TVs, in spite of the fact that this characteristic now comes as standard in most high-end sets.  

Customer Value Essay Example for Free

Customer Value Essay Customer Value can be explained in simple terms by knowing the difference between what the customer gets from the product/service and what he or she has to exchange in order to get it (may be money). It is very important for any company in the market to understand this difference; if failed to do so, this can be one of the biggest reasons for the product/service failure in the market. According to many researchers, in this ever growing world of technology and social media the organization’s inability of establishing unique and convincing value to their products/services is the main reason for its failure. Keeping its importance in mind, many companies tries to understand what is their customer valuing. However, this can also be one of the most difficult things to understand. There are many factors causing it to be difficult for the marketers overcome this issue. However, for this task we will focus 3 main aspects. Firstly, every customer values different product/service differently. It might be situational or might be only for a definite period of time. Secondly, the market itself! Technology and economic nature change the pace of the global market. With the competition aggressive as never seen before, it is important for the marketers to change their strategies with the ever changing market. Thirdly, some internal factors which make it difficult for organization to bring in customer value. Gist of Customer Value No one has made it clearer of this word â€Å"Customer Value† concisely than Lamb et al. (2008, 2009) who wrote, â€Å"Customer Value is the relationship between benefits and the sacrifice necessary to obtain those benefits. Which means – if a product is of very good quality and is only obtained by paying a very high price will not be considered as of value by the customers, just like a low quality product which can be purchased for cheap price; but a value of a product is only seen by a customer when the quality of the product meets their expectation at an affordable price. Let’s take an example of coffee; some people love to drink coffee at Starbucks which may cost $10 and some people like to drink coffee from a local coffee shop which may only cost $4. Now, people who drinks coffee at Starbucks expects them to use premium offee beans (Arabica) which tastes better and so are willing to pay $10 which worth (value) for Starbucks customers. On the same note, people who drink coffee at local coffee shop might just need to satisfy their caffeine addiction and they feel that it is worth for the price they pay. According to Butz and Goodstein (1996), a customer value is the emotional bond between the customer and the company (service/product provider) developed by means of the used service/product. The emotional bond is only developed when the service/product meets the customer’s expectation. Different researchers have defined â€Å"customer value† in different ways but it all revolves around words like â€Å"benefits†, â€Å"satisfaction†, â€Å"expectation† and â€Å"worth†. If a company who wants to understand â€Å"customer value† for their product/service they need to understand more about these words with respect to their customers. But it is not as easy as it seems. Perhaps, even in dictionaries it’s difficult to find synonyms for these words because these words depend on situations. Challenges for marketers For companies to operationalize â€Å"customer value† in marketing their product can only be done by learning their â€Å"customers† and â€Å"market†. These terms can be very challenging to learn or to understand because of its diverse nature. * Customer’s change is inevitable Customer’s needs or wants can be situational. Different customers can seek same products/service for variety of needs. Vodaphone has a pre-paid mobile plan that allows customers to make international calls at a cheaper rate and also allows making free calls to local Vodaphone customers. As an international student I choose this plan to make international calls at a cheaper rate but my friend who is a local chooses the same plan because most of his friends are Vodaphone users. Further to this, a customer’s needs may change with change in their circumstances. Just like, if I secure a part-time job which gets me constant income, I will consider changing my mobile plan to post-paid service which has more offers. Customer’s needs are dynamic and can change over time. We humans have different needs at different age. Products brought by a person from a shopping mall will be different when he was single and when he gets married and more so when he’s a father. (Don Peppers Martha Rogers, 2010) It is difficult to predict or to foresee these changes in the same customer with the change in situation. At every point of time, customers are trying to actually achieve their needs for that point of time (Hultink and Atuahene-Gima, 2000). There is no single system to understand or to foresee customer’s need and to categorize them. Marketers should learn their customer’s needs beforehand to make their product valuable to their customers. To achieve this, organizations needs look at their products/services through customer’s point of view (Don Peppers Martha Rogers, 2010). As the changes in customer’s situation can be quiet fast, organizations needs to be quick in changing their strategies and innovations to meet their ever changing customers. Technological drawbacks Climbing the technological ladder too quick might pull down the organizations efforts in boosting customer’s value for a service/product. An excellent customer service is very important to maintain or to boost the value of the product/service with regards to customers. Traditional human to human interactions have been replaced by human to machine interactions by the help of technology. These changes force customers to embrace self-service technologies which can create discomfort among some low-tech savvy customers (Parasuraman, 2000). There may be customers with limited knowledge in technology or may not be willing accept the technological introduction (Walker, Lees, Hecker and Francis, 2002). Almost everyone has experienced this scenario when they call a customer service center of telecommunication provider. The call keeps bouncing to different automated machines and still our problems are not solved until we speak to a customer service executive. Similarly, online banking system with tight security measures some people still prefer to visit banks personally for some services. This is because either the customers are not willing trust these technological services or lack of knowledge to use these services. Secondly, Internet world made it easier for customers to compare the quality, product/service details, and cost of same/similar product from different companies (Bakos, 1997 Lynch Ariely, 2000). Customers can comfortable get information about the various products using internet at home without physically going to the market (J. Nielsen, 2000). This increases the competition exponentially and any company is vulnerable to this situation if they do not keep up with the hanging market trends. Companies have to constantly indulge in innovation that meets their customer’s expectation and introduce strategies to keep the customers excited about their current and upcoming product. Even a speculation of an upcoming product of the competitors can adversely affect the company’s current product in the market. Like the speculation of Samsung III (latest mobile phone) with more and better specifications tremendously reduced the sales of iphone 4s current product, even to a point that the recently released iphone 5 didn’t reach its expected sales mark. Barriers within Organizations Every organization has its own culture and employees working will be very comfortable with those culture. This culture may not be aligned with the ever changing customer’s expectations and needs. Using their own employees, organization tries to understand their customer’s needs by merely guessing it. By doing so, organizations come up with customer’s needs through employee’s perspective (or sales point of view) and not customer’s perspective. Now this â€Å"guessed† customer’s needs might be exactly opposite to what the organizations actual customer’s needs. This creates a difference between the customer value and service/product offered, which in turn results in unsatisfied customers (Woodruff, 1997). Example, Kodak Company was reluctant to change with the change in the market and customer’s needs. Customers were finding it easier to use a digital camera over a film based camera. However, Kodak Company expected its customers to use film based cameras which are not user friendly. This gradually resulted in Kodak losing its customer base to its competitors those who embraced to this change in era. Now even if the organization decides to move towards the customer’s needs by proper findings and learning their customers. It depends on managers to implement these finding in marketing their product and also in future products. Managers might be too busy with their normal duties to implement the learning on customer value. Thus the adapting to change becomes a problem when it is not in line with the introduction of new information on market change and their customers. This can also happen when the organization is reluctant to continuously train their employees on the market and customer variations. Conclusion:  There are many other factors such as market variations, globalization, wide variations in customer’s psychology, brand image etc. that makes it challenging for a marketer to show value to customers in their products/services. Theodore Leavitt of the Harvard Business School explained this idea by saying that â€Å"The customer is not interested in a quarter-inch drill. Rather the customer is interested in a quarter-inch hole†. By understanding the results preferred by the customer, an organization can invest its marketing and innovation in the right direction for the customers to achieve their desired results.

Effects Of Eating Too Much Fast Food

Effects Of Eating Too Much Fast Food Would you like some fries with that, sir? This is what you hear at any McDonalds restaurant you can come by. You order a burger, and they offer you their crispy, yummy, juicy, famous French fries. Your brain is telling you to take it, but your heart is telling you to stop because it can hardly breathe anymore. People, with their busy schedules, go to fast food restaurants everyday without thinking if it is a good idea to eat there or not. It is cheaper and faster than other restaurants but the food is not good for their health. Despite its convenience, fast food can be very dangerous to us in the long run, which is why we should be aware of the risks and effects that it can give us so we can live a healthy lifestyle. One problem with fast food restaurants is that it is very addictive. Once we eat there, we want more of it because it is so cheap, yummy and filling. Living near by a fast food restaurant doesnt help either because we will want to eat there more. It will be the first place well think about when we get hungry. It will be a good hangout place also with the wireless internet routers added to the place. Another problem is their growing number of restaurants and their advertisements. We find them everywhere; on the road, on taxis and buses, on billboards, on buildings and other places. Also, we dont have to go to their restaurants to get their food because they now have their delivery hotlines. It increases the number of people eating fast food because most people like it better when their food comes to them instead of the harder, traditional way of sitting and eating at a restaurant. Lastly, fast food restaurants provide us food with food content that gives us very little nutritious content. They use very cheap ingredients which make fast food contain high amounts of sodium, cholesterol, fat and calories which can cause certain diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, and other heart diseases. Fast Food Addiction Bringing young children to fast food restaurants for breakfast is a bad decision to make because the child can get addicted to the flavour and taste of the food. Once the child gets addicted to it, he or she will not stop asking for more. The idea that fast food is better than other food will be implanted into their heads and they will get addicted even until adulthood. It is better to make children practice eating more nutritious food such as vegetables and fruits. Fast Food Restaurants and Advertisements We dont have time to prepare a meal with the busy schedules were given now, we think its better to eat at a fast food restaurant instead and we forget about eating healthy. Fast food is getting more in demand as we know it, resulting to the growth of the fast food industry. As they get bigger, more people will come to eat at their restaurants. Now with their delivery hotline, people can just make an effort to call their numbers and the food will be delivered to their doorstep after half an hour. With a quick drive-thru, you get your food in less than 15 minutes or less! They make everything easier and faster for us because they know that thats what we want. We also see so many advertisements around us, whether we are at home or on the road. The advertisements are on the radio, on billboards, on the internet, in newspapers, and in magazines. Its as if theyre calling out to us and putting the idea in our heads to eat their food at their nearest restaurant as soon as possible. They give us easy to remember numbers so that we can call them anytime and anywhere without having to look at the directory book. Most fast food restaurants are now open 24/7 so we can stop by or call them anytime we want. Because its so easy, we get so used to eating at fast food restaurants that we dont need to look at their menus to know what we want. This just shows us that eating there is more of a routine for us now. At about three in the afternoon, we get hungry and the first thing that pops up in our heads is Im craving for McDonalds Chicken McNuggets right now, with fries and an Apple pie! What most people dont realize is that eating too much of it is very dangerous for us because we are not aware of the content. Food Content Fast food can make us very full even at a cheap price. The reason for this is because fast food restaurants use cheap ingredients for their food which contain high amounts of sodium, cholesterol, calories and fat (Childrens Hospital Boston). There are a lot of uses for sodium. It can be used to preserve food, enhance its flavour, and to prevent the growth of pathogens. But sodium can cause very dangerous effects if one consumes too much of it. It can give us an increase in blood pressure and a high risk of heart diseases. According to the American Heart Association, it is best if one limits their sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day(American Heart Association, Inc.). The food on the McDonalds menu with the highest sodium content is the McDonalds Spanish Omelet Bagel with a sodium content of 1570 mg (Fast Food.com). Thats more than the sodium intake one must consume per day in a single bagel. Fats, with the right amount, are good because it keeps us warm and cushions our organs inside our body. Some fatty acids are essential to our body because they are used up for energy and become part of our body chemicals, such as hormones. Fats are classified into two types: saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are found only in plant products while saturated fats are found in animal products. Another name for saturated fat is cholesterol. Cholesterol helps the body to absorb what we need, although too much cholesterol is also bad for our body. It can cause heart diseases and osteoporosis because it can thin the bones (Berkoff 124). Calories are released in the digestion and absorption of food. Some food and drinks contain calories. We should not worry about if there are calories in food or not, but how much calories food has. The recommended calorie intake per day for us is 2000 calories. Fast food is packed with very high amounts of calories that one breakfast meal can have up to 1000 calories. Thats half the calories you can take up in a day. Obesity Fast food can cause us a lot of bad diseases like obesity and high blood pressure. Being obese does not only lower our self-esteem, it can also increase risks of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes and some types of cancer. Statistics show that more than 190 million in the American population are obese and the diseases that are related with obesity costs 147 billion dollars every year (Doane). Clearly, something has to be done about this, and not only in America. We should be very aware of the food we eat and the things we do. One way is to not make eating fast food a routine for us by thinking of the possible consequences it can give us. A good idea to prevent obesity is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and exercise daily to use up the energy that we consume. One child struggling with obesity stated that she started gaining weight when her family started buying cheaper foods (Doane). She observed that she became obese when they started to budget their food and to get cheaper food instead, namely, food from fast food restaurants.

Fuzzy Logic Technique for Image Enhancement

Fuzzy Logic Technique for Image Enhancement Abstract Now days applications should be require various types of images and pictures as sources of information for interpretation and analysis. Whenever an image is changed from one to another form such as, digitizing, scanning, transmitting and storing, some of the degradation always occurs at the output end. Hence, the output image has to go in a process called image enhancement which consists of a collection of techniques that need to improve the quality of an image. Image enhancement is basically improving image and its interpretation and perception of the information in digital images and providing good input for different other automated image processing techniques. The fuzzy set theory is always uncertainties (like it comes from the information available from situation such as darkness may result from incomplete, imprecise, and not fully reliable). The fuzzy logic gives a mathematical model for the representation and processing of good knowledge. The concept is depends upon i f-then rules in approximation of the variables likes threshold point. Also the Uncertainties within image processing tasks often due to vagueness and ambiguity. A fuzzy technique works as to manage these problems effectively. IndexTerms Fuzzy Logic, Image Processing, Image Enhancement, Image Fuzzification, Image Defuzzification Whenever an image is changed from one to another form such as, digitizing, scanning, transmitting and storing, some degradation is always occurs at the output stage. Hence, the output image has to go in a process called image enhancement. Image enhancement consists of a collection of techniques that need to improve the overall quality of an image. Fuzzy image processing is the approaches that understand, represent and process the images and their pixels with its values as fuzzy sets. The representation and processing is depending upon the selected fuzzy techniques and the problem to be solved. The idea of fuzzy sets is very simple and natural. For instance, if someone want to define a set of gray levels, one has to define a threshold for gray level from 0 to 100. Here 0 to 100 are element of this fuzzy set; the others do not belong to that set. The basis logic behind fuzzy technique is the basis for human communication. This observation depends upon many of the other statements about fuzzy logic. As fuzzy logic is built on the logics of qualitative description used in everyday language, fuzzy logic is very easy to use. A filtering system needs to be capable of reasoning with values and uncertain information; this suggests the use of fuzzy logic. II. FUZZY IMAGE PROCESSING OVERVIEW Fuzzy image processing techniques is not unique theory. It is a collection of different fuzzy approaches to image processing techniques. The following definition is to be regarded to determine the boundaries of fuzzy digital image processing: Fuzzy image processing is the approaches that understand, represent and process the digital images and their segments and also features as fuzzy sets. The representation of it and processing is always depending on the selected fuzzy techniques and on the problem which need to be solved [9]. Below a list of general observations is defined about fuzzy logic: Fuzzy logic is conceptually very easy to understand. The mathematical concepts behind fuzzy logic reasoning are simple. Fuzzy logic is important approach without the far-reaching complexity. Fuzzy logic is flexible. Everything is indefinite if you look closely enough, but more than that, most things are indefinite. Fuzzy reasoning prepared this understanding into the process rather than just theory. Fuzzy logic can model the nonlinear functions of mathematically complexity. One can create a fuzzy logic system to compare any sets of input and output data. This process is very easy by some of the adaptive techniques such as Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems, which is already available in Fuzzy Logic Toolbox. Fuzzy logic can be design on the top of experience of experts. In case of neural networks, it must need training data and generate the outputs. But fuzzy logic will explain you about the experience of people who already understand the whole systems. Fuzzy logic can be mixed with any conventional control techniques. Fuzzy systems dont replace conventional control methods necessarily. Sometimes fuzzy systems increase them and simplify its implementation. Fuzzy logic is based on natural language communications. The basis for fuzzy logic is the basis for human communication and this observation explain many of the other statements about fuzzy logic as well. Actually Fuzzy logic is built on the structures of quality description used in everyday languages used for communications. Fuzzy logic is very easy to use. Natural language, which people used on a daily basis, has been comes by thousands of years of human history to be efficient. Sentences that are written in ordinary language always represent a triumph of efficient communication [3]. Fuzzy image processing has three stages: 1) Image Fuzzification 2) Modification of membership values 3) Image Defuzzification. Figure 1. Basic Fuzzy Image processing [5] The fuzzification and defuzzification steps are that in which we do not own fuzzy hardware. So, the coding of image data often called as fuzzification and decoding of the results called as defuzzification are the steps to process images with fuzzy techniques. The main thing of fuzzy image processing is in the intermediate stage that is modification of membership values (See Figure 1). After the image data are transformed from grey-level to the membership plane that is known as fuzzification is appropriate fuzzy techniques which modify the membership values which can be a fuzzy clustering and a fuzzy rule based approach and also it can be a fuzzy integration approach. The Fuzzy set theory Fuzzy set theory is the extension of crisp set theory. It works on the concept of partial truth (between 0 1). Completely true is 1 and completely false is 0. It was introduced by Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh in 1965 as a mean to model the vagueness and ambiguity in complex systems [3]. Definition Fuzzy set A fuzzy set is a pair (A, m) where A is a set and m: A-> [0, 1]. For each, x A m(x) is called the grade of membership of x in (A, m). For a finite set A = {x1,,xn}, the fuzzy set (A, m) is denoted by {m(x1) / x1,,m(xn) / xn}. Let xà ¯Ã†â€™Ã… ½ A Then x is called not included in the fuzzy set (A, m) if m(x) = 0, x is called fully included if m(x) = 1, and x is called fuzzy member if 0 m(x) x à ¯Ã†â€™Ã… ½A |= m(x)>0} is called the support of (A, m) and the set {x A | m(x)=1} is called its kernel. Fuzzy sets is very easy and natural to understand. If one want to define a set of gray levels one have to determine a threshold, say the gray level from 0 to 100. All gray levels from 0 to 100 are element of this set; the others do not belong to the set (See Figure 2). But the darkness is a matter. A fuzzy set can be model this property in better way. For defining this set, it needs two different thresholds 50 and 150. All the gray levels which are less than 50 are the full member of this set and all the gray levels which are greater than 150 are not the member of this set at all. The gray levels that are between 50 and 150 have a partial membership in the set. Figure 2. Representation of dark gray-levels with a fuzzy and crisp set. Fuzzy Hyperbolization An image I of size MxNand L gray levels can be considered as anarray of fuzzy singletons and out of which each are having a value of membership denoted its brightness relative to its brightness levels Iwith I=0 to L-1. For an image I, we can write in the notation of fuzzy sets: Where g, is the intensity of (m, n)th pixel and  µmn its membership value. The membership function characterizes a suitable property of image (e.g. edginess, darkness, textural property) and it can be defined globally for the whole image or locally. The main principles of fuzzy image enhancement is illustrated in Figure. Figure 3. Fuzzy histogram hyperbolization image enhancements [2] Image Fuzzification The image fuzzification transforms the gray level of an image into values of membership function [0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦1]. 2 types of transformation functions are used, the triangle membership function, and Gaussian membership functions. A triangular membership functions is shown in Figure 4 and its equation is written as, Figure 4. Triangular membership functions The Gaussian membership function is shown in the Figure 5 and is characterized by two parameters {c, à Ã†â€™}. The equation for the Gaussian membership function is written as, Figure 5. Gaussian membership function Modification of Membership Function This process needs to change the values of the membership functions resulted from fuzzification process. In this algorithm, the shape of the membership function is set to triangular to characterize the hedges and value of the fuzzifier ÃŽÂ ². The fuzzifier ÃŽÂ ² is a linguistic hedge such that ÃŽÂ ² = -0.75 + ÃŽÂ ¼ 1.5, so that ÃŽÂ ² has a range of 0.5 2. The modification is carried out to the membership values by a hedges operator. The operation is called dilatation if the hedge operator ÃŽÂ ² is equal to 0.5 and it is called concentration if ÃŽÂ ² is equal to 2. If A is a fuzzy set and its represented as a set of ordered pairs of element x and its membership value is defined as ÃŽÂ ¼, then AÃŽÂ ² is the modified version of A and is indicated by below equation The hedge operator operates on the value of membership function as fuzzy linguistic hedges. Carrying hedge operator can be result in reducing image contrast or increasing image contrast, depending on the value of the ÃŽÂ ². The hedge operators may use to change the overall quality of the contrast of an image. Image Defuzzification After the values of fuzzy membership function has been modified, the next step is to generate the new gray level values. This process uses the fuzzy histogram hyperbolization. And this is due to the nonlinearity of human brightness perception. This algorithm modifies the membership values of gray levels by a logarithmic function: Where, ÃŽÂ ¼mn (gmn) is the gray level in the fuzzy membership values, ÃŽÂ ² is hedge operator, and gmn is the new gray level values. Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) Figure 6. Fuzzy Inference Systems Fuzzy inference is the process of mapping from the input-output using fuzzy logic. Mapping provides a basis from which it is possible to make the decisions. Process of fuzzy inference are mainly, the Membership Functions, the Logical Operations, and If-Then Rules. There are basically 2 types of fuzzy inference systems that is possible to implement in Fuzzy Logic Toolbox. 1) Mamdanitype and 2) Sugeno-type. These 2 types of inference systems vary in the way outputs are determined. Fuzzy inference systems has been successfully applied in fields such as data classification, decision analysis, automatic control and computer vision. As fuzzy is multidisciplinary, it can be used in fuzzy inference systems such as fuzzy-rule-based systems, fuzzy associative memory, fuzzy expert systems, fuzzy modeling, and fuzzy logic controllers, and simply fuzzy systems. Mamdanis fuzzy inference method is the most commonly used fuzzy method. Mamdanis method was the first control systems designed using fuzzy set theory. It was firstly proposed in 1975 by Ebrahim Mamdani [7] to control a steam engine and boiler combination by synthesizing a set of some linguistic control rules which can be obtained from experienced human operators. Mamdanis model was based on Lotfi Sades 1973 on fuzzy algorithms or complex systems and decision processes [8]. Mamdani-type inference, which defined for Fuzzy Logic Toolbox expects the output membership functions needs to be fuzzy sets. After the aggregation process, there is a fuzzy set for all the output variable that needs defuzzification. In many cases a single spike as an output membership functions are used. This type of output is usually known as a singleton output membership function. It always enhances the efficiency of the defuzzification process as it simplifies the computation required by the more simple Mamdani method, which finds the centroid of a 2D functions. Instead of integrating across the 2D function to find the centroid, one can use the weighted average of some of the data points. Sugeno-type system support this type of model. Sugeno-type systems can be used to design mathematical model of any inference system in which output membership functions are linear or constant. Fuzzy rule based system One other approach to infrared image contrast enhancement using fuzzy logic is a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy rule based system. Takagi-Sugeno rules have consequents which are numeric functions of the input values. This approach is used to enhance the contrast of a gray-scale digital image which proposes the following rules: IF a pixel is dark, THEN make it darker IF a pixel is gray, THEN make it mid-gray IF a pixel is bright, THEN make it brighter Membership functions in a fuzzy set map all the elements of a set into some real numbers in the range [0, 1]. When the value of membership is higher, the truth that the set element belongs to that particular member function is higher as vice versa. The input membership functions for an image contrast enhancement system is shown in Figure 7. The set of all input image pixel values is mapped to 3 different linguistic terms: Dark, Gray Bright. The values ÃŽÂ ¼i(z) quantify the degree of membership of a particular input pixel intensity value to the each of the 3 member functions; denoted by the subscript (i). Thus, ÃŽÂ ¼dark(z) assigns value from 0 to 1 and in between to how truly dark an input pixel intensity value (z) is. Same way, ÃŽÂ ¼gray(z) and ÃŽÂ ¼bright(z) characterize how truly Gray or Bright a pixel value z is. The Dark and Bright input membership functions can be implemented by using a sigmoid functions and the Gray input membership function can be implemented by the Gaussian function. The sigmoid function, also known as the logistic function that is continuous and non-linear. This can be defined mathematically as follows: Where x is input and g(x) is gain. The Gaussian function is defined as below: Figure 7. Input Membership Functions for the Fuzzy Rule-Based Contrast Enhancement Three linguistic terms can be defined for the output member functions; and these are referred to as Darker, Mid-gray and Brighter. Because it is common in some of the implementations of Takagi-Sugeno systems, the output fuzzy sets are usually defined as fuzzy singleton that says the output membership functions are single-valued constants. Here the output membership function values can be selected as follows: Darker = 0 (ÃŽÂ ½d) Mid-gray = 127 (ÃŽÂ ½g) Brighter = 255 (ÃŽÂ ½b) These are shown below: Figure 8. Output Membership Functions for the Fuzzy Rule-Based Contrast Enhancement For a Takagi-Sugeno system design, the fuzzy logic rules which determine the outputs of system have been used the following linear combination of input and output membership function value. As the output membership functions are constants, the output ÃŽÂ ½o to any input zo, is given by: Where, ÃŽÂ ¼dark(z), ÃŽÂ ¼gray(z) and ÃŽÂ ¼bright(z) = the input pixel intensity values and (vd, vg and vb) = the output pixel intensity values. This relationship accomplishes the processes of implication, aggregation and defuzzification together with a numeric computation. In case of image processing, fuzzy logic is computationally intensive, as it requires the fuzzification, processing of all rules, implication, aggregation and the defuzzification on every pixel in the input digital image. Using a Takagi-Sugeno design which uses singleton output membership functions can reduce computational complexity Figure 9 is the block diagram of the process developed for the fuzzy logic technique implemented for this work. Figure 9. Flow chart for the implemented fuzzy logic process Contrast enhancement using an INT-Operator from fuzzy theory Many researchers have applied the fuzzy set theory to develop new techniques for contrast improvement. A basic fuzzy algorithm for image enhancement, using a global threshold, has been briefly recalled. Let us consider a gray level digital image, represented by the gray level values of the pixels with the range [0;1] and Let l be any gray level of a pixel in this digital image, l [0;1] . Contrast improvement is a basic point processing operation which mainly used to maximize the dynamic range of the image. A higher contrast in an image can be achieved by darkening the gray level in the lower luminance range and brightening the ones in the upper luminance range. This processing generally implies the use of a non-linear function; Form of such a function could be the one presented in Figure 10. Mathematical expression of such a nonlinear function, Int (l) is as below: The expression represents operator in the fuzzy set theory, namely the intensification (INT) operator. When it is applied on digital images, it has the effect of contrast enhancement. Figure 10. Fuzzy intensification Let us denote the resulting gray levels in the contrast enhanced image by g given by: Thus, the contrast enhanced image have gray levels of its pixels given by the nonlinear point-wise transformation in Figure 10, applied to the original gray level image. Implementation on Matlab The following are the steps which are carried out for the implementation to get the output: Read the original image. >> I = imread(Input image) Convert it into Gray Scale image if it is RGB image. >> I = rgb2gray(I) Add the noise to the image. >> Z = imnoise(I,gaussian,0.2); Calculate size of original image. >> [row col] = size(Z); Perform morphological operation on image. To find Maximum pixel value of image >> mx = max(max(Z)); To find Minimun pixel value of image >> mn = min(min(d)); To find Mid point of image >> mid = (mx+mn)/2; Apply fuzzy algorithm. Show the output. >> figure,imshow(output),title (output enhanced image) Conclusion Four different fuzzy approaches has been implemented to enhancement the high voltage images. Compared to the basic approaches, one can notice that fuzzy methods offer a powerful mathematical model for developing new enhancement algorithms. The global fuzzy approaches not gives satisfactory results. But here a locally adaptive procedure for fuzzy enhancement has been proposed. The contrast enhancement of high voltage images is also not satisfactory sometimes. The reason behind that is the physics of EPIDs which produces images with poor dynamics qualities and that is why sometimes there is no information in MVI to be improved. The fuzzy logic algorithms offer many different possibilities to optimize its performance, like parameters of membership functions, due to that it can certainly be expected that fuzzy image enhancement techniques can be applied in many areas of medical imaging in future. References [1]Farzam Farbiz, Mohammad Bager Menhaj, Seyed A. Motamedi, and Martin T. Hagan, A new Fuzzy Logic Filter for image Enhancement IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, And Cybernetics-Part B: Cybernetics, Vol. 30, No. 1, February 2000. [2]Om Parkas Verma, Madasu Hanmandlu, Anil Singh Pariah and Vamp Krishna Madasu Fuzzy Filter for Noise Reduction in Color Images, ICGST-GVIP Journal, Vol. 9, No. 5, September 2009, pp.29-43. [3]Rafael C.Gonzalez and Richard, E. Woods Digital Image Processing, New Jersey, Pearson Prentice Hall, Third Edition 2008. [4]Aboul Ella Hassanien and Amr Bader, A comparative study on digital mammography Enhancement algorithms based on Fuzzy Theory, International Journal of Studies in Informatics and Control, SIC Volume 12 Number 1, March 2003, pp. 21-31. [5]Alper Pasha Morphological image processing with fuzzy logic, Aerospace and space technology magazines, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2006, pp.27-34. [6]Tamalika Chaira, Ajoy Kumar Ray, Fuzzy Image Processing and Applications with MATLAB, CRC Press, vol. 1, 2010,pp. 47-55. [7]Mamdani, E.H. and S. Assilian, An experiment in linguistic synthesis with a fuzzy logic controller, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, Elsevier, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1975, pp. 1-13. [8]Zadeh, L.A., Outline of a new approach to the analysis of complex systems and decision processes, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Vol. 3, No. 1, Jan. 1973, pp. 28-44. [9]H. R. Tizhoosh, G. Krell and B. Michaelis, On Fuzzy Enhancement of Megavoitage Images in Radiation Therapy, Proceedings of the 6th IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems, July 1997. [10]Stefan Schulte, Valerie De Witte, and Etienn, E.Kerre, A Fuzzy Noise Reduction Method for Color Images, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, Vol. 16, Issue 5, May 2007, pp. 1425-1436. [11]C.Castiello, G.Castellano, L.Caponetti and A.M.Fanelli, Fuzzy Classification of Image Pixels, IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Signal Processing, 2003