Interconnection Billing System of Grameenphone Ltd. Essay Example for Free

Interconnection Billing System of Grameenphone Ltd. Essay 1.0 Introduction In early 2008, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) announced that reorganization of the country’s telecom interconnection architecture as per International Long Distance Telecommunication Services (ILDTS) Policy 2007 has to be completed by the mid of August, 2008 (BTRC, 2008a). This announcement by the telecom regulator obligated relevant telecom operators (e.g. mobile and fixed networks) to take necessary measures to complete the re-organization task within the deadline while ensuring there is no or minimum subscriber inconvenience and revenue leakage due to this reorganization. Grameenphone Ltd., the largest cell phone operator of the country having a subscriber base of about 17 Million at that period (BTRC, 2008b), had to approach this regulatory directive with great importance as interconnection termination charge is the source of 2nd largest revenue stream for the company (Grameenphone Annual Reports, 2008 – 2011). It launched a cross-functional project to complete the interconnection restructure task smoothly. This Project Team identified prevailing interconnection billing processes and systems of the organization as one of the key improvement areas. It was felt that existing in-house developed tools lacked the flexibility to accommodate the change in network architecture. Management wanted replacement of manual billing related tasks through fully automated systems to ensure faster transactions and generation of customized reports. After through assessment of other alternatives within the allocated budget by experts from relevant cross-functional teams, Intec Interconnection Billing System (IIBS) was procured from one of the leading vendors of the world, Intec Systems Ltd. (CSGI, 2012). This paper focuses on the evaluation of IIBS, a hi-tech information system and its contribution to Grameenphone Ltd., a technology-based organization. Major sources of information are my experiences as a member of this billing system implementation project team and later use it for about 03 years; and interviews and email exchange with core technical persons and other stakeholders of IIBS. In some areas, training materials provided by the billing system vendor and web entries have been consulted as well. 2.0 Overview of Intec Interconnection Billing System 2.1 Telecom Interconnect and Related Facts: Bangladesh Context â€Å"The term Interconnect in the telecommunication world means a business model where different competing telephony providers coexist and interconnect to each other† (4gbilling Inc., 2012). As per Bangladesh Telecommunication Act-2001, any telecom operator must ensure ‘any-to-any’ connectivity so that its subscriber(s) can conveniently communicate with the subscriber(s) of other telecom operator(s) (BTRC, 2001c); as a result, telecom operators interconnect each other directly or through interconnection exchanges (it is the case in Bangladesh after reorganization of national interconnection architecture in 2008) and also establish connectivity with foreign operators through international gateways. Figure 1: Block diagram of Interconnectivity (adapted from ILDTS Policy’07, BTRC 2008a) After establishment of inter-connectivity, telecom operators pay each other interconnection access charges for the traffic (i.e. voice call, SMS, MMS) generated by its subscriber(s) to the other at a rate mutually negotiated or enforced by the regulator. This interconnection payment and associated tasks, e.g. calculation of interconnect traffic volume originated and received, generation of invoices, and validation of other operators’ invoices are dictated by their mutual interconnection agreements and/or relevant directives from the telecom regulators (Interconnection Regulations, 2004). 2.2 Interconnect Billing Systems With the worldwide trend of telecom de-regulation, interconnectivity gets crowded and telecom operators are in need of interconnection billing system offering detailed analysis of interconnection. The objective, of course, is to make â€Å"smart and well informed business decisions to enhance revenue streams† (4gbilling Inc., 2012). The major tasks accomplished by using Interconnect Billing system are: -Inter-operator settlement for traffic exchanged with other operators, -Resolution of interconnection billing disputes, -Generation of various reports; -Detection of various telecom frauds and assist in management of those. 2.3 Technological Features of Intec Interconnect Billing System (IIBS) IIBS lies at the downstream of Mediation Server in the telecom network architecture. It works under client-server model. The servers are powered by HP-UX (Hewlett-Packard, 2011). It has dual server: one houses Database other runs Application (Intec Training Material, 2008). Figure 2: Network Diagram of IIBS (adapted from 4Gbilling Inc., 2012) In the client side computers, there are different modules for invoice generation, reporting, and reconciliation of CDRs from other operator, etc. These clients are connected with the IBS application server using LAN (Local Area Network). Client computers may run Microsoft Windows operating systems. The clients can access IIBS’s application through Graphical User Interface (GUI) or through web-based Oracle Discoverer (a customized tool) says Mr. Raiyan Karim, System Engineer, IBS of Grameenphone Ltd. (Karim, 2012). A team within the Information Technology department are assigned the task to configure and operate IIBS while the users are spread all over the organization ranging from Finance to Regulatory Affairs functions. 2.4 Categorisation of IIBS as Information System As an information system, Intec Interconnect Billing System (IIBS) can be categorised in several perspectives. From hardware perspective (Bocij et al, 2008: Chapter 3), IIBS has the primary capture/ input technology in use is the LAN connectivity with an upstream application server, very powerful CPU as processor, 25 Terabyte online magnetic disk storage and output can be taken through either monitor display, e-document or printed papers. From software perspective (Bocij et al, 2008: Chapter 4), IIBS is an application software, to be specific, application to process large databases containing CDRs. From management-level perspectives (Laudon and Laudon, 2012), IIBS can be categorised mainly as a transaction processing system as it deals with instances of interconnection traffic exchanged (i.e. call/ SMS/ MMS made to received from other operators). This system serves requirements of operational management and but, the outputs from this system has a wider circulation to different management levels even up to top executives mainly due to importance of associated business activity (interconnectivity) for telecommunication industry. From organisational function (Laudon and laudon, 2006) perspectives, IIBS is an Information Technology business area specific information system. It handles digital customer call records for generation of interconnection billing details. From the perspectives of reach (Boddy et al, 2005: 37-38), IIBS is identified as an intra-organisational IS. Though its core use lies within the IT department of Grameenphone, this system is very frequently accessed from other parts of the organizations e.g. Finance, Marketing, Regulatory Affairs, etc. Moreover, as IIBS contributes to achieve overall organisational goals e.g. reliable settlement of interconnection revenue, help in developing market offerings, it can easily be termed as an intra-organisational IS. 3.0 Supported Organisational Processes The organizational processes supported by IIBS can be analysed by using two approaches: a) CIPSODAR model of information system (Heeks, 2011a) and b) usage and applications of computer based IS by organisational level (Bocij et al, 2008: P 45). 3.1 CIPSODAR on IIBS IIBS captures processed CDR (Call Detail Records) from Mediation server (â€Å"a system used to convert data of certain datatypes to other datatypes, usually for billing purposes†, Wikipedia, 2012). These mediated CDRs are feed into IIBS as inputs. Figure 3: IIBS on CIPSODAR model (adapted from Heeks, 2011a) The captured CDRs have to contain at least 06 information fields which are in numeric form (Intec Systems, 2008): i.Unique CDR identification no. associated with each call made to received from other operators, ii.phone no. of call originating subscriber, iii.phone no. of call recipient subscriber, iv.call start time, v.call duration, vi.Intelligent network marking used to identify post-paid or pre-paid subscriber. These mediated CDRs are further processed by IIBS, i.e. classifying based on various pre-set criteria e.g. pre-paid, post-paid, originating operator, terminating operator; sorting thereof based on each criteria, and finally compiling. IIBS has remarkable processing capacity as it handles about 70 Million CDRs in every 6 hours (Karim, 2012). IIBS uses two types of storage: one is online which has huge storage capacity to store CDRS for consecutive 04 months and another is older CDRs which are moved to magnetic tapes for archiving. Output from IIBS is billing details categorized based on interconnect operator, incoming call flow, outgoing call flow, or duration e.g. day-wise or month-wise. Recipients can generate invoice to be issued to other operators or customized reports using the client side invoicing or reporting modules of IIBS. The outputs generated from IIBS data help the organization to decide on its interconnection business strategy e.g. integrate additional interconnect capacity with some operator or formulate business plan e.g. promote calls to other operators by lowering customer charge. Actions include implementation of internal business strategy or contractual obligations of interconnection agreement. The results derived from such actions are inter-operator settlement and dispute resolution for interconnection traffic, gain competitive edge or retain stronghold over market. The outputs from IIBS billing details helps to detect and take action against telecom frauds, to meet regulatory compliance by generating reports for telecom regulator on regularly and ad-hoc basis. It is useful in revenue projection through trend analysis of interconnection traffic. 3.2 Organisational Levels and IIBS As mentioned in earlier section, IIBS mainly functions as transaction processing system and hierarchically destined to serve the operational management. The operations managers ensure processing activities of IIBS. In this level, IIBS serves as a solution to generate reliable invoices, validation of other party invoices, resolution of inter-operator invoiced /data related disputes, and generation of various reports. Figure 4: IIBS different Organisation level (adapted from Bocij et al, 2008) In upper level of the organisational hierarchy, IIBS generated reports serve as tactical tool. Based on interconnection traffic trends and invoices, they generate interconnection revenue forecast, interconnection capacity requirement etc. IIBS reports are consulted by Top Management level also. Settlement of interconnection revenue is a key issue as it counts for the 2nd largest revenue stream of Grameenphone (Grameenphone: 2011). Interconnection traffic volume is a key indicator of customer attractiveness of competitors’ market offerings. Based on the trend of interconnect traffic, business directions are made to product development team. 4.0 Evaluation of Information System Intec Interconnect Billing system (IIBS) may be evaluated from two perspectives: a) IS Cost / benefits model and b) DeLone/ McLean model. 4.1 Benefits and Costs of IIBS Benefits As IIBS is mainly a transaction processing system, its benefits can be better evaluated using Process Benefits Model (Heeks, 2011b). Based on user experiences and discussion with IIBS technical teams (2012), several benefits are being generated from IIBS, along both efficiency and effectiveness categorises. The below table summaries these benefits: Sl.Process BenefitExamples Cited by Stakeholders (Discussion, 2012) 1CheaperIntroduction of IIBS has reduced no. of manpower required to do the task than it was required previously by one-third employees. 2MoreIn comparison to previous ad-hoc system, IIBS processes more CDRS while keeping the resources requirement about the same (except storage). 3QuickerIIBS processed about 70 Million CDRs in 6 hours whereas prior system could process only about 50 Million CDRs at the same time. Invoice generation and processing of other party CDRs for the purpose of interconnect dispute resolution has become faster. 4BetterPreviously CDRs were processed through manual systems. That system lacked consistency in interconnect billing reporting due to its business logic. 5NewIIBS has introduced Graphical user Interface for the clients which help them to generate customized reports on interconnectivity round the clock. Previously, the reporting was made ad-hoc basis as per requirement from Project Team Table 1: Benefits of Information Systems (Heeks, 2011b) Costs of IIBS Costs of an information system can be measured in 03 criteria: i) implementation costs: measured in financial terms; ii) operational costs : both financial and unexpected outcomes, and iii) loss of previous operational benefits (Heeks, 2011b). Costs of IIBS in this view: Sl.CostExamples Cited by Stakeholders (discussion, 2012) 1.Implementation CostsImplementation of IIBS has cost the organization about 1.2 Million USD as payment to vendor, Intec Systems (IIBS Business Case, 2008). 2.Operational Costs (inc. Problems)IIBS requires about slightly higher (1~3%) storage for processing of CDRs in comparison to previous system. 3.Previous operational benefits lostIn case of prior billing solutions, modification could be done by internal experts, now change request needs to be made with the vendor which is expensive after free service period. Table 2: Costs of Information Systems (Heeks, 2011b) 4.2 DeLone McLean Multi-Perspective Evaluation DeLone McLean (1992) have described one of the most popular models of evaluating success of information systems (Heeks, 2011b). Figure 5: Multiple perspectives on IS success/failure– DeLone McLean (1992) DeLone McLean model can be measured suggested by Boddy et al (2005). 4.2.1 System Quality These are the required features and characteristics of the information system (Heeks, 2011b). In the case of IIBS, as per IT experts and users from other business functions (Discussion, 2012), it is reliable, includes enhanced features both in terms of system operation and output generation and the response time is also considerably faster . 4.2.2 Information Quality â€Å"Information quality concerns the characteristics of the information produced by the system† (Heeks, 2011b). In the case of IIBS, outputs generated are (invoices and various reports) are clear to interpret, quite high on completeness to serve intended purposes, and useful and accurate, except a few rare cases. Grameenphone RAFM (Revenue Assurance Fraud Management) team validates output of IIBS to be highly satisfactory. 4.2.3 Use and user satisfaction â€Å"Use and user satisfaction are concerned with the interaction between the information produced by the system and the recipients† (Heeks, 2011b) IIBS, being an integral part of Grameenphone’s interconnection system, it is used in daily basis for the whole period required to process interconnect CDRs for the concerned day and to serve report requests from cross-functional teams. Information necessary to make a revenue projection or serve regulatory report requests on monthly or ad-hoc basis are served timely basis from the system. Users are overall satisfied with IIBS but they would prefer if the system had flexibility of producing further customized reports. Except very few cases, the information required vs. delivered from IIBS had no significant deviation. The Graphical user interface, easy maintenance, easily scalable, and web-based access are few contributing factors to user satisfaction. Software satisfaction is quite high amongst regular users while occasional users found the interface a difficult to use. 4.2.4Individual impact It â€Å"relates to the extent to which the information produced by the system influences or affects decisions† (Heeks, 2011b). Reports generated from IIBS system are quite helpful to identify any problem in the area of interconnectivity and normally decisions made are correct. These decisions are quite effective also. Usually key points are placed to top management weekly basis. Productivity improvement in interconnected areas is remarkable. It allows observing trend of interconnection traffic generated and received ant to decide on optimal interconnection capacity, etc. By these measures for other decision issues e.g. market attractiveness of other operators customer charge are not in that brighter side as there are many relevant factors therein. 4.2.5 Organisational impact It â€Å"measures the effect of the information produced by the system on organisational performance† (Heeks, 2011b). Interconnection is a regulatory compliance issue and it also generates revenue of about 100 Mn. USD for Grameenphone (Grameenphone, 2011). Considering this importance of interconnectivity for Grameenphone, it may be concluded that the organizational impact of IIBS is significant. The investments made vs. benefits enjoyed from IBS (e.g. lower processing time, timely invoicing to ensure timely revenue settlement) are in quite positive side. In overall evaluation, IIBS is a successful information system meeting the requirements of stakeholders and also exceeding the costs by benefits in great margin. 5.0 Factors for Success of IIBS A large number of information systems fail to achieve the desired objectives, especially in the developing countries. In this context, success of Intec Interconnect Billing System (IIBS) in Grameenphone Ltd. is quite remarkable. We can analyse the causes behind the success using 1) IS Implementation Outcome Model (Laudon and Laudon, 2006) and 2) Design-Reality Gap analysis using ITPOSMO (Heeks, 2011c). 5.1 Information System Implementation Outcome Model In the ninth edition of their book, summary model of information systems success and failure factors were presented by Laudon and Laudon (2006). Figure 6: IS Implementation Outcome Model (Laudon and Laudon, 2006) Applying the model on IIBS, we can come up with following: †¢User involvement and influence: In the requirement finalization stage during procurement of interconnection billing system in Grameenphone, actual users were member of the cross functional team and their views were taken with great importance. Later, these requirements were used as reference to select the vendor and customization negotiated with them. †¢Management support: Required management support was available during implementation of IIBS in Grameenphone. The project team was highly empowered having Chief Information Officer as Project Sponsor and other senior managers in the Project Steering Committee. †¢Level of complexity/risk: Though IIBS is a high-tech information system, it is highly structured, and the project team had required technical capacities on-board. †¢Management of the implementation process: IIBS was endowed with required financial and human resources and proper training sessions was arranged also. 5.2 Design-Reality Gap Analysis of IIBS Though IIBS is considered to be a successful information system, the system can be improved in some areas, observations by internal stakeholders (Discussions, 2012). These areas include re-shape the GUI to be more user friendly in perspectives of non-IT users. Reducing the storage requirement a bit can directly benefit in terms of saving expensive storage capacity. These can be attributed to the gap between information system design and reality i.e. actual implementation of the system (Heeks, 2011c). The Dimensions of design—reality gaps for IIBS can be analysed using ITPOSMO model (Heeks, 2011c: Figure 7: Design—reality gap model to analyse IS Success/Failure (Heeks, 2011) 5.2.1 Information Dimension: Gap Rating 2.0 The system design assumed that the inputs to IIBS (processed CDRs from Mediation server) will always be in right format. But, very occasionally, there were CDRs from mediation in wrong format or missing one or more key fields. These unprocessed CDRs were stored in the error bucket and required special processing by System Engineers later on. 5.2.2 Technology Dimension: Gap Rating 3.0 The technological design contributed to gain buy-in of overall user satisfaction for IIBS. The processing of CDR files was quicker than previous system. It also contributed in reducing man-hour required to configure and operate the system. But, in the areas of storage requirement and design of graphical user interface (GUI), there are gaps between expectation and reality. 5.2.3 Process Dimension: Gap Rating 3.0 The business processes were supportive to desired functioning of IIBS. The system produced invoices and customized reports as desired. Though, there are some requirements to be able to further customize the reporting modules. Sometimes, there are hiccups in generations of output also. 5.2.4 The objectives and values dimension: Gap Rating 4.0 Decision to procure IIBS was made by a cross-functional team having relevant experiences and expertise. It was decided to further enrich the system by adding additional features to it so that it can handle settlement for mobile contents/ value added services with the respective content or value added service providers. But, even after 03 years of successful operation of IIBS, these additional features have not been included yet (Karim, 2012). It is assumed that potential personal interest may contribute to this non-inclusion of mobile content/ VAS related features to IIBS. Notably, currently these settlements are handled by an IT manager having a team of 05 employees whereas if the features included to IIBS, the whole processing would require no or utmost 01 employee from this team. 5.2.5 Staffing and skills: Gap Rating 2.0 The organization had competent staff experienced with configuration, operation, maintenance of interconnect billing systems. Moreover, to get them acknowledged with the new system, required training was provided by the vendor. 5.2.6 Management systems and structures Gap Rating 2.0 Introduction of IIBS helped in reducing manpower required to run similar systems previously and following that management hierarchy in IT department was simplified. 5.2.7 Other resources: Gap Rating 2.0 In other dimensions, IIBS helped in saving processing time comparison to previous system. With increased efficiency, it contributed in monetary terms as well. 5.2.8 Overall: Total gap score is 18 for IIBS. There is an insignificant design-reality gap for the system with none being a possible cause of failure. 6.0 Conclusion Grameenphone Ltd. implemented Intec Interconnect Billing System (IIBS) for about 4 years (since August, 2008 to till now). The major objectives of the system were to ensure accurate and quicker settlement for interconnection traffic with interconnected operators in a complicated network architecture and resolution of related disputes in timely fashion. It also aimed to generate required customized reports for users from different business functions of the organization and for managers of different organisational levels. In consideration of stakeholder views towards IIBS and its analyses through various theoretical models, the system is an example of successful information systems. The major contributing factors behind the success are insignificant gap between design and reality. And creation of this favourable scenario is attributed to good practices of information system implementation e.g. empowered involvement of users, management commitment, and availability of key resources, etc. 7.0 References 4GBILLING INC., Interconnect Billing – Overview [Online]. Available: http://4gbilling.com/interconnect.html [Accessed 21 April, 2012] Bocij, Paul, Andrew Greasley and Simon Hickie (2008) Business Information Systems: Technology, Development and Management, 4th edn, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River Boddy, D., Boonstra, A. Kennedy, G. (2005) Managing Information Systems: An Organisational Perspective, 2nd edn, Pearson Education Limited, London BTRC, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (2008) ILDTS Policy-2007 [Online].Available:http://www.btrc.gov.bd/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=153Itemid=259 [Accessed 10 April, 2012] BTRC, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (2008) Mobile Phone Subscribers in Bangladesh [Online]. Available:

Fitzgeralds Use of Language in The Great Gatsby Essays -- essays rese

In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses tone, diction, syntax and imagery to voice Nick's perception of the world around him. In this passage his use of language is used repetitively to convey Jordan Baker, Daisy and Tom Buchanan's lives. On the outside it may look like they all are living a perfect and ideal life, however Fitzgerald's illuminating use of language highlights how far from perfect their lives truly are. When he first walks in Nick judges Tom and Daisy's lives based on the appearance of the house, perfect and romanticized, yet he soon learns that this first impression is an overstatement. Nick's use of diction such as 'fragilely bound' (12) and 'French windows' (12) connote that their lives may look perfect on the outside but in reality they're brittle on the inside, since the words fragile and French suggest that their lives are breakable. His choice of diction also suggests an impersonal feel to the house, as if the people inside it are living a bland and dull life. As Nick walks farther in he compares the 'frosted wedding cake of the ceiling' to the 'wine- colored rug' implying both Purity and corruption. He views the cake-ceiling as pure since wedding cakes denote the meaning of innocence and purity but compares the innocence with wine which suggests corruption and impurity. Again, this comparison shows that Tom and Daisy's lives look pure as cake, however in reality their life i s as corrupted as wine. Upon meeting Daisy and Jordan, Nick perceives them as if they are ?buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon.? (12) Suggesting that something is weighing them both down but they both want to be free from their oppressions of their societies-they want to be carefree. Nick?s choice of diction like ?boom,... ...h he goes from idealism to reality. By the end of the evening Nick discovers the true personalities of the characters. This paragraph shows a whole new meaning of the color white, in this passage white implies impurity and ?absence of all desire.? (17) Before, however, it implied elegance, innocence and joy. Nick senses that to the Buchanan?s the evening had no great importance, he believes that it would be ?casually put away? (17) and be forgotten. Nick also perceives the woman to be tools of entertainment for the men. In conclusion, Fitzgerald?s use of language connotes the reality of Jordan Baker, Daisy and Tom Buchanan? lives. His use of diction, imagery and syntax suggests how their lives have no excitement and desire. Nick views them as white- dull and bland. Therefore, by using diction, imagery and syntax, Nick shows how imperfect their lives truly are.

The Concept Of Teaching Practicum Education Essay

Teaching practicum concerns readying of instructors and its usage has embraced all the learning experiences of pupil instructors in schools. The intent of reexamining related literature is to research thoughts of learning practicum. This reappraisal will discourse three chief thoughts, viz. , overview of the construct of beliefs and learning practicum, theoretical model and related research surveies.2.1 The construct of learning practicumTeaching practicum is about universally recognized today as the flood tide of a instructor ‘s professional readying in pre-service instructor instruction plans. Harmonizing to the surveies of Gower & A ; Walters ( 1983 ) , the instruction pattern programme is the major indispensable constituent in professional instruction. Teaching practicum is defined as those periods of uninterrupted pattern 12 hebdomads ( depends on the peculiar instructor preparation college or university ) in school constitute an obligatory portion of the class in colleges or universities of instruction. This period of practical experience is besides called by assorted term, clinical experience, pupil instruction, learning pattern every bit good as practicum. During the instruction practicum, pupil instructor conducts schoolroom lessons and performs the responsibilities of a instructor in school. Harmonizing to the Teacher Training Division Guidelines on practicum for pre-service instructor preparation ( 2005 ) , learning practicum provide chances for pupil instructor to pattern theories in instruction and acquisition patterns and to develop single instruction and learning theories. The chief purpose of learning practicum is to bring forth effectual school instructors and non simply schoolroom instructor. Student instructors are besides provided with chances for a assortment of brushs with kids in schools. This means that pupil instructors are non merely cognize how to learn efficaciously in category but are besides able to manage co-curricular activities as good. In short, learning practicum programme is to fit future instructors with the indispensable experiences which can take to the development of their professional competences. Teaching practicum purposes for pupil instructors to maestro and pattern all the constructs, rules, accomplishments and values in order to go a p rofessional instructor.2.2 What is belief?Harmonizing to Michaela Borg ( 2001 ) , belief is a proposition which may consciously or unconsciously held, is appraising in that it is accepted as true by the person, and at that place imbued with affectional committedness ; farther, it serves as usher to thought and bahaviour. On the other manus, Fishbein and Ajzen ( 1975 ) define belief as information, factual, and nonfactual knowledges. Cognition is described as â€Å" what person knows or assumes to be true † ( Berkowitz, 1980, p. 275 ) . No affair what is one ‘s belief, the beliefs still play an of import function in many facets of instruction, every bit good as in life. It is because these beliefs help persons make sense of the universe, act uponing how new information in perceived, and whether it is accepted or rejected. Nevertheless, beliefs differ from cognition, although they are related to each other, in that beliefs do non ever represent the truth. Beliefs are non merely considered as discipline-dependent ( Tsai, 2002 ) , but beliefs besides include apprehensions, premises, images or propositions that are felt to be true ( Kagan, 1992 Richardson, 1996 ) .2.3 Theoretical model2.3.1 Teachers ‘ BeliefsShulman ( 1986 ) claimed that a instructor needs to cognize about the capable affair, to cognize a assortment of general instructional schemes, and to cognize about the specific schemes necessary for learning peculiar capable affair. Most of us would besides hold that the good instructor transforms curri culum ends and guidelines in such a manner that a peculiar pupil is able to get the hang and understand the related content. Dan Lortie states that one ‘s personal sensitivities are non merely relevant but, in fact, stand at the nucleus of going a instructor. Teachers ‘ belief is a term normally used to mention to teacher ‘s pedagogic beliefs, or those beliefs of relevancy to an single instruction. The countries most normally explored are instructors ‘ beliefs about instruction, acquisition, and scholars ; capable affair ; self as a instructor, or the function of a instructor ( Calderhead, 1995 ) . Besides that, instructors ‘ beliefs do play a cardinal function in the procedure of instructor development. Those beliefs form portion of the procedure of understanding how instructors ‘ conceptualize their work as a instructor. Tatto ‘s ( 1996, p. 155 ) of import work on beliefs concluded â€Å" laic cultural norms among enrollees are strongly ingrained and that most teacher instruction, as it is presently structured, is a weak intercession to change peculiar positions sing the instruction and direction of diverse scholars † . Another survey shows that â€Å" a individual ‘s belief system has permeant effects in different domains of activity- ideological, conceptual, perceptual, and esthetic † ( Rokeach, 1960, p. 288 ) . In add-on, Brown found that certain philosophical beliefs and educational beliefs were effectual in foretelling agreement-disagreement with experimentalism of schoolroom pattern. â€Å" Indications were that professed educational beliefs had a generalised consequence on learning behaviour ; specific cardinal beliefs were most powerful in act uponing specific schoolroom behaviours † ( Brown & A ; Webb, 1968, p. 215 ) . To back up those beliefs, Clark and Peterson ( 1986 ) proposed that: The most resilient or ‘core ‘ instructors ‘ beliefs are formed on the footing of instructors ‘ ain schooling as immature pupils while detecting instructors who taught them. Subsequent instructor instruction appears non to upset these early beliefs, non least, possibly, because it seldom addresses them. If instructors really seek out a peculiar invention which does non ab initio conform to their anterior beliefs or rules and the invention proves helpful or successful, so adjustment of an alternate belief or rule is more possible than in any other circumstance. For the notice instructor, schoolroom experience and twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours interaction with co-workers has the possible to act upon peculiar relationships among beliefs and rules, and, over clip, consolidate the person ‘s substitution of them. However, it seems that greater experience does non take to greater adaptability in our beliefs and, thereby, the forsaking of strongly held pedagogic rules. Quite the contrary in fact. The more experience we have, the more reliant on our ‘core ‘ rules we have become and the less witting we are making so. Professional development which engages instructors in a direct geographic expedition if their beliefs and rules may supply the chance for greater self-awareness through contemplation and critical inquiring as get downing points for ulterior version. The instructors ‘ conceptualisations of, for illustration, linguistic communication, acquisition, and learning are situated within that individual ‘s wider belief system refering such issues as human nature, civilization, society, instruction and so on. Consequently, instructors ‘ belief about the importance of learning have a great impact on their instruction patterns ( Salmon, 1988 ) . The following subdivision will look at instructors ‘ belief about learning practicum.2.3.2 Teachers ‘ belief about learning practicumThe term ‘practicum ‘ is used generically to mention to the different types of school fond regard ; viz. , school experience, learning assistantship, learning pattern and so forth that pre-service pupils will be undergoing as portion their initial instructor readying programme. The school-based practicum is designed to enable pupil instructors to detect a instructor ‘s existent work of work, and to use and polish the cognition and accomplishments acquired through course-work in schoolroom instruction. Student instructors are to utilize the chances during the practicum to incorporate instruction theory and pattern and to widen their practical experiences. In the context of learning practicum, a pupil instructor is expected to use what they have learned theoretically. To maximise the public-service corporation of practicum, it is of import that instructor trainers actively promote the effectual acquisition during the practicum period. Effective acquisition should be concerned with the acquisition of organized wholes of cognition. It is a procedure that involves developing the ability to place the aims one is seeking and, within a flexible model, optimising a programme to run into these aims, in line with single acquisition properties. Effective acquisition besides needs to accomplish transference of cognition from the artificiality of a preparation class, to practical application where the trainees adapts acquired cognition to the sensed demands of a peculiar job or state of affairs ( Robotham, 2003 ) . Many researches claim that learning practicum is a cardinal component in most pre-service instructor instruction programmes. Many besides debates about the appraisal of the pattern of pupil instructors frequently reflect ongoing philosophical arguments about the nature of instructor instruction ( Brown, 1996 ) and traditional barriers between instructors and faculty members ( Groundwater-Smith, 1997 ) . A set of written standards used to measure the competency of pre-service secondary instructor instruction pupils during practicum. The dimensions of the appraisal protocol did non look to be based on any articulated theory of good instruction pattern, and there were important uncertainties about the extent to which the assorted groups of stakeholders had a shared apprehension of the criterions implied in the standards. In instruction what we label as criterions are socially constructed and often fuzzed ( Sadler, 1987 ) and require the shared apprehension of a concept in a community of pattern ( Wiliam, 1996 ) .2.4 Related Research Studies2.4.1 Pre-service instructors ‘ beliefs about learning practicumPrior to existent instruction experiences, pre-service instructors derive their initial positions on learning from at least two beginnings. First, it comes from their personal experiences as pupils, dwelling of their interactions with and exposures to assorted instructors throughout their school life, with such factors holding a inclination to act upon their grounds for calling pick, every bit good as beliefs and patterns on their professional lives ( Ben-Petetz, 2003 ; Bramald, Hardman, & A ; Leat, 1995 ; Saban, 2003 ) . Second, it consequences from pre-service instructors organizing their conceptual repertories as they undergo the formal preparation provided by teacher educational plans ( Bermald, 1995 ; Dunkin, Precian, & A ; Nettle, 1994 ; Nettle, 1998 ) , ab initio dwelling of theoretical cognition through foundation and methods classs, and finally come o ning or climaxing into the application of such theories via the alleged pattern instruction. Few surveies have been done in pre-service instructors. The undermentioned premises are cardinal to a justification of pattern as a portion of the preparation of instructors: Teaching is behavior, and as behaviour is capable to analysis, alteration, and betterment. Much of the accustomed behaviour which persons have developed in other contexts is inappropriate for the instruction state of affairs. Under present conditions, much instruction is conducted under conditions of emphasis. Teaching is an highly complex sort of behaviour, affecting the full scope of idea procedures, communicating and physical action. Teachers, through pattern can larn to analyse, knock and command their ain instruction behaviour. Practice has the double intent of preparation and the riddance of the unfit. Practice provides the experience which gives intending to many other facets of direction in instruction ( learning ) . The beliefs of pre-service TESL instructors have may deserve their ain geographic expedition. These beliefs may act upon pupils in acquisition of cognition, choice and definition of specific learning undertakings, and reading of cognition, and reading of class content. Puchta ( 1999 ) asserts that ‘beliefs are steering rules of our pupils ‘ behaviour and strong perceptual filtersaˆÂ ¦ they act as if they were true ‘ . On the other manus, Dunkin ( 1994 ) claims that how student-teachers ‘ positions on instruction may be influenced by formal learning practicum programme. Kennedy ( 1996 ) hypothesizes that ‘real and effectual alteration in instructors ‘ patterns can merely happen through a alteration in their beliefsaˆÂ ¦ the manner instructors behave ‘ .

Introduction to the World of Retailing

Chapter 01 Introduction to the World of RetailingMultiple Choice Questions1. (p. 6) What is retailing? A. It is the merchandising component of the retail mix. B. It is the set of business activities that adds value to the products and services sold to consumers for their personal use. C. It is the strategy retailers and vendors use to get products into the stores. D. It is the process of offering products in smaller quantities for consumer consumption patterns. E. It is the ability to offer enough variety in a store to encourage one-stop shopping. Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition 2. (p. ) Which of the following businesses would be considered a retailer? A. a hot dog cart at the Highland Games B. Delta Airlines C. University bookstore D. Priceline. com E. all of the above Retailers are businesses that sell goods and/or services. Difficulty: Medium Type: Application 3. (p. 6) Why is it imperative that manufacturers like Apple Computer and Proctor and Gamble understand how retailers operate? A. Manufacturers will be able to sell directly on-line. B. Manufacturers will understand how to get their products on the shelves and sold to the customer. C. Manufacturers can better sell merchandise without retailers.D. Retailers can expect fewer buyouts to occur. E. Manufacturers can limit multi-channel integration Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension 4. (p. 6) A ______________ is a business that sells products and/or services to consumers for their personal or family use. A. manufacturer B. wholesaler C. retailer D. Distributor Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition 5. (p. 6) The decisions that retail manger make include: A. Selecting their target markets B. Selecting retail locations C. Negotiating with suppliers D. Training and motivating sales associates E. All of the above Difficulty: Easy Type: Comprehension6. (p. 7) A(n) ______________ is a set of firms that make and deliver a given set of goods and services to the ultimate consumer. A. supply chain B. buying network C. trade association D. integrated wholesale network Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition7. (p. 7) A retailer's role in a supply chain is to: A. act as the liaison between manufacturers and wholesalers B. buy merchandise exclusively from the manufacturers C. negotiate with manufacturers to eliminate a wholesaler D. satisfy the needs of the consumers E. sell to wholesalers Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition8. (p. ) ______________ is when a firm performs more than one set of activities in a channel. A. Channel diversification B. Horizontal development C. Horizontal integration D. Ve rtical development E. Vertical integration Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition9. (p. 7) If a chain of florist shops opened a plant nursery to provide gift plants and cut flowers to all of its outlets within a 300-mile radius, the chain would be practicing A. vertical integration. B. channel expansion. C. horizontal expansion. D. opportunity incrementing. E. service marketing. The florist is performing more than one channel function. Difficulty: Medium Type: Application10. (p. 7) Victoria's Secret, a popular retail chain in women's lingerie and perfume, design the merchandise they sell, and then contract with manufacturers to produce it exclusively for them. Victoria's Secret is practicing: A. globalization B. product-related marketing C. vertical integration D. horizontal integration E. product diversification Because the retail chain designs and contracts its manufacturing firm, it is an example of vertical integration. Difficulty: Medium Type: Application11. (p. 7) Why is it advanta geous for retailers to be vertically integrated? A.It is advantageous because retailers can develop unique merchandise sold only in their stores. B. Retailers can expand their services easily to the Internet because they can direct orders to the manufacturer C. Retailers have realized that to stay competitive, they must become vertically integrated D. Customers prefer retailers who are vertically integrated. E. There is no advantage to being vertically integrated. Difficulty: Hard Type: Comprehension12. (p. 7) A retailer that is vertically integrated: A. concentrates on selling to businesses only B. does not have frequent communication between buyers and managers C. as an excellent vertical relationship between corporate and stores D. performs more than one function in the chain from manufacturing to sales to end user E. performs only one function to end user Difficulty: Medium Type: Definition13. (p. 7) __________________ arises when a retailer performs some distribution and manufa cturing activities, such as operating warehouses or designing private-label merchandise. A. Globalization B. Product-related marketing C. Backward integration D. Horizontal integration E. Forward integration Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition14. (p. ) _______________ occurs when a manufacturer undertakes retailing activities. A. Private label business B. Product-related marketing C. Backward integration D. Horizontal integration E. Forward integration Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition15. (p. 7) Retailers provide important functions that increase the value of the products and services they sell to consumers. Which of the following does not include value function created by a retailer? A. Providing an assortment of products and services B. Reducing production costs with innovative design C. Breaking bulk D. Holding inventory E. Providing services Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition16. (p. 8) Which of the following statements about retailers holding inventory is FALSE? A. By having invent ory held in the store, consumers can hold less merchandise at home. B. By holding inventory, retailers can decrease the visual merchandising expenditure. C. Holding inventory in a store helps serve the customer's needs. D. Retailers keep inventory so products are available when consumers want them. E. Holding inventory reduces consumer's cost of storing products. Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension17. (p. 8) Grocers purchase pineapples from several different tropical countries.When pineapples arrive in the distribution centers across the United States, containers are reduced to amounts that are appropriate for store delivery. Once delivered to the stores, associates open the cartons and arrange the pineapples for the consumer to select. Grocers are performing what function? A. adaptive selling B. breaking bulk C. acclimating D. distribution E. transferring Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension18. (p. 8) Providing assortments is an advantageous business activity because: A. it en ables the company to create a more informational and entertaining environment that would promote more sales B. t enables the company to reinvest for the future of the business. C. it enables the customer to choose from a wide selection of brands, designs, sizes and prices all in one store D. it enables the customer to try more products E. It enables the customer to stock up on the assortments because of bulk availability. Difficulty: Medium Type: Application19. (p. 8) One of the functions retailers undertake to increase the customer's perception of value is providing services. Which of the following would be an example of that activity? A. clean restrooms B. displaying merchandise C. aving trained salespeople available to answer questions D. well-lit parking E. all of the above All of these functions are provided by the retailer to make it easier for a customer to buy and use products. Difficulty: Easy Type: Comprehension20. (p. 8) A credit union holds and maintains detailed records of the banking activities of its members. Each quarter, the credit union provides its members a printout of banking activities, information about low rate loans and pre-owned automobiles. By contacting its members on a regular basis, the credit union is engaging in the business function of: A. breaking bulk B. olding inventory C. providing assortments D. financing E. providing services Maintaining records and informing members are services. Difficulty: Easy Type: Application21. (p. 9) Retailing is one of the nation's largest industries in terms of: A. community involvement B. employment C. competition D. promotions E. variety Difficulty: Easy Type: Fact22. (p. 11) When considering the largest retailers worldwide, ___________ retailers continue to dominate among them. A. food B. apparel C. drug D. home-improvement E. Internet Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension23. (p. 11) Which of the following statements about the U.S. distribution system is true? A. Many people think the United States is understored. B. Many U. S. retailers are large enough to have their own warehouses and have eliminated their need for wholesalers. C. When compared to retail density in Europe, the United States is very low. D. The small specialty store is the fastest growing type of U. S. retailer. E. All of the above statements about the U. S. distribution system are false. The U. S. is probably overstored. The U. S. has the greatest retail density in the world. The large store with over 20,000 square feet is the fastest growing type of U. S. etailer. Difficulty: Medium Type: Fact24. (p. 11) The Chinese distribution system: A. has more people employed in distribution than the U. S. B. is characterized by small stores with a large wholesale industry C. is more efficient than the distribution system in the U. S. D. is more similar to U. S. distribution systems than Europe's systems E. none of the above Difficulty: Medium Type: Fact25. (p. 11) The fastest growing retailers in the United St ates sell through: A. kiosks in malls and department stores B. large stores with over 20,000 square feet C. outlet stores D. small specialty stores E. he Internet Difficulty: Medium Type: Fact26. (p. 12) What factors have created differences in the distribution systems in the major markets? A. geography B. market size C. the high population density in Europe, China, and India D. different social and political objectives E. all of the above Difficulty: Easy Type: Fact27. (p. 12) Which of the following is NOT TRUE when explaining what created differences within the distribution system of the major international markets? A. China and India have many large businesses to reduce unemployment. B. E. U. has many large retailers to achieve economy of scales. C. E. U. countries protect small retailers. D. China has many large retailers because it has an abundance of low-cost real estate available for building large stores. Difficulty: Hard Type: Fact28. (p. 12) Which of the following is NOT T RUE in describing distribution systems within major international markets? A. The U. S. distribution system has the greatest retail density and the greatest concentration of large retail firms. B. The Indian distribution systems are characterized by small stores operated by small firms and a large independent wholesale industry. C. In the Chinese distribution system, the merchandise often passes through several levels of distribution to make the daily deliveries to the small retailers efficient. D. Northern European retailing is similar to efficient distribution system in the U. S. E. Southern European retailing is fragmented across all sectors. F. All of the above is true. G. None of the above is true. Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension29. (p. 16) The competition between the same types of retailers is called: A. intertype competition B. indirect competition C. intratype competition D. scrambled merchandising E. vertical integration Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition30. (p. 16) C VS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are _________ competitors. A. indirect B. intratype C. intertype D. vertical E. horizontal All three category killers utilize the same format Difficulty: Medium Type: Application31. (p. 16) Macy's, Belk, JCPenney and Nordstrom are ___________ competitors. A. channel B. vertical C. intertype D. intratype E. none of the above All three department stores use the same format Difficulty: Medium Type: Application32. (p. 16) Which of the following would be an intratype competitor for a Home Depot supermarket? A. Target B. Lowe's C. Kroger D. Macy's E. All of the above Lowes is a home-improvement center Difficulty: Easy Type: Application33. (p. 16) What is variety? A. Variety is the number of different items in a category. B. Variety is the number of different SKU's within a merchandise category. C. Variety is the number of different merchandise categories within a store. D. Variety is another term for scrambled merchandising. E. Variety is the number of different facets of the business plan. Difficulty: Medium Type: Definition34. (p. 16) When Taco Bell opened its first restaurant, a hungry patron could order a taco, a burrito and a Coke. In those early years, Taco Bell did not offer much: A. assortment B. product depth C. quantity D. value E. variety Difficulty: Medium Type: Application35. (p. 16) Dillards sells Godiva chocolates and coffees in their stores. By selling such products, Dillards is: A. offering a good merchandise mix B. offering what the market demands C. offering deep product assortments D. practicing scrambled merchandising E. practicing intratype competition Difficulty: Medium Type: Application36. (p. 16) The offering of merchandise not typically associated with the store type is called: A. scrambled merchandising B. ntratype competition C. product diversification D. channel conflict E. vertical differentiation Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition37. (p. 16) While vacationing at the beach, Delia was delighted to see that the l ocal Walgreens carried milk, bread, apples and bananas. Her delight indicates she has never seen: A. a deep product assortment B. an acceptable merchandising mix C. a retail mix D. scrambled merchandising E. this type of intratype competition Difficulty: Medium Type: Application38. (p. 16) Scrambled merchandising increases: A. vertical integration B. intertype competition C. concentric diversification D. orizontal integration E. intratype competition Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension39. (p. 16) Which of the following would be an example of intertype competition? A. a supermarket and a fresh flower stand B. a specialty store and a fast food restaurant C. a supercenter and a pharmacy D. a convenience store and a department store E. all of the above Difficulty: Easy Type: Application40. (p. 16) The Lands' End Web site, the JCPenney catalog, and the Sears area all in ____________ competition. A. channel B. horizontal C. indirect D. intertype E. intratype They all sell similar produ cts, but use different formats to do so. Difficulty: Hard Type: Comprehension41. (p. 16) Increasing intertype competition has made it harder for retailers to identify their: A. competition B. target market C. merchandise mix D. retail mix E. none of the above Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension42. (p. 16) The intensity of competition is greatest among retailers when: A. price dominates the retail mix B. they are located near each other and offer similar retail offerings C. they are located near each other and target the same customer D. they are located far from each other and offer similar retail offerings E. hey are located far from each other and target the same customer Difficulty: Hard Type: Comprehension43. (p. 16) Since convenience of location is important in store choice, a store's proximity to competitors is a critical factor in identifying: A. competition B. ethical standards C. real estate negotiations D. the target market E. which merchandise to scramble Difficulty: M edium Type: Comprehension44. (p. 18) Once a retailer understands its environment, it needs to develop and implement a: A. viable customer base B. advertising plan C. retail strategy D. competitive strategy E. functional strategy The retail strategy is developed after information is gathered in a situation analysis. Although similar in theory to a business plan, it is specific to the retailing industry. Difficulty: Easy Type: Application45. (p. 18) The retail strategy helps a retailer to identify the following EXCEPT: A. The target market toward which the retailer will direct its efforts. B. The nature of the merchandise and services the retailer will offer to satisfy the needs of the target market. C. How the retailer will build a long-term advantage over its competitors. D. Break-even point for making profits E. All of the above Difficulty: Easy Type: Application46. (p. 18) When developing the _________________ for his new barber shop, Theo decided to obtain a long-term competitive advantage over other salons by offering longer hours, better prices, a well trained staff and half-price perm day every Wednesday to attract customers. A. selling concept B. business cycle C. retail strategy D. focal point orientation E. marketing concept A retail strategy statement identifies the target market, the merchandise and services, and how the retailer will build a long-term advantage over its competitors. All three of these elements are present in the question. Difficulty: Medium Type: Application47. (p. 18) As the owner of a store specializing in men's suits, Isabella can use a retail strategy statement to identify all of the following EXCEPT: A. the advertising campaign developed to sell last season's merchandise B. the shop's target market C. how the store will build a competitive advantage over Men's Warehouse D. what services the shop will offer its customers E. what types of suits the store will stock A retail strategy has to do with planning for the future and not focusing on a short-term problem. Difficulty: Hard Type: Application48. (p. 0) Which of the following strategies has JCPenney changed to compete effectively with the competition in the past? A. JCPenney centralized merchandise management. B. JCPenney is building new stores off the mall. C. JCPenney is designing stores with centralized checkout. D. JCPenney now ships merchandise through distribution centers. E. JCPenney is upgrading its merchandise offering by adding France's cosmetics Sephora. F. All of the above Difficulty: Medium Type: Comprehension49. (p. 21) To implement a retail strategy, a retailer must develop a _____ that satisfies the needs of its target market better than its competitors. A. production orientation B. horizontal integration C. sales orientation. D. retail mix. E. situation analysis The retail mix is the combination of factors that satisfies customers' needs. The others are not used for this purpose. Difficulty: Easy Type: Comprehension50. (p. 21) Once a we ll-articulated retail strategy has been developed, the next step is to: A. override the control mechanism B. evaluate the results of the strategy C. forecast future environmental trends D. confirm that environmental conditions have not changed E. implement the strategy Once the strategy is developed, the next logical step is implementation.Nothing would get accomplished if a retailer repeatedly went back to step 1 as in Alternatives C and D. The final stage in the process is the evaluation of the strategy. Overriding the control mechanism would not be a good idea in any case. Difficulty: Hard Type: Comprehension51. (p. 21) The combination of factors retailers use to satisfy customer needs and influence their purchase decisions is called the firm's: A. retailing conglomerate B. retail mix C. marketing strategy D. target group E. none of the above Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition52. (p. 21) Which of the following is part of a retailer's retail mix? A. advertising B. displays C. train ed salespeople D. services offered E. all of the above All of the choices are elements within the retail mix. Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition53. (p. 21) Which of the following is NOT an element in the retail mix? A. competitive response B. merchandise assortments C. location D. customer service E. advertising and promotion The elements of the retail mix include customer service, store design and display, advertising and promotion, location, assortments and pricing. Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition54. (p. 21) Which of the following parts of the retail mix can be utilized by a small hardware store? A. bright lighting in the store, which makes it easier to read the messages B. a new ad campaign that uses both radio and newspaper media C. store location next door to a hospital D. attractive point-of-purchase displays at the ends of the store's aisles E. all of the above Store design, location, and advertising programs are all part of the retail mix. Difficulty: Medium Type: Applicati on55. (p. 23) What are the principles governing the behavior of the individual and the company? A. ethics B. retail strategy C. training guidelines D. company culture E. Civil Rights Act of 1964 Difficulty: Easy Type: Definition56. (p. 23) Belinda is a swimwear buyer for a major department store. She will allow vendors to purchase her lunch at the local coffee shop when they visit. One October, she dined with a new vendor to discuss a progressive line of men's swimwear that is popular in resorts throughout the Caribbean. Belinda's goal was to assess the assortments for her company in order to see if the product was a good fit for the company brand. During lunch, the vendor invited Belinda for an all-expense paid weekend trip to Jamaica to see the popularity of the merchandise. His goal was to enable her to make a more educated decision when buying. Belinda hesitated to accept because of: A. personal and professional ethics B. the scheduling of the buy for the spring season C. the pr ice of the exclusive merchandise would not match the income level of her target market D. the manufacturer would be unable to develop the line in time for spring E. her inability as a buyer to alter the visual merchandising for the store Difficulty: Medium Type: Application Essay Questions57. (p. 7) What is the retailer's role in a supply chain? The retailer's role in the distribution channel is to link manufacturers with onsumers by directing their efforts to satisfying the needs of the ultimate consumers. Difficulty: Medium58. (p. 8) List the four functions performed by retailers. The four functions performed by retailers are (1) providing an assortment of products and services, (2) breaking bulk, (3) holding inventory, and (4) providing services. Difficulty: Easy59. (p. 8) With manufacturers legally able to sell direct from the factories, why should retailers exist? In the retailing distribution channel, there are occasions when manufacturers sell directly to the ultimate consume r. While occasionally doing so, manufacturers mainly exist to manufacture products to satisfy the needs of a wholesaler or retailer. Retailers exist because they direct their efforts and specialize in satisfying only the customer's needs. Retailers exist because they increase the value consumers receive. Difficulty: Medium60. (p. 16) Distinguish between intratype competition and intertype competition. Give an example of each. Intratype competition refers to the competition between retailers with the same format. An example would be the competition between Publix and BiLo for sale of fresh salmon. Intertype competition refers to retailers that sell similar merchandise using different formats. An example would be the sale of Revlon Color-Stay Lipstick between CVS and Target. Difficulty: Easy61. (p. 16) Why would a Walgreens add novelty gifts, fresh bread, pre-wrapped sandwiches and milk to its product mix? Walgreens is engaging in scrambled merchandising. They have added these product s; and therefore, appeal more to a broader group of customers, while providing one-stop shopping for our time-starved society. Difficulty: Medium62. (p. 16) A chef wants to open an Italian restaurant in the suburbs of a large city. How should she identify the competition? This question can have a variety of responses, but she could first look at the obvious and identify other Italian restaurants near her location. Is her location the best? She should consider frozen Italian entrees at nearby grocery stores. She should also consider the prices of the entrees she offers and compare them to the prices of other types of restaurants. Difficulty: Medium63. (p. 17) Why do retailers consider customers important when developing a retail strategy? Retailers need to understand customers and how they are changing so that they can better satisfy their needs. Retailers need to know and understand why customers shop, how they select stores and how they select from that store's merchandise. Difficu lty: Medium64. (p. 18) What are the three things identified by a retail strategy statement? (1) The target market toward which the retailer will direct its efforts, (2) the nature of the merchandise and services the retailer will offer to satisfy the needs of the target market, and (3) how the retailer will build a long-term advantage over its competitors. Difficulty: Medium65. (p. 18) Why is location strategy important for both consumers and for competitive reasons? 1) Location is typically the most important characteristic consumers consider when selecting a store. (2) A good location creates a long-term advantage over the competition. Difficulty: Medium66. (p. 19) The success of discount stores poses a growing threat for JCPenney. To compete effectively with these retailers, the company instituted some radical changes. Discuss four changes the company made and how JCPenney expects the changes to better satisfy its target market. (1) JCPenney is reducing its distribution costs by shipping merchandise through its distribution centers rather than using direct delivery from vendors to stores. 2) JCPenney centralized merchandise management. Rather than having sore managers make merchandise decisions, merchandise decisions are made by JCPenney buyers in the corporate headquarters to save costs and respond quicker. (3) To increase customer convenience, JCPenney is building new stores off the mall. (4) To increase convenience, the company is also installing centralized checkout counters in each area of the store. Difficulty: Medium Fill in the Blank Questions67. (p. 7) Renting a tuxedo, the purchase of a DVD on Amazon. om, buying a Ronco Veg-O-Matic after watching an infomercial, and getting a facial are all examples of ________ activities–the sale of goods and services to the ultimate consumer. retailing Difficulty: Easy68. (p. 7) A _____ is a business that sells products and services to ultimate consumers. retailer Difficulty: Easy69. (p. 7) Retailers are the final business in a distribution channel that link __________ to consumers. manufacturers Difficulty: Easy70. (p. 7) A _____________ is a set of businesses that move products from the point of production to the point of sale to the ultimate consumer. distribution channel Difficulty: Easy71. (p. 7) When a retailer like L. L. Bean designs merchandise as well as sells the merchandise, _________ is occurring. vertical integration Difficulty: Medium72. (p. 8) By providing assortments, breaking bulk, holding inventory, and providing services, retailers increase the ___________ consumers receive from their products and services. value Difficulty: Medium73. (p. 9) _______________ describes the voluntary actions taken by a company to address the ethical, social, and environmental impacts of its business operations and the concerns of its stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility Difficulty: Easy74. (p. 6) When Austin saw pastries and coffee at his local bookstore, he knew it was an e xample of __________, which is the juxtaposition of unrelated merchandise in the store. scrambled merchandise Difficulty: Medium75. (p. 16) Scrambled merchandising increases _______, which occurs between retailers that sell similar merchandise using different formats, such as specialty and discount stores. intertype competition Difficulty: Medium76. (p. 19) The philosophy, strategies, programs and systems that focus on identifying and building loyalty with a retailer's most valued customers are called _______________. customer relationship management Difficulty: Medium77. (p. 23) _________ are the principles governing the behavior of individuals and companies. Ethics Difficulty: Easy Short Answer Questions78. (p. 8) Best Buy purchases many of the CD's, Playstation 2 games, DVD's and DVD players by the truckload then sells them in smaller quantities to its stores where consumers are allowed to buy them one at a time. What business function is Best Buy performing? breaking bulk Diffic ulty: Medium79. (p. 8) Costco buys directly from manufacturers. They have merchandise shipped to their warehouses for storage, and then distribute the merchandise to their stores. What term is used to describe this type of activity? vertical integration Difficulty: Medium80. (p. 14) Which retailer had its humble beginnings in rural Arkansas and now is the largest retailer in the world? Wal-Mart Difficulty: Easy81. (p. 15) What is the first step in the retail management decision process? getting an understanding of the world of retailing Difficulty: Medium82. (p. 16) When is the intensity of competition between retail stores the greatest? when they are involved in intratype competition Difficulty: Medium83. (p. 16) What type of merchandising increases intertype competition? crambled merchandising Difficulty: Medium84. (p. 18) The Aviary is a pet shop that focuses on birds and their accoutrements for bird lovers. The shop carries cages, perches, toys and even gourmet seed and dried fr uits. It sponsors a bird club where members can bring their pets to share with other bird lovers. The store provides an inexpensive veterinary service. It even has a 3-month guarantee when you purchase a bird. The Aviary has created loyalty from its customers and continuously attracts new ones because of the services offered. What does this describe? It describes the store's retailing strategy. The paragraph describes the target market, the merchandise and services and how it maintains a strategic advantage over competitors. Difficulty: Hard85. (p. 19) Why do retailers use point of sale (POS) terminals to read Universal Product Codes (UPC) and electronic data interchange (EDI) to send sales and inventory information from computer to computer? These technologies allow retailers to have a better idea of what is selling and a way to quickly communicate that information to vendors so that replenishment can quickly occur. Additionally it gives the retailer a competitive advantage over re tailers that do not work with current supply chain management systems. Difficulty: Hard86. (p. 23) When making the strategic and tactical decisions managers need to consider the effects of their decisions on the profitability of their firms and the satisfaction of their customers. What other implications must managers consider as a result of their decisions? ethical and legal implications Difficulty: Hard

Ultimate Local Scholarships Guide How to Find and Win Them

Ultimate Local Scholarships Guide How to Find and Win Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may already know a lot about some of the big, popular, national scholarships - programs like the Gates Millennium Scholarship, the Coca-Cola Scholarship, McDonald’s Scholarships, and so on. If you’re interested in applying for scholarship money, it’s definitely easiest to start with awards that you already know about. But if you only focus on these big awards, you could be missing out on a lot of cash. Local scholarship awards may be smaller than the most famous scholarship programs, but there are so many awards out there that it would be silly not to look into local options. Here, I’ll talk a bit about how these local awards differ from the national ones and why it’s important that you consider these smaller scholarships. Then, I’ll talk about how you can find scholarships in your community. I’ll end with tips and strategies for submitting the best possible applications for local scholarship awards. Keep reading if you want to win the most local scholarship money possible! How Are Local Awards Different From National Ones? The scholarships you may already have heard about offer some seriously large monetary awards: The Gates Scholarship covers all unmet need through college; the average annual award through 2014 came to about $12,500. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Scholarship gives winners $20,000. The McDonald’s HACER Scholarship gives $100,000 over four years. With big payouts like these + name-brand recognition, you’re going to come up against a lot of competition for these awards. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply for them - it just means you should also look into local awards. What Makes Local Awards So Great? Local scholarships, by definition, are going to be targeted towards a smaller pool of potential applicants. The award amount may be smaller - they’re probably not funded by international private organizations - but they also will be less competitive.That means you often have a much better chance of receiving an award! There are some other serious advantages that come with focusing on local scholarships: First, it'll probably be easier for you to seek out personalized information and feedback about available scholarships. This is because you have resources available to you in the form of guidance counselors, teachers, or community leaderswho may know about local programs.This means you're more likely to find awards that are a good fit for you. Second, becauselocal scholarshipsare relatively small (on average), you may find that their application processes are less intensive than thoseof the huge, national awards. This means it may be easier for you to apply for the awards you're interested in. Are you convinced yet that you should check out some small, local scholarships? If so, keep reading! How to Find Local Scholarships in Your Community There's no one way to go about looking for local scholarships, but there are a lot of different resources for you to take advantage of. The following tips and strategies will help you find as many appropriate local awards as possible. Talk to Your Guidance or College Counselor Your guidance and college counselors are awesome resources. They tend to be very plugged into info on local awards and scholarship programs, and because they also (presumably) know you, they may be able to point you to awards that arethe best fit for you. You'll make a good impression on your counselor if you’re proactive andspeak to herabout awards.This will help you learn about local awards, of course, but it'll also be helpful when it comes time to find references forcertain scholarship applications. Guidance and college counselors often write great letters of recommendation. Focus on Local Community and Cultural Centers Community and cultural centers are hubs of local activity. If there are any popular local scholarship programs available, these centers may have information on them. They may even offer scholarships themselves! Take Advantage of Online Resources The College Board's scholarship databaseis a great place to start looking, even when it comes to local awards. The databasemay not have info on extremely limitedorvery small scholarships, but it does include state-based awards. Another thing to keep in mind is this resource doesn’t just list scholarships based ongeography - itconsiders allsorts of relevant group affiliations that may affect scholarship eligibility. In addition to looking atthe College Board's website, you'll want to do your own experimenting with looking for scholarships online. Start with some trial and error with Google - for example, search for "scholarship [your town]," "scholarship [your county]," "scholarship [your state]," or "scholarship [group affiliation]." Independent online research is key tofinding local awards. Submitting the Best Applications for Local Awards If you already have some local scholarship programs in mind (or even if you’re still looking), it’s important to submit the best scholarship applications possible to maximize your chances of winning money. Each local program is likely to have its own application, criteria, submission deadline, and administrative protocols. Keeping track of all of this information and actually completing the applications will be a pretty significant commitment on your end. As such, you want to make sure each application is appropriately submitted - you don’t want to put in a ton of work and not have anything pan out because you didn't follow instructions! The following tips will help you optimize your success rate in applying for local awards. Step #1: Make Sure You Meet All Eligibility Criteria This is a big one - small awards are likely to have smaller, more specific target audiences, so you don’t want to waste your time applying for a scholarship that you have no chance of winning. Chances are you'll be automatically disqualified if you don't meet all criteria, regardless of your other accomplishments. If you have any questions about eligibility criteria, or if they’re unclear, contact the scholarship program ASAP so that they can clear things up. Step #2: Ask Yourself If You're a Good Fit This is related to the previous tip - because smaller local awards might be targeting smaller groups of students with specific interests, strengths, or backgrounds, you’ll want to assess whether you’re a good fit for the award before applying. For example, let's say you find an award for scholar-athletes. If you'revery strong academically but the last sport you played was JV lacrosse freshman year (and you sat on the bench for most games), you probably won’t be a competitive applicant. It might be prudent to skip an application like this even if you technically meet all eligibility requirements. Ultimately, you'll want to look for scholarships that fit best with your strengths. You may not be an ideal scholar-athlete, but maybe your time spent volunteering with local nonprofits would make you a competitive applicant for a community service award, for example. Your "fit" for a specific program is perhaps more important than your raw accomplishments. Step #3: Emphasize Your Ties to the Scholarship and the Community Local scholarship programs are typicallycreatedand run by local people who are invested in students in their community. Boost your chances of winning local scholarships by emphasizing your connection to this community. You'll want to start by thinking abouthow you conceptualize this "community." What is the group that the scholarship program is targeting, and how are you a part of it? If you're looking at a state-wide scholarship, it’s likely to be state-funded. You don't necessarily have to get too gung-ho about how much you love your state of residence. If you're looking at a scholarship based on some other geographical area (e.g. your city, town, or county), spend some time brainstorming about what this community means to you, how you’ve participated in it, why you value it, etc. You don’t have to gush about it in your application, but if you have an opportunity to write an essay make sure to emphasize these connections. If you're looking at a scholarship based on a non-geographical community (e.g. a local organization, religious or interest group, etc.), you’d take the same sort of strategy as above. Do your research on the group’s mission and values if applicable. You’ll want your application to be congruent with these values. For example,if you’re applying for a community service award, talk about how the scholarship would help you further serve your community in the future. If you’re applying for a scholarship that’s awarded in memory of another individual, learn about that person! Chances are that family friends of that person are the ones going over applications. Do you sharecommon interests and values? Step #4: Complete All Parts of the Application Before you even start a scholarship application, read through all the paperwork tomake sure you'reable to provide everythingthat's required. For example,if the scholarship is due tomorrow and the app asks for a letter of recommendation, it’s probably not going to happen. Plan on submitting the application exactly as itsrules state,even if the program is old school and asks you to fax the application or something silly like that. Common application componentsinclude: The application itself, including demographic information Application essays Financial information (for need-based scholarships) Academic information, like transcripts and test scores(for merit-based scholarships) Letters of recommendation Other supporting documentation (e.g. records of volunteer hours) Step #5: Make Sure to Meet the Deadline Submitting a scholarship application late doesn’t make a good impression, and it’s likely to disqualify you. Don’t wait until the last minute to submit a scholarship either - you don’t know if you’ll have technical issuesor missing paperwork that might delay the process. Give yourself time to fix your application if you come across any issues. If you have to ask for letters of recommendation, give people 3-4weeks advance notice. You might want to account for even more time if you are asking for recs during the â€Å"busy season† (around late fall). Final Tips for Success Hopefully, you're now all set to start looking for those awesome local scholarships.In order to optimize your chances of success, it's better to start sooner rather than later - a big chunk of awardsare meant for high school seniors, so it's ideal to start your research early on in your junior year. This gives you plenty of time to organize everything you need to submit successful applications. If you're already a senior, don't despair! There still may be scholarships out there for you. Just make sure to be especially mindful of deadlines, as they may come up pretty quickly. Finally, make it your mission to apply to several scholarship programs (and not just local ones, either). Don't put all your proverbial eggs in one basket by just applying for a single award, no matter how great of an applicant you are. Good luck, and go get 'em! What's Next? There are so many different types of scholarship programs out there. If you're just starting your research, it's smart to familiarize yourself with your options before submitting any applications. Start by checking out our guides to the top scholarships for high school juniors and seniors. You'll also want to read our article about the easiest scholarships to apply for - these applications can be completed in no time! Finally - tying into my comment earlier in the article about different kinds of communities - you might also want to look at our guide to the best scholarships for minority students. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

An Easy French-English Bilingual Story at the Beach

An Easy French-English Bilingual Story at the Beach Many people travel to France to enjoy its gorgeous beaches. Whether you prefer sunny â€Å"Cà ´te d’Azur†, the windy beaches or â€Å"Arcachon†, the historic â€Å"plages de Normandie† or the wild and rocky coasts of Brittany, you’ll have plenty of sea waters and beaches to choose from when traveling, for real or virtually to France. Explore the vocabulary related to beach activities with this learn French in context  story. This story is written mostly in the present tense and with simple sentence structures, so even beginners can follow the story once they have studied their  French beach vocabulary. And Now, Let's Go to the Beach! Mon mari, ma fille et moi, nous habitons en Bretagne, dans le nord-ouest de la France, en face de lAngleterre, dans une petite ville qui sappelle  «Ã‚  Paimpol  Ã‚ ». Jai de la chance car nous sommes cà ´tà © de la mer, au bord de la Manche plus prà ©cisà ©ment.   My husband, my daughter and myself, we live in Brittany, in the north-west of France, across from England, in a small town called Paimpol. I am lucky since we live by the sea, on the banks of the Channel more precisely. Ma fille Leyla et moi, nous adorons nager. Il y a une petite plage de sable 5 minutes pied de chez nous, et bien sà »r, nous y allons trà ¨s souvent. My daughter Leyla and I, we love to swim. There is a small sand beach five minutes walking distance from our house, and of course, we go there very often. Leyla a dix ans, et elle sait bien nager. Elle a pris des cours de natation la piscine avec son à ©cole, et aussi pendant les weekends, et donc vraiment elle nage bien la brasse, le crawl etc... Mais quand  elle va la plage, elle ne nage pas beaucoup : elle joue dans la mer, saute dans les petites vagues, patauge... Elle boit rarement la tasse, mais à §a arrive. Alors elle tousse, et elle replonge dans l’eau ! Elle aime bien aussi faire de grands chà ¢teaux de sable avec les autres enfants qui sont sur la plage. Leyla is ten, and she is a good swimmer. She took swimming lessons at the pool with her school, and also during the weekends, and therefore she can really swim the breaststroke,  the crawl etc well†¦ But when she goes to the beach, she doesnt swim much: she plays in the sea, jumps in the small waves, splashes around†¦ She rarely accidentally swallows sea water, but it happens. Then she coughs, and dives back in (the water)! She also enjoys making big sand castles with the other kids (who are) on the beach. Faire de la Voile = to go Sailing in French L’autre jour, Leyla a fait une journà ©e de voile avec son à ©cole. Et tout a coup, elle a vu deux dauphins !! Malheureusement, au dà ©but elle a pensà © que c’à ©tait des requins, et elle a eu trà ¨s peur... The other day, Leyla had a sailing outing with her school. And suddenly, she saw two Dolphins !! Unfortunately, at the beginning, she  thought  they  were  two sharks, and she was very scared. C’est un vrai dà ©mà ©nagement lorsque nous allons nous baigner ! Il faut prendre des pelles,  des seaux, un rà ¢teau, des serviettes de plage, et surtout ne pas oublier la crà ¨me solaire. Il fait souvent gris en Bretagne, mais le soleil est toujours l, en dessous des nuages, et il faut toujours mettre de la crà ¨me solaire pour ne pas attraper un coup de soleil. Nous ne prenons pas de  parasol, ni de chaise longue – on est en Bretagne, pas   St Trop’  !! Its like packing for a move when we go swimming! We have to take shovels, pails and a rake, beach towels and above all not forget the  sunscreen!! Its often overcast in Brittany, but the sun is always there, under the clouds, and you should always wear sunscreen so you dont get sunburnt. We dont bring a beach umbrella, nor a beach chair - were in Brittany, not Saint-Tropez !!

State Aid Cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

State Aid Cases - Essay Example State aid is composed of four components which are vital for it to be considered a state aid. A state aid must be granted by the member state or through its state resources with regard to stated rules. It can be delegated to the department of state like the municipalities or even the regions of the state. The undertakings of state aid are made public since it’s considered imputable to the state due to the state resources involved. The undertaking of state aid is done in favor of certain production of goods and services due to its selective advantage. Thus, the recipient of state aid is to solve an economic activity thus enhancing the provision of goods and services despite its legal framework. The state aid rules apply to both private and public undertakings weather its run for profit or not. Mandate of the commission on state aid The state aid procedure is developed to ensure smooth and orderly operations of thus avoiding several state aid cases which are likely to come up (E U, 2012). According to EU working paper, the state aid measures and schemes must be notified and approved by the commission before its commencement. The commission the looks at the guidelines and considers its effects before approval. The commission is thus mandated to oversee the adherence of the state aid undertakings with the rules so as to minimize conflicts as possible (Salmon, 2012). Any state aid done without the approval of the commission is considered unlawful and may be recovered without notice. The commission always approves the state aid measures within a period of two months from the period of notification (Salmon, 2012). The commission is mandated to decide whether a measure is aided or not or whether it is added but compatible with market forces and also to investigate the effects of the market forces. The commission is mandated to begin an investigation procedure and carry out an assessment as to determine possible grounds of compatibility. The commission less restri cted with when it comes to investigations and thus able to carry out investigations any time it deems appropriate. The final commission decision closes its formal investigation and it then makes recommendations regarding its findings. The commission recommends whether a measure is an aid and if its aid, the commission determines if it’s compatible with the market forces (Salmon, 2012). Competition Policy in EU. The experience of the global financial crisis of 2008 and is reinforcing a need for dialogue between the policy makers and the relevant stakeholders (ERT, 2012). Its recommendations are to provide better conditions for growth and investments thus promoting entrepreneurship and job creation. It calls for the need to address the effects of globalization, technological changes as well as emerging economic powers that pose challenge societies face. The EU competition policy is crucial to the internal market since it determines the pattern of investment and the levels of pr ofits to be made from businesses (ERT, 2012). The policy aims at preventing jeopardy in the market especially in times of economic crisis and thus ensuring stability in the market. The adoption of EU competition policy ensures a fair competition in the global scale and thus ultimately benefiting both the producers’