Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Impact Of Mentoring On Counseling Programs - 1673 Words

The Impact of Mentoring on Counselors There are many different facets to counseling training programs. One of the most interesting parts of this program is mentoring. This overview of mentorship will incorporate what mentorship is, the function of the relationship during mentorship, and different roles of mentee and mentors. Additionally to that, this overview will examine how mentorship is handle in counseling programs, and when proper mentorship is given to mentee, it can lead further future endeavors which are mentee becoming mentors or find success in careers. When mentoring relationships are impactful and successful, it can create this domino or ripple effect of change not only for the student and mentor, but it can affect his or her future performance as counselors. By applying more ideals from mentoring into counseling programs, students get a more enriched experience and education while working towards their goals of becoming counselors. Looking at Mentorship What is Mentorship? A mentor is a person whom has greater professional authority. It is a person whom is several years old than the person that he or she is mentoring. He or she also needs to have more experience in organization or field. This person acts as guided into the aspiring occupation. Throughout the process, the mentor provides direction and support. At the same time, a mentor must find a balance between being a parental figure and peer in the relationship. Unfortunately, If there is tooShow MoreRelatedSoldiers Lead A Unique And Exclusive Military Lifestyle1523 Words   |  7 Pageshobbies. Service members persistently strengthen themselves mentally and physically through constant training. And most important; those serving, live the Seven Core Army Values each day. For the reason that a Soldier s level of fitness has a direct impact on his or her combat readiness, a Soldier in the Army must be mentally and physically proficient. The strength of a Soldier comes from the strength of their families. The Army knows that the decision to join its ranks is not a solo one. ItRead MoreLearning Team Deliverable Week 3 1055 Words   |  5 Pages 2014 Learning Team Deliverable- Week 3 The assignment for this week focuses on the team’s understanding of the goals and objectives of training program development and delivery. Team C summarizes the following highlights of this week’s discussions: determining organizational development theories and applications; differentiating between mentoring and executive coaching; identifying the major components of employee training; and comparing career development strategies. Organizational DevelopmentRead MoreThe Classical Understanding Of Learning1068 Words   |  5 Pagesapprenticeship. Thus, learning took place through developmental relationships. Therefore, mentoring pursues to recapture the power of imparting knowledge to another person through an intimate relationship that benefits the mentor, mentee, and the organization. Mentoring The primary basis of mentoring is centered around the relationship between the mentor and mentoree. Paul Stanley and Robert Clinton (1992) argue, â€Å"Mentoring is a relational process between mentor, who knows or has experienced something andRead MorePerry Barbara 4MAT Review Parrot Essay1318 Words   |  6 Pages1 4MAT Review of, â€Å"The Complete Guide to Marriage Mentoring† By Les Parrot and Leslie Parrot Barbara Perry Liberty University 4MAT REVIEW, PARROT PARROT 2 â€Å"The Complete Guide to Marriage Mentoring† By Les Parrot and Leslie Parrot Summary In this book, Parrot Parrot (2005) present a resource for setting up a marriage mentoring program. The book gives guidelines for mentors with successful marriagesRead MoreImportance of Transition into the Adult World in Adolescent Foster Care995 Words   |  4 Pagesor expression of unhealthy coping ranging from chronic unemployment to criminal behavior (Reilly, 2003). In many cases, the individual will have aged out of foster care, making the transition particularly difficult due to its suddenness and its impact on identity formation (Reilly, 2003). Therefore, greater attention must be paid to the at-risk communities in foster care who are transitioning during late adolescence. According to Reilly (2003), about 20,000 youth exit foster care per year in theRead MoreIdentifying Strategies to Improve African American College Student Retention and Graduation Rates1690 Words   |  7 Pageseducation has been widely discussed in the literature. The literature review that follows will analyze this issue and attempt to answer several research questions. First, how does the institutional climate impact the minority student college experience? Areas ranging from campus diversity to targeted programs and type of college will be examined. Second, what specific factors influence college completion rates for minority students? Issues such as psychological stress, social isolation, and student perceptionsRead MoreThe Role of a Community Counselor1735 Words   |  7 PagesCounselor Donte Love Abstract The purpose of this paper is to address the role and function of the community counselor. Additionally, the framework of the community counseling model is taken into account, including some of the strategies used in community counseling. The Role of a Community Counselor Community counseling can be defined as â€Å"†¦a comprehensive helping framework that is grounded in multicultural competence and oriented toward social justice (Lewis, Lewis, Daniels, amp; DAndreaRead MoreThe Importance Of Community Needs Assessment For St. Louis City1391 Words   |  6 Pagesgave the following information concerning the mental health challenges of St. Louis City youth: †¢ Twenty-four percent (24%) or roughly 17000 youth qualify for a mental health diagnosis †¢ Over 3,500 are projected to have a mental illness with severe impact (5%) †¢ Mental health overall hospitalizations for youth have sharply increased †¢ Of 949 youth receiving DMH psychiatric services in 2015, clients trending younger (6-9 year olds) †¢ Emergency room (ER) youth encounters with behavioral health diagnosesRead MoreEvaluating A Remuneration Policy And Selecting Qualified Employees1307 Words   |  6 Pagesemployees. The job analysis and performance appraisal will also contribute a lot for the job evaluation process. Organizational Talent A successful organization must have the best and talented employees to work for. Therefore, I will have a big impact on the organization because I am the one bringing the best and a high proportion of well-qualified people to come to work for the organization; otherwise, those people will work for the competitors. I will try the best of my knowledge to be able toRead MoreGraduation Gap Between Minority Students And White Students Essay1311 Words   |  6 Pages 2012). High impact practices such as the Ronal McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Program) are designed to increase historically disadvantages and first generation student learning and retention in college. An importance aspect of high impact programs such as the McNair Scholars program is mentorship. Mentorship of diverse students encourages psychosocial development, career support, and provides a positive role model (Ghosh, Reio, 2013). The McNair Program is a national

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

The Meditations And Why It Is A Project Worth Doing

(1) In  §17-18 Descartes explains what the point of the project of the Meditations is, and why it is a project worth doing. Explain, in your own words, what Descartes says he is going to do, and why? Descartes states that he had believed in false opinions and facts throughout his life. In order for him to â€Å"establish anything firm and lasting in the sciences,† he must cast into doubt the foundations of his knowledge and build his knowledge on a new and more certain foundation. (2) In  §19-20 Descartes considers evidence for beliefs that comes from the senses. Why, according to Descartes, do we have reason to doubt this kind of evidence? And what kinds of beliefs does that doubt call into question? What kinds of beliefs does it not call into†¦show more content†¦(4) Throughout this Meditation, Descartes is concerned with â€Å"withholding assent.† What does it mean to â€Å"withhold assent†? What are you withholding assent from? Why is this so important to Descartes? Descartes states that it is not within his power to conclude what is true, but it is within his power to not accept conclusion on what is false. This is important to Descartes as it lays the foundation of his skeptical doubt. (5) Explain the analogy Descartes gives between his project and Archimedes’ project in  §24. Descartes mentioned that Archimedes had a saying where he could shift the entire earth given he just found one certain and â€Å"immovable† point. Descartes also share a similar belief with Archimedes where he too can achieve unimaginable things given that he can be certain of just one thing. (6) You have probably heard, â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† It is perhaps the most well known conclusion in philosophy. The argument for it is called â€Å"The Cogito,† and you have just read it (in §25). (a)What does the conclusion say, in your own words? â€Å"The Cogito† merely implies that since one is able to have any form of thought is philosophical proof that they exist. (b)What is your reaction to reading it in the text (rather than as a punchline or mere quotation by a famous philosopher)? What is its significance in the context of the present Meditation? Reading it in the text rather than anywhere else gives the

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Virgin Mobiles UK - Business And Corporate Strategy Free Sample

Question: Discuss about the Business and Corporate Strategy of Virgin Mobiles UK. Answer: Introduction The virgin mobile comes under the Virgin Group Limited. This conglomerate was started by the Bitish Business tycoon, Sir Richard Branson.Virgin has entered the United Kingdom market as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator and the company has also been the first company to introduce itself in the UK in the year 1999. The company had a tie-up with the T-Mobile company in the UK and used the latters technological infrastructure, cutting down on its initial capital investment. The company also didnt developed its own network in the beginning and took the help of the long term contract which has entered into with T-Mobile. The Virgin Mobiles adopted strategy of niche marketing in the UK and has recognized people from 18-35 years of age as their targeted demographic segment. Additionally, the company has also focused a lot on the pre-paid customer segment, since the cost of administration and the risk is quite low. After gaining knowledge of the UK market, the organization Virgin eventually h as started targeting the post-paid customer segment a swell. The Virgin company highly believe in employee and customer satisfaction (Virgin Mobile Team, 2017). External Environment Analysis: Pestle Analysis Political Factors The political factors refers to the extent to which the political parties or the Govt. interferes with the activities of the industry. These factors can be the level of subsidy provided to the firms, tariffs, trade barriers, laws regarding labor and political stability. Since, the Virgin Mobile has focused on prepaid customers, the company benefitted from the mobile phone subsidy which was around a three month payback period versus three years long contracts. This has enhanced the profit of the company. Economic Factors Economic factors which may affect the mobile industry are recession, buying capacity of the consumers, the exchange rates and rate of interest. Higher disposable income has resulted in an increase in the number of mobile subscribers. This is a good sign for the Virgin Mobile since, it can widen the customer base. Also, the company is offering the better tariff plans along with simplified plans to attract a large number of the customers. Additionally, the telecom industry has provided jobs for a large pool of people which has helped the industry to win consumer confidence, which is finally resulting in rapid growth of the industry(Team, 2015). Social Factors The societal trends and customs are the social factors which affect the mobile industry. Due to the growing popularity of socialmedia networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and the number of people buying mobile phones has increased significantly. The main demographic composition which has formed the customer base for the mobile companies are youngsters. To get the attention of this category, the Virgin Mobile has adopted niche marketing. The outlets of the company were designed in a very trendy and creative way to attract maximum customers (Nyakudanga, 2013). Technological Factors The technological advancement is the biggest factor which has been affecting the mobile industry. As the technology is developing at a really fast pace, the companies are required to change their strategies and plans more frequently. The technology can assist in both cost reduction and product innovation method. The virgin mobile was initially a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, but due to the technological advancement, the company has joined hands with T-Mobiles technical infrastructure. Additionally, the Virgin company has introduced some innovative approaches to keep its customers updated with the companys products and offerings. The Virgin Bites portal allowed the customers to access news around the world. Infact, the Virgin Mobile was the first company to offer free voicemail services. This has made Virgin gain competitive advantage over few other mobile companies(Frue, 2016). Legal Factors The legal factors are very closely related to political factors. They include factors, such as law regarding labor, working conditions, Govt. intervention, etc. For instance, the laws against using a mobile phone while driving has gave a rise to the popularity of Bluetooth devices. This has helped the mobile companies to introduce a new product range and increase their profit simultaneously. Also, the legal disputes between Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile has resulted in Virgin buying T-Mobiles stake in its joint venture(Harvard College, 2017). Environmental Factors Due to an increase in the awareness of environment protection, the companies are required to be extra careful about being responsible towards the environment. There is a rapid change in climate and global warming domain which have affected the network quality of the mobile companies. To get into the positive books of the customers, the Virgin Mobile has organized and sponsored several events and programs regarding the environmental protection and awareness. The company has also been using recycled paper, ink, etc. for contributing towards environmental preservation(Arline, 2015). Industry Attractiveness In order to analyze the attractiveness of the mobile industry and its effect on the Virgin Mobiles, the Porters 5 Forces in the UK markets has been conducted. The UKs mobile telephony industry forms a huge part of the overall economy of the country. The key players in the industry are the renowned telecom companies, namely Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile and Orange. The mobile industry in the country is highly competitive and it is essential to develop the strategies to sustain in the saturated market. The Porters 5 forces is proved as a popular and well analyzed framework which is being used to evaluate the competitive forces and judge the overall attractiveness of the industry. The framework evaluates four different aspects of industry which are driving forces; Threat of a new entrant, intensity of existing competition, threat of substitutes for products or services, bargaining power of buyers and bargaining power of suppliers(Abdul, 2016). Threat of new entrant Every industry is threatened by both existing and new rivals. The new arrivals can intensify the competition in the industry. If the profit margin of an industry is high, it automatically becomes attractive to new entrants. Considering the UK mobile industry, since the market didnt have any major entry barriers, it was very easy for the Virgin Mobile to penetrate into the country. It entered the country as a Virgin Mobile Network operator and hence, the amount of capital investment was also relatively low. Eventually, due to the high attractiveness of the industry, the Virgin has converted itself into Virgin Mobiles and changed the level of business and corporate strategy. The high competitiveness of the industry has led to revision of the policies and has forced the companies to revise their tariff plans in order to stay ahead of the competition (Jacobson, 2012). Threat of Substitutes Substitute products are the products which have similar features and can satisfy the needs of customers alternatively. These products tend to affect the pricing of the other related products in order to ensure that customers choose the companys products over the substitutes available in the market. In case of the telecom industry, the voice over Internet Protocol such as SKYPE, Google Talk, etc. are the biggest substitute products available. In order to decrease the threat of substitutes, mobile companies are offering efficient data services such as 3G at good prices to the customers. Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of the buyers implies the degree to which the buyers can make or break the business. If the customers are few and the suppliers are more, then the customers have the power to switch different suppliers. This makes an industry experience more bargaining power of the buyers.The buyers in the UK telecom industry have high bargaining powers (Kim, 2015). As the customers have a large number of alternative options which are available to them, they can easily switch to another MNO or MVNO if they are not getting the expected product satisfaction and brand experience. The quality of service quality holds a great importance when it comes to keeping hold of an existing customer and establish a strong brand relationship between the brand and the customer. This can be attained by getting customers in long-term contract plans, offering service bundles and hence achieving competitive advantage over peers. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The suppliers in the industry are the firms which may provide raw materials to the industry. No industry can practically operate without the suppliers. In the UK telecom industry, the bargaining power of the suppliers is very low. This has helped the Virgin Mobile to attain raw materials at a reasonable lower price by negotiating with the suppliers (Chu, 2007). Rivalry Every industry gets affected by the competitors, who are constantly fighting to leave each other behind. The UK telecom industry is highly competitive as well. The two major reasons for this is that a large number of companies providing similar products and services and holds a very saturated market impossible to fetch new customers. The Mobile Virtual Network operators like Easymobile and Virgin mobile pose a huge threat to the Mobile Network operators as they offer tariff plans at a cheaper prices. The intense competition also gives rise to an extensive market campaigns by all companies. Internal Environment Analysis In order to analyze the internal environment of the company, SWOT analysis and the current business and corporate strategy of the Virgin Mobiles is conducted in this section. Strengths The Virgin Mobile has entered the UK market as a low cost Virtual Mobile Network operator with the low start-up capital investment. This has helped the company to earn profits quickly with a high return on investments. This low cost operating system was the biggest strength of the company. The Virgin mobile is a product range of the Virgin Group, which already holds a very strong image around the globe. The company has joined hands with T-Mobiles in UK, which has helped to gain brand recognition in the newly entered UK Telecom industry. The association with these two brands has increased the credibility of the company. Another strength of the Virgin Mobiles is their cheap tariff planning. Additionally, the company has maximized product line depth in compared to its competitors. The other strengths of the company are multiple channels of product distribution, very high employee satisfaction level and a provision of first class customer experience (Green, 2017). Weaknesses The operating strategy of Virgin Mobiles has targeted people with age between 18-35 years as its target customers, but after a few years the majority of its customers from the age of 40 years and above. This has implied the weakness in the operating strategy of the company. The company is also lacks in technological infrastructure and is dependent on T-Mobile because of which the customers face delays in getting the latest technology (Heunis, 2013). Also, the Virgin company has focused too much on the pre-paid customers because of which the company has lost the customer base of big postpaid corporate customers. The company generally lacks due to efficient pricing strategy in comparison to its competitors such as Tesco-Mobile, Easy-Mobile,etc. Opportunities Virgin mobile has an opportunity to exploit the post-paid customer segment rather than focusing on the pre-paid customers only. The company should identify the customers which may like the brand but cant find a suitable plan options under the pre-paid tariff. Additionally, the company should clearly identify and target the right kind of demographic customer base in order to maximize their revenue. The Virgin Mobiles seize the opportunity to make use of the aggressive pricing strategies against tariffs as the UK telecom industry is highly competitive. The Virgin mobile can partnered with other popular retail outlets to further increase their advisement, distribution and sales (Bransons, 2016). Threats The mobile network operators poses a huge threat to Virging Mobiles such as T-Mobile. It can lead to unforeseen situations, such as legal debacles. The Other Mobile Virtual Network Operators also creates a threat to the Virgin company. There are more than 30 MNVOs in the UK and offers highly competitive tariff plans. Internet calling is also a threat to Virgin Mobile and the telecom industry. The telecom operators lose billions of sales due to the gaining popularity of internet calling which costs lesser to the customers and are also accessible easily. Strategic Analysis The corporate and business strategy of Virgin Mobiles in the UK can be categorized in four main aspects: Cost Leadership: -Under this strategy, the company focuses to become the lowest cost operator in the market. It has already been discussed that how the Virgin company has entered UK as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator which may require very less capital investment.The company offer tariff plans which were almost 22% less costly than the other competitors in market. It has also offered flat rates and has discontinued the peak time rates. It has introduced recharge coupons which were available to be used anytime without the customers having trouble regarding the expiry of the plan or its renwal. The company is also offering Prepay bundles which were offered at 75% cheaper rates to the customers and it holds package for the users of a high usage of calls or messages. This has helped the company to become a cost leader in the telecom industry and has attracted not only the targeted young customers, but additionally the other demographic composition to the companys customer base as well( VIRGIN media, 2015). Product Differentiation: - Product differentiation helped the company to develop its products and services with distinctive features which are not possessed by other companies offering different products. Differentiation can be attained through improvising Sales Channel, Distribution Channels, Marketing and using Innovation. Virgin Mobile has incorporated product differentiation in its operations using the following methods: Distribution: - Virgin Mobile has been handling products distribution channel in a very efficient manner. The company has opened almost 6515 sales outlets in the smally period of only 7 years. Virgin took the help of Virgin Megastores in order to open the stores within existing stores in order to increase the sales and has also also hired well qualified and experienced sales representatives who possess the complete product knowledge. The stores were designed in a very innovative way to attract the customers and provide them with a relaxing shopping experience. The in-store representatives were given proper training about how to deal with the customers in a flawless manner and the best key to gain product knowledge. The products of Virgin Mobile has also bought a number of famous retail store chain such as Comet, Argos, ASDA, Tesco and Sainsburys. Virgin Mobiles own stores has made only 30% of its sales, which shows the effectiveness of the distribution channel incorporated by the company. Virgin Mobile only had a share of 28% through their own retail channels which clearly stated reagrding the successfulness of Virgin Mobile distribution channel (Virgin, 2015). Marketing: - Virgin has always been associated with the latest style and authenticity. The company strongly believes that nothing is impossible and has used creative marketing strategy to get the attention of the customers. Virgin Mobile didnt spent a large percentage of its sales revenue on advertisements, but the advertisements created by the company were very innovative and has targeted music and sports by using high profile sponsorships. Virgin Mobile has sponsored various sports and music events, which has added to its marketing objectives. Virgin Mobiles television commercials were continuously rated best among the top advertisements and won many awards in the advertisement sector(Warren, 2016). Innovation in Products and Services Virgin was the first company to introduce flat rate tariff plans with no hidden costs, discontinued peak rates and has also started offering free voice mail service. The customers were offered with various methods of payments like cash, debit cards and credit cards. The mobile phones offered by the company were very stylish in the way they looked and also were high-end in terms of quality. The product range of Virgin Mobiles was the largest in comparison to the competitors. The company additionally offered its customers a separate monthly payment scheme just in case the customers were reluctant to get a phone on the contract/EMI basis. Virgin also used stylish and trendy packages such as including bright colored boxes which includes a full starter pack in order to not cause any complication to the customers. Virgin also introduced an information services portal with the name of Virgin Mobile Bites which has offered access to the latest news and gossips to its mobile phone owners(Done ll, 2017). Evaluation of the strategy and recommendation The virgin Mobile has attained a stronghold in the telecom industry in the UK soon after their launch. The company has developed a number of short term and long term strategy framework to stand out in the industry and attract the customers of other competitors as well. After recognizing its target market segment, Virgin Mobiles has developed various methods to become best cost leader in the industry. In order to do so, the company aimed for providing the cheapest tariff plans and services to their customers. This would make the company as customers favorite in the industry. The company highly focused on the pre-paid customer segment initially and captured most of that segment easily. Prepaid sectors had a number of benefits over post-paid segment like lower cost of administration, higher average per minute charges and lower credit risk. All these factors has helped Virgin to earn higher income(Tidd Hull, 2003). Virgin Mobile also focused hugely on the marketing strategy. The company has paid high attention to the way its products and services were presented to its customers. The company joined hands with a number of popular retail chains and stores to promote their products. This has resulted in higher visibility of the product and consequently, a higher sales. Since the telecom industry in the UK was already saturated, the company has decided to convert the customers of its competitors. In order to do so, the Virgin has devised strategies like lower churn rates. Like every strategy, the strategies used by Virgin Mobiles in the UK had some pros and cons. Considering the pros first, Virgins strategy to enter the UK market in association with T-Mobile was very successful. It gave the brand high recognition as T-Mobiles was one of the biggest players in the UK Telecom sector. Virgins strategy enabled them to use the brand image of T-Mobiles to get the attention of the customers. The company had then made huge investments in opening the Megastores and other retail chains to advertise their products to a relatively larger customer base which has turned out to be a blessing for the company. Additionally, innovating its products and services acted as a boon for the Virgin Mobiles. The development of Virgin Bites has helped the company to stand out among its competitors. The company has moved quickly with the fast pacing social trend and always kept its products and services updated accordingly. Lastly, the company gave priority to first class custom er experience. The company believed that customer satisfaction is one of the key objectives of the business. For this purpose, it opened well designed stylish as well as comfortable stores to make the brand experience outstanding. There were a number of flaws in Virgins strategy as well. Firstly, the company follows a niche marketing strategy and focus on the small sections of prospective buyers. The identified customer target was people from 18 to 35 years of age, but eventually it was found that most of the customers of Virgin aare aged over 40 years. The company did not initially develop its own telecom expertise and stayed dependent on T-Mobile. After a number of conflicts with T-mobile, Virgin had to buy the stakes of joint venture of T-Mobiles in order to settle the legal dispute. The company has kept too much focus on providing other intangible services to the customer and did not take into consideration competition offered by new entrants like Tesco Mobile and Easy Mobile who offered voice and messaging services at a cheaper tariff than Virgin Mobile. As a result, these new entrants were able to gain a fair amount of market share. There are certain suggestions for Virgin Mobile to improvise the strategy. After identifying the demographic contradiction the organization should have made changes in the existing strategy to serve the demands and expectations of this newly identified customer segment Also, after gaining the required knowledge and experience about the telecom industry in the UK, Virgin mobile should have invested capital to acquire license of the spectrum and developed its own Technical infrastructure. This would have helped Virgin Mobile to become a part of the major key players in the top telecom operators in the UK. This would has additionally helped the company to gain a differentiation competitive advantage and also to decrease the companys dependency on Mobile Network Operators for technical assistance and infrastructure (Kris, 2017). Lastly, entering the UK telecom market as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator allowed Virgin to attain cost leadership in the industry. Virgin Mobile should have r evised its pricing strategies after observing the entrance of new service providers in order to retain its existing customers and also widen its customer base. Virgin Mobiles cheaper tariff plans would have resulted in intense competition among the existing MVNOs and hence it would discourage the entrance of new companies in the industry. Recommendations Criteria The recommendations provided in the above section are based on three areas which are target market recognition, technical advancement and pricing strategy. The company has clearly witnessed a faulty segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy. This has led to the companys inability for exploiting all the potential customers. Two major flaws in the target market recognition were demographic and has put too much focus on the pre-paid segment. The demographic flaw was related to the fault in only considering 18-35 years old people as the target customers. This was majorly based on the companys belief of the fact that youngsters are more inclined towards stylish and trend phones. Secondly, the company has overlooked the potential of post-paid corporate segment. This has led to the corporate segments joining hands with other mobile networks in the UK. Secondly as the company entered UK as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, it did not invest much on the technological aspect of the bus iness. Rather, Virgin has stayed highly dependent on the T-Mobile, the companys partner for the provision of technological infrastructure and expertise. This has resulted in the delay from the companys end in providing its customers with the latest technology in terms of products and services. Also, due to high dependence on the T-Mobile, the clash of opinions between the two companies has started occurring which has soon turned into the legal dispute. If the Virgin company would have developed their own technical infrastructure bit sooner, then this dispute could have been avoided and consequently, Virgin would not have been forced to buy the stakes of T-Mobiles joint venture. The last recommendation is based on the failure of Virgins ability to revise their pricing strategy. As the new entrants like TESCO and Easy mobile entered the UK market with relatively cheaper tariffs, the company didnt reconsider its existing pricing strategy for any such improvement. This has led to intens ification of the competition and as a result of this, these new players has got hold of the market share, which could have been captured by Virgin Mobiles otherwise. References Abdul, 2016. Virgin strategic management analysis, Available at: https://www.globalsocialmediamarketing.com/2016/05/18/virgin-strategic-management-analysis/ Arline, K., 2015. Porter's Five Forces: Analyzing the Competition, Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5446-porters-five-forces.html Bransons, R., 2016. The SWOT analysis of Richard Bransons Virgin Gro, Available at: https://blog.cayenneapps.com/2016/02/10/the-swot-analysis-of-richard-bransons-virgin-group/ Chu, A., 2007. An analysis of the mobile wireless services industry in canada Comsys Telecom Media, 2012. Virgin Mobile Colombia chose us again!, Available at: https://www.comsys.net/news/70/113/Virgin-Mobile-Colombia-chose-us-again/d,News.html Donell, A. O., 2017. VIRGIN mobile Australia. [Online] Available at: https://www.zilverinnovation.com/case/304/ Frue, K., 2016. PESTEL analysis of the telecommunication industry, Available at: https://pestleanalysis.com/pestle-analysis-of-the-telecommunication-industry/ Green, M., 2017. A Strategic Analysis Of Virgin Mobile South Africa: White technologies, Available at: https://brightkite.com/essay-on/a-strategic-review-of-virgin-mobile-southern-africa Harvard College, 2017. The Five Forces: Key Industry Structure Concepts, Available at: https://www.isc.hbs.edu/strategy/business-strategy/pages/the-five-forces.aspx Heunis, S., 2013. Virgin Mobile Marketing Strategy, Avalable at: https://prezi.com/q3ngjeiegd4w/virgin-mobile-marketing-strategy/ Jacobson, L., 2012. Virgin mobile case study, Available at: https://laurenmjacobson.wordpress.com/case-studies/virgin-mobile-case-study/ Kim, D., 2015. Virgin mobile USA marketing strategy pricing in USA entry, Available at: https://danielhkim.net/2015/11/04/virgin-mobile-usa-marketing-strategy-pricing-in-usa-entry/ Kris, 2017. Virgin Business Mobile Review, Available at: https://www.approvedindex.co.uk/business-mobiles/virgin-business-mobile-review Nyakudanga, S., 2013. Porters 5 forces model Industry analysis, Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/snyakudanga/industryanalysis-27180316 Team, U., 2015. Virgin Mobile Company Analysis, Available at: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/virgin-mobile-company-analysis-marketing-essay.php Tidd, J. Hull, F., 2003. Service Innovation: Organizational Responses to Technological Opportunities Market Imperatives: Imperial College Press, Available at: https://books.google.co.in/books?id=dTKmoEThVU4Cdq=Innovation+in+Products+and+Services+for+virgin+mobilessource=gbs_navlinks_s VIRGIN media, 2015. VIRGIN media Inc.: Consolidated Financial Statements, Available at: https://www.libertyglobal.com/pdf/fixed-income/Virgin-Media-December-31-2015-FINAL.pdf Virgin Mobile Team, 2017. Virgin Mobile official website. [Online] Available at: https://www.virginmobileusa.com/ Virgin, 2015. Vrgin money group annual report and accounts, Available at: https://uk.virginmoney.com/virgin/investor-relations/results/virgin-money-group-annual-report-and-accounts-2015.pdf Warren, N., 2016. Virgin Mobile USA and UTStarcom See Nothing But Blue Skies for New Super Slice Handset Featuring Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology, Available at: https://www.utstar.com/?q=article/virgin-mobile-usa-and-utstarcom-see-nothing-blue-skies-new-super-slice-handset-featuring

Monday, December 2, 2019

Slaughter House Five Essays (534 words) - Fiction, Literature

Slaughter House Five Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time, and so is Slaughterhouse Five. Novel follows Billy's "unhinged" life. If I write every hop, skip, and jump, the summary would be as complicated as the book. These are the basic facts of Pilgrim's life; they are shown in chronological order (but are definitely not in the book): Billy Pilgrim is born in 1922 and grows up in Ilium, New York. He is a funny-looking youth, he does reasonably well in high school, enrolls in night classes at the Ilium School of Optometry, and is soon drafted into the army and the Second World War. He serves as a chaplain's assistant, then is thrown into the Battle of the Bulge, and almost immediately gets taken prisoner behind German lines. Just before being captured, though, he becomes unstuck in time for the first time. He sees all of his life in one sweep. Billy is transported with other privates to the city of Dresden. There, the prisoners are made to work for their stay. They are kept in a former slaughterhouse. Allied forces bomb the city, then drop gasoline to create a firestorm that sucks most of the oxygen into the blaze, suffocating or burning 130,000 people. Billy and his fellow POWs survive in an airtight meat locker. They emerge to find, "a moonscape of destruction". Several days later, Russian forces capture the city and Billy's help in the war is over. He returns to Ilium and finishes optometry school. He gets engaged to the daughter of the founder of the school. After a nervous breakdown, for which he given shock treatment at a veterans' hospital (where he is also introduced to the science fiction of Kilgore Trout by a fellow patient), Billy gets married. His rich father-in-law sets him up in the optometry business. Billy and his wife raise two children. One day in 1967, as he later claims on a radio talk show and in a letter to the editor, Billy is kidnapped by two-foot high aliens whose body shape looks like an upside down toilet plunger. These are the Tralfamadorians. They take him to Tralfamadore where they mate him with the actress Montana Wildhack and keep both earthlings in a zoo. They also explain to him their perception of time, they explain that all time exists for them simultaneously in the fourth dimension. When someone dies he is simply dead at a particular time. Somewhere else and at a different time he is alive and well. Tralfamadorians prefer to look at the nice moments in time. When Billy is returned to earth, he first says nothing. However, after he suffers a head injury in a plane crash and after his wife dies on her way to see him in the hospital, Billy tells the world what he has learned. He goes on a radio talk show and writes a letter to the newspaper. His daughter doesn't know what to do with him. Billy makes a tape recording of his account of his death, which will occur in 1976 after Chicago has been hydrogen bombed by the Chinese. He knows exactly how it will happen: a man he knew in the war will hire someone to shoot him. Billy will experience, "The violet hum of death," then will skip back to some other point in his life. He's seen it all many times and is not worried.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Cold Dark Matter (CDM)

Cold Dark Matter (CDM) The universe is made up of at least two kinds of matter. Primarily, theres the material we can detect, which astronomers call baryonic matter. Its thought of as ordinary matter because its made of protons and neutrons, which can be measured. Baryonic matter includes stars and galaxies, plus all the objects they contain. However, there is also stuff out there in the universe that cant be detected through normal observational means. Yet, it does exist because astronomers can measure its gravitational effect on baryonic matter. Astronomers call this material dark matter because, well, its dark. It doesnt reflect or emit light. This mysterious form of matter presents some major challenges to understanding a great many things about the universe, going right back to the beginning, some 13.7 billion years ago.   The Discovery of Dark Matter Decades ago, astronomers found that there wasnt enough mass in the universe to explain things like the rotation of stars in  galaxies and the movements of star clusters. Mass affects an objects motion through space, whether its a galaxy or a star or a planet. Judging by the way some galaxies rotated, for example, it appeared that there was more mass out there somewhere. But, it wasnt being detected. It was somehow missing from the mass inventory they assembled using stars and nebulae to assign a galaxy a given mass. Dr. Vera Rubin and her team were observing galaxies when they first noticed a difference between expected rotation rates (based on estimated masses of those galaxies) and the actual rates they observed. Researchers began to dig more deeply into figuring out where all the missing mass had gone. They considered that perhaps our  understanding of physics, i.e. general relativity, was flawed, but too many other things didnt add up. So, they decided that perhaps the mass was still there, but simply not visible. While it is still possible that we are missing something fundamental in our theories of gravity, the second option has been more palatable to physicists. Out of that revelation was born the idea of dark matter. Theres observational evidence for it around galaxies, and theories and models point to the involvement of dark matter early in the universes formation. So, astronomers and cosmologists know its out there, but havent yet figured out what it is yet. Cold Dark Matter (CDM) So, what could dark matter be? As of yet, there are only theories and models. They can actually be slotted into three general groups: hot dark matter (HDM), warm dark matter (WDM), and cold dark matter (CDM). Of the three, CDM has long been the leading candidate for what this missing mass in the universe is. However, some researchers still favor a combination theory, where aspects of all three types of dark matter exist together to make up the total missing mass. CDM is a kind of dark matter that, if it exists, moves slowly compared to the speed of light. It is thought to have been present in the universe since the very beginning and has very likely influenced the growth and evolution of galaxies. as well as the formation of the first stars. Astronomers and physicists think that its most likely some exotic particle that hasnt yet been detected. It very likely has some very specific properties: It would have to lack an interaction with the electromagnetic force. This is fairly obvious, since dark matter is dark. Therefore it doesnt interact with, reflect, or radiate any type of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum.   However, any candidate particle that makes up cold dark matter would have to take into account that it has to interact with a gravitational field. For proof of this, astronomers have noticed that dark matter accumulations in galaxy clusters wield a gravitational influence on light from more distant objects that happens to be passing by. This so-called gravitational lensing effect has been observed many times. Candidate Cold Dark Matter Objects While no known matter meets all of the criteria for cold dark matter, at least three theories have been advanced to explain CDM (if they exist). Weakly Interacting Massive Particles: Also known as WIMPs, these particles, by definition, meet all the needs of CDM. However, no such particle has ever been found to exist. WIMPs have become the catch all term for all cold dark matter candidates, regardless of why the particle is thought to arise.  Axions: These particles possess (at least marginally) the necessary properties of dark matter, but for various reasons are probably not the answer to the question of cold dark matter..MACHOs: This is an acronym for Massive Compact Halo Objects, which are objects like black holes, ancient neutron stars, brown dwarfs and planetary objects. These are all non-luminous and massive. But, because of their large sizes, both in terms of volume and mass, they would be relatively easy to detect by monitoring localized gravitational interactions. However, there are problems with the MACHO hypothesis. The observed motion of galaxies, for instance, is uniform in a way that would be hard to explain if MACHOs supplied the missing mass. Furthermore, star clusters would require a very uniform distribution of such objects within their boundaries. That seems very unlikely. Also, the sheer number of MACHOs that would have to be fairly large in order to explain the missing mass. Right now, the mystery of dark matter doesnt have an obvious solution - yet. Astronomers continue to design experiments to search for these elusive particles. When they do figure out what they are and how they are distributed throughout the universe, they will have unlocked another chapter in our understanding of the cosmos. Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Woman Who Explained the Sun and Stars

The Woman Who Explained the Sun and Stars Today, ask any astronomer what the Sun and other stars are made of, and youll be told, Hydrogen and helium and trace amounts of other elements. We know this through a study of sunlight, using a technique called spectroscopy. Essentially, it dissects sunlight into its component wavelengths called a spectrum. Specific characteristics in the spectrum tell astronomers what elements exist in the Suns atmosphere. We see hydrogen, helium, silicon, plus carbon, and other common metals in stars and nebulae throughout the universe.  We have this knowledge thanks to the pioneering work done by Dr. Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkin throughout her career.   The Woman Who Explained the Sun and Stars In 1925, astronomy student Cecelia Payne turned in her doctoral thesis on the topic of stellar atmospheres. One of her most important findings was that the Sun is very rich in hydrogen and helium, more so than astronomers thought. Based on that, she concluded that hydrogen is THE major constituent of all stars, making hydrogen the most abundant element in the universe. It makes sense, since the Sun and other stars fuse hydrogen in their cores to create heavier elements. As they age, stars also fuse those heavier elements to make more complex ones. This process of stellar nucleosynthesis is what populates the universe with many of the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Its also an important part of the evolution of stars, which Cecelia sought to understand. The idea that stars are made mostly of hydrogen seems like a very obvious thing to astronomers today, but for its time, Dr. Paynes idea was startling. One of her advisors - Henry Norris Russell - disagreed with it and demanded she take it out of her thesis defense. Later, he decided it was a great idea, published it on his own, and got the credit for the discovery. She continued to work at Harvard, but for time, because she was a woman, she received very low pay and the classes she taught werent even recognized in the course catalogs at the time.   In recent decades, the credit for her discovery and subsequent work has been restored to Dr. Payne-Gaposchkin. She is also credited with establishing that stars can be classified by their temperatures, and published more than 150 papers on stellar atmospheres, stellar spectra. She also worked with her husband, Serge I. Gaposchkin, on variable stars. She published five books, and won a number of awards. She spent her entire research career at Harvard College Observatory, eventually becoming the first woman to chair a department at Harvard. Despite successes that would have gained male astronomers at the time incredible praise and honors, she faced gender discrimination throughout much of her life. Nonetheless, she is now celebrated as a brilliant and original thinker for her contributions that changed our understanding of how stars work.   As one of the first of a group of female astronomers at Harvard, Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkin blazed a trail for women in astronomy that many cite as their own inspiration to study the stars. In 2000, a special centenary celebration of her life and science at Harvard drew astronomers from around the world to discuss her life and findings and how they changed the face of astronomy. Largely due to her work and example, as well as the example of women who were inspired by her courage and intellect, the role of women in astronomy is slowly improving, as more select it as a profession.   A Portrait of the Scientist Throughout her Life Dr. Payne-Gaposchkin was born as Cecelia Helena Payne in England on May 10, 1900. She got interested in astronomy after hearing Sir Arthur Eddington describe his experiences on an eclipse expedition in 1919. She then studied astronomy, but because she was female, she was refused a degree from Cambridge. She left England for the United States, where she studied astronomy and got her PhD from Radcliffe College (which is now a part of Harvard University).   After she received her doctorate, Dr. Payne went on to study a number of different types of stars, particularly the very brightest high luminosity stars.  Her main interest was to understand the stellar structure of the Milky Way, and she ultimately studied variable stars in our galaxy and the nearby Magellanic Clouds. Her data played a large role in determining the ways that stars are born, live, and die.   Cecelia Payne married fellow astronomer Serge Gaposchkin in 1934 and they worked together on variable stars and other targets throughout their lives. They had three children. Dr. Payne-Gaposchkin continued teaching at Harvard until 1966, and continued her research into stars with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (headquartered at Harvards Center for Astrophysics. She died in 1979.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Social Movement of the 21st Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Social Movement of the 21st Century - Essay Example This most diverse city have gone through in the history throughout from increasing the wave of immigration from Asia and Latin America to America’s counterculture of Beat Generation, Hippies in Haight-Ashbury, and the gay rights movement, and experienced many various progressive social activism. In 1950s, there were the civil rights movement that black people appealed to for liberation. In 60-70s, there was the woman leap that women appealed to for liberation and ecoactivity as for 80-90s. In our time, in the latter half of the twentieth century, the term "globalization was coined, and this leads us to answer the question; what would be the ideal social movement of the 21st century? Globalization encouraged the development of networks, identities and opportunities of organizations across borders. For the matter, even when social movements never place a toe in transnational waters, the fact that their societies are affected by globalization makes their domestic actions part of global civil society. Some of have begun to posit the development of a whole new spectrum of transnational social movements; others have focused on one particular movement like human rights, the environment, or the concerns of indigenous peoples; still others focus on cultural forms, deducing from the collapse of extinct meta-narratives a groping across borders towards new cultural codes and connections. To the extent that many such networks continue to appear, we can expect to see more boomerangs whizzing across transnational space. However, it is yet unclear how they relate to the existing domestic system, to international organizations, or to domestic social actors in their "target": Do they depend indirectly on the power of the domestic social networks that they come from? Do they depend on the support of international organizations? If so, how far beyond the policies of these organizations can their campaigns go? Are they

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Cheesecake Factory Marketing Plan Research Paper

The Cheesecake Factory Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example This essay discusses that the Cheesecake Factory is one of the successful American stories. The company has bagged some awards like the 2010 Zagat award for best dessert and best salads, 2010 Halo gold award for the best cause marketing event, etc. The Cheesecake Factory is planning to expand its business over the next five years in around five countries such as United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, Russia, and Turkey. The country where the Cheesecake Factory can trade in is Europe. Europe market is expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 0.37% in 2008-2011. The top companies are expected to supply at a rate of 23%. The largest market is Germany with a total share of 25%. The company deals in with bakery products. They produce good quality of cheesecakes and involve a lot of innovation in their products. The new product to be launched is the ‘Green Tea Cheesecake’. The company target market is people who love to have bakery products, dessert. The environment of the hotel is such which makes customers love the place and its offerings. It s target audience is consumers right from a kid to elders people. The US has always experienced a deficit in the bakery products. Its trade deficit was large with Canada and Europe. The condition improved in 2002 where the import value stood at $685 million. Since then the US market has been growing in terms of bakery products. Since the trade condition has improved, the company can take advantage and expand its business in countries where the trade conditions has improved. The company has been dealing in bakery products, and is planning to expand in other countries. The best option would be to expand in Europe. The company is a sole proprietary. It started of its business in the year 1978 and till date it has been among the top most company. The factory was started by Oscar and Evelyn Overton and eventually it was handed by their son David. David founded The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. Marketing Plan The European market produces 25millions of bread each year with the industrial plant share of 8 million tons. The craft bakers represent the bread production for about 48% of the total volume. The plant bakeries have a market share of 75% to 80% of market share. The fastest growing sector is the in store bakeries, as the retail market is booming and the retailers gain a market share (The Federation of Bakers, 2007). The retail bakery market in Europe was estimated to be 65.5 billion by 2000. There has been a variation in the European countries. In states like Italy and Sweden, the market grew from 12% to 17% in 2000. But in large markets like France and Germany, it grew only by 4% and 3% respectively. The per capita consumption in Europe is generally high as compared to other countries (Payne, 2003, p.25). There has been a good trend of bakery market in Europe. Thus the Cheesecake Factory would be able to adopt itself in the European market. The market has a good opportunity and the potential to grow is also high in the market. The industry is of bakery product, therefore there is no barrier to enter and exit. The European market is an open market. The barriers for entry are low. The European

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A Review on Lifeboat Ethics Essay Example for Free

A Review on Lifeboat Ethics Essay Lifeboat ethics: the case against helping the poor is a famous essay written by Garret Hardin, a human ecologist in 1974. This article aims to re examine the lifeboat ethics which was developed by the author to support his controversial proposal. In the theory, the world is compared to a lifeboat with a carrying capacity of 60. There are totally 50 people on board, representing comparatively rich nations, while the 100 others swimming in the ocean outside the lifeboat stands for the poor nations. To solve the dilemma of whether the swimmers should be allowed to climb aboard at the risk of lifeboat’s safety, Hardin suggested that no admission should be granted to boat, or to interpret it in a straight way, no humanitarian aids should be offered to the poor countries. Regardless of the additional factors which the author took into consideration from the real world in the essay, in my opinion, the basic metaphor itself is questionable. Firstly, the status of the lifeboat is not an accurate reflection of reality. Arguably, natural resources of the earth are finite, however, this does not equal to the scarcity of resources in the control of the rich nations. On the contrary, nowadays in the developed countries, what the rich have used is out of proportion to their actual needs, which not only leads to colossal waste each year but also creates disposal problems. A familiar example is the popularity of losing weight among the western world, which is not solely a way of pursing beauty but also a clear indication of the growing number of obese people who consume food excessively. In contrast, in the third world especially poverty-stricken nations like Ethiopia, millions of people are filled with untold suffering. They drag themselves on the street from day to day, begging for only a slice of stale bread. Due to the unfair distribution of resources caused by the affluent people’s favorable political position, most rich nations currently obtain more than enough resources and they are still casting their greedy eyes on the untapped poor regions. In the light of the facts above, in the lifeboat metaphor people on board actually occupy  more room than normal and the real carrying capacity of a lifeboat is more than 60. With no admission given to those swimmers who are in need, the room is not allocated to each according to his needs, a principle the author cited in explanation of the rationale behind the lifeboat ethics. The second doubtful point is related to Hardin’s computation of conscience. In defense of the survivors’ guilt arising from not helping the poor, he claimed that â€Å"the net result of conscience-stricken people giving up their unjustly held seats is the elimination of that sort of conscience from the lifeboat†. He defined guilty about one’s good luck as a type of conscience and the newcomer’s lack of guilt about the rich people’s loss as conscience drain; but the author deliberately omitted the morality of rich people’s indifference to the poor asking for help. Counting the negative effects on total conscience in the lifeboat if no rescue is attempted, the final solution to the lifeboat dilemma might be changed. Essentially, the author’s negligence of social injustice against impoverished people and the ethical issue indifference is just a result of his bias for the rich countries. To improve the general population quality, the author repeatedly emphasized the necessity of reproduction control in poor nations and increasing the proportion of rich nation’s population. This suggestion in fact is based on the assumption that the people in rich nations are innately superior to their counterparts in poor countries, which is an apparent violation of the creed that everyone is born equal. In conclusion, the poor people should not be the sacrifice of the population growth in the developed regions. Logic and rigorous as the essay Lifeboat ethics: the case against helping the poor may appear to be, the author wrote more on behalf of the countries on board, group of which he belonged to. The author urged people to get rid of sentiment and make rational decisions, but ironically he himself deceived his mind with prejudice and sense of superiority.

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Impact of ICT on Manufacturing :: ICT Essays

The Impact of ICT on Manufacturing Acknowledgements: This report has been done with the help of my teacher, friend & obviously with the help of ICT* (Internet). I researched through the Internet & found many helpful sites to complete my report. Search engines such as www.google.com has helped me to find the relevant sites for my report. I used some information from http://www.thekjs.essex.sch.uk/yates/it08_-_9.htm to complete my report. There are also some other sites from which the information has been taken. I have also acquired* some information from the PC World magazine to learn about the different soft wares that are used in world of manufacturing. Contents page ------------- Summary: In this report I found out the uses, advantages & disadvantages of ICT. They are listed below in their respective categories. I mainly concentrated on the Manufacturing* section where the ICT is used extensively. I have found the different ways in which the Industries work now days. ICT has improved the communication technology the way the different companies interact with each other & with their respected customers. ICT has brought the World to its feet. There is no place where ICT is never used or not being used. I have found vast amount of information with the help of ICT to complete my report. I have found how companies use ICT to manufacture the products in bulk with less effort & time waste. The accuracy of each product made is exactly the way it was designed on the computer. I have discovered some soft wares, which help in the design of the product & also manufacture them automatically. These are CAD/CAM* soft wares. I have concluded my report by saying that ICT has revolutionised the Manufacturing sector. Terms of reference: This report I for the portfolio Unit 12 of the GNVQ course following the criteria laid down by OCR. The deadline given to me for completing this report was 31/01/2003 & I have managed to stick to that deadline. The overall purpose of my report is to make sure that I have met the requirements to achieve a high grade. Methodology: I found out the task from my teacher & practised it on the Thomas Telford Website using banking scenarios. After my practise session I decided on the topic on which I would be doing my report. I decided it to be on 'Manufacturing'. I chose this section as ICT has changed the way of production & manufacturing. I started my research on 'The impact of ICT on Manufacturing' on the Internet, magazines, and books & also took some assistance from my parents on what they think about ICT changing the way we work & interact* with the

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Boeing Australia Case Study

Executive Summary Barilla is operating in a very old-fashioned distribution system that needs to be changed. Implementing this new JITD will increase efficiency across the supply chain. The system will reduce manufacturing costs, increase supply chain visibility, increase distributors’ dependence on Barilla, establish better relationship with distributors, reduce inventory level and most importantly improve manufacturing planning and forecasting using objective data. This JITD will see Barilla’s supply chain synchronized from manufacturing to end – users.Strategically, the best decision for Barilla is to implement the JITD program. This will allow for greater capability and flexibility to respond to inputs from end-consumers. In the JITD system, each distributor would provide Barilla with data from products that they shipped to retailers in previous days as well as current stock levels for each Barilla SKU. This data would then be used to make forecasting and rep lenishment decisions. The will result in a smoother running operating system and excellent customer service.To prove the credibility of JITD and win over apprehensive customers the involvement of top management will be employed. Within the next six months Maggali and top management team will analyze daily shipment data of the distribution chain. Next a database of historical and present demand patterns of distributors will be created and shipments will be simulated with JITD in place. This system will reduce stock out rates and inventory levels while increasing service levels. Next, experiments will be run at the Pedrignano depot and then the Milano depot.This will establish the credibility of JITD and win over distributors and retailers who are apprehensive in buying into this new system. Approximately ten top managers, from customer service managers to vice presidents, logistics, purchasing, sales and marketing and information technology managers will be involved in the decision m aking, implementation and monitoring of this new system. This will prove credibility of JITD and convince customers that change is inevitable and in this this case the benefits will be mutual. IssuesDeciding whether or not the Just In Time Distribution (JITD) model should be implemented into Barilla†s operations. Barilla is suffering from escalating operational inefficiencies. The company is being burdened by demand fluctuations in its manufacturing and distribution systems. Also, this large weekly variation in distributors orders is increasing overhead costs. Trying to convince internal and external customers of the benefits of JITD Barilla’s customers are unwilling to give up authority to place orders as they please.The lack of faith in Barilla’s inventory management also made some customers reluctant in giving detailed sales data so that Barilla could improve its forecasting demands. Customers perceived this JITD move as a quest by Barilla to transfer power to themselves. Internal customers are also resistant to this change as they as they view this concept to be infeasible and or dangerous. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis There is a growing burden that demand fluctuations are imposing on the company’s manufacturing and distribution system.Vitali has suggested for years that the company implement this innovative JITD which is modeled off JIT manufacturing. Vitali proposed that rather than follow the practice of delivering products to Barilla’s distributors on the basis of whatever orders distributors placed with the company, Barilla’s own logistics organization would instead specify delivery quantities that would more effectively meet end users’ needs and would also more evenly distribute the workload on Barilla’s manufacturing and logistics. This was heavily resisted both internally and externally.External people are saying that Barilla wants power over its distributors and wants to manage their inventory for them. On the other hand, the internal sales and marketing people thinks this JITD is unworkable and will reduce their workload so they see it as a threat and as a result they are putting up a resistance. The variability in demand is as a result of lack of forecasting systems or sophisticated analytical tools at the distributors end. Orders for Barilla’s dry products swing from week to week and such extreme demand strains Barilla’s manufacturing and logistics operations.For example, the specific sequence of pasta production necessitated by the tight heat and humidity specifications in the tunnel kiln made it difficult to quickly produce a particular pasta that had been sold out due to unexpectedly high demand. In addition, holding sufficient finished goods inventories to meet distributors order requirements was extremely expensive when weekly demand fluctuated so much and was so difficult to forecast. Advertising and trade promotions are also intensifying the resistance to implementing this JITD.Distributors have become accustomed to price discounts through volume orders, promotional activities and transportation. Barilla’s sales strategy relied on the use of trade promotions to push products into the grocery distribution network. Distributors looks forward to these promotions and also sales people within Barilla looks forward to giving distributors discounts in this very old-fashioned distribution system. Alternatives and/or Options Implementing the JITD system would prove beneficial to the company and its overall supply chain management.Benefits of this JITD would be reduced manufacturing costs and inventory levels, better relationship with distributors due to increased supply chain visibility and distributor’s dependence on Barilla and overall improvement in manufacturing planning using objective data collected. For sales people this would be a selling tool rather than a threat to sales. Distributors will also see an improved fill rate to retail stores, additional service from Barilla without any extra cost and reduced inventory holding costs.Disadvantages to these are lack of infrastructure to handle JITD, risks of inability to adjust shipments quickly to stock-outs, cost benefits uncertainties, unconvinced distributors and reduction in responsibilities for Sales Representatives. Recommendation It is recommended that Barilla implement this JITD system in its supply chain. The system will provide customers with additional service at no extra cost. It will also improve Barilla’s visibility with the trade and make distributors more dependent on the company.This dependence or vendor management inventory (VMI) system will improve relationships between Barilla and distributors. More important, is the information regarding the supply at the distributors’ warehouses would provide the company with objective data that would allow for improvement in planning procedures and forecasting. In a ddition, distributors will not only improve their fill rates to retail stores but reduce their inventory holding costs. Sales and marketing people will realize that this JITD will be a selling tool rather than a threat to sales.This in the long run improves overall performance in operations. Implementation Maggiali needs to look at JITD as not only a logistics program but as a company wide effort and get top management from both sides involved in decision -making and teamwork. With top management on board, the first implementation will be done at Barilla’s largest DO (organized distributor) the Cortese. Within the next six months Maggali and top management team will analyze daily shipment data of the distribution chain.Next a database of historical and present demand patterns of distributors will be created and shipments will be simulated with JITD in place. This system will reduce stock out rates and inventory levels while increasing service levels. Next, experiments will be run at the Pedrignano depot and then the Milano depot. This will establish the credibility of JITD and win over distributors and retailers who are apprehensive in buying into this new system. An information system will also be implemented to communicate with all customers.SKUs will be barcoded so that they are easily identifiable; that is Barilla’s code and distributor/customer codes. Using this coding system, the company will be able to receive information through any code and also reduce the impact of internal changes in products on DO systems. Barilla’s forecasting systems will be under improvement so that the company can make good use of information received. Monitor and Control There has to be credibility of this new venture in order to convince customers both internally and externally to sign on.In order to reap success in any new initiative top management have to be involved. A team of approximately ten top managers including managing directors, marketing and s ales managers, logistics managers, purchasing managers, vice presidents and information technology managers will monitor the implementation of this new initiative, JITD. Each day customers will send information to Barilla using EDI (electronic data exchange) systems. This information will include; customer codes, previous day’s stock-outs, previous days sales and advance orders for future retailer promotions.This will help Barilla to improve internal operations for the company and customers alike, now that Barilla will be responsible for determining quantities and delivery schedules. This will see a reduction in inventory levels, distribution costs, manufacturing costs, improved responsiveness to distributors demands. Overall efficiencies in the company’s operations will be evident in every link of the supply chain. Monitoring and control will be an ongoing process to minimize inefficiencies in operations.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Psychology Essay

Operant conditioning is a form of learning that is environmentally gathered. Learn the skill, practice the skill, then step back and examine the results. Observational learning also called social learning. A person behavior is influenced by what happens to other people when ten bases they behave certain ways. The person who is learning does so by seeing responses are elicited by other behaviors. The person then bases their behavior on the lessons learned by watching what happens to the other people. Social learning is in social context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction. The different kinds of learning can be utilized in the workplace: Operant conditioning: One of my coworkers is having trouble with understanding the job. So I voluntarily helped them out. That increases my reputation at work. After that I will get positive feedback from coworkers. Observational learning: At the workplace, it is forbidden to do something which you’ve never done before. That’s why, before you start working on something new; ask someone about that job to show you how to do it. So you can learn and be able to do it. Social learning: Advertisements, TV, internet shows because we observe them, then copy them. How is prejudice developed and nurtured through classical and operant conditioning? Give specific examples that demonstrate each kind of learning. Prejudice is a learned, generally negative attitude directed toward specific people solely because of their membership in an identified group. Prejudice is developed and nurtured through classical and operant conditioning from three elements. Affective (emotions about the group), behavioral (negative action toward members of the group) and cognitive (stereotypical beliefs about team members). People learn prejudice the same way they learn all attitudes through classical and operant conditioning. For example, repeated exposure to stereotypical portrayals of minorities and women on TV, in movies and in magazines teach children that such images are correct. Similarly hearing parents, friends and teachers express their prejudices also reinforce prejudice. 3. ) You are scheduled to present the result of your work on creating a new software program for your company. What memory techniques will you use in order to be free of too much dependence on notes and power point slides? Be specific as to how you will relate the technique to the content of the presentation Long –term memory: Encoding because it is elaborative rehearsal, the processing is more than visual. The three R’s registration, retention and retrieval. 4. ) Name and describe the three qualities of emotional intelligence according to Goleman. If you were interviewing applicants for a position in your company and wanted to know whether they had emotional intelligence, how would you go about discovering that? Would you do that in an interview or some other means? Posses self control of emotions such as anger, impulsiveness and anxiety. The ability to understand what others feel such as empathy. The ability to motivate oneself. I feel you can find a person emotional intelligence in an interview because a person can manage their emotions. They don’t get angry in stressful situations. They have the ability to look at a problem calmly and find a solution. I would go about discovering by asking questions or just observing how the questions are answered and giving different scenarios of a situations and pay attention to responses.

Friday, November 8, 2019

What Is Statistical Significance How Is It Calculated

What Is Statistical Significance How Is It Calculated SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you've ever read a wild headline like, "Study Shows Chewing Rocks Prevents Cancer," you've probably wondered how that could be possible. If you look closer at this type of article you may find that the sample size for the study was a mere handful of people. If one person in a group of five chewed rocks and didn't get cancer, does that mean chewing rocks prevented cancer? Definitely not. The study for such a conclusion doesn't have statistical significance- though the study was performed, its conclusions don't really mean anything because the sample size was small. So what is statistical significance, and how do you calculate it? In this article, we'll cover what it is, when it's used, and go step-by-step through the process of determining if an experiment is statistically significant on your own. What Is Statistical Significance? As I mentioned above, the fake study about chewing rocks isn't statistically significant. What that means is that the conclusion reached in it isn't valid, because there's not enough evidence that what happened was not random chance. A statistically significant result would be one where, after rigorous testing, you reach a certain degree of confidence in the results. We call that degree of confidence our confidence level, which demonstrates how sure we are that our data was not skewed by random chance. More specifically, the confidence level is the likelihood that an interval will contain values for the parameter we're testing. There are three major ways of determining statistical significance: If you run an experiment and your p-value is less than your alpha (significance) level, your test is statistically significant If your confidence interval doesn't contain your null hypothesis value, your test is statistically significant If your p-value is less than your alpha, your confidence interval will not contain your null hypothesis value, and will therefore be statistically significant This info probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you're not already acquainted with the terms involved in calculating statistical significance, so let's take a look at what it means in practice. Say, for example, that we want to determine the average typing speed of 12-year-olds in America. We'll confirm our results using the second method, our confidence interval, as it's the simplest to explain quickly. First, we'll need to set our p-value, which tells us the probability of our results being at least as extreme as they were in our sample data if our null hypothesis (a statement that there is no difference between tested information), such as that all 12-year-old students type at the same speed) is true. A typical p-value is 5 percent, or 0.05, which is appropriate for many situations but can be adjusted for more sensitive experiments, such as in building airplanes. For our experiment, 5 percent is fine. If our p-value is 5 percent, our confidence level is 95 percent- it's always the inverse of your p-value. Our confidence level expresses how sure we are that, if we were to repeat our experiment with another sample, we would get the same averages- it is not a representation of the likelihood that the entire population will fall within this range. Testing the typing speed of every 12-year-old in America is unfeasible, so we'll take a sample- 100 12-year-olds from a variety of places and backgrounds within the US. Once we average all that data, we determine the average typing speed of our sample is 45 words per minute, with a standard deviation of five words per minute. From there, we can extrapolate that the average typing speed of 12-year-olds in America is somewhere between $45 - 5z$ words per minute and $45 + 5z$ words per minute. That's our confidence interval- a range of numbers we can be confident contain our true value, in this case the real average of the typing speed of 12-year-old Americans. Our z-score, ‘z,' is determined by our confidence value. In our case, given our confidence value, that would look like $45 - 5(1.96)$ and $45 + 5(1.96)$, making our confidence interval 35.2 to 54.8. A wider confidence interval, say with a standard deviation of 15 words per minute, would give us more confidence that the true average of the entire population would fall in that range ($45Â ± \bo{15}(1.96)$), but would be less accurate. More importantly for our purposes, if your confidence interval doesn't include the null hypothesis, your result is statistically significant. Since our results demonstrate that not all 12-year-olds type the same speed, our results are significant. One reason you might set your confidence rating lower is if you are concerned about sampling errors. A sampling error, which is a common cause for skewed data, is what happens when your study is based on flawed data. For example, if you polled a group of people at McDonald's about their favorite foods, you'd probably get a good amount of people saying hamburgers. If you polled the people at a vegan restaurant, you'd be unlikely to get the same results, so if your conclusion from the first study is that most peoples' favorite food is hamburgers, you're relying on a sampling error. It's important to remember that statistical significance is not necessarily a guarantee that something is objectively true. Statistical significance can be strong or weak, and researchers can factor in bias or variances to figure out how valid the conclusion is. Any rigorous study will have numerous phases of testing- one person chewing rocks and not getting cancer is not a rigorous study. Essentially, statistical significance tells you that your hypothesis has basis and is worth studying further. For example, say you have a suspicion that a quarter might be weighted unevenly. If you flip it 100 times and get 75 heads and 25 tails, that might suggest that the coin is rigged. That result, which deviates from expectations by over 5 percent, is statistically significant. Because each coin flip has a 50/50 chance of being heads or tails, these results would tell you to look deeper into it, not that your coin is definitely rigged to flip heads over tails. The results are statistically significant in that there is a clear tendency to flip heads over tails, but that itself is not an indication that the coin is flawed. What Is Statistical Significance Used For? Statistical significance is important in a variety of fields- any time you need to test whether something is effective, statistical significance plays a role. This can be very simple, like determining whether the dice produced for a tabletop role-playing game are well-balanced, or it can be very complex, like determining whether a new medicine that sometimes causes an unpleasant side effect is still worth releasing. Statistical significance is also frequently used in business to determine whether one thing is more effective than another. This is called A/B testing- two variants, one A and one B, are tested to see which is more successful. In school, you're most likely to learn about statistical significance in a science or statistics context, but it can be applied in a great number of fields. Any time you need to determine whether something is demonstrably true or just up to chance, you can use statistical significance! How to Calculate Statistical Significance Calculating statistical significance is complex- most people use calculators rather than try to solve equations by hand. Z-test calculators and t-test calculators are two ways you can drastically slim down the amount of work you have to do. However, learning how to calculate statistical significance by hand is a great way to ensure you really understand how each piece works. Let's go through the process step by step! Step 1: Set a Null Hypothesis To set up calculating statistical significance, first designate your null hypothesis, or H0. Your null hypothesis should state that there is no difference between your data sets. For example, let's say we're testing the effectiveness of a fertilizer by taking half of a group of 20 plants and treating half of them with fertilizer. Our null hypothesis will be something like, "This fertilizer will have no effect on the plant's growth." Step 2: Set an Alternative Hypothesis Next, you need an alternative hypothesis, Ha. Your alternative hypothesis is generally the opposite of your null hypothesis, so in this case it would be something like, "This fertilizer will cause the plants who get treated with it to grow faster." Step 3: Determine Your Alpha Third, you'll want to set the significance level, also known as alpha, or ÃŽ ±. The alpha is the probability of rejecting a null hypothesis when that hypothesis is true. In the case of our fertilizer example, the alpha is the probability of concluding that the fertilizer does make plants treated with it grow more when the fertilizer does not actually have an effect. An alpha of 0.05, or 5 percent, is standard, but if you're running a particularly sensitive experiment, such as testing a medicine or building an airplane, 0.01 may be more appropriate. For our fertilizer experiment, a 0.05 alpha is fine. Your confidence level is $1 - ÃŽ ±(100%)$, so if your alpha is 0.05, that makes your confidence level 95%. Again, your alpha can be changed depending on the sensitivity of the experiment, but most will use 0.05. Step 4: One- or Two-Tailed Test Fourth, you'll need to decide whether a one- or two-tailed test is more appropriate. One-tailed tests examine the relationship between two things in one direction, such as if the fertilizer makes the plant grow. A two-tailed test measures in two directions, such as if the fertilizer makes the plant grow or shrink. Since in our example we don't want to know if the plant shrinks, we'd choose a one-tailed test. But if we were testing something more complex, like whether a particular ad placement made customers more likely to click on it or less likely to click on it, a two-tailed test would be more appropriate. A two-tailed test is also appropriate if you're not sure which direction the results will go, just that you think there will be an effect. For example, if you wanted to test whether or not adding salt to boiling water while making pasta made a difference to taste, but weren't sure if it would have a positive or negative effect, you'd probably want to go with a two-tailed test. Step 5: Sample Size Next, determine your sample size. To do so, you'll conduct a power analysis, which gives you the probability of seeing your hypothesis demonstrated given a particular sample size. Statistical power tells us the probability of us accepting an alternative, true hypothesis over the null hypothesis. A higher statistical power gives lowers our probability of getting a false negative response for our experiment. In the case of our fertilizer experiment, a higher statistical power means that we will be less likely to accept that there is no effect from fertilizer when there is, in fact, an effect. A power analysis consists of four major pieces: The effect size, which tells us the magnitude of a result within the population The sample size, which tells us how many observations we have within the sample The significance level, which is our alpha The statistical power, which is the probability that we accept an alternative hypothesis if it is true Many experiments are run with a typical power, or ÃŽ ², of 80 percent. Because these calculations are complex, it's not recommended to try to calculate them by hand- instead, most people will use a calculator like this one to figure out their sample size. Conducting a power analysis lets you know how big of a sample size you'll need to determine statistical significance. If you only test on a handful of samples, you may end up with a result that's inaccurate- it may give you a false positive or a false negative. Doing an accurate power analysis helps ensure that your results are legitimate. Step 6: Find Standard Deviation Sixth, you'll be calculating the standard deviation, $s$ (also sometimes written as $ÏÆ'$). This is where the formula gets particularly complex, as this tells you how spread out your data is. The formula for standard deviation of a sample is: $$s = √{{∑(x_i – Â µ)^2}/(N – 1)}$$ In this equation, $s$ is the standard deviation $∑$ tells you to sum all the data you collected $x_i$ is each individual data $Â µ$ is the mean of your data for each group $N$ is your total sample So, to work this out, let's go with our preliminary fertilizer test on ten plants, which might give us data something like this: Plant Growth (inches) 1 2 2 1 3 4 4 5 5 3 6 1 7 5 8 4 9 4 10 4 We need to average that data, so we add it all together and divide by the total sample number. $(2 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 5 + 4 + 4 + 4) / 10 = 3.3$ Next, we subtract each sample from the average $(x_i – Â µ)$, which will look like this: Plant Growth (inches) $x_i – Â µ$ 1 2 1.3 2 1 2.3 3 4 -0.7 4 5 -1.7 5 3 0.3 6 1 2.3 7 5 -1.7 8 4 -0.7 9 4 -0.7 10 4 -0.7 Now we square all of those numbers and add them together. $1.32 + 2.32 + -0.72 + -1.72 + 0.32 + 2.32 + -1.72 + -0.72 + -0.72 + -0.72 = 20.1$ Next, we'll divide that number by the total sample number, N, minus 1. $20.1/9 = 2.23$ And finally, to find the standard deviation, we'll take the square root of that number. $√2.23=1.4933184523$ But that's not the end. We also need to calculate the variance between sample groups, if we have more than one sample group. In our case, let's say that we did a second experiment where we didn't add fertilizer so we could see what the growth looked like on its own, and these were our results: Plant Growth (inches) 1 1 2 1 3 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 7 1 8 2 9 1 10 1 So let's run through the standard deviation calculation again. #1: Average Data $1 + 1 + 2+ 1 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 14$ $14/10 = 1.4$ #2: Subtract each sample from the average $(x_i – Â µ)$. $0.4 + 0.4 + (-0.4) + 0.4 + (-1.6) + 0.4 + 0.4 + (-0.4) + 0.4 + 0.4 = 0.4$ #3: Divide the last number by the total sample number, N, minus 1. $0.4/9=0.0444$ #4: Take the square root of the previous number. $√0.0444 = 0.2107130751$ Step 7: Run Standard Error Formula Okay, now we have our two standard deviations (one for the group with fertilizer, one for the group without). Next, we need to run through the standard error formula, which is: $$s_d = √((s_1/N_1) + (s_2/N_2))$$ In this equation: $s_d$ is the standard error $s_1$ is the standard deviation of group one $N_1$ is the sample size of group one $s_2$ is the standard deviation of group two $N_2$ is the sample size of group two So let's work through this. First, let's figure out $s_1/N_1$. With our numbers, that becomes $1.4933184523/10$, or 0.14933184523. Next, let's do $s_2/N_2$. With our numbers, that becomes $0.2107130751/10$, or 0.02107130751. Next, we need to add those two numbers together. $0.14933184523 + 0.02107130751 = 0.17040315274$ And finally, we'll take the square root: $√0.17040315274 = 0.41279916756$ So our standard error $s_d$, is 0.41279916756. Step 8: Find t-Score But we're still not done! Now you're probably seeing why most people use a calculator for this. Next up: t-score. Your t-score is what allows you to compare your data to other data, which tells you the probability of the two groups being significantly different. The formula for t-score is $$t = (Â µ_1 – Â µ_2)/s_d$$ where: $t$ is the t-score $Â µ_1$ is the average of group one $Â µ_2$ is the average of group two $s_d$ is the standard error So for our numbers, this equation would look like: $t = (3.3 - 1.4)/0.41279916756$ $t = 4.60272246001$ Step 9: Find Degrees of Freedom We're almost there! Next, we'll find our degrees of freedom ($df$), which tells you how many values in a calculation can vary acceptably. To calculate this, we add the number of samples in each group and subtract two. In our case, that looks like this: $$(10 + 10) - 2 = 18$$ Step 10: Use a T-Table to Find Statistical Significance And now we'll use a t-table to figure out whether our conclusions are significant. To use the t-table, we first look on the left-hand side for our $df$, which in this case is 18. Next, scan along that row of variances until you find ours, which we'll round to 4.603. Whoa! We're off the chart! Scan upward until you see the p-values at the top of the chart and you'll find that our p-value is something smaller than 0.0005, which is well below our significance level. So is our study on whether our fertilizer makes plants grow taller valid? The final stage of determining statistical significance is comparing your p-value to your alpha. In this case, our alpha is 0.05, and our p-value is well below 0.05. Since one of the methods of determining statistical significance is to demonstrate that your p-value is less than your alpha level, we've succeeded! The data seems to suggest that our fertilizer does make plants grow, and with a p-value of 0.0005 at a significance level of 0.05, it's definitely significant! Now, if we're doing a rigorous study, we should test again on a larger scale to verify that the results can be replicated and that there weren't any other variables at work to make the plants taller. Tools to Use For Statistical Significance Calculators make calculating statistical significance a lot easier. Most people will do their calculations this way instead of by hand, as doing them without tools is more likely to introduce errors in an already sensitive process. To get you started, here are some calculators you can use to make your work simpler: How to Calculate T-Score on a TI-83 Find Sample Size and Confidence Interval T-Test Calculator T-Test Formula for Excel Find P-Value with Excel What's Next? Need to brush up on AP Stats? These free AP Statistics practice tests are exactly what you need! If you're struggling with statistics on the SAT Math section, check out this guide to strategies for mean, median, and mode! This formula sheet for AP Statistics covers all the formulas you'll need to know for a great score on your AP test!

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Marshal Michel Ney - Napoleonic Wars Biography

Marshal Michel Ney - Napoleonic Wars Biography Michel Ney - Early Life: Born in Saarlouis, France on January 10, 1769, Michel Ney was the son of master barrel cooper Pierre Ney and his wife Margarethe. Due to Saarlouis location in Lorraine, Ney was raised bilingual and was fluent in both French and German. Coming of age, he received his education at the Collà ¨ge des Augustins and became a notary in his hometown. After a brief stint as an overseer of mines, he ended his career as a civil servant and enlisted in the Colonel-General Hussar Regiment in 1787. Proving himself a gifted soldier, Ney swiftly moved through the non-commissioned ranks. Michel Ney - Wars of the French Revolution: With the beginning of the French Revolution, Neys regiment was assigned to the Army of the North. In September 1792, he was present at the French victory at Valmy and was commissioned as an officer the next month. The following year he served at the Battle of Neerwinden and was wounded at the siege of Mainz. Transferring to the Sambre-et-Meuse in June 1794, Neys talents were quickly recognized and he continued to advance in rank, reaching gà ©nà ©ral de brigade in August 1796. With this promotion came command of the French cavalry on the German front. In April 1797, Ney led the cavalry at the Battle of Neuwied. Charging a body of Austrian lancers that were attempting to seize French artillery, Neys men found themselves counterattacked by enemy cavalry. In the fighting that ensued, Ney was unhorsed and taken prisoner. He remained a prisoner of war for a month until being exchanged in May. Returning to active service, Ney participated in the capture of Mannheim later that year. Two years later he was promoted to gà ©neral de division in March 1799. Commanding the cavalry in Switzerland and along the Danube, Ney was wounded in the wrist and thigh at Winterthur. Recovering from his wounds, he joined General Jean Moreaus Army of the Rhine and took part in the victory at the Battle of Hohenlinden on December 3, 1800. In 1802, he was assigned to command French troops in Switzerland and oversaw French diplomacy in the region. On August 5 of that year, Ney returned to France to marry Aglaà © Louise Auguià ©. The couple would be married for the remainder of Neys life and would have four sons. Michel Ney - Napoleonic Wars: With the rise of Napoleon, Neys career accelerated as he was appointed one of the first eighteen Marshals of the Empire on May 19, 1804. Assuming command of the VI Corps of the La Grand Armà ©e the following year, Ney defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Elchingen that October. Pressing into the Tyrol, he captured Innsbruck a month later. During the 1806 campaign, Neys VI Corps took part in the Battle of Jena on October 14, and then moved to occupy Erfurt and capture Magdeburg. As winter set in, the fighting continued and Ney played a key role in rescuing the French army at the Battle of Eylau on February 8, 1807. Pressing on, Ney participated in the Battle of Gà ¼ttstadt and commanded the right wing of the army during Napoleons decisive triumph against the Russians at Friedland on June 14. For his exemplary service, Napoleon created him Duke of Elchingen on June 6, 1808. Shortly thereafter, Ney and his corps were dispatched to Spain. After two years on the Iberian Peninsula, he was ordered to aid in the invasion of Portugal. After capturing Ciudad Rodrigo and Coa, he was defeated at the Battle of Buà §aco. Working with Marshal Andrà © Massà ©na, Ney and the French flanked the British position and continued their advance until they were turned back at the Lines of Torres Vedras. Unable to penetrate the allied defenses, Massà ©na ordered a retreat. During the withdrawal, Ney was removed from command for insubordination. Returning to France, Ney was given command of the III Corps of the La Grand Armà ©e for the 1812 invasion of Russia. In August of that year, he was wounded in the neck leading his men at the Battle of Smolensk. As the French drove further into Russia, Ney commanded his men in the central section of the French lines at the Battle of Borodino on September 7, 1812. With the collapse of the invasion later that year, Ney was assigned to command the French rearguard as Napoleon retreated back to France. Cut off from the main body of the army, Neys men were able to fight their way through and rejoin their comrades. For this action he was dubbed the bravest of the brave by Napoleon. After taking part in the Battle of Berezina, Ney helped hold the bridge at Kovno and reputedly was the last French soldier to leave Russian soil. In reward for his service in Russia, he was given the title Prince of the Moskowa on March 25, 1813. As the War of the Sixth Coalition raged, Ney took part in the victories at Là ¼tzen and Bautzen. That fall he was present when French troops were defeated at the Battles of Dennewitz and Leipzig. With the French Empire collapsing, Ney aided in defending France through early 1814, but became the spokesman for the Marshals revolt in April and encouraged Napoleon to abdicate. With the defeat of Napoleon and restoration of Louis XVIII, Ney was promoted and made a peer for his role in the revolt. Michel Ney - The Hundred Days Death: Neys loyalty to the new regime was quickly tested in 1815, with Napoleons return to France from Elba. Swearing allegiance to the king, he began assembling forces to counter Napoleon and pledged to bring the former emperor back to Paris in an iron cage. Aware of Neys plans, Napoleon sent him a letter encouraging him to rejoin his old commander. This Ney did on March 18, when he joined Napoleon at Auxerre Three months later, Ney was made the commander of the left wing of the new Army of the North. In this role, he defeated the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Quatre Bras on June 16, 1815. Two days later, Ney played a key role at the Battle of Waterloo. His most famous order during the decisive battle was to send forward the French cavalry against the allied lines. Surging forward, they were unable to break the squares formed by the British infantry and were forced to retreat. Following the defeat at Waterloo, Ney was hunted down arrested. Taken into custody on August 3, he was tried for treason that December by the Chamber of Peers. Found guilty, he was executed by firing squad near the Luxembourg Garden on December 7, 1815. During his execution, Ney refused to wear a blindfold and insisted upon giving the order to fire himself. His final words were reportedly: Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her... Soldiers Fire!† Selected Sources Napoleonic Guide: Marshal Michel NeyNNDB: Marshal Michel NeyTrial of Marshal Ney