5 Steps To Make Your Freelance Clients Love Your Writing

5 Steps To Make Your Freelance Clients Love Your Writing The best way to make sure your freelance clients love your writing is to write top-notch copy. That much is true. As a professional writer, your skills are your main concern. But there is more to great copy when it comes to getting clients to love what youve done for them. You need to perfect the entire client process so that the experience of hiring you is as excellent as the work you produce. A bad experience can muddy up great final copy. So how do you get your freelance clients to love your work? 1. Ask Freelance Clients Questions Up Front Asking the right questions up front is the only way both you and the client will be clear on whats needed, whats possible, and what will happen. Desperation for work often causes us to not want to rock the boat with too many questions, and so we eagerly say yes to put on a facade of confidence and grab the job. And thats where the trouble starts. You either dont have enough information to do the job right, or you have to keep going back to the client to get that information you should have gotten in the first place. That isnt going to paint a professional image of who you are and how you work. Even if your final product is amazing, youve colored the experience for your client. Make a spreadsheet to track specifics for each freelance job. Questions at the beginning are best. Even if you have a lot. Find out the specifics, such as how many words the client expects, and when they want the completed project. Find out the background on the project. Perhaps you didnt know this client prefers interviews as part of the research process. And, dig deep to find the less obvious things the client may not think to tell you. They might assume you already know. Research the clients publication or blog to find out what kind of writing has been used in the past, and make notes of tone, style, and content. Know exactly what the client wants; they will appreciate your concern and professionalism as you ask pertinent questions. And they will love the result all the more. Ask all questions up front to keep the #FreelanceWriting experience from being ugly.2. Write In Your Strengths If Possible Youll be more enthusiastic if you write about topics you are knowledgeable, comfortable, and enjoy. Clearly, you cant always get projects that fit this definition, but make an effort to pursue and retain those that do. When you write about the things you love, you have already done the research. You are knowledgable not because you had to find information to finish a project, but because you found information over the years to satisfy your own curiosity. When you write about the things you love, you are writing from experience. You become your own reference, and you dont have to search the internet high and low to find the thoughts and quotes of others. You are an expert in your own right, and can freely talk. When you write about the things you love, your enthusiasm shows. Youll have a fresh take and toss the formulas aside and it will show in your writing. When you write about the things you love, your client will love what youve written for them. So, when you have a client who is asking you to write on something you dont love, thats fine. Thats the job. But if that same client starts to make life miserable for you, pushing boundaries and getting testy about what you charge for freelance writing, consider if you really want to fight that battle. Write about the things you love as much as you can. It shows in your work. #FreelanceWriting3. Write For Your Freelance Clients, Not Yourself Remember, youre not writing for yourself. In fact, for some writing projects, your name might not even be attached. You cant approach every writing project as if you are building a public reputation for yourself. Instead, you need to be aware of the voice your client needs, and be that voice for them, because youre actually building their public reputation with your words. Clients have chosen you because of your style and that they like your work, but maybe your blunt blog posts that they say they loved arent the correct tone for their corporate handbook. It all goes back to asking the right questions, one of which should be to ascertain what tone they are looking for. You may want to speak to their marketing department so that you are on message. Doesnt sound like fun, but you can have fun with your own voice on your own blog. When writing for clients, you must become the voice they need. Write for your #freelance clients, and not for yourself. You are their voice.4. Sell Your Work Back To Your Freelance Clients Self-promotion comes easily for some, but not all. For those of us who struggle with self-promotion, talking about yourself feels icky; talking about your work and selling it feels even worse. But you have to. You could present your client with the same finished product without much fanfare, or you could present it to them with both an attitude of confidence and essentially sell it back to them,  and theyd prefer the latter. Why would you sell it back to them when they already paid for it? Theyve hired you, havent they? That ought to be enough. Your client wants you to give them confidence about your work. They want you to reassure them that they didnt make a mistake in paying you money to write for them. Maybe you dont have to do it after youve been in a working relationship for quite a while, but at the beginning, especially, you need to help your client love your work by showing them that you love your work, too. Its a way of showing them youre giving them your best, and that youre not haphazard about their project. You have to convince #FreelanceWriting clients twice: to hire you, and to keep you.5. Respect Your Client Show your client respect. Again, your clients take on your work often has less to do with how great you writing is, but how their experience working with you was. If you respect your client, their experience will be a good one. Respect Deadlines Time is money. You know that, as a freelancer. The same applies to your client. They have a deadline for a reason; it fits their time schedule. When you turn a project it past a deadline or barely under the wire, you can cost them money.  Clients love your work. Theyll love it even more if you get it to them on time.

Discussing Emotions in Spanish

Discussing Emotions in Spanish Spanish has at least five common ways of referring to emotions or describing how someone feels or becomes emotionally. These include the use of estar and tener; reflexive verbs used for specific emotions; and two verbs that often mean to become, ponerse and volverse. Using Estar With Emotions For English speakers, the most straightforward way to talk about emotions in Spanish is to use estar, one of the verbs for to be, followed by an adjective of emotion. Mi pap est feliz de ver su paà ­s. (My father is happy to see his country.) Las autoridades estn preocupados por el incremento de casos de sobredosis. (The authorities are worried about the increase in overdose cases.) Al principio pensaba que estaban enfadados conmigo. (At first I thought they were angry with me.) Va a estar emocionada por conocerte. (She is going to be excited to meet you.) Using Tener With Emotions Although estar can be used with some emotions, Spanish speakers often prefer to use tener, the verb for to have in the sense of to possess, with some emotions. In effect, the idiom is that a person has a particular emotion rather than that the person is in a certain emotional state. For example, although you could say est asustada to say that a friend of yours is afraid, it would be more common to say, Tiene miedo, literally She has fear. Here some examples of this use of tener: Mi senador no tiene fe en la ciencia. (My senator distrusts science. Literally, my senator doesnt have faith in science.) Antonio le tenà ­a celos a Katarina cuando eran nià ±os. (Antonio was jealous of Katarina when they were children. Literally, Antonio had jealously toward Katarina when they were children.) Si las cosas son diferentes, tendrà © la ilusià ³n de regresar. (If things are different, I will be thrilled to come back. Literally, if things are different, I will have the thrill of coming back.) Reflexive Verbs for Specific Emotions Some reflexive verbs include in their acquiring of an emotion. Perhaps the most common such verb is enojarse, which typically means to become angry or to get angry: Jennifer se enojà ³ cuando la periodista la llamà ³ por telà ©fono. (Jennifer got angry when the newspaper reporter called her on the telephone.) Enfadarse is preferred over enojarse in some regions: Si pierden los llaves, me enfadarà ©. (If they lose the keys, Ill get angry.) Here are some of the reflexive verbs frequently used for other emotions: aburrirse (to get bored with, to get tired of): El abuelo de la actriz  se aburrià ³ de su libertina nieta y la desheredà ³. (The actress grandfather got tired of his wild granddaughter and disinherited her.) asustarse (to become frightened): Vi a la policà ­a y me asustà ©. (I saw the police and I got scared.) alegrarse (to become happy): Se alegrà ³ mucho de recibir la noticia. (She became very happy upon hearing the news.) enamorarse (to fall in love): (Te enamorars de los chicos salvadoreà ±os. You will fall in love with the Salvadoran children.) fastidiarse (to become annoyed): Mi decisià ³n se debià ³ sencillamente a que me fastidià © de depender de la nicotina. (My decision came about simply because I became annoyed at depending on nicotine.) irritarse (to become irritated):  ¿Se irrita usted con facilidad? (Do you get irritated easily?) calmarse (to become calm): Durante todo el trayecto estaba preocupado, pero me calmà ³ cuando estbamos aterrizando. (During th e whole flight I was worried, but I calmed down when we were landing.) entusiasmarse (to get excited): Cuando oyà ³ estas palabras, Paula se entusiasmà ³. (When she heard these words, Paula got excited.) exasperarse (to lose patience): (En ocasiones me exaspero. Sometimes I lose my patience.) preocuparse (to become worried): Nos preocupamos por el nivel acadà ©mico de los alumnos. (We got worried about the academic level of the students.) sorprenderse (to become surprised): Me sorprendà ­ cuando veà ­a que era tan joven. (I became surprised when I saw she was so young.) Using Ponerse and Volverse The reflexive verbs ponerse and volverse are frequently used to refer to changes in emotional state. Although the two can be interchangeable, the difference is that ponerse tends to be used for rapid changes in emotions while volverse tends to be used for more lasting changes. El jugador se puso triste por no ser titular. (The player got sad for not being the champion.) Mi problema es cuando mi amigo se pone indiferente conmigo. (My problem is when my friend becomes indifferent to me.) Los espaà ±oles se volvà ­an felices con la medalla de plata. (The Spanish became happy with the silver medal.) Se ha vuelto carià ±oso y responsable. (He has become caring and responsible.)

Contribution of relevance and reliability on financial reporting Essay

Contribution of relevance and reliability on financial reporting - Essay Example Main objective of accounting policy is to produce fair valued accounting information that is highly reliable and relevant to the purpose and objectives of financials statement. Financial statements are the most important components of annual report that all public limited companies publish each year for the stakeholders of the company. The financial statements need to be the fair and ethical representation of financial details of all activities performed by the companies. Financial information is responsible for financial decision making by the investors, creditors, suppliers etc. Most important is investment decision making by the investors. So, relevance and reliability need to be two most important characteristics of financial statements of any organizations. These determine the quality of financial reporting. Main objectives of financial statements are to provide fairly reported and audited financial information to the shareholders of the organizations. So, users of financial sta tements consider it as reliable and relevant sources for taking decision for any financial purposes like investment, credit, supply etc. So, being a highly responsible for financial decision making, financial statements need to be relevant and reliable. ... So, all these external stakeholders of a company are highly reliable on its financial reporting which truly represents the company’s actual value and performance. Internal purpose of financial reporting is to retain standardized record of financial activities done by the company in a regular interval of time i.e. quarterly, half yearly and yearly. It helps the organizations to evaluate its performance at the end of each financial year and also the end of each quarter of a financial year (FASB, p.15). Companies develop future business strategies based on the past performance of the company which can only be possible to evaluate from the financial reporting of past quarter or past financial years. Companies change strategies and planning for implementing new activities for next quarter and next financial years and they also develop budgeting for next financial years by analyzing previous years projection verses actual results. All these are possible because of maintaining fair v alued financial reporting. (Narotama University, p.135). Financial statements published by the companies provide valuable information to the investors, shareholders, creditors, suppliers so that they can track the value with respect to time and uncertainty of a business entity. Future performance of a firm can be assessed by the future cash inflow and cash outflow into a business. The elements of financial statements like income statement, balance sheet and cash flow are very important to evaluate company’s performance and financial health. Investors are the most important users of financial statements. From financial statements, they assess the stewardship of management to an

More Opportunity Equals More Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

More Opportunity Equals More Crime - Essay Example In 1953, 10.84 percent of women were arrested for a variety of crimes (Science News, 1975). By 1972, this number jumped to 15.27 percent (Science News, 1975). The numbers of monetary crimes perpetrated by women (embezzlement, counterfeiting, fraud, and forgery) also increased significantly during this same period (Science News, 1975; Sohoni, 1994). However, the rates of women participating in violent crimes stayed about the same (Science News, 1975; Sohoni, 1994). In the past twenty-five years, the rate of increase for female incarcerations has surpassed, and even doubled, the rate for male incarcerations (Sileo, 1993). Why is this sudden increase being seen Are more women suddenly turning to a life of crime Are women more evil than they were in years past The definitive answer to this question is "no." Women have always committed crimes. It just seems that now the criminal justice system is getting better at catching and convicting the women who do commit crimes (Sileo, 1993). Also, women have more opportunities to interact outside the home than they did 50 years ago (Sileo, 1993). Since women are out in the workforce more than they used to be, it makes sense that there would be more instances of business-related crimes perpetrated by women.

Shah News Essay Example for Free

Shah News Essay Identification of Problem A small newsagent named Shah News has decided to diversify, and begun to rent digital media to the public. It began as a small experiment, to see if it would work out in his current local area. To his advantage, it has become very popular because of two main reasons; because his newsagent is situated on a main road with most property being residential, and the fact that he has a highly respected reputation with the local area (mainly because of his competitive pricing of groceries, confectionary and cosmetics). He has already built a sizeable customer database, and currently he is just using a larger alternative to a notebook to store information on members and his media. He is already expending his media collection, as his member base gets larger too. He has discovered that it is possible to store information in database format on a computer, from seeing such set-ups in similar rental stores e.g. Video Box and Red Rose (incidentally, there is a Video Box branch 15 minutes walk down his main road, and a Red Rose branch another 10 minutes walk further on). He has a computer system at home, however seeing the low prices of such computers adequate for the job, he is confident to buy a new computer system purely for his computerised database. A computerised database system would be a perfect fit for his situation. It would certainly be better than the method he is currently using. Problems with his current system are too many to list, mainly because it is such an old fashioned way. Such main problems are: * Although he hasnt realised, he is not conforming to the Data Protection Act because his data is not secure i.e. it is all in a large tabulated notebook. This could be serious for him if his member database grows, and in future time, he is checked up by authorities. * It is long winded to create a member, because he has to write out details by hand, and also write a membership card by hand. Currently, he is just assigning consecutive numbers to members, as their Member IDs. This shouldnt have a big problem with implementation of the new system, as he can still keep his current member database intact without reissuing of new cards (eliminating cost of more cards and most importantly, eliminating unneeded hassle). * His media database is also in a separate tabulated notebook, where he is simply assigning numbers to all media to create media IDs (and media multiples). Again, this can be eliminated by means of creating a digital database. Also, the chances are that there will be more media than members. Therefore, if he did keep the notebook, he would have large problems finding media (as it isnt in alphabetical order because he is randomly and constantly adding new media in a top-down fashion). Again, this is unneeded hassle. Time is more valuable than money, because if he has a queue, he can process customers more quickly (meaning less aggravation for customers, as they want to be in and out of the shop in as smallest time possible, thus meaning longer lasting customers, leading to more rentals in future). It would be a worthwhile investment for him to have a digital system created. Identification of Prospective Users The primary user for the system will most probably be Mr. Shah himself, as he works in the shop full-time. Other possible users are family members who occasionally help out (as it is a family-run newsagent) be. Secondary Users of the system could possibly be of the following type of people: Administrators can administrate and debug the system, to keep it in operational order. Also, they can perform tasks such as installing software upgrades for the system, or recovery if the system fails. However, since this is no large store or national name, itd be appropriate to train a member of the family (possibly Mr. Shah himself) to be an administrator. Staff working in the newsagent (if Mr. Shah has to hire anyone for temp/permanent work because reliability of family help drops). The system isnt permitted for usage by members of the public because it must comply with the Data Protection Act; meaning that the data must be secure. Only permitted peoples of the newsagent will have access to the system. Now, although nobody else will have access to the system because it is a smallish shop, a password-entry system must still be implemented because the software has to comply with the Data Protection Act. Identification of User Needs and Acceptable Limitations The primary users will be the Staff working at that particular branch. As they will be working full days (maybe part time staff too), they will want a system that: Is extremely efficient and smooth-running. Tasks that need to be performed can be completed without hassle and in as less time and operation as possible. Has a very simple user interface, and is not heavy on the eye. The user will not have to operate different devices simultaneously i.e. keyboard and mouse. The system will be functional from keyboard usage solely. (similar to a till or an EPOS outlet). The media database will have to change to a digital database. This will simplify the whole rental process to, as each media will have a unique ID. Even multiple films will have different IDs, for example; there are 4 copies of the DVD-Video The Matrix, each one having IDs of MATRIX01, MATRIX02, MATRIX03 and so on. When a rental process takes place, the ID of the media that is to be rented, is assigned to the members account. As an integral task, that particular media ID is deleted from the database of media available for rent. When the rental period is over and the media is returned, the ID is unassigned from the members account, and also is put back onto the list of available media for rent. The system has to be able to accomplish tasks such as: The ability to add new members to the user database. The ability to view/edit/delete member details with ease. All members will have a unique ID, although itll be impractical to have members remember their ID. Therefore, maybe a membership card system should be implemented. This can truly authenticate a member from a non-member as an added advantage to the company. The ability to add new media to the database, and assign to it a unique ID. The ability to create rentals by assigning media IDs to member accounts. Also, the attached ability to mark that media ID as rented out. The ability to delete rentals from a member account. Also, the attached ability to mark the media ID as available for rent. The ability to view available/rented media in summarised form, and also to delete media that is not available for rental anymore. If media is rented, then the ability to view the details of the member whom it is rented to. The ability to notify automatically when a members rental period is expired i.e. overdue. The ability to create weekly reports for aid in analysis of the business. However, only managers will be able to view this information. (password required). In considering this system, there are limitations: The system will have to be made within a certain budget, and a certain time period. It must meet the required objectives, and at the very least, the essential objectives. It must also comply with the Data Protection Act, and to ensure members that their data is secure. Realistic Appraisal of the Feasibility of Potential Solutions The Original System: Advantages * Currently, everyone who works in the media-lending department are familiar with this system. This eliminates extra costs and time for training, which would be needed for a new system. * Can be expanded to cater for a larger member/media database easily with no hassle. Disadvantages * The system is slow and sluggish because media/member information needs to be found using a manual approach. * With the paper database for the media and members, there is a bigger chance of files and records getting mixed up, or even lost. * If there is a disaster e.g. a fire, then the paper database will be destroyed. This will be disastrous to the business because there is no back-up of the member/media databases. Also, insurance claims for the media (if destroyed also) could be unsuccessful because Mr. Shah will possibly have no other evidence of what media he possessed. * Theoretically, the member data isnt fully secure (to comply with the Data Protection Act) because it isnt being stored in a safe; the data-book is left under the counter. A new, revised, fully digital system through a programming language approach, using Delphi: Advantages * The program can be very precise to the required specification and objectives. * Can do the required tasks with great efficiency and speed. * Some small tasks are automatically completed by aid of the system. For example, when media is rented, it automatically gets put under a rented media group to avoid it being rented twice by the software. * All files are digitally stored, therefore consuming less paper resources. * Multiple copies of the databases can be kept easily for backup purposes. The backup must be securely stored in order to comply with the Data Protection Act. Disadvantages * It can prove costly to have the system made, as it will be a bespoke system, and not an off-the-shelf software program. * It can prove even more costly if it needs to be modified or upgraded, as only the programmers can modify it (they have the source code), and they can charge a large fee for this. * It could take a long time to develop, and one of the limitations is the that it takes to develop the system. * It will be non-compatible with other software, and could require some training for the prospective users, therefore inflicting more cost on the business. * It can be prone to bugs, because it wont have been fully 100% checked (not like software that is on the market i.e. off-the-shelf software). A New System In A Database Approach Advantages * It will be much easier and user friendly to operate the database (and the application), as users will hopefully be more familiar with database applications. * It can be made to a much smaller budget, as less time and programmers are needed on the job. * Complicated searches can be carried out (queries), and reports can be made with ease and speed, as these functions are specialities of a database application. * Can still do the required task very efficiently, with speed and accuracy. Possibly more speed, as the database application will be specially optimised for this. * Files are again, digitally stored, therefore consuming less paper resources. * Easier to modify the database application, for creating add-ons and making more features, as there is no source code, and advanced programmers arent needed. This is a job that Administrators could do. * The system will have no bugs (if any), compared to possible bugs of a programming approach. This will be because of the fact that the database program will be an off-the-shelf piece of software. * Multiple copies of the patient/equipment database can be kept for backup purposes. Also, these backups will most likely be compatible in other database applications (making consideration for upgrading the database application in the future). Disadvantages * The system can take more memory (hard disk space, as well as RAM), as the database application has high demands for these memories. * The application might not be as precise to the specification as it could have been with the programming approach. * Although the branches will have a PC and peripherals, database applications are demanding on RAM and hard drive space, therefore it is possible that the PCs will require upgrading if the specification isnt up to the job. Thus meaning, more cost for the company. * The company will have to buy a version of a database program for every PC. This could be expensive, because as well as paying for the bespoke database, they have to pay for the program that runs it. Justification of Chosen Solution It seems clear that the manual system is out of the question. Too many disadvantages eliminate this possibility. A fully digital system has many more advantages and possibilities. The second issue, is of how the system will be made; either through a database approach or a programming language approach. It appears that the Delphi approach and the database approach seem to be on the same level as each other, in terms of advantages and disadvantages.

Another Friday Night at the Military School :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

5:00. Another Friday night rolled around. I lay on my bed daydreaming. At fifteen, I left home to become a boarder at the military school, a private school far, far away from home. Since then, every Friday night had become a blurred feeling of boredom coupled with the same repeating people and places. Every time I looked for an answer to excitement, or simple entertainment, I hit a wall of restrictions. Due to these very annoying rules, I had no car or place to go. I lived in room 208 of a three-story dorm with a roommate who was not only thought insane, but also had even less of a social life than I did. My dorm held the image of a swinging tower of terror. Sophomores and new students filled up the first floor. They lived innocently compared to the rest of the dorm. They consistently stayed almost completely shut off from any kind of disobedience or adventure. My best friend Kyle's room unfortunately lay on the first floor. Second floor lived a little bit more dangerously. We learne d a few tricks to stay up late and pushed the rules a little harder than first. But neither first nor second floors touched the craziness contained in the third floor hall. They lived on the edge of the blade. Almost the entire hall consisted of seniors who had more guts then a Bruce Willis movie. I didn't dare venture onto the third floor, not because I felt afraid; I felt more curious than afraid. Being an insecure sophomore, I didn't know the first thing to say to the zoo full of seniors. This Friday began to bring back all the depressing feelings of past nights spent at the mall for 4 hours, or wandering the lonely streets of Chattanooga. "So what do you want to do tonight anyways?" I said with a sigh. "Same old, same old, I mean its not like we have much of a choice! Bus only goes to two places; the mall or downtown," Kyle exclaimed with a laugh. "Well, we better go check-in either way," I shrugged. 6:00. I stumbled down the hill to check-in with my dorm head, who waited suspiciously inside the dinning hall. I made my way through all the assorted trays, scooting chairs, and scrambling students. I finally arrived at my dorm head. He moved his eyes around more than his head to see me. Another Friday Night at the Military School :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay 5:00. Another Friday night rolled around. I lay on my bed daydreaming. At fifteen, I left home to become a boarder at the military school, a private school far, far away from home. Since then, every Friday night had become a blurred feeling of boredom coupled with the same repeating people and places. Every time I looked for an answer to excitement, or simple entertainment, I hit a wall of restrictions. Due to these very annoying rules, I had no car or place to go. I lived in room 208 of a three-story dorm with a roommate who was not only thought insane, but also had even less of a social life than I did. My dorm held the image of a swinging tower of terror. Sophomores and new students filled up the first floor. They lived innocently compared to the rest of the dorm. They consistently stayed almost completely shut off from any kind of disobedience or adventure. My best friend Kyle's room unfortunately lay on the first floor. Second floor lived a little bit more dangerously. We learne d a few tricks to stay up late and pushed the rules a little harder than first. But neither first nor second floors touched the craziness contained in the third floor hall. They lived on the edge of the blade. Almost the entire hall consisted of seniors who had more guts then a Bruce Willis movie. I didn't dare venture onto the third floor, not because I felt afraid; I felt more curious than afraid. Being an insecure sophomore, I didn't know the first thing to say to the zoo full of seniors. This Friday began to bring back all the depressing feelings of past nights spent at the mall for 4 hours, or wandering the lonely streets of Chattanooga. "So what do you want to do tonight anyways?" I said with a sigh. "Same old, same old, I mean its not like we have much of a choice! Bus only goes to two places; the mall or downtown," Kyle exclaimed with a laugh. "Well, we better go check-in either way," I shrugged. 6:00. I stumbled down the hill to check-in with my dorm head, who waited suspiciously inside the dinning hall. I made my way through all the assorted trays, scooting chairs, and scrambling students. I finally arrived at my dorm head. He moved his eyes around more than his head to see me.

Marketing Plan Mkt 421 U of P

Team C Product – Safety Step University of Phoenix MKT/421 Robin Reis March 29, 2010 Organizational overview Ames is a leader in North America and is known for its quality non-powered garden and lawn products. Ames was founded in 1774 by Captain John Ames. During most of the company’s past 230 years of service the company produced only shovels and controlled 60% of the U. S. market share (n. d. ). Over the past three decades Ames has purchased several companies to widen its market share to include quality non-powered lawn and garden products. In 1991 Ames acquired the Garant Company a Canadian company and in 1997 purchased Woodings-Verona and IXL. Over the next decade the shovel giant continued to purchase various companies in the garden and lawn business. The shovel giant is again looking for ways to expand its product line; Ames will introduce a new daughter company called Safety Step. Ames is a leader in quality products and customer satisfaction, Safety Step will keep the same quality and workmanship and focus on the customer. The Mission Statement is to develop and deliver the most reliable non-powered lawn and garden products including tools and decorative accessories that provide quality to our customers, maximize sustainable profitability, and drive shareholder value. We believe that our global manufacturing strategy, based primarily upon a blend of domestic manufacturing and sourced product, makes us cost-competitive while allowing us to provide a high level of customer service (â€Å"Ames true temper,†). Safety Steps is in the heart of the snow and ice to ensure quality product development is continued. The main headquarters is in Mount Washington New Hampshire. The average snowfall in Mount Washington is 260. 6 inches (NCDC, 2010), with an annual low mean temperature of 19 degrees. Mount Washington is noted for its extreme weather conditions, one of the world's highest wind velocities (231 miles [372 kilometer] per hour) has been recorded there in 1934 (Britannica, 2010). The production plant is in Marquette, Michigan. The city has an annual snowfall of 141 inches (NCDC, 2010) and an annual mean temperature of 8. 7 (Current Results, 2010). Safety Step is introducing a heated floor mat to allow both homeowners and commercial businesses a safe, snow and ice-free walkway into and out of their homes and businesses. The mat will have multiple attachments and color options to fit the demand of the customer. New Product Description The following paragraphs below take in consideration a new product that our parent company will amplify a tangible product for a household consumer and commerc ial customer. The difference between the consumer products market and the business product market is derived demand – the demand for business products derives from the demand for final consumer products (Kerin, Berkowitz, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2006). This product provides safety steps while walking through and on increment weather, snow, ice, or wet surfaces. The technology and design of the durable nonslip diamond-top surface has ? in diameter holes for excellent drainage and safe passage as pedestrians walk on surface. A mat that covers a walkway or porch that prevents snow and ice from forming called Safety Step. The mat can be purchased in different lengths and widths and has additional attachments for steps. The mat is plugged into an outlet that keeps the snow and ice from forming on it. The mat uses low wattage technology minimizing the amount of electricity used during operation. The product contains a circuit that will turn itself off in case of any power interruption or surge. It has a non-skid, non-slip proof surface that even when wet will prevent a person from slipping on it. The mat dimensions are two feet wide by five feet long. ? SWOT Analysis The external and internal factors of a business forces their company and management to come up with solutions to potential threats. A SWOT analysis aids to guide business strategies and identifies threats and opportunities an acknowledging the external and internal factors into the business plan will allows a company to achieve goals, and keeping a vision and mission of that company from failure. SWOT Analysis StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats Highest quality of products Safety step can be looked upon as seasonal item Uses a new type of technologies’ Competitors can alter Safety Step Provides safety steps for pedestrians as they move on surfaceCostly to hold inventory in warehousesCustomer service personal commitmentIncreases production; therefore, increases in production causing prices to increase Versatile can be used in landscapingCan be ordered 24hours online Strengths The uniqueness in the marketplace comes from the vision, mission, and values of Ames. We are well known worldwide and earn the trust of many customers and deliver the highest quality of products and services to our customers. Pedestrians walk with confidence and safety. Unique colors and costume features attract versatility. ? Weakness The Safety Step may be looked upon as only a seasonal item. Incremental weather only; therefore, overlooking the fact that the Safety Step technology design provides efficiency, safe comfort, and in all kinds of weather. Opportunities The unique colors and custom attachments provide a wide range of surfaces uses. The technologies that Safety Steps requires extra workers; therefore, providing new jobs. Ordering on telephone has direct access to talk with customer representatives, earning and keeping the trust of personal commitment. Promotes less injuries and lost time at work, or decorative yard landscaping feature. Threats Competitors can alter the Safety Step to make something similar whereas Ames would have to do fast adjustments; therefore, causing an increases in production or cost making the Safety Step less appealing because it becomes too expensive to own. Trends Recently on the news everyone has heard about how crazy the weather has been. The State of Washington covered in snow for weeks; the state of Texas covered four days of nine and 10 inches of snow. The world’s ever-changing environment it is a perfect time to launch a great product like the Safety Step. Marketing Research Market research for the Safety Step consists of consumer analysis and industry analysis. Consumer analysis will consist of secondary data gathered from the 2000 US Census Bureau that lists the potential households in cold weather states that may purchase the Safety Step. Primary analysis will consist of surveys of shoppers at a few targeted stores in the regions in which the Safety Step is planned to be sold. Demographics Demographics for the Safety Step are areas of the United States that experience cold weather below 35 degrees F. The Safety Step can be marketed to both consumers and businesses. Consumers would purchase the Safety Step to ensure a clear snow free/ice free walkway during the wintertime. Using the US Census Bureau results from 2000 there are 31 states in which the Safety Step may be marketed. Appendix A shows the states and the total households per state. The Census results show a US market potential of 60 million households in 31 cold weather states. Psychographics The consumer psychographics are homeowners in cold climates that have walkways prone to ice buildup. Homeowners with ice buildup fear someone slipping on the ice and causing an injury. Homeowners can be liable of injuries sustained on their property because of negligence. Safety Step will prevent any ice from forming on walkways removing the fear for the homeowners. Behaviors (e. g. purchase behaviors) Safety Step will be marketed to homeowners stating the benefit that the product provides to the consumer by eliminating ice buildup. The convenience of placing Safety Step on the walkway at the beginning of cold weather and plugging it in will be communicated to the consumers to promote the product. Geographical considerations Safety Step will be marketed in the colder states because of its snow/ice melting features for the consumer market. The business market will also be targeted in the colder states. Industrial Analysis Competitor Analysis Safety Step competition for the consumer market comes in many forms. The snow shovel is one source of competition in which the homeowner believes that if they just shovel well enough there will be no need for the product. Another competitor is the chemical product that the homeowner throws on top of the ice and as the chemical starts to work the ice is melted. The shovel and chemicals both need to be used after the snow or ice has built up whereas the Safety Step prevents snow and ice from forming on the walkway eliminating the potential of someone slipping. Segmentation Market segmentation for this product is important to justify the necessary marketplace needs. This product may be useful for some clients, and yet others may not find a need. This segmentation process is important to understand the needs of the client. A client who lives in Mexico is most likely not going to need a mat that warms up. This is understandable that this is not the target demographic . Criteria The geographic segmentation involves extensive research into the needs of the clients within the different areas. Demographic segmentation is based on the age, income level, purchasing power, gender, family size, nationality, religion, education (Mathe, 2010). The demographic segmentation focuses more on the larger purchases that a family may make such as a home or vehicle. Target Markets The sale of this product is more likely to be based on geography. Certain states with different climates will be more inclined to purchase a product that they can use in the winter. The Safety Step will be marketed to the all states that have a temperature that drops below 40 degrees in a normal year. These states will be the primary sales areas, but the product will also be available through website and catalog throughout the world. This product is important for those who have had issues with bad weather and are having issues with safety outside. Differentiation and Positioning The competing consumer products are shovels and chemical products that melt snow and ice after it has formed. Safety Step will be marketed with the approach that the mat melts snow and ice before it can build up on the customer’s step. The plan is to draw attention to the fact Safety Step is a safer product because it does not allow the snow and ice to build up on the step whereas the competitor’s product does. This will give Safety Step the unique position of promoting the product as safer than the competitor’s promotes. Another marketing strategy that will be used is the Safety Step’s ease of use. The plan is to market Safety Step to the consumers with the information that the all the consumer needs to do is lay the mat down on the step and plug it in before the weather turns cold. The approximate cost to operate is $0. 02 per hour. This is an estimate based on the cost per kilowatt-hour is $0. 15. Cost per kilowatt-hour may vary by state or region. The marketing approach will continue by stating Safety Step will provide a snow/ice from form on the walkway even during a heavy snowstorm unlike shovels or chemical products that require the consumer to go outside and shovel or apply the chemical to the step. The position defined with ease of use approach will be put the Safety Step on the consumer’s steps at the beginning of the cold weather plug it in and the consumer does not need to bother with the product until spring comes. This will differentiate the product from shovels and chemicals that have to be used frequently during winter months. Product Life Cycle Product life cycle needs to be understood and managed for a product to be successful. The market introduction phase for Safety Step may be a longer process than other products handled by Ames Company because there is no other product currently on the market similar to the Safety Step. The marketing approach during the introduction phase will be to demonstrate the product at local Home and Garden shows held in major cold weather cities throughout the United States. Additionally, direct mailings will be sent to households in major cold weather cities informing the consumer of the product. These approaches should provide the interest needed for the product to move into the market growth phase of the product life cycle. The market growth phase of Safety Step should last one winter season and possibly even two winter seasons before competitors develop a similar product. During the market growth phase advertising will continue with the direct personal approach for sales. The plan is to have one-on-one meetings and demonstrations of the product in the customer’s home. It is expected that the demonstrations will increase word of mouth publicity that will increase sales. Once the consumer interest has been established and the competition has similar products Safety Step will enter the market maturity phase of the life cycle. During this phase the marketing approach will be to offer discounts for consumers who buy more than one Safety Step. The advertising for Safety Step during the maturity phase will point out Safety Step’s durability and quality attributes as well as pointing out any other attribute that Safety Step has that the competition does not. The maturity phase of the life cycle should last a minimum of two to three years before another better product is introduced and sales start to decline. The sales decline life cycle may be short in duration as the new products take sales away from Safety Step. The approach during the sales decline phase will be to advertise the Ames company brand along with the products quality and durability features. The product price may also have to be reduced to keep consumers interest. The price will only be lowered to such that the company is still making a small profit but not much. The production of Safety Step will be stopped once the competition has driven the price below the cost to produce the product. Planning a marketing strategy for all four phases of the product life cycle will help to make Safety Step a successful product. Marketing mix In order for an organization to be successful, balance marketing fosters the termination of a new product or service. When examining the marketing mix for a product launch or new service eliminating the threat factor can happen if managed correctly. Understanding the tools are necessary, as marketers call the four Ps, will put the right product or the right type of service at the right point of sale price. Product and Service A new product or service first step is to consider where to begin, create and develop the process launch unto the public. An organization considers itself first when asking does it meet the needs in the perspective for the customer, how assessable can the organization provide and distribute its product or service; moreover, will the customer consider that the new product is a fair price and easy to remember the brand because the marketing communications developed. Type of Product Introducing Safety Step when weather grows tough and budgets are tighter, customers can rely on Ames to offer a quality new product at an extraordinary price. Safety Step is a heated floor mat offered to both homeowners and commercial businesses. This product provides safety steps while walking through and on incremental weather, snow, ice, or wet surfaces. The heated mat electrical waves built within provide enough heat to penetrate through snow and ice. The melted and wet surface drains from the sides of covered area. The technology and design of the durable nonslip diamond-top surface has ? in diameter holes for excellent drainage and traction. Features †¢Vinyl top is tough enough to take abuse from works shoes and wheelchairs. †¢Safe comfort provides workers with a cushioned area to stand or work that decreases strain on feet and legs. †¢Resist oil, greases, and liquid †¢ Runners (sides of the mat) are beveled around the entire mat to prevent tripping hazards †¢Snow /ice melting features for consumers/ business markets †¢Versatile can also be unitizes landscaping Identification/ Brand Ames Corporation is a quality merchandiser that customers can trust with reliable service. Ames distinguishes products from the competition with unique colors, and custom features that extends mats through easy attachments. Production and Delivery Service Products can be ordered online through secure shopping 24 hours a day. If a customer is registered through Ames website, Ames will offer discounts of 10%. Orders on a telephone have direct access to talk with a customer service representative. Orders in and service by mail fax, online or phone features to keep any customer happy. Ames has several large warehouses with large stock quantities. Shipping in some cases will be free, and for large orders because of super size surfaces coverage, Ames provides installing services as customer courtesy. Pricing The Safety Step mat has little to no competition in the market in comparison to other products as potato chips. The research has shown that less than 10 competitor mats are available for purchase now. The competitor’s mats range from $99. 95 to $127. 98. These mats are primarily online with little to no advertisement. The Safety Step will be priced accordingly to ensure sales are possible for the company and the employees. Although there is not a single way to price a product there are many ways to test the market and find an appropriate price for an item. The pricing strategy for this product begins with performing a market analysis, segmentation, targeting, and positioning. Understanding that this mat is most useful in an environment that is more likely to have ice or snow is necessary when analyzing the market. The product sales will need to be focused on the beginning of the winter season. The spring and summer months are less likely to have a large amount of sales. The demand will increase in the beginning of the winter cycle; the price of the item should coincide to help sell the item. The cost of production will also have an effect on the product. The company will attempt to maximize the current profit, while taking into account revenue and costs. Maximizing the quantity of product is justified to have preparation of customers. The status quo is keeping the product stable avoiding price wars among other companies. The company will choose to focus on a cost plus pricing method to achieve the production costs as well as a small profit to achieve a toehold in the market. Once the product has been placed for sale the market will show the company what if any reduction of price should take place. If the product sells quickly than the company may need to reevaluate their pricing strategy for the future. Safety Step will be price competitively at $99. 00. Production costs for each mat is roughly $38 dollars, distribution costs is a percentage of each sale and base pay for the sales team. This comes to about $15 dollars per mat sold. If the staff sells 100 mats to a retailer, they will net $1500 dollars. Marketing of the product is $3 dollars per mat. The retail price of the mat should be $99 dollars; this price is based on the $56 dollars in costs and overhead with $10 dollars going to the retail establishment for sales. This leaves a profit of $33 dollars per mat. This profit will go toward revelation of the product and the continued manufacturing of the product. Based on 100 mat sales the company would make $3300 dollars in profit. This mat must have 1000 sales in order for the company to have a good profit base. Once the market has been tested with this price the sales will show if the product price is too high or too low. Placement The company will have Safety Step manufactured at the existing facility in Camp Hill Virginia. This manufacturer will complete an established amount of mats within the necessary time frame. Production costs are based on the different sizes, and components of the mats. The company may decide to focus on three sizes than they must have three separate prices and production costs for the mats. The company will focus on one mat that is 24 x 5; this particular mat has 120 volts and 263 watts. This mat is one color and one size to make the production costs less than they would be in the future. Promotion Promoting a product is not only about developing the correct product at the correct time, but also the communication involved with all parties. A company would not want to promote a product that was used for ice and snow in a climate that never receives snow or ice; the likely hood of the product selling is not very high. Promotion is the fourth â€Å"P† in the marketing mix designed to teach the end consumer about the product, what the product does and how the product can help the user. What benefits the consumer will receive from the product and will the price of the product fit into the budget. Promotion is also used to persuade a customer that the product is the correct one for him or her. The promotional mix is a combination of personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and websites. The first thing a company needs to ask its self is what strategy they believe will work best for the company, will they use the â€Å"PUSH† or the â€Å"PULL† method. Safety Step believes the â€Å"PULL† method would work best for the new heated mat. The PULL STRATEGY requires direct interface with the end user of the offering. Use of channels of distribution is minimized during the first stages of promotion and a major commitment to advertising is required. The objective is to â€Å"pull† the prospects into the various channel outlets creating a demand the channels cannot ignore (Center for Business Planning, 2010, para 12). The product cannot be promoted effectively in warmer areas causing the company to work with specific areas and to build a strong bond with customers to help ensure safety. Safety Step will focus on the benefits of product advertising. This is especially beneficial when you have introduced a new approach to solving a user need and comparison to the old approaches is inappropriate (Center for Business Planning, 2010). † Initial Sales Promotion Safety Step will focus sales of the heated floor mat through the company website www. safetysteps. com. Sales from the website are virtually free of charge to the company with only a small set up fee and the process of fulfilling the orders. Personal selling to households and businesses in major cold weather cities will be the main focus in the initial selling process. Safety Step wants to have a personal relationship with its customers; with one-on-one meetings and demonstrating the product in a home or business setting to allow the customer to feel comfortable to ask questions and see the product in person with no pressure. Safety Step believes that with this approach the product can sell its self and the customer will learn Safety Step is about not only safety but also the customer. Safety Step will advertise through direct mail via an 8 ? x 11 glossy sheet showing areas used without a mat and also used with a mat. Ames the parent company has a large database of addresses, phone numbers and e-mail address for both businesses and homeowners available to Safety Step. The flyer will also picture other options currently available for snow and ice removal including salt pellets, sand and rocks, Sodium chloride (NaCL), which may contain cyanide. Calcium chloride (CaCl) is slightly better because less goes farther, but it is still not ideal, considering its run-off still increases algae growth, which clogs waterways. Potassium chloride is another salt to avoid. Customers will learn the advantages of Safety Step and how it will not only help the customer but also landscape plants, especially those particularly salt-sensitive, like tulip poplars, maples, balsam firs, white pines, hemlock, Norway spruce, dogwood, redbud, rose bushes, and spirea bushes (The Daily Green, 2010). Landscaping can be an expensive cost to customers and the Safety Step can eliminate the need for chemicals that can cause damage and even death to landscape plants. Safety Step will have promotions for customers who wish to purchase more than one mat and with the purchase of the accessory all in one transaction. Contests also can be used to find the most creative ways a mat has been applied around a business or home. This will not only benefit the customer but also the business with a flow of new ideas and ways to better help the end user. Budget Safety Step has allotted a budget of 11. 7 million dollars for the first year of operations. Areas covered include personnel, marketing research, marketing communication, channels, customer acquisition, retention, and other. Safety Step has looked at each area and broken each section into sub-sections see appendix B attached. Safety Steps has allotted the largest portion to the personnel section. The personnel section has sub-sections of salaries/wages, benefits, payroll taxes, commissions, and bonuses. Salaries and wages tops out the chart at 7. 2 million in burden with taxes coming in second at two million. Safety Step believes the allotted amounts should cover the personnel section with a contingency included. Marketing and Research have a budget of 260 thousand dollars. This amount covers both the primary and secondary research for the Safety Step mat. Secondary research has been allotted approximately five thousand per month to cover quality problems should they exist. Safety Step and the Ames Company are known for their quality products and service and keeping a fund for problems is essential. Marketing Communications falls second in regard to cost of budget. A budget of 1. 1 million has been set. The areas with the larger amounts being spent are branding at 240 thousand, advertising at 435 thousand, and public relations at 140 thousand. Advertising the Safety Step in a positive and customer-focused atmosphere is critical for the continuance of the product. Channels have a budget of 96 thousand. Channels include communications and training, promotions and incentives, and commissions/bonuses. Commissions and bonuses are awarded in December of each year allowing a budget only in December. Training and communication is included to ensure the quality of the sales team at Safety Step. Incentives are also included each month to promote the sales team. The sales team, production, and office staff will need focus and drive and offering incentives will help with morale and positive workflow. Safety Step has a section for other to include postage, attorney fees, telephone, travel, computers, and office equipment. Postage will be a large expenditure with mass mailings to costumers to educate them in Safety Step. Travel is the largest expenditure in the other sections; because of the need for salespeople in strategic areas (cold weather cities) to promote Safety Step. Computers and equipment is the second largest expenditure for the other section, Safety step believes in year two this amount should drop dramatically. Computers and office equipment are needed to offer both the customer and employees piece of mind. The computers can offer piece of mind by fast reliable service for ordering, processing claims, and tracking inventory. Attorney fees are in the section to have an on hand attorney office for any needs that may arise. Monitoring and Evaluating Effectiveness A successful development process for Safety Step starts with Ames 5D Principles; in addition, will apply a perceptual map for identify opportunities by highlighting unsatisfied needs of the customer to gain an edge because Safety Step goal must differentiate. DISCOVERDEVISEDESIGNDEVELOPDEPLOY Good Data Organizations values and Philosophy Perceptual Map SWOT Analysis Message Strategy Brand name, label, and packaging Production staff functionality controls changes and defects Execute with confidence Production method and delivery of service Target Customers and customers feedback Measurable Data Developed copy writer and creative art ads Testing phase implementing mat to diverse weather conditionsPlan activities around promotions Purchase Behavior Marketing Strategies Competitor AnalysisPromote safety step phrase in visual and verbal expressionsResearch and testing staying ahead of the competition Evaluate preparations for the next four years plan Review and research Geographical ConsiderationsPlanning process through project managers Challenging target market , but avoiding costly errorsTracking movement of sales and awareness of recommendations Perceptual map gives a visual representation to the marketing team of customers’ perception of Safety Step aids in the positioning strategy. The insight gained from the perceptual map can be formulated through the four parameters’; therefore, implementing a guide of a before and after execution. Ames understands that increase of profit and sales drives the success in marketing execution, but a good marketing team also understands it is not the best indicators. During the course of an execute launch of a new product sales sometimes remain flat. Ames will identify all performance indictors with comprehensive reports so that through execution of the 5Ds principles, perceptual map, and knowing the parameters for development will be modified the next four years. The success of Safety Step growth stage in an oligopoly market can keep the competitions in uncertainly. Ethics and Social Responsibility The marketing efforts will be monitored to ensure that Safety Step will be promoted accurately to the consumer. The advertisement for Safety Step will only contain information that is true and accurate for the product. Packaging of the product will not have any misleading claims but rather describe the product accurately. Salespeople will also receive training to communicate accurately the product without pressuring customers while they are demonstrating the product during the door to door campaign. The company’s goal is to promote the product accurately by having knowledgeable salespeople that provides product information not pressure. Conclusion Developing a marketing plan with Perceptual Maps, SWOTT analysis, identifying environmental factors affect marking decisions. These business decisions move the product life cycle and identifies the appropriate price strategy along with public relations opportunities for Safety Step. Therefore, allowing Team C to answer all questions, without this structure information could not be obtained in an orderly prompt manner. ? References: (n. d. ). Ames true temper: past present and future. Retrieved from http://www. ames. com/aboutus. html (n. d. ). Ames Shovel Works. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from http://www. responsiblegrowthforeaston. com/shovel_shop/ShovelWorksHistory. pdf Center for Business Planning (2010). Marketing Plan. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from http://www. businessplans. org/Market. html Current Results (2010). Coldest Places in United States. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www. currentresults. com/Weather-Extremes/US/coldest. php Kerin, Berkowitz, Hartley, and Rudelius Chapter 9, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2004 New York, NY Mathe, AR (2010). Market Segmentation Targeting Positioning. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from website http://www. scribd. com/doc/24765486/Market-Segmentation-Targeting-Positioning-by-amarnath. NCDC (2010). Snowfall – Average Total In Inches. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from Pearce, Jack and Richard Robin, ( 2004). Chapter 1, Overview of Strategic Management. Retrieved March 5, 2010 from University of Phoenix, rEsource, Bus475 course Website. The Daily Green (2010). 9 Eco-friendly Ways to De-Ice Your Driveway. Retrieved March 21,2010, from http://www. thedailygreen. com/living-green/blogs/green-products-services/driveway-ice-environment-55013001 U. S. Census Bureau, (2000). United states — states; and puerto rico . Retrieved from http://factfinder. census. gov/servlet/GCTTable? _bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=US-9|US-9S&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTH5_US9&-CONTEXT=gct (n. d). Washington, Mount. Retrieved from Britannica Online database. ? Appendix A: 2000 US Census Bureau Total Housing Units Geographic areaTotal housing units United States115,904,641 Alaska260,978 Colorado1,808,037 Connecticut1,385,975 Delaware343,072 District of Columbia274,845 Idaho527,824 Illinois4,885,615 Indiana2,532,319 Iowa1,232,511 Maine651,901 Maryland2,145,283 Massachusetts2,621,989 Michigan4,234,279 Minnesota2,065,946 Montana412,633 Nebraska722,668 New Hampshire547,024 New Jersey3,310,275 New York7,679,307 North Carolina3,523,944 North Dakota289,677 Ohio4,783,051 Oregon1,452,709 Pennsylvania5,249,750 Rhode Island439,837 South Dakota323,208 Utah768,594 Vermont294,382 Washington2,451,075 Wisconsin2,321,144 Wyoming223,854 Total59,763,706 (U. S. Census Bureau, 2000) ? Appendix B: Budget (amounts in thousands) Marketing Budget Plan Safety Step JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal Personnel Salaries, wages800 400 400 400 800 800 800 400 800 800 800 $ 7,200 Benefits 100 100 100 100 100 $ 500 Payroll taxes 500 350 400 150 200 200 200 $ 2,000 Commissions and bonuses 100 $ 100 Total$800$400$1,000$400$1,250$800$1,300$0$550$1,100$1,000$1,200 $ 9,800 Market Research Primary research 100 100 $ 200 Secondary research10 10 10 10 10 10 $ 60 Library management $ – Total$10$0$10$100$10$0$10$0$10$0$110$0 $ 260 Marketing Communications Branding60 60 60 60 $ 240 Advertising50 100 50 25 100 100 10 $ 435 Web sites2 2 2 2 2 10 10 10 2 10 10 10 $ 72 Direct marketing20 10 10 10 10 10 10 $ 80 Internet marketing10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 $ 80 Collateral $ – Press relations5 5 5 5 5 5 5 $ 35 Public relations20 20 20 20 20 20 20 $ 140 Analyst relations $ – Events5 5 5 5 5 5 5 $ 35 Total$172$2$12$2$62$160$110$85$62$160$160$130 $ 1,117 Channels Channel communications and training10 10 10 10 10 10 $ 60 Channel promotions and incentives2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 $ 16 Channel commissions/bonuses 20 $ 20 Total$12$12$12$10$10$12$2$2$0$0$2$22 $ 96 Customer Acquisition & Retention (CAR) Lead generation 10 10 10 10 10 $ 50 Customer loyalty2 5 5 2 5 4 3 $ 26 Total$2$0$0$10$10$5$5$12$0$15$4$13 $ 76 Other Postage8 10 10 10 10 $ 48 Attorney fees5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 $ 60 Telephone2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 $ 24 Travel12 8 8 8 8 12 12 12 8 18 18 18 $ 142 Computers and office equipment10 5 5 5 10 10 10 10 5 10 10 10 $ 100 Total$37$20$20$20$25$39$39$29$20$45$45$35 $ 374 Total Marketing Budget$1,033$434$1,054$542$1,367$1,016$1,466$128$642$1,320$1,321$1,400 $ 11,723

Process Proposal Essay

The process that is being analyzed is the payroll process at a firm. The process can be viewed as a series of steps done on a daily basis and then at month end when salaries are to be distributed. Their process flow along with diagrams is given below. Daily: The work of the system starts as soon as an employee enters and checks in for the days work. Every employee owns a magnetic swipe card which is given to him/her upon employment at dollar. The swipe card machine notes and stores the time of entry and exit for every employee along with other necessary information such as employee number, name etc. at the day end, this data is imported to the current system database (running on FoxPro) using a third party software. Issues such as total time worked per day (depending on employee type), overtime, absences and leaves are resolved then and there. Every employee, in case of over time put in, is handed a sheet at the day end called the ‘Overtime Sheet’. Records of it are maintained by respective supervisors as well as the current system. Monthly: At month end, the data that has been accumulated over the whole period along with the overtime sheets that every employee submits is used to calculate total salaries of the employees and then paid to them in the form of payslips. All deductions and additions regarding overtimes, absences, leaves etc. are resolved and then sent to the supervisors for verification. Upon verification, deductions regarding gratuities and additions such as benefits, allowances etc. are verified from the HR system records and then forwarded to the account system for tax deductions. The final process is then to transfer funds to each employee’s personal account and distribute payslips to each one of them. The transfer is carried out by the accounts department in co-ordination with the HR system and the payslips are distributed via supervisors. A diagram that illustrates this process is given below: As it can be seen, the process has various repetitive steps that can easily be eliminated if a computerized system is used. Especially the processes at month end, these can be shortened a lot if redesigned and enabled with IT.

Au Cas Où - French Expression Explained

Au Cas Oà ¹ - French Expression Explained The French expression Au cas oà ¹ (pronounced [o ka oo], note that there is no liaison between cas and oà ¹) literally translates  to in the case where Explanation and Examples The French expression au cas oà ¹ is exactly equivalent to (just) in case in English. You can use it in front of a subject plus verb in the conditional, in which case its register is normal to formal. The more interesting - and informal - usage is when its tacked on to the end of a sentence. If you dont already use au cas oà ¹ regularly, you soon will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Au cas oà ¹ il rentrerait avant nous, je vais lui laisser un mot.  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Just) in case he gets home before us, Im going to leave him a note.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Apporte un parapluie, au cas oà ¹ il pleuvrait.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bring an umbrella, (just) in case it rains.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Apporte un blouson, au cas oà ¹.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bring a jacket, just in case. Synonymous Expressions For au cas oà ¹ conditional: dans le cas oà ¹des fois quepour le cas oà ¹ For the informal au cas oà ¹ at the end of a sentence: tout hasardpour le cas oà ¹

Gregorian Calendar - Overview and History

Gregorian Calendar - Overview and History In the year 1572, Ugo Boncompagni became Pope Gregory XIII and there was a crisis of the calendar - one of Christianitys most important dates was falling behind with respect to the seasons. Easter, which is based on the date of the vernal equinox (the first day of Spring), was being celebrated too early in the month of March. The cause of this calendrical confusion was the over 1,600 year-old Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar in the year 46 BCE. Julius Caesar took control over the chaotic Roman calendar, which was being exploited by politicians and others with the haphazard addition of days or months. It was a calendar horribly out-of-synch with the seasons of the earth, which are the result of the rotation of the earth around the sun. Caesar developed a new calendar of 364 1/4 days, closely approximating the length of the tropical year (the time it takes the earth to go around the sun from the beginning of spring to the beginning of spring). Caesars calendar was normally 365 days long but included an extra day (a leap day) every four years to account for the extra one-quarter of a day. The intercalary (inserted into the calendar) day was added prior to February 25 each year. Unfortunately, while Caesars calendar was almost accurate, it wasnt quite accurate enough because the tropical year is not 365 days and 6 hours (365.25 days), but is approximately 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes, and 46 seconds (365.242199 days). Therefore, the calendar of Julius Caesar was 11 minutes and 14 seconds too slow. This added up to be a full day off every 128 years. While it took from 46 BCE to 8 CE to get Caesars calendar functioning properly (initially leap years were being celebrated every three years instead of every four), by the time of Pope Gregory XIII the one day every 128 years added up to a full ten days of error in the calendar. (Purely by luck did the Julian calendar happen to celebrate leap years on years divisible by four - during Caesars time, the numbered years of today didnt exist). A serious change needed to take place and Pope Gregory XIII decided to repair the calendar. Gregory was aided by astronomers in developing a calendar that would be more accurate than the Julian calendar. The solution they developed was almost perfect. Continue on Page Two. The new Gregorian calendar would continue to be comprised of 365 days with an intercalary added every four years (moved to after February 28 to make things easier) but there would be no leap year in years ending in 00 unless those years were divisible by 400. Therefore, the years 1700, 1800, 1900, and 2100 would not be a leap year but the years 1600 and 2000 would. This change was so accurate that today, scientists need only add leap seconds every few years to the clock in order to keep the calendar matching the tropical year. Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull, Inter Gravissimus on February 24, 1582 that established the Gregorian calendar as the new and official calendar of the Catholic world. Since the Julian calendar had fallen ten days behind over the centuries, Pope Gregory XIII designated that October 4, 1582 would be officially followed by October 15, 1582. The news of the calendar change was disseminated across Europe. Not only would the new calendar be utilized but ten days would be lost forever, the new year would now begin on January 1 instead of March 25, and there would be a new method of determining the date of Easter. Only a few countries were ready or willing to change to the new calendar in 1582. It was adopted that year in Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and France. The Pope was forced to issue a reminder on November 7 to nations that they should change their calendars and many did not heed the call. Had the calendar change been promulgated a century earlier, more countries would have been under Catholic rule and would have heeded the Popes command. By 1582, Protestantism had spread across the continent and politics and religion were in disarray; additionally, the Eastern Orthodox Christian countries would not change for many years. Other countries later joined the fray over the following centuries. Roman Catholic Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands switched by 1584; Hungary changed in 1587; Denmark and Protestant Germany switched by 1704; Great Britain and its colonies changed in 1752; Sweden changed in 1753; Japan changed in 1873 as part of Meijis Westernization; Egypt changed in 1875; Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Turkey all changed between 1912 and 1917; the Soviet Union changed in 1919; Greece switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1928; and finally, China changed to the Gregorian calendar after their revolution of 1949! Change wasnt always easy, however. In Frankfurt as well as London, people rioted over the loss of days in their lives. With each change to the calendar around the world, laws established that people could not be taxed, paid, nor would interest accrue over the missing days. It was decreed that deadlines still had to take place in the correct number of natural days following the transition. In Great Britain, Parliament legislated the change to the Gregorian calendar (by this time simply called the New Style calendar) in 1751 after two unsuccessful attempts at change in 1645 and 1699. They decreed that September 2, 1752 would be followed by September 14, 1752. Britain needed to add eleven days instead of ten because by the time Britain changed, the Julian calendar was eleven days off the Gregorian calendar and tropic year. This 1752 change also applied to the American colonies of Britain so the change was made in the pre-United States and pre-Canada at that time. Alaska didnt change calendars until 1867, when it transferred from a Russian territory to a part of the United States. In the era after the change, dates were written with O.S. (Old Style) or N.S. (New Style) following the day so people examining records could understand whether they were looking at a Julian date or a Gregorian date. While George Washington was born on February 11, 1731 (O.S.), his birthday became February 22, 1732 (N.S.) under the Gregorian calendar. The change in the year of his birth was due to the change of when the change of the new year was acknowledged. Recall that prior to the Gregorian calendar, March 25 was the new year but once the new calendar was implemented, it became January 1. Therefore, since Washington was born between January 1 and March 25, the year of his birth became one year later upon the switch to the Gregorian calendar. (Prior to the 14th century, the new year change took place on December 25.) Today, we rely on the Gregorian calendar to keep us almost perfectly in line with the rotation of the earth around the sun. Imagine the disruption to our daily lives if a new calendar change were required in this most modern era!

Hypo-kinetic diseases and physical activity Essay

Hypo-kinetic diseases and physical activity - Essay Example 2014). Apart from genetics, excess weight in young children results from overeating of unhealthy junk, oily and sugary foods combined with under-exercise which leads to fat accumulation below body tissues (Erlichman, J.et al, 2002).To some children, overeating has been associated with esteem issues. Hypo-kinetic diseases cause adverse health issues like cardiovascular disease and type 2diabetes which are highly linked to increased rates of morbidity and mortality. As such, obesity in young children needs to be handled before they can be transferred into adulthood. To reduce obesity and overweight issues in children, in addition to a healthy lifestyle, children should be engaged in physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness (Hills, A. P.2013). However, physical exercise should be regulated to avoid accidents. Over-exercise in young women combined with prolonged starvation can cause brittle bones which fracture leading to skeletal risk. Some symptoms of over-exercise could includ e; missing or irregular menstrual cycle, extreme thinness, extreme weight loss and loss of appetite among such behaviors. Such signs should be adequately treated by consuming enough calories to sustain the level of physical activity and also moderating the level of exercise to match the age, energy consumption and sex (NIH,

Singapore - Recruitment and selection Assignment

Singapore - Recruitment and selection - Assignment Example Starbucks makes an effort to recruit the best candidates who can be groomed to take up different strategic positions in the organization. The company also uses the strategy of internship to nurture talent among the people still at college. Starbucks America and Singapore are not very different since they have the same vision and they operate using the same business principles and models. Both shops strive to be equal opportunity employers and they accommodate people from diverse backgrounds to work in their shops. There are different recruitment firms and agencies in Singapore and they use their websites to headhunt for talented employees for different placements. According to BlueSteps, the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) has 20 member executive search firms that operate in Singapore. This association specializes in executive recruiting across a diverse group of industrial sectors. Particular attention is paid on senior management roles and regional leaders. Firms intending to hire executive employees can use the services offered by these firms. There are also other employment agencies that offer services related to external recruitment to different organizations in Singapore. These professional recruitment firms are privately owned. ... According to HRM Asia, companies should make an effort to give first preference to locals in terms of recruitment. However, Americans can find it a bit easy to get work permits if they are going to work in American companies in Singapore. The main reason is that the Singaporean companies seek to recruit and attract the best talent from the expatriates going to work in this country. People with work permits can also apply for permits of their dependents so that they can also stay together in Singapore. The Strait Times is the best newspaper to advertise for a job or to search for different types of work available. This paper is very popular in Singapore and the employers and recruiters alike often use it to place advertisements for different jobs. It is comprised of a jobs section and it covers different types of jobs from ordinary to executive posts. The paper also uses online advertisements for different jobs in Singapore. The internet is widely used by the recruiters to search for suitably qualified candidates to fill different vacancies in various organizations. There are also websites such as jobs.com that are used by employers to recruit suitably qualified employees to join their companies. Basically, the structures of advertisements in Singapore and America are not very different. They contain similar information which is basic about a particular job being advertised. For instance, each advertisement has information like job position, tasks to be performed by the incumbent person qualifications as well as experience. The advertisements also have information such as contact details that can be used by the potential candidates to respond to. The advertisements in these two countries are designed in such as way that they are easy to