Early Identification of Gifted Children Essay

Gifted children are special children that need to be given the right education and attention. They are usually categorized on their capacity to do and produce. Huang (2008) wrote an article on the necessity of identifying them at the earliest time possible in order to nurture, cultivate, and lead them to a successful life. The article is entitled â€Å"Early Identification: Cultivating Success for Young Gifted. In its abstract it stated that â€Å"early identification and cultivating gifted preschoolers provides appropriate education for young children† (Huang, 2008). The kind of education that must be provided to learners must indeed depend on their capacity to learn and understand the concepts and the skills. It is difficult to impose concepts and to require mental and physical exercises beyond the capacity of the children. However, it is also equally frustrating for children of higher capacity to do lesser tasks when they have higher level of comprehension and performance. It is important therefore that parents must be able to assess the capacity of their children. It is imperative that parent must be able to detect that their children are not the usual children who can easily cope up with the environment and different situations as they expect them to be. The question however, would be the capacity of the parents and family members to identify the giftedness of their children. Parents could not waste time. The earlier time they can identify that there children are gifted, the greater the chances of leading their children to a fuller and happier life. This is what many other researchers have stressed on child giftedness: â€Å"There is no more crucial period in human development that childhood for maximizing the potential of gifted preschoolers (Odorn, Hanson, Blackman & Kaul, 2003 as cited by Huang, 2008)†. There are many ways in which child giftedness may be identified at an earlier stage. In Huang’s study where he utilized earlier researches and studies and reviewed relevant documents, he pointed out that early identification that were used in the 21st century were simple activities such as arranging of puzzles, building of blocks, and figuring of words on the back of cereal boxes. Huang investigated on the effectiveness of the implementation and the service treatment in three (3) phases: (1) â€Å"integrating the rationale of a development system of products; (2) analyzing service support and coordination and service approach about service treatment and benefits; and (3) outlining the future perspective. What Huang tried to establish in his study were also seen by other researchers such as Silverman (2007) who along with other researchers studies the development of gifted children. The following are some of the highlights in the study of Silver man that supports the thesis of Huang’s study: â€Å"(1) parents are excellent identifiers of giftedness of their children; (2) giftedness can be observed in the first three years; (3) when parents fail to recognize giftedness of children, teacher most likely do the same; (4) ideal age for testing is between five and eight; (5) second children are most likely gifted than firstborn children; (6) gifted children have different coping mechanisms and are likely to face problems; (7) they are asynchronous with uneven developments; (8) they have better social adjustment in classes with children like them; (9) traits such perfectionism, sensitivity, and intensity are associated with them; (10) most of them are introvert; (11) they have learning disabilities; and (12) giftedness cuts across all social groups (Silverman, 2007). The concept of Huang who stressed the need to identify giftedness was confirmed by Elhoweris (2008) who also explained what Silverman and her fellows found out in their years of practice. Elhoweris also pointed out that the gifted children are neglected in terms of educational and development programs: â€Å"One of the most serious problems plaguing in the field of gifted education is the need for the development of appropriate programs and identification procedures for gifted and talented students from different culturally and diverse backgrounds (Ford & Harris, 1991; Maker, 1996 as cited by Elhoweris, 2008)†. There is so much about child giftedness. Parent and teachers and the whole society must be work together in order to draw a better program that would bring out the best from the gifted children. Huang in his abstract of the study states: The experiences of early intervention in education can powerfully impact on attitudes toward learning confidence and later achievements for all children. The optimal development for gifted pre-school with individual special needs can be enhanced with intervention at early age (Huang, 2008). Parents and teachers then must be gentle and patient with their children and find every time and effort to identify the condition of their children or their students.The chance for the gifted children to succeed lies with the commitment of the parents and the educators. References: About. com. (1999). Young gifted children. GABC Newsletter. 1(1): 1 Retrieved October 5, 2008, from http://giftedkids. about. com/gi/dynamic/offsite. htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn= giftedkids&cdn=parenting&tm=221&gps=101_1013_796_713&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www3. telus. net/giftedcanada/erlychild. pdf Elhoweris, H. (2008). â€Å"Teacher judgment in identifying gifted/talented students. † Multicultural Education. Retrieved, October 5, 2008 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3935/is_/ai_n25500441 Goliath. com. (2008). â€Å"Considerations for conducting culturally responsive research in gifted education,† Gifted Child Today. Retrieved October 5, 2008 from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-8043736/Considerations-for-conducting-culturally-responsive. html Goliath. Com (2006). â€Å"Closing the achievement gap: How gifted education can help,† Gifted Child. Retrieved, October 5, 2008 from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-5841295/Closing-the-achievement-gap-how. html Huang, Y. H. (2008). â€Å"Early identification: Cultivating success for young gifted children,† Gifted Education International 24 (1): 118-124. Silverman, L. (2007). â€Å"What we have learned about gifted children,† Gifted Development Center. Retrieved October 5, 2008 from http://www. gifteddevelopment. com/ What_is_Gifted/learned. htm

Gloria Jeans Resarch Proposal Essay

Gloria Jeans started as a small coffee and gift shop in Chicago, USA in 1979. However, it wasn’t until 1995 that the company would become an Australian favourite, when the company was bought out by two Australian business men travelling in the USA. Today, Gloria Jeans operates over 1,000 coffee houses in 39 countries, but it is in Australia they are best known and loved, with over 460 coffee houses in Australia. Gloria Jeans has evolved from a simple coffee house into a specialty store, offering many different types of coffee, cakes and cold drinks. The market is highly competitive, and Gloria Jeans targets a younger demographic (peoples aged 18-25). Although successful, Gloria Jeans has been struck hard by giant competitors such as Starbucks and Au Bon Pain entering the Australian market, where Gloria Jeans has historically remained on top. Due to this, the company has decided to perform research to determine the preferences of their consumers, and to allow them to ensure their product mix is appropriate for their current customer base. Research Topic From the background information, the following research problem has been identified: To identify the types of customers that frequent Gloria Jeans coffee houses, to identify the types of products they purchase or are interested in purchasing, to determine the perceived quality of the products offered and to identify the patronage patterns of customers. The primary aim will be to determine the buying behaviour of Gloria Jeans customers, their perception of the products offered, if they prefer to drink coffee in house or take-away, and if the products offered are appropriate for the customers. As well as this, the company also wishes to determine the demographic features of its customers. Research Objectives The overall objective of the research is ‘to identify the consumption behaviour of Gloria Jeans’ customers’. This has been broken into the following three research objectives: 1) To determine the number of people who drink coffee, the frequency of their intake and whether do they prefer in-house or take-away coffee. 2) To identify whether the products available at Gloria Jeans are appropriate for the target market. 3) To examine customer attitude towards Gloria Jeans and its competitors in regards to product range, quality and comparability with competitors. These objectives aim to focus the research on the key areas identified and allow the development of a strategic research plan.

Deafness Critique Scholarly Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Deafness Critique Scholarly Articles - Essay Example In total 19 children participated in the study from which 10 were females and 9 males, aged 12-14 years. Children included in the study had binaural, sensori-neural severe to profound hearing loss. Children with hearing loss often have difficulties acquiring spoken language, vocabulary problems and reading comprehension deficits. Their voice and speech features disturb their speech intelligibility, which in turn disrupts their functioning in various areas such as communication skills, academic success and social behaviour. Spoken language deficits represent an enormous impediment for the construction of social relationships; likewise academic success may be affected because of reduced participation in the classroom. Children with hearing loss have difficulties to communicate with their teacher and hearing peers; in fact, students who are more skilful in their spoken language integrate better than their less skilled counterparts. The article examines socio-emotional characteristics of inclusion showing its relevance when educators are request to approach their students with disabilities in an efficient manner. A suitable educational program which fulfils the requirements of children with disabilities may help them to achieve optimal academic and social benefits. The investigator studied the relationship between speech intangibility in the context of group inclusion and individual inclusion. Group inclusion refers to special classes within regular schools; and individual inclusion refers to individuals integrated into regular classes with only hearing peers. Results of the study concerning emotional and social feelings of children with hearing loss, revealed no significant difference for either, sense of loneliness or sense of coherence between children in the two educational settings. These results are in line with the outcomes from other studies which reported similar findings indicating that increased loneliness experience and academic failure or educational s etting are not related. Indeed, the report of such socio-emotional feelings is intrinsic to the disability itself and to the experience of living with disabilities. Comparable to other children at risk for learning disabilities, children with hearing loss feel different from the rest of the group having deepest sense of loneliness and lower coherence. On the other hand the study showed a significant difference in relation to the score of speech intelligibility and the environment that surrounds the child. In group inclusion setting children had lower speech intelligibility score than did children in individual inclusion setting. On this respect the possibility to rely solely on spoken language makes the difference; children in group inclusion probably use simultaneously communication skills which are different from speech. Moreover, children attending individual inclusion at school rated by their peers as having better speech intelligibility reported less loneliness and more coheren ce. Bearing in mind that good speech intelligibility is used as criteria to include a child in one setting or another, cause-effect interaction should also be deliberated when considering these results. Inclusion involves modifications in the regular classroom to accommodate all different learners, offering special services to meet the needs of all children within the regular classroom. In an inclusive setting the educator has the primary responsibility for teaching

Law abstracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law abstracts - Essay Example The resulting document was described on its face as a bill of lading and consisted of three documents. The form was partially consistent with a traditional bill of lading, but was essentially a straight bill of lading. In an action for damages for the printing equipment, the plaintiff sought to rely on the Hague/Visy Rules. Outcome: In the hearing of first instance, an arbitral panel ruled that since the agreement for shipment was concluded by virtue of a straight bill of lading, the Hague Visby Rules were inapplicable. This decision was upheld the Commercial Court upon appeal. The Commercial Court ruled that the straight bill of lading was not within the parameters of Article 1(b) of the Hague/Visby Rules. The Court of Appeal reversed the Commercial Courts ruling and the defendant appealed to the House of Lords. In a unanimous decision, the House of Lords confirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal. The House of Lords ruled that, at the time of drafting and implementing the Hague/ Visby Rules, straight bills of lading were in widespread use among carriers and consignees. Had the drafters of the Hague/Visby Rules intended to exclude the Rules applicability to straight bills of lading, it would have specifically said so. ... In this regard, a straight bill of lading was covered by the Rules if it was either a bill of lading or some other document of title revealing the rights and duties of the parties. Commentary on the Case: Schmitz argues that the straight bill of lading is usually rejected as a formal bill of lading because it is usually non-transferrable. However, the House of Lords ruling in the Rafaela demonstrates the need for flexibility as technological advancements have changed the character and form of traditional bills of lading and it is now necessary to analyse content as opposed to form to determine whether or not a document can be regarded as a bill of lading or a similar document of title.1 Dockray also argues that the Raefela also cleared up â€Å"longstanding doubts† that a straight bill of lading was a bill of lading under the Hague/Visby Rules.2 The meaning of Seaworthiness pursuant to Article 3(1) Hague/Visby Rules Actis Co. Ltd. v Sanko Steamship Co. Ltd. (The Aquacharm) [19 82] 1 WLR 119. Plaintiff: Actis Co. Ltd. Defendant: Sanko Steamship Co. Ltd. (The Aquacharm) Facts: In 1971, the defendant deployed the Sanko on a time charter to transport a shipment of coal to Japan from the US. The charterers required that the ship be loaded to the draught which was permitted by the Panama Canal Company. The ship’s master permitted 43,000 tonnes of coal but failed to take into account the fact that the ship’s bow had a tendency to lean when passing out of salt water into fresh water during its journey through the Panama Canal while transporting the coal. As a result, the plaintiff’s cargo was delivered later than the time stipulated for delivery. Therefore the plaintiff sought damages for expenses

Environmental agency Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Environmental agency - Case Study Example Economic competition on a global scale brought about by the movement towards globalization has also contributed immense pressures on the environment. This is also argued in the context that sustainable development among poor nations had been a difficult task, given the tendency of these countries to undertake exploitive economic activities (mostly through extractive industries such as mining, forestry and agriculture). The depletion of their natural resources have only given these underdeveloped countries temporary economic activities which would disappear as soon as their resources have been depleted. It is often perceived that free trade and globalization only benefits those whio have the financial leverage, and at the expense of those who do not. Among the Third World countries facing such problems in terms of environmental degradation and growing economic pressures in the face of an ever-increasing population is the Philippines. A prime example of the high price the country has to face in its struggle for economic survival is the plight of the Pasig river. The Pasig River is the main river system in Metro Manila. Technically an estuary channel, its 25-kilometer stretch connects the large lake known as Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Laguna Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world had for centuries been a source of food, raw materials and the site of various economic activities. ... In the wet season when water elevation in the lake is higher than that of Manila Bay, the natural channel flow is from the lake emptying into the sea. The river is an invaluable ecosystem linking the lake and the sea. It is among the Philippines' numerous irreplaceable natural resources. Fish have spawned and their fries and fingerlings have been nurtured by the mineral-rich contents of this estuarine channel. Settlements have long occupied portions of the Pasig River even before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines. It served as the main highway among settlements located along its banks and functioned as the umbilical cord to other settlements within the interior locations both near and distant from Laguna de Bay. Like many rivers all over the world, the Pasig River has suffered from abuse and neglect. The Pasig River and its tributaries have long been pressed into service and these have taken their toll on the river. The once pristine and sparkling waters which provided clean drinking water to the elegant Spanish villas lining its banks has now been transformed into a virtual waste basin for an economically struggling industrial center that serves as the heart of a nation. More than 300 factories and 10,000 households have replaced the dainty native huts and romantic Spanish villas of old. The sweet and quenching waters have become a reeking soup of industrial and domestic wastes. The once abundant fish and plant life have been replace by only the toughest of scavengers, both animal and human alike. It is estimated that 330 tons of domestic and industrial wastes are discharged into the river every day. This

Diversity, legal rights of students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity, legal rights of students - Essay Example The IEP channels the delivery of special education services and supports for the student with a disability (La Venture, 2003). 3) Evaluations for special education. It should involve more than a single process, be nondiscriminatory, be done in a child's primary language, arranged by qualified multidisciplinary team, and tailored to gauge particular areas of need (La Venture, 2003). 4) Federal financial assistance. It will be given to local and state governments that provide full educational opportunities to students with disabilities. Since federal law regulates the rights of education for students with special needs, and due to the additional costs associated with educating these students, federal money is made available to schools based upon the number of students in the special education program. Every student, regardless of cost or disability, should be given by public school districts the right to an education within their schools (La Venture, 2003). 5) Due process procedures. Occasionally school districts and parents argue on how a child with disabilities must be educated. When this occurs, there are measures in place to deal with these conflicts. Parent involvement consists of a) the right to receive notice, b) equal partnership in the decision-making pr... ght to give approval for particular activities such as changes in placement, assessments, and release of information to others, d) and the right to join in all meetings regarding their child's special education (La Venture, 2003). 6) Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in which to learn. This concept reveals the act's solid inclination for educating students with disabilities in general education classes with the access to general education curriculum. Education in the general education classroom is the first placement preference the IEP team should consider. If the IEP team concludes that the student can be properly educated in the general education classroom via adjustments/additional services and aids, this is the LRE for that student (La Venture, 2003). The Four IDEA Re-authorizations 1) PL 99-457 (1986). PL 99-457 or "The Preschool Law" expanded services for young children or infants who are at risk or have disabilities. Two parts of the law, Part B and H, summarize services for children from 0 to 5 years old. Part B states that each state shall extend all the provisions of the law to young children with disabilities. Young children are now entitled to the six chief mandates that used to just cover older students. All states that will not conform will lose the federal funds they had been getting for other pre-school services. Part H encourages states to devise and execute a broad method of intervention for toddlers or even infants with disabilities or developmental delay (Apling & Jones, 2002). 2) PL 101-476 (1990). PL 101-476 amended the title of the special education act to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), also known as the "Person First" act. The aim of the law is to understand children first and the disability second. All terms having the

Globalization and its affects on the State of Maine Research Paper

Globalization and its affects on the State of Maine - Research Paper Example Put simply, globalization is the idea that with trade barriers falling down and connections between countries (such as the internet, cheap and efficient transportation etc.) the location of a product’s consumer and producer no longer need to have a connection to each other. Maine, like virtually every other part of the world, has been significantly affected by globalization. Globalization has had both positive and negative effects on the economy and lifestyles of people living in Maine. On the one hand Maine has been spared many of the out and out relocations of jobs to outside of the state due to the impracticality of relocating those industries that other places, such as Michigan, have had to deal with, while on the other a global market has still driven prices down, hurting manufacturers. These same falling prices, however, have been beneficial to the working class people who are most harmed by jobs moving away. Furthermore most economic theories state that, in the long ter m, Industry Globalization leads to the most efficient distribution of jobs and manufacturing across the planet in terms of money cost. Basically it states that if a job can be done or a product produced for less cost somewhere else than it is currently being done, the job or production moves to that new place. In the case of America, the largest consumer society ever seen in all of history, the calculation usually involves three fundamental principles: cost of labor, location of raw materials, and cost of shipping and production (Bilgin, 2004). America has relatively high labor costs, especially when compared with emerging markets such as China or India, which is what prompts many industries to move away(Bilgin, 2004). Luckily for Maine, however, many of the industries are impractical to move because high shipping and transport costs would more than offset any savings made by reducing labor costs. Maine has a small but important steel industry, for instance (Madar, 2009). This indus try is naturally protected from being moved elsewhere because it has such incredibly low labor costs per ton of steel produced, so even though Chinese steel foundries can often get labor for about ten percent of the cost of labor in Maine, the cost of shipping that steel from China to the consumer market on the east coast of the United States still ends up costing more than steel produced in Maine, with its higher labor costs (Madar, 2009). This same principle holds true for two of Maine’s oldest and most well known industries, the lumber and paper industries. Both of these industries involve moving around an processing incredibly heavy raw materials (wood in both cases) and have very high tonnage of product per unit of labor ratios. This means that they are inherently somewhat protected from the effects of globalization, because taking the raw materials (lumber) from Maine, transporting it to another country for processing then returning it to a consumer market in and around Maine would lead to such amazingly higher cost than just leaving the manufacturing jobs, even with high labor costs, in Maine. Maine’s other ancient and venerable industry, the fishing industry, is likewise protected to a certain degree from globalization by its very nature. The raw materials for Maine’s fishing industry can obviously be found nowhere except off the coast of Maine. While it is possible to by many of

Anthrolpology - Illegal Immigration and the Mexican people (research Essay

Anthrolpology - Illegal Immigration and the Mexican people (research paper) - Essay Example Many have, however, attempted to deny access to housing, schools, medical treatment and social programs to non-citizens. Some argue that U.S. laws apply to all within its borders, legally or not such as the Fifth Amendment right to due process of law. The laws certainly apply to all when they are broken. The federal government, to no one’s surprise, has been no help. For example, the Bush administration has long supported some form of amnesty which has enraged those that are opposed to illegal aliens living, working or going to school in the U.S. On the other hand, the administration also endorses the PATRIOT Act which denies constitutionally guaranteed rights to all people and further punishes immigrants in the effort to win the ‘war on terror.’ The ‘right’ answer escapes the government and many others as well because of the issue’s many complexities. This discussion will examine the immigration debate from a legal, economic and social view. It will present the administration’s answer to the problem along with an opposing opinion. It will also speak to laws germane to the debate including a brief review of the PATRIOT Act, the Fifth Amendment regarding due process and the Fourteenth Amendment which relates to automatic citizenship by birth. The fundamental reason for the flood of immigration from Latin America, specifically Mexico, is the disintegration of the Mexican economy predominantly resulting from free-trade strategies employed by the North American Free Trade Agreement and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The rampant corruption within the Mexican government has also contributed significantly to the collapse of the Mexican economy. â€Å"Due to IMF policies regarding Mexico, its economic output dropped 33 percent in the past two decades† (Small, 2005). During this period, its foreign debt rose 359

Sectionalism in the United States Essay Example for Free

Sectionalism in the United States Essay Cite Works Page Grimkes Appeal. Grimkes Appeal. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/abolitn/abesaegat.html. Welds American Slavery As It Is. Welds American Slavery As It Is. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/abolitn/abestwa8t.html. Primary Documents in American History. Missouri Compromise: Primary Documents of American History (Virtual Programs Services, Library of Congress). N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Missouri.html. Mason-Dixon Line. About.com Geography. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/masondixon.htm. History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research | Episodes. History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research | Episodes. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/1445. All throughout the early 1800s the country was separated in many different areas and arguing over irritable issues. Mainly between the North and the South, they both had a lot of issues and wanted to do what they felt was best for the people. Slavery was the more significant topic than any other topics like social structures, expansion, etc. Many of these topics played a role with the diversity of the country that led to desperate measures. This was an issue that continued all throughout the mid 1800’s. Vastly, slavery was played a big factor in the division between the North and South. The country was divided into two groups, which were known as slave holders and  abolitionists. Due to the desire of the south they wanted to acquire slaves for cheap, the North didn’t feel at ease with the situation, so the two groups were separated geographically. On the other hand, the North was not any economy based off agriculture or unskilled laborers because there economy was not dependent upon slaves. The North felt that there was no need for slaves, and they didn’t see slavery as fair or dignified. The South relied on slaves as a base of production; they use them to operate large farms and large cotton plantations. Many people tried to come up with a solution to the issue of slavery with compositions and bills that lay down laws to come into agreement with both sides. What made it happen was the Missouri Compromise. This document was able to set the standards during the time. It was also able to divide the country into two different groups geographically by a system called the 36 degree 30 minute line. This bill clearly stated that no states above the proposed line shall have slavery, with exception to those already in existence. This meant that all new states being brought into the country from different directions had an opportunity to have slavery if they lay below the line. Of course, the south wasn’t behind the idea, as it allowed the northern non-slave states to outnumber the southern slave-states in the south as far as representation in the government was concerned. Additionally to the slavery controversy was the moral issue and whether or not it was inhumane, and an injustice to the Negro. I dont see how the North cared about the southern slave, because they failed to recognize slaves as people, and much less as citizens. So, that makes me wonder how could you treat another human as if they were non-human, but still complain about their enslavement by other people for the benefit of your own country. A couple of different articles that could relate to this would be the â€Å"Appeal to the women of the south and Slavery as it is. These two articles discuss slavery in its wrong doing, and reasons why it should be extinguished. Both articles see slavery from a Christianity standpoint, and did not view it as something with the bible. In Appeal to the women of the South, there are all of quotes that are used directly from the Bible citing precise examples of slavery being wrong and an abomination to this country. Pertaining to sectionalism, another degree of nation division was expansion and the issues involved with it. The nation was growing at a rapid pace with young people, and different views and ideas  of world supremacy. You could say people’s views were split down the middle into two groups; the expansionists, and the non-expansionists. These two groups were not necessarily separate geographically as the north and south pertaining to slavery, but they were divided by the Mason-Dixon Line. When people tried to all come together and support the war of 1812, they advertised with the thought of a new found land, and how our country could be so much bigger. Sadly, the people began to get in tuned with war, and boasting about the acquiring of new found land, the noticed the struggles of the war, and realizing that our country was inexperienced and weak, they people began to lose hope. It wasn’t a dying need to attain land, and the people were not ecstatic about the war of England. It would have been an honor for the people to be able to say we beat England, but they knew this wasn’t the case. More often people who fantasized these ideas were typically northerners, in standard cities, rather than small agricultural communities. Besides the North, the south had a lot of fortune coming their way if they acquired more land. Compared to the North, the south was a more rural community, so they saw land as a great need, and were very passionate about the nation’s abilities in the war. As it all comes down to it, the war was won, but land didn’t result to a win or lost. As I touch up back on my topic, internal improvement divided the country by political parties. These parties consisted of republicans and federalists. Different perspectives on both sides were mixed, and they didn’t have that many geographical divisions. Another example of this would be in the Maysville Road Article. It was about a suggestion of a road being built with federal money, which resulted in a dispute. The government suggested that the road was for the wellbeing of people, and allowed an easy route through the mountains of Kentucky. Numerous amounts of people didn’t like the idea because it’s not presented fairly to each state. There was any inconsistent amount of money being distributed to different states including non-uniform benefits. This rapidly begins to make distant of the political parties, and create a lot of unwanted tension. Concluding this dispute, the federalist came out victorious, and the road was never constructed. Even though this didn’t turn out as planned, it shows the strive and determination in our nation since its apprehension. All of the examples I used represents the issues in which played a big duty in sectionalism, and the division of the United States of  America. In conclusion, the dispute of slavery was one of the major causes of the growing sectionalism before the civil war. Countless amounts of bills and sacrifices were made to make at ease the different viewpoints of the free and slave states. All of this resulted in the increases of sectionalism in the U.S. In the end, the government wasn’t able to be not relied upon nor stiff. The inconsistent views of slaver have to fade away for sectionalism to be gone and support the country.

Executing Strategies in a Global Environment Essay Example for Free

Executing Strategies in a Global Environment Essay Abstract This paper will analyze Federal Express’s value creation frontier, and determine which of the four building blocks of competitive advantage the company needs in order to continue their above average profitability. It will also explore the main aspect of product differentiations and capacity control of the company to maintain an edge on their rivals. Furthermore, for this assignment I will attempt examine the efficiency of FedEx’s current business model and recommend a new business level strategy that will give Federal Express a competitive advantage over it rivals. In addition, this paper will also examine the manner in which overall, global competition may influence my recommended business strategy and I will suggest a significant way that Federal Express can confront its global competition. Introduction Federal Express began operating in 1973, under the leadership of Fred Smith Jr. Before Federal Express, a major portion for small packaging airfreight flew on commercial passenger flights. Fred Smith believed that these two services should be treated differently, because the commercial passenger and cargo shipper had different needs. The commercial passenger they wanted the convenience of daytime flights. As for the cargo shippers, they preferred night services, which would afford them late afternoon pickups and next day delivery (Hill,2013). Since small-package airfreight only went out based on the commercial flight scheduling, it was hard for cargo shippers to achieve next day delivery. To remedy the shipping issue cargo shippers had Smith aimed to build a system that could achieve next day delivery of small package airfreight (Hill,2013). Today Federal Express has grown from a express delivery company to a global logistic and supply chain management company (Crane, et al., 2003). Over the years Federal Express was able to grow through acquistions and large investmenst in information technoloy. The company was also able to stand out from the rest best on their business model operate independently, compete collectively. Smith segmented his compnay into 6 different  component – FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services, which allowed each component to focus on their own maket segment. By segmenting of each component it provided Federal express the oppurtunity to focus more on customer. Even though Federal Express 6 different components operated seperatley the competed together under FedEx Corporation. Federal Express’s Value Creation Frontier and Their Four Building Blocks of Competitive Advantage Federal Express profitability depends on three factors: The value a customer places on t heir services, the price Federal Express charges for their services, and the cost Federal Express has to incur to produce the services they provide (Hll Jones, 2013). The more favorable these factors are the more value is bestowed on Federal Express’s product. To accurately value, a company’s product management must distinguish the difference between utility and price (Hill Jones, 2013). Utility is the customer’s satisfaction or happiness with using or owning a company’s product or services. Federal Express has stepped up to the plate by making shipping easier and convenient for their customer. Today we can find drop off boxes in front of office buildings and small neighborhood shipping stores. Having drop off boxes offers the customer anytime drop offs and no waiting time. Federal Express has also invested heavily in innovation to add to the customer’s experience (Crane, et al., 2003). The option of wireless technology and the ability to track deliveries and schedule picks on the company’s website provides the customer shipping right at their fingertips. For their global customer Federal Express can offer shipping option to more than two hundred companies. The prices Federal Express set for their services are higher than many of their competitors. Federal Express pricing is considered a premium, which reflects the high quality level of service FedEx provides (Crane, et al., 2003). Based on FedEx stance, their premium pricing is worth it, but they fail to realize their very price sensitive customer who may go with a more cheaper option for certain services (UPS). In this case it make it difficult for Fedex to standout based on branding and the amenties they offer. They may have to think of a different way to differeinate themselves from the competitior. Since Federal Express’s growth and customer, satisfaction comes with a high price tag. Their return on invested capital (ROIC) is very low compared to its biggest competitor UPS. In 2011, FedEx ROIC was 7.41% and UPS was 19.39%  (Hill, 2013). Some say in time the money FedEx spent to build up their company, technology infrastructure, and customer satisfaction may soon pay off. The other positive side is that FedEx spending and acquisition expenses have made it hard for new companies to enter and compete in the packaging industry Along with value creation, a company must excel in the four building block of competitive advantage efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness. How well a company performs in these four areas will determine their profitability and competitive advantage over the competitor. These four generic building blocks are a product of a company’s distinctive competencies, which will allow a company to differentiate its product and lower its cost structure (Hill Jones, 2013). In turn, sustain a competitive advantage and better profitability outcomes over their competitor. When determining a company’s efficiency we can look at what it takes (inputs) to produce a product or services (outputs). According to Hill and Jones, the more efficient a company is the fewer inputs it required to produce a particular output. The most common way to measure a company’s efficiency is through employee productivity – the out pout produced per employee (Hill Jones, 2013). When examining FedEx efficiency they were the first packaging company to invest in technology that enabled their employees to access company information wireless 24 hours a day. This wireless feature also allows the employee to collect packaging data, which allows employees to quickly enter packages into the company’s package tracking system, which reduces the possibility of error (Crane, et al., 2003). As for FedEx service, they can be review by its features, performance, durability, reliability, style, and design (Hill Jones, 2013). These features are used by customers to determine the quality level of the services that are offered by FedEx. Based on FedEx’s history, spending to build its infrastructure, and premium pricing FedEx is committed to providing a service of high quality standings. FedEx has also invested heavily in new technologies, which will improve their services, make it more reliable, and valuable to its customers (Amsler, Cullen, Erdmenger, 2010). An example that show FedEx is all about quality is their technology efforts such as tracking deliveries on their website, and offering convenient shipping at the customer’s fingertips. As mentioned before FedEx is all about innovation. They are into creating new services  and processes to make shipping easy and convenient for their customers. One of their major investments is the joint venture with University of Memphis. University of Memphis and FedEx have joined and formed the FedEx Institute of Technology. This investment will ensure that FedEx will not be let in dark when it comes to new technology (Crane, et al., 2003). When it comes to customer satisfaction FedEx tries to identify their customer needs. FedEx heard the customers demanded for a more convenient way of shipping. FedEx has extended drop off times by three hours, offer drop off boxes, and the ability for customer to schedule pickups on FedEx’s website. The only dissatisfaction is the premium pricing set on their services. FedEx fail to adhere to the demands of their cost sensitive customers. These are the customers who only care about inexpensive delivery services. This group of people may use FedEx as a last resort for their shipping needs. Product Differentiation The idea behind product differentiation is creating a product that satisfies the customers’ needs (Hill Jones, 2013). In order for a company to obtain a competitive advantage they must offer a product that better satistfies the customer’s need than its rival. When a company creates a stratergy that involves innovation, execellence, quality, and customer responsiveness they are offering custumers differentiation product. When the a company’s stratergy is about finding ways to increase efficiency and reliablity to reduce cost they are offering the customer low priced product (Hill Jones,2013). In the case of Federal Express their stratergy is not about offering a low priced product, but offering a product that is innovative, meets a high standard of execellence, high quality, and basing the product on the customer’s need. Federal Express understood the importance of differentiation. Since their strategy is not based on offering a low costing product Federal Express had to focus on information technology. Today customers are interested in monitoring their shipments, estimating arrival times, price and cost of shipments. These elements are important to most businesses and consumers as well as the safety of their delivery (Crane, et al., 2003). To satisfy the needs of their customers and to stand out from their competitor FedEx has  invested heavily in the technology infrastructure, which provides options for customers to track and validate shipments at their personal computer. Federal Express works hard to create a high quality level of service that is difficult for their rival to match (Crane, et al., 2003). Over the years, FedEx has been known as an innovator in the shipping sector, and providing a high level of quality services. Due to FedEx’s higher prices the level of service they provide may become unnoticed. To differentiate their standard of quality from their competitor FedEx lets their customers know that if they are willing to pay more it will be worth it (Crane, et al., 2003). Capacity Control With technology, forecasting, and planning strategies Federal Express is able to handle the fluctuating demand in shipping. With General Information Science (GIS) Federal Express is able to build routes for the driver, guide sorting activities of inbound freight, estimate and record delivery times. This information is stored on a cloud, which is use for future planning and test the durability of a route to accommodate package volume fluctuation (Conger, Dezemplen, Haas, McLeod, 2010). Efficiency of Federal Express’s Current Business Model Federal Express’s current business model is to â€Å"operate independently, compete collectively.† Currently Federal Express is under the leadership of FedEx Corporation. FedEx Corporations provides strategic direction and financial reporting for the following operating companies that compete collectively, but operate separately worldwide: FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services (Amsler, Cullen, Erdmenger, 2010). The idea behind â€Å"Operate independently, compete collectively† is that each company will operate independently, compete collectively and manage collaboratively. By operating independently, each of the organizational components (FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services) can focus solely on their market segment. Also by segmenting off each component by its own market segment has provided FedEx the competitive advantage in customer responsiveness and has limited wasted time and resources on problem that are not associated with each market (Amsler,  Cullen, Erdmenger, 2010). The benefit of all the organizational component competing collectively is carrying and competing under a well know name – FedEx, which is one of the most recognized names in the industry (Smith, 2005). Even though â€Å"operate independently, compete collectively† has worked for Federal Express thus far, but keep in mind it only provided FedEx with a competitive edge in specific customer focus. To gain a stronger competitive advantage FedEx should add cost leadership to their business level strategy. Cost leadership is a business model strategy that works towards lowering a company’s cost structure so they can make and sell their products at a lower price than its competitors (Hill Jones, 2013). This has been difficult for FedEx, because of their constant expenditures in their infrastructure (Amsler, Cullen, Erdmenger, 2010). Due to FedEx costly expenditures, they are unable to compete with their biggest rival, UPS in setting prices. Global Competition and the Impact on Suggested Business Strategy Based on the international shipping demand among integrated global corporations and manufactures it will be FedEx’s as well as its competitors best interest to enter into the global shipping industry. Global manufactures are interested in keeping their inventory at a minimum and have just in time delivery option. This way global manufactures can keep cost down, fine-tune their production, and meet delivery deadlines (Hill, 2013) . As for global corporation their shipping need are different. They are in need of fast and a safe way to ship document that are to confidential for internet transmisson or require a real signiture. These global coroporation are seeking for the same shipping services the receive in the U.S for their global operations (Hill, 2013). According to Case 7: â€Å"The Evolution of the Small Package Express Delivery Industry, 1973 -2010† the trend for global shipping need is forcasted to grow approxiamently 18% annually from 1996 to 2016. This means there is a big demand for air cargo operators to build global shipping networks that will allow them to provide shipping services across the globe with in a 48 hour time frame. Through acquistion Federal Express was able to build a global shipping network to meet the demand among intergrated global corporations and manufactures. The acquisition expenses, international start cost, customs regulation cost , labor issue associated with global shipping, and the barries to attaining landing right in many markets prevented FedEx to  include cost leadership in their global busines stratergy. Eventhough FedEx does not have the competitive edge when it come to pricing they are t more visible in the global shipping industry than their competitors. They can offer services and shipping time frames their rivals can not offer. FedEx also has shipping hubs all over the world, which include 600 or so air crafts , which allows them to provide shipping option most of their comepitives can not offer. Based on history this was very difficult for other companies to establish this task. Since very few competitor have the same golobal infrastructure as FedEx global companies relay more FedEx for the international shipping needs (Crane, et al., 2003) Conclusion In conclusion, Federal Express’s competitive advantage is not based on cost, but on its technology infrastructure. Over the years, Federal Express has spent heavily on technology and in acquisitions in order to offer delivery options and services their competitor cannot. The spending was geared towards satisfying the needs of the customer, innovation, offering a quality product and excellence services. The only negative side on spending heavily is that the cost was passed on to the customer, but Federal express stance is that they offer premium services and products. Federal Express can offer their international customers shorter delivery time, because of the major acquisition transactions Federal Express was involved in over the years. As for their domestic business, it may be a little difficult to stand out from their competitor. Currently the competitor (UPS) can offer similar services and convenient shipping options at a lower cost. References Amsler, M., Cullen, J., Erdmenger, J. C. (2010). Strategic Report for FedEx Corporation. Vector Strategy Group. Conger, R., Dezemplen, R., Haas, J., McLeod, J. (2010). Using GIS Strategic Planning and Execution at FedEx Express. Crane, B., Landthorn, B., Miri, B., Relph, J., Sanchez, C., Vernerova, A. (2003). FedEx Corpration: Strategic Management Project. Hill, C. L. (2013). Case 7: The Evolution of the Samll Package Express Delivery Industry, 1973-2010. In C. L. Hill, G. R. Jones, Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach (pp. C83-C96). Independence: Cengage. Hill, C. L., Jones, G. R. (2013). Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach (10th ed.). Independence: Cengage. Smith, F. W. (2005). FedEx. Retrieved from FedEx corporation annual report: http://www.fedex.com/us/investorrelations/financialinfo/2005annualreport/online/msg_chair.html