Sociology Families in a Global Perspective Essay

Sociology Families in a Global Perspective - Essay Example With the distribution of wealth in significantly different ratios across the nation, the family unit within the U.S. maintains different issues, stemming from economic and social circumstances, which directly influence family-related principles. India, a much less Westernized country, faces widespread poverty and dramatic chasms between social classes, despite its rapid growth in industry and radical social change. Indian culture maintains significantly different beliefs than that of United States families, created by economic circumstances and years of cultural values. Indian citizens, based on social status and financial realities, show marked contrast to their Western counterparts. All of these factors will be explored within this project. The United States, and its highly capitalistic economic system, creates an environment where many families tend to be more career-focused, with stern emphasis placed on the quality of higher-level education. However, the level to which education is actively stressed by parents to their children is radically different based on social class. The U.S. maintains a very wide division of classes, consisting of the significantly wealthy, upper middle class, middle class, and the lower working class. Upper middle class citizens, as one example, reflect the majority of this group as being holders of Bachelors and post-graduate degrees in high paying professional fields (Henslin, 2003). The lower working class, in opposite respect, represents the majority of U.S. blue collar workers, who rear their children with little emphasis on career-building. This group is more dominant toward their children, often using physical punishment to ensure child obedience (Henslin). This emphasis on obedience and rigorous punishment is often driven by the fact that blue-collar workers tend to work under controlling managerial environments, which is a mentality passed

Introduction to Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Introduction to Marketing - Essay Example , branding, modifying and  influencing customer behavior and buying decisions.  All of such strategies are used to increase sales of products and services. Marketing has a lot of definitions. One of them defines marketing in a way such that it relates marketing to the way society promotes spending on  particular products and services. Marketing generally targets a specific consumer segment depending on the type of merchandise or service. It is very important for marketing initiatives to focus on customer needs and wants of the specific target audiences. Marketing is such a topic that covers a wide range of  aspects, which includes advertises, public relations, sales, and product promotions. Many people confuse sales with marketing, when the truth is the two are a lot different from each other. Sales involves activities which aim at getting a product or service  into a market, promoting the product, influencing the behavior of consumers, and influencing the consumer buying b ehavior. The actual function of a Sales division is to transfer the ownership of the products or services from the produces to the customers. The marketing and financial results of the companies depend on a number of interrelated internal and external factors. The analysis of these factors has been a constant concern for academicians and practitioners. The very complexity of this subject requires indulging into more narrow aspects of research of the issue. One of the many possibilities is that while seeing through the glass of marketing initiatives of a company, while assuming that such possibilities predetermine any contact between the company and the target market. These initiatives significantly influence overall growth and success of the company. However, the span of marketing initiatives as well as their influences are extremely wide and can hardly be analyzed at once as a single entity. One way to cover logically a part of such a broad picture is through analysis of the marketing division

Lit 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lit 9 - Essay Example Homeless People and Homelessness (Houseless & Houselessness), is a useful website that provides sufficient material to understand what homelessness is. This website has arranged different topics related with homelessness and has published the details of homeless people, pictures, statistics, News, Homeless children, and so on. (Homeless). Divorce appears as a quite common theme in the contemporary realistic fiction and the website ‘JWI Jewish Women International’ (What is Divorce), is useful for those who seeks for the details of divorce. One can use the additional links provided in this web page for an understanding of divorce and related topics. The online article, ‘Coming of age in the years of living dangerously’ by Brill Briggs clearly expresses the issue, ‘coming-of-age.’ It is available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31670059/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/ (Briggs). ‘The problem death and disease’ is the website that deals with the topics of death and disease. It also discusses the reasons for deaths caused with the abuse of tobacco and other drugs. (The Problem Death and Disease). ‘Monster’ by Myers is a widely discussed novel that fulfills most of the characteristics of realistic fiction. One of the main features of the novel concerns with the presentation of its content in such an honest way that the readers feel nothing exaggerated with the characters or the setting. â€Å"The mood is very dark and filled with despair as we see Steve learning to cope with what may be the outcome of this trial.† (Myers). The protagonist of the novel Steve is a true representative of youngsters who had spent their life in jail either as an after effect of their crime or becomes prey of the existing social customs. The novel exposes social as well as the personal values through Steve and his identity remains as a question to society. The novel allows the readers to reach

Various Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Various Assignments - Essay Example Evidence suggests that while it may be true that democracies do tend to inject greater public funds into the provision of services to the public, these contributions do not always result in funds directly benefiting the poor. The injection of larger sums into public services by democracies also does not correspond with desired social results in terms of â€Å"longer, healthier, or more productive lives† (Ross, 2006, p. 860). As Ross (2006) points out: If democracy produces better outcomes for low-income families, then countries that transit from autocratic to democratic rule should see improvements in their infant and child mortality rates. In general, they do not (p. 860). It would therefore appear that for the purposes of reducing poverty and improving the lives and the wellbeing of the poor, democracy is not a viable option. Democracy is not a viable option because the evidence suggests that democracy has not been successful in reducing poverty and improving the lives of the poor any better than non-democracies. Mandelbaum (2007) also argues that democracy is not always a viable option for all nations. In particular Mandelbaum (2007) specifically points out that countries with socialist economies are incompatible with democracies. This is because a primary element of democratic states is that it imposes restrictions on government authority. In this regard, the greater the level of socialism, the more difficult it will be in â€Å"establishing a functioning democracy† (Mandelbaum, 2007, p. 95). Countries with free and open market economies will be compatible with democracy (Mandelbaum, 2007). On the other hand, countries with â€Å"economic organization† and/or socialist economies are incompatible with democratic political systems that recognize and enforce individual freedoms and open and free government elections (Mandelbaum, 2007). Even so, it is conceivable that not

Tourism Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tourism Planning - Essay Example The planning and management of the places where the destination of tourists will be is less common and equally valuable.   The community or destination level is where the organization and the development of the visitor’s attractions and services respectively. Many communities have shown their need to respond and act in the approach to tourism (Richards, 2000:17). They are also showing their concern over what is developed, the way promotion is done, and the impact it may have in regard to economic, social and the environmental factors.   Tourism planning is much improving and developing new and better attractions. It increased the number of visitors or seeking to boost profits. Rather, it was all trying to promote orderly development of the industry. In the destination planning, setting goals and objectives for the industry is done (Gunn, 2002:33). The Unitary Development Plan was set mainly for managing the growth and development in the borough (Sharma, 2004:54). It was ad opted in the year 2007, and a couple of policies have been saved for further three years as from August 2010. It sets out Camden’s aims and priorities for using the land in the Borough and policies to be used to achieve it through the planning decisions. This was done to fulfill the objectives and priorities contained in Camden Community Strategy and council strategies.   The plan’s aim is to achieve sustainable new development of high quality in most suitable locations. It also played the role of protecting and enhancing their built and natural environment. Their work was to be considered and allowed visit the Borough and supporting the sustainable communities. The UDP is a legal document that provided the main framework for the planning decisions made in regard to show clearly the set criteria. In the planning sector, the council had to make its decisions on planning applications in regard with the UDP (Sharma, 2004:54). This was much considered

Asynchronous and Synchronous Essay Example for Free

Asynchronous and Synchronous Essay A bit is a singular digit represented by a binary number. A character is represented in computing terms but a code called ASCII There are 7 bits to an ASCII number With parity bit added there are 8 bits, parity is added to aid in error detection. 8 bits is equal to a byte. 1 1 0 This diagram represents an 8 bit binary number (1byte). The step represents a 1 and the flat part represents nothing. This number would then look like this, 100000001. In ASCII this represents the character A. Packet Structure Instead of sending singular characters it is possible to send many in one go, this is called a packet. For example we use the ASCII code to represent a sentence and this may take up to 50 characters. When sent in the form of a packet we must split the packet up, this is done by using control characters. The control characters are; SYN = Synchronise STX = Start of text ETX = End of text Above is an example of a packet structure used with Asynchronous sending. Bit and Baud Rate When the term bit rate is used, it means the amount of bits per second that are sent. A single character is to be sent for example, the character is ASCII code is made of 7 digits and a parity bit and this is called the useful data. The standard speed for transmission sending is 8bits a second. This number or ASCII code that is sent will not only comprise of the 7 bit and parity, it contains a start bit and an end bit to represent where the character starts and stops. The bit rate is then combined to include these two extra bits and this is called the baud rate, this would then be 10 bits a second (8+2). Start bit Stop bit Parity bit Asynchronous and Synchronous Asynchronous communications do not depend on the synchronisation of a transmitter or a clock. It can be said that they are never independent. When sending individual characters there is no need for synchronisation at all. Asynchronous has a very simple interface and the data rate is normally at 64kbps. It can be used for connecting Printer, Terminal, Modem and home connections to the internet. Asynchronous protocol was one of the first around and was popular with the early invention of the tele typewriters. It requires the use of start and stop bits as previously said and this provides byte timing and overhead. No clocks are needed and a parity bit is also sent to help with error detection. Asynchronous transmission will send single bits of data at a time. There is a standard for this form and it is called RSC323C. Asynchronous represents negative voltage as 1 and positive voltage as 0. Information is sent in a packet with the start and stop bit plus parity for error detection. This method of transmission is suitable for low speed. This is because for every character that is sent a further 2 bits (start and stop) must be added. For example, 1000 characters are to be sent, there are 8 bits per character plus a start and stop for each thats a total of 10000 bits. This is very in efficient. Its packet structure is known as a packet frame. Asynchronous Transmission Start bit Stop bit Parity bit The synchronous transmission form occurs when bits are sent in the packet form. This form of data sending is normally sent through bigger Networks. To calculate the efficiency you must divide the bit rate by the baud rate and then multiply by 100. Synchronous communication is far more efficient than its counterpart. To start, there is no need for a start and a stop bit. This time however the data is grouped, and then sent with characters and the start and the end of the packet. This can be seen above with the syn x 3 which stands for synchronisation idol, stx for start of etx and etx for end of text. Synchronous can achieve much higher speeds than asynchronous and is preferably used within large network structures. It would be therefore worth bearing in mind that if large amounts of data were to be sent then the synchronous form would be far better. Less overhead means greater efficiency and asynchronous just cannot match this. However asynchronous does have its benefits and would be deemed worthy of smaller data packets. Its the lack of timing information sent with the data which restricts it so greatly. Synchronous Transmission Packet of data Effect Of Bandwidth Limitation And Noise Bandwidth is the sum amount of data being sent to a recipient in a given time through a form of communicational media. This sum is normally represented on bit per second. Bandwidth also has an alternative meaning and can represent the differing frequency ranges. All media types have their own forms of bandwidth limitation; this means we cannot transmit the same things on the differing types of media at the same speeds. If sending something with 10bits it will be sent at 10bits a second. This should apply for the bandwidth also (10 bits a second) however; it can be affected by something that is known as cross talk. This is interference on the line, also known as noise. Noise can occur in many forms and this will always affect speed. The only method of transmitting data without any electrical noise affecting it is by using a fibre optic cable. Fibre optic cables uses the use of light and mirrors, this is why it can not be affected. However it is also very expensive.

Descartes And Locke: The Matrix

Descartes And Locke: The Matrix Computer programmer Thomas A. Anderson leads a secret life as a hacker under the pseudonym Neo and wishes to learn the answer to the question What is the Matrix? The mysterious underground hacker offers him the opportunity to learn the truth about the Matrix. Morpheus offers Neo an option between two pills: A blue pill which would get him back in his original time, and a red pill that would let him to find the truth he is looking for. Neo chooses the red pill. Morpheus tells Neo that right now is the year of 2199 not 20th century, and that people have a war with smart robots that were made by people created in the 21st century. Morpheus thinks that Neo is that the One. He thinks that Neo will be able to put the war the end with his unlimited power. Neo is educated as a tough fighter. An opening in the back of Neos skull connects him directly to the Matrix. All the necessary knowledge and information is transferred through it. Morpheus is sure that once Neo fully gets his own power, t he Agents will be out of competition for him. Then they find out that they were revealed by their colleague, who had chosen to live in the Matrix not the actual world, and had made a deal with the Agents to give them Morpheus in exchange for a permanent come back to the Matrix. Morpheus is jailed. Neo and Trinity come back to the Matrix and try to get him out of the prison. Agent Smith kills Neo. In the actual life, Trinity says softly to Neos body what the Oracle had said to her: that she would get the true feelings of love with the One. She doesnt want to believe that he is dead and kisses him. Neos heart started beating again, hes alive; the Agents fire at him, but he moves his hand up and stops their bullets in mid-air. Then Neo destroys him. At the end he promises to show the imprisoned people a true life. Philosophy is concentrated on investigation of truths. In the movie, the investigation for the truth was about our own being. In this movie thoughts of Descartes and Locke were often used. Neo symbolized Descartes. He doubts all the things. This movie stressed the use of machinery as the course of action for humans. Descartes believed that all moves were of mechanical origin, but the spirit cannot be restricted. One of the events was a combat between Neo and Morpheus in a kung fu session. Neo is thought to be a super fighter. Initially he fails because he tries to use his brainpower to control his moves. Then he understands that the mechanism is guiding him not his brainpower. He thoughts that the human is an ideal computerized thing. Throughout the movie, many references were made to the idea of senses. It is believed by every human that to know reality is to experience through your taste, smell, touch, hear, and see. Locke believed that this was true. There is nothing in the mind except what was first in the senses. Locke believed our mind is an empty slate. This idea parallels to the ideas in the Matrix about the mind being an empty room. Locke, though, insists that when we begin to use our senses we start to have ideas. How are we to know that our senses are not programmed? There is no correct answer. No one knows. Locke does state that the mind at birth is the blank slate. In the movie, Neo was reborn into reality. He had wires and cords to machines. When they released them, he had no control over anything. He had no understanding. The world was new to him. Neo eventually learned everything again. He was taught through computers, though, he never used his senses. Locke feels that the connection of the mind an d soul is through them. You can never appreciate(http://www.solidpapers.com/collegepapers/Philosophy/11034.htm) life fully without all the senses. Locke explains that experience is twofold: external and internal. ( Modern Philosophy The Philosophy of John Locke, 2010, June 1 http://www.rafed.net/en/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=3324%3Amodern-philosophycatid=231Itemid=973limitstart=16 ) External experience, called sensation, gives us ideas of supposed external objects, such as color, sound, extension, motion. etc. Locke says supposed objects, since their existence has not been proved. Internal experience, called reflection, makes us understand the operation of the spirit on the objects of sensation, such as knowing, doubting, believing and so forth.(Philosophy of John Locke, 2006, December 30, http://themartinnews.blogspot.com/2006/12/philosophy-of-john-locke.html) In regard to the ideas furnished by sensation, it is necessary to distinguish the primary qualities (solidity, extension, figure, number, motion, etc.), which are objective, from the secondary qualities (color, sounds, etc.), which are subjective in their effect and objective in their cause. In other words the secondary qualities are powers for producing various sensations in us.(Philosophy of John Locke, 2006, December 30, http://themartinnews.blogspot.com/2006/12/philosophy-of-john-locke.html) For Locke, sensation and reflection are classified as simple and complex, according to whether they are irreducible elements, such as whiteness, rotundity, or reducible to more simple elements. Thus the idea of an apple is complex because it is a combination of the simple ideas of color, rotundity, taste, and so forth. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, John Locke, 2001, September 2 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke) I agree with Locke that our experience is separated into external and internal ones.

Inclusion Of Visually Impaired Students

Inclusion Of Visually Impaired Students Education aims to ensure that that all students gain access to skills, knowledge and information that will prepare them in life. Education becomes more challenging as schools accommodate students with diverse backgrounds and SEN needs. Meeting these challenges demands schools to have an inclusive education. Inclusive education brings all students together in one classroom and community, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential of all students. There is now greater recognition that the special needs agenda should be viewed as a significant part of the drive for Inclusive Education (Ainscow, M 1995). The idea is that the concept of integration is being replaced by a move towards inclusive schooling/education. Integration demands that additional arrangements will be made to accommodate pupils with disabilities within a system of schooling that remains largely unchanged (Ainscow, M 1995 p 2). Inclusive education, on the other hand, is a larger and prior concept (Flavell, L 1996, p 5) and aims to restructure schools in order to respond to the learning needs of all children (Male D, 1997). An Inclusive school ask teachers to provide individualised support without the stigmatisation thats comes with separation, and to provide opportunities where all students can learn together in an unrestrictive environment where the quality of their education is not compromised. Appendix 1.1 shows a model of inclusive provision (Dyson, A et al, 2004). Inclusion is not just for student and staff but for governors, parents and the local community (Flavell, L 2002). Research on effective inclusive schooling has shown schools improve thorough whole school responses and not just by teaching strategies that include all learners (Ainscow,M 1994). Appendix 1.2 shows characteristics of these schools (Ainscow, M 1991; Hopkins, Ainscow and West, 1994) 1.2 Legislative Context The amendments to the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Part IV regulations came into effect on 1 September 2002 via the Special Education and Disability Act (SENDA, 2001). It requires school to implement the part of the Act that prevents such institutions from discriminating against students on the grounds of their disability. It is therefore mandatory for all teachers, including MFL teachers to make reasonable adjustments to allow full participation by students with disabilities. Appendix 1.3 is the overview introduction to the DDA while Appendix 1.4 is the DDA Part VI. 1.3 Fullhurst Community School Policy The legislation makes it clear that all teaching staff is responsible for the provision for students with SEN and/or disabilities. (TDA, 1999) Appendix 1.5 shows specific duties under the DDA outlined by the TDA (TDA, 1999) for use by schools. Thomas (1992) states that the whole school community should be involved in developing a policy on the organisation of support in the classroom. The Code of Practice (DfE 1994) calls for all schools to have a special Education needs Policy with outlines the agreed practice at each stage in meeting the needs of pupils. As required by law all schools who receive government funding are expected to have a written SEN policy with regard to the Code of Practice. Fullhurst Community School has a comprehensive policy which is mandatory for all staff to be familiar with. It includes their guidelines, accessibility, definitions, SEN status, provisions, referral information, learning needs and conditions. Appendix 1.6 is a partial copy of the Fullhurst Community School Guide to SEN. 2. Visually Impaired Students 2.1 Inclusion of visual impaired students It is estimated that there are around 25,000 children and young people in Britain from birth to 16 with a visual impairment of sufficient severity to require specialist education service support. (www.rnib.co.uk) In the report entitled Education of the Visually Handicapped (Department of Education and Science, 1972) commissioned by the British government in 1968, it recommends that blind and partially sighted children would benefit from being educated in the same schools. It did, however, also support the general concept of integration of children with visual impairments (VI) into mainstream schools. Further reports, such as The Warnock Report (Department of Education and Science 1978) and the subsequent Education Act (1981) consolidated that right of children with SEN to placement in local schools, with the consideration of the efficient use of resources. During the 70-80s there was a steep rise in the LEA services for children with VI (visual impairment) and an increase in local schools education of VI students supported by qualified in school support workers or peripatetic specialised teachers (Douglas et al, 2009). As this enrolment increased in mainstream schools, specialised schools for the blind were closing or adapting encompassing students with more complex needs (McCall, 1997). The Code of Practice for SEN (Department of Education) accepted that the needs of most children with SEN could be met within mainstream schools but took a moderate stance on inclusion by emphasising the importance of maintaining a continuum of provision for a continuum of needs (Hornby, 1999, p 153). By 2000 inclusion of VI children in mainstream schools had become well documented in policy and practice. Legislation continued to strengthen the rights of SEN children in local schools, culminating in the previously mentioned SENDA (2001) amendments to the 1995 DDA. Appendix 1.7 and 1.8 highlight research and statistics pertaining to VI students in local schools. 2.2 Visual Impairment and Modern Foreign Languages No matter what their educational level, the visually handicapped often display a marked talent for learning foreign languages. This seems to be the result of a particular aural sensitivity and the memory training which forms part of the rehabilitation process. (Nikolic, 1986 p222) The major aspect of work in the modern languages is that while other curriculum areas use communication to teach the subject content, MFL use content to teach communication (Couper, 1996). MFL classrooms rely heavily on non-verbal method of communication and in most classrooms the visual sense plays a dominant though not exclusive role (Couper, 1996 p 7). 2.3 Adaption of teaching practise and materials In traditional MFL learning, teachers use visual projectors, flashcards, wall posters, gesturing, mime and facial expressions to teach, however literature on teaching MFL to VI advocates using different means. Realia, enlarges pictures, mobiles are recommended to introduce new vocabulary and using games such as noughts and crosses, hangman and board games to enhance knowledge. Price (1994) and Couper (1996) show that the adaption of materials for use in class is a time consuming and costly process and as such teachers often have to adapt materials themselves. Appendix 1.9 shows a self-audit for inclusive modern languages lessons: planning teaching, learning and support provided by the TDA (2009) which allows teacher to observe and try out certain methods to keep their classroom inclusive. Lewin-Jones and Hodgson (2005) outline strategies which can be used by teachers to ensure an inclusive classroom. Strategies such as using students names more frequently or touch (once pre-approved before) have been known to work effectively (Jones, 2004). Adapting the way you ask questions e.g what is the man in green doing? to what is the angry man doing? Teachers have to adapt the lesson to include repetition other than using the white boards but through the speaking and listening skills. AFL strategies such as thumbs up or down can be used simply instead of traffic lightsystem where VI students may have difficulty colour differentiating (Appendix 1.9a). McCall (1997) postulates that these changes help, not only the learning of the VI students, but potentially all students learning. From the skills in language learning: reading, writing, listening and speaking; reading and writing can be troublesome for VI students as it is difficult to skim/scan text or move between text and answers or locate specific information within texts quickly. Nikolic (1986) compounds this difficulty adding that that trouble lies in the infrequent contact a VI student has with the written form. Ways must be found for students to access these skills. In MFL it is important for mixed skill activities. This will allow VI students to team up listening and speaking, where traditionally they may be stronger with reading and writing where they may be weaker (Couper, 1996). 2.4 The learning Support Worker VI students often get accompanied to lessons by classroom assistants or specialist teachers (LSW). Their role is not to take the job of the teacher but to enable the learning of the student. It is fundamentally important that students continue to be independent and in control of their learning, the LSW can provide aid in practising dialogues, spontaneous and reading from cue cards. Studies show that the quality and quantity of the work provided by LSWs who speak French fluently is greater than those who dont (Lewin-Jones and Hodgson, 2005). 3. Inclusive Teaching in Year 7 with a Visual Impaired student 3.1 Student X My year 7 French class contains a VI student. On learning this I set about making steps to better inform my planning. I accessed the school SEN policy taking particular attention to the section on visual impairments. Appendix 1.10 shows the SEN guide pertaining to VI. I organised a meeting with the school SENCO and with the students LSW. Appendix 1.11 outlines the material provided by the school SENCO to all teachers of student X. It includes details pertaining to what s/he can see, what s/he needs in the classroom brailler, laptop, hardcopies in font N48 of anything taught on a PowerPoint or at a distance. Appendix 1.12 shows information I learned from the SENCO and the LSW in our meetings and Appendix 1.13 shows student Xs school IEP. From this information I was able to start planning knowing students Xs needs and limitations implementing inclusive strategies. 3.2 Implementation of inclusive strategies ~ Differentiation by support: LSW Student X is entitled to extra disability related funding. This allowed them to have a full time LSW with fluent French accompany her to her French classes. From my meeting with the LSW we were able to work with the scheme of work module 2 and produce a comprehensive vocab list that the LSW was able to adapt in preparation for the term. Appendix 1.14 has the schools Yr 7 SOW. In order for all materials to be correctly adapted lesson plans had to be submitted minimally 1 week in advance. However, having a fluent French speaker as an LSW allowed for ad-hoc French learning for student X. The LSW was able to explain to student X additional tasks. Appendix 1.15 is a lesson evaluation showing how the LSW explained an ad-hoc task I had the students do on something which they were having problems. (avoir v etre). My Teaching I had to adapt my teaching style. As I had no training and the school provided me with some information I had to use what I had learned from the meetings and from learn as you go and learn from your mistakes approaches. Spelling out words I was writing and also reading aloud everything that was being written on or projected onto the white board were things I quickly picked up after hearing the LSW spelling out what I was writing in my first lesson. Appendix 1.16 is a lesson evaluation form from my first lesson teaching this Yr7 class. As student X is an invaluable source of how s/he learns I had 2 meetings with student X and the LSW. Appendix 1.17 included minutes of the first meeting. Regarding AFL I implemented thumb up or thumb down policy. Appendix 1.18 shows lesson plan showing this ~ Differentiation by resource: ICT All power point and ICT work was sent to students X LSW before each class. It allowed student X to use her JAWS software (appendix 1.19) to access the information. An example of such use is appendix 1.20 where student X was able to access one of the lesson tasks and submit her answer by print while the other students handwrote theirs. As the term progressed I was adapting to use aural repetition to strengthen knowledge of vocabulary and phrases. Appendix 1.20 shows an ERF form during my placement highlighting increased use of repetition. Braille Assistive technology benefit the VI but according to Argyropoulos, Martos, and Leotskakou (2005, p 185) the cultivation of literacy skills may be delayed significantlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦., and illiteracy may be increased. Because of this it is important for student X to use braille to have exposure to the written form of French while would ensure written accuracy. Appendix 1.22 has various examples of work adapted into Braille while some of them have been corrected by the LSW, as I cannot do this. In assessment student X is therefore no longer at an advantage at spelling as they have been viewing and using the correct version through braille. Tactile Pictures One of Students X preferred methods to learn new vocab is using tactile images. This allows student X to mentally perceive the image using touch. S/he is in essence picturing the same image as the students who are seeing the image. Appendix 1.23 is a photocopy of the tactile images of animals I used while teaching animal vocabulary. Handouts As previously discussed all handouts are in a font N48. Appendix 1.24 illustrates examples of adapted hand outs for students Xs exercise book and also for listening tasks completed in class. ~ Differentiation by task: An area where some of the more reasonable adjustments were made within the classroom. Student X has no problems engaging in listening and speaking tasks once the hand outs/instructions are in braille / correct font size. However when the student is using ICT /power point to do tasks it had to be adopted for student X. Appendix 1.25. shows an example where student used information on the overhead to match questions with possible answers , while student X had the questions and answers were separately printed for them and then could join them up. Appendix 1.26 shows examples of the Differentiated by section of lesson plan where the tasks are differentiated by the students needs. The subject content is still the same just different how they work with it. Concerning assessment feedback it was essential to go through it verbally with the student. While giving positive award postcards I was able to liaise with the LSW to get the material out into braille. An example of this is shown in appendix 1.27 Student X is then able to access the feedback and comments whenever is convenient. 4. Implications of teaching a student with VI Some of the key highlights and finding I learned with my practical experience teaching VI students are outlined below. A comprehensive and effective school policy The more adaptable teachers can make their classes the more schools can become inclusive. Adapting lessons to with certain SEN can have a benefit for other SEN and all students in general. It becomes clear that planning is the key element and the earlier you have it done the easier adapting the material by experts can be. Similarly it means the easier you can change your lessons as required Teachers have to allow extra time for preparation of classes, assessments tests and exams (Ornsin- Jones, Courtney, and Dickinson, 2005). Teachers have to allow additional time for VI students to complete their work Appropriate training should be provided where there are resources and sessions within the MFL department. It is not enough for meeting but teachers need to observe strategies for inclusion of VI in practise. In terms of MFL teaching there are little resources or sharing of experiences (Stephens and Marsh, 2005). By extension schools should be able to keep on file work done in braille and differentiated resources for future use. Teachers must be confident engaging students with disabilities, especially those with additional support. Prior discussion with the support workers can help strengthen your ability to do so during the lessons and allow you to improve you teaching practices both within and outside the classroom. 5. Conclusion The success of children and young people with visual impairment in mainstream schools is heavily dependent upon the quality of support that is available to them (Mason and McCall, 1997 p 412 ) As figures show more and more VI students are being educated in mainstream schools it is therefore important to have systems in place to help train and educate teachers who are teaching VI students. Evidence shows that special schools have played roles in supporting and training when necessary (McCall et al, 2009). As children with more complex needs enter local schools, the demands on the professional skills of those supporting them can only increase. According to Sutcliffe (1997) Effective inclusion of students with VI relies not only on the provision and appropriate access using differentiated resources, support or tasks but also on the administrative and day-to-day management of the learning environment. Schools need effective policies, a drive for inclusion behaviour, and training for all staff. Also required is a creative, hardworking staff that put the needs of all their students at the top of their agenda. For individual teachers, Orsini-Jones, Courtney, and Dickinson (2005) advise that there may be tension at times due to reasonable adjustments but that if teachers can identify the barriers and remove them for SEN students then you are creating an inclusive environment and positive atmosphere. References Ainscow, M. (1994). Special Needs in the Classroom: A Teacher Education Guide. Kingsley/UNESCO. Ainscow, M. (1995). Education for All: Making It Happen. Keynote address presented at the International Special Education Congress, Birmingham, UK, 10-13 April 1995. Ainscow, M. (Ed.) (1991). Effective Schools for All. London: Fulton. Argyropoulos, V., A. Martos and B. Leotskakou. 2005. Blind students and spelling: An investigation into Braille literacy skills. Proceedings of the ICEVI conference 2005: Education- Aiming for Excellence, 180-5. http://www.icevi-europe.org/chemnitz2005/iveci-chemnitz2005.pdf. Bender, R. (1970). The Conquest of Deafness. Cleveland: Western Reserve University. Bray, M., Clarke, P .B. and Stephens, D. (1986). Education and Society in Africa. London: Edward Arnold. Carmen, R. (1996). Autonomous Development: Humanizing the Landscape An Excursion into Radical Thinking and Practice. London: Zed Books. Cole-Hamilton, I Vale, D. (2000) Shaping the Future The Experiences of Blind and Partially Sighted Children and Young People in the UK London: RNIB Department for Education (1994) Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Speical Education Needs. London: HSMO Department for Education and Science (DfES) (2001a) The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act London: HMSO DfES (2001b) The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice Nottingham: DfES Dickinson, A. 2005. Dont panic (smile)! How visually impaired students access online learning and giving realistic guidelines to academic staff at Coventry University. International Congress Series 1282 :386-40 Dovey, K. A. (1994). Non-formal educational strategies as a means of effecting positive change in instructions of formal education in South Africa. Journal of Practice in Education and Development, Vol. 1, No.1, pp. 15-20. Flavell, L. (2001) Preparing to Include Special Children in Mainstream School: A Practical Guide London: David Fulton Hmilton, Elizbeth, Kathleen Prime, Christine Gibson, Eric Caron, Jeffrey Rathlef, and HeidiFischer. 2006. Students who are blind or visually impaired accessing foreign languages. Mobility International USA. http://www.miusa.org/ncde/tipsheets/foreignlang/. Kilnkosv W., Sekowski, and M. Brambring. 2006. Academic achievement and personality in University students who are visually impaired. Journal of the visual impairment and blindness 100, no. 11: 666-7 Lewin-Jones, J. and Hodgson, J. (2004) Differentiation strategies relating to the inclusion of a student with severe visual impairment in higher education (modern foreign languages) British Journal of Visual Impairment 22/1:32-36 Lewin-Jones, J., and J. Hodgson. 2004. Differentiation strategies relating to the inclusion of student with a severe visual impairment in higher education (modern foreign languages). British Journal of visual impairment 22, no. 1: 32-6 Lomas, Janet. 1997. Support for pupils within Mainstream Provision. In Visual Impairment: Access to education for children and young people, ed. Christine Arter, Heather Mason, Steve Mc Call, Mike McLinden, and Juliet Stone,. London: David Fulton Male, D. (1997) Including pupils with profound and multiple and severe learning difficulties in Smith, B. (ed) The SLD Experience; Kidderminster: British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD). Mc Call, Steve. 1999. Acccessing the curriculum. In Children with visual impairment in mainstream settings, ed. Christine Arter, Heather Mason, Steve Mc Call, Mike McLinden, and Juliet Stone, 29-40. London: David Fulton Milligan, J. (2002) DDA Part IV Implications for visually impaired students, Visability, Winter 2002 Nicolic, T. (1986) Teaching a foreign language to visually impaired children in school, Language Teaching. Nikolic, T. 1986. Teaching a foreign language to visually impaired children in school. Language Teaching 19, no. 3: 218-31 Orinsi-Jones, M., C. Courtney, and A. Dickinson. 2005. Supporting foreign language learning for a blind student: A case study from Coventry University. Support for learning 20, no. 3: 146-52 Richardson, J., and A.W.N Roy. 2002. The representation and attainment of students with a visual impairment in higher education. British Journal of visual Impairment 20, no. 1: 37-48 Richardson,J. Roy, A. (2002) The representation and attainment of students with a visual impairment in higher education, British Journal of Visual Impairment 20/1 Stevens, A., and D. Marsh. 2005. Foreign language teaching within special needs education: Learning from Europe-wide experience. Support for learning 20, no. 3: 109-14 UNESCO (1993). Special Needs in the Classroom: Teacher Resource Pack. Paris: UNESCO. www.rnib.co.uk

Malcolm X Essay -- Biography

Malcolm X   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The history of the United States has in it much separation or segregation due to race. For a long time our country has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon or forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this, races, particularly African-Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations that support change. Malcolm X is one strong example of a colored man who fell into this type of hate and acted against it, uniting people to promote the advancement of colored people and change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At a young age, Malcolm saw the ways in which blacks were seen as inferior, when his father supported an organization that promoted the return of blacks to Africa. Malcolm watched at a young age while the Klu Klux Klan burnt down his family’s house, he also knew of his grandmother being raped by a white man, which caused his mother’s light skin and his red hair. His father was killed when six white men beat him to death because they did not like what his father was doing in his organization. This was the early stage in like in which Malcolm’s hatred of white people begins. I believe that the high point of Malcolm’s hatred for white people comes when the welfare agency declares his mother insane and institutionalizes her, causing his family to be split apart. Malcolm blames the welfare agency for splitting up his famil...

Essay --

The Band and Its Placement in American Music The Band has come to be known as one of the top one hundred greatest group of performers in the twentieth century. At the height of their popularity in the late 1960s, America was drawing a harsh divide between generations, races, genders, and political ideologies. Rock and Roll at this point had become a defining feature of the counterculture (the younger generations were disillusioned with the then upheld principles of American society) and as such was seen as a menace which often voiced harsh criticisms against figures and institutions of authority really long sentence. Amidst the chaos between music and society, a humbly talented group of performers released what some have called the purest most honest music of the generation. The Band had its influences rooted in the country, rock’ n’ roll, and rhythm and blues music of the early 1950s. To more than a few members of the group, performers such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis inspired them to pursue music with the passionate zeal that usually accompanies talented musicians. The members: Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, and Richard Manuel were all multi-instrumentalists and as such got their start as musicians from early ages, Levon Helm for example started playing guitar at the age of nine. In 1958, Helm began touring with an established band known as Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks throughout Ontario, Canada. This pre-incarnation of the Band earned fame throughout Canada before finally deciding to settle in Toronto where their most profitable gigs occurred at. Homesickness, however prevented the Hawks from remaining together for very long. As members of ... ... seems to highlight all of the genres that the group was influenced by and in turn showcases their progressive sound. Not only does the song recant a folk-tale in the form of a ballad but also shows the complexities of characters as archetypes of mankind and alludes to the biblical wanderings of the disciples. The song was also featured in the 1978 documentary of The Band, The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese. As a final hoorah, the Band concluded their touring in 1976 with a cadre of other influential artists such as Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and others. The film the Last Waltz has also lived on as an inspiration to current artists and has been acclaimed as a must see for musicians. The film not only captures the performances of The Band but also presents them in the context of the culture, amidst famous aspects of rock and roll.

Police Report

Police Report Tomas Gonzalez, University of Phoenix CJA/304 February 26, 2013 Oscar N. Ruiz Police Report There are various types of communication used through the criminal justice process, considering the witness, prosecution, judge, and defense they all have their own element of communication to get their message across effectively and to prove their point. Communication for Prosecution and Defense The type of communication used by the prosecution or defense is typically more formal than informal and consists mainly of verbal communication.Non-verbal communication becomes more prevalent when arguing points in front of a jury. The prosecution may offer a deal or plea bargain to the defense in an effort to avoid the expense and time involved with a trial. If a deal is not offered or reached, it is likely that the case will go to trial. At trial, the judge governs the communication by either the prosecution or the defense. Each party may object to something said by the other and the j udge will rule on if the information is acceptable. The two parties will argue their case to the jury and in doing say may make use of non-verbal communication to try and sway the jury.I like to view it as the difference between an actor acting as though they have tripped (verbal communication) and someone such as Jerry Lewis or Jim Carey using their physical humor to exaggerate or enhance the trip (non-verbal communication). Communication for the Witness and Judge The Judge uses both oral and written forms of communication, written forms usually go to the juries which include instructional sheets on how to be a proper juror and written paper work between both prosecution and defense attorney which can be anything from a warrant to a bail amount.A judge also listens to the oral statements during the case to ensure the case is handled proper and asks questions or controls the prosecution or defense when needed. A judge may also give instructions to the jury during the case, such as a cknowledging a piece of evidence or dismissing one, or dismissing a statement that may contaminate the case and jury. The judge may also hold a person in contempt for acting out in a courtroom or delaying the case, the judge will also make opening and closing statements addressing all those in the courtroom.The Witness will be using oral forms of communication. A witness is a person that has knowledge of the case they are involved in. Their testimony can either help or hurt a defendant. Both the prosecution and defense have witnesses. Written and oral communications are used within the courtroom in the Minnesota v. Riff case. In this case the prosecution has many witnesses that have information implementing Riff for the crime. Once the prosecution asks their questions the defense then has their turn.The defense attorney asks the witnesses questions in regards to what they said when the prosecution asked them questions and they also ask the witnesses their own questions. The defense attorney tries to pick apart the witnesses stories to help his client. The witnesses for the defense team usually tell a different story from the prosecution witnesses. The prosecution then has their time to cross examine. The written communications that are usually presented are the statements that are gathered at the time of the incident.When witnesses are first questioned at the scene they give information such as; the time of the incident, exact details of what happened, and where it happened. Police Report S-3839410 BURGLARY ASSIGNMENT/ARRIVAL At 00:30, Officer Terry Schield was dispatched to investigate a burglary call at Marquette’s Market, which is on the corner of Main Street and First Street in Midtown, Minnesota. INVESTIGATION Officer Terry Schield began his investigation of the burglary and discovered the following: The rear door lock of Marquette’s Market had been smashed open with a heavy blunt object.The cash register drawer had been similarly smashed op en and was empty except for $7. 83 in coin and two checks (one for $10. 00 and the second for $5. 80) In the alley next to the store, Officer Terry Schield found a heavy hammer with fingerprints wiped clean. COMPLAINTANT’S STATEMENT Speedy Marquette the storeowner said that $910. 00 had allegedly been taken from the cash drawer of the register. The money had been placed in a tan cash bag labeled â€Å"Midtown State Bank†. The alleged burglary would have had to occur between 00:00 and 00:25. In the $910. 0 was a Canadian five-dollar bill. WITNESS’S STATEMENT Outside of the Marquette Market Officer Terry Schield found Soapy Waters, the janitor at Mickey’s Diner and Otis Ripple, the baker at Midtown Bakery. Mr. Waters stated that he had seen Ronnie Riff in the area at about 00:20. That Riff had been carrying a tan moneybag and had dropped two dollars from the bag. Riff was wearing blue jeans and a blue band jacket. Mr. Ripple the nightshift baker at Midtown Bakery stated that around 00:15 he had seen someone exit the market by the rear door.The person threw something into the side alley east of the store. Officer Terry Schield took Mr. Ripple to the location and Mr. Ripple found the hammer. When Officer Terry Schield asked to identify who was at the rear door of Marquette Market Mr. Ripple refused to identify the person he saw. Rusty Fender owner of Rusty’s Auto Body had to close his shop at 00:30 because he misplaced his hammer. He stated that at 00:00 he had seen Riff behind the Fenders Body Shop. Mr. Fender identified the hammer found in the side alley east of market as his.Melvin Strongarm stated he played poker with Riff the night of the alleged burglary and stated that Riff won $200. 00 that night. At 00:25, Betty Biddy nurse at Midtown Memorial Hospital and neighbor of Ronnie Riff stated she saw Riff toss away a tan bag. She stated the bag was labeled â€Å"Midtown State Bank. † The bag has not yet been found. C. S harp owner of Sharp’s Music Store stated Ronnie had purchased a guitar for $875. 00 from Sharp’s Music city. Riff paid cash and tried to include a Canadian five-dollar bill in the payment.Guido Concertino owner of the Midtown Dance Magic stated Riff practiced on the guitar worth $900. 00 at the â€Å"Midtown Dance Magic†. References: Rights of the Accused Minnesota v. Ronald Rif: A Criminal Mock Trial. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://sharepdf. net/view/59954/minnesota-v-ronald-riff-a-criminal-mock-trial Wallace, H. & Roberson, C. (2009). Written and interpersonal communication: Methods for law enforcement (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Group Counselling Essay

In an effective functioning group, the members are striving to carry what they are learning in a session into their everyday lives. They do this by formulating plans to practice between sessions, by making a commitment to do homework assignments and by practicing a variety of new behaviors outside of the group. Perhaps the two most important phases of a group are its beginning and its end. The beginning because that is where the tone of the group is set; the end because that is where learning is consolidated and action plans are typically formulated. (pg 164) There are some tasks to be carried out during the closing session! (ending a group) * Members are encouraged to complete any ‘unfinished businesses’ they may have with other group members or the leader. * Members are taught how to carry with them what they’ve learned and esp. how to talk to significant people in their lives. * Members are assisted in making specific plans for change and in taking concrete steps to put the lessons learnt into effect in their daily lives. * Leaders help members discover ways of creating their own support systems after they leave the group. * Specific plans for follow-up and evaluation are made. NB. The more behavioral approaches like; transactional analysis, behavioral group therapy, RE behavior therapy and reality therapy – place primary emphasis on the above mentioned tasks. This owing to the belief that, members ought to consolidate their learning, practice homework assignments and develop a specific action plan, if they expect to make significant changes in their lives. Body: Time is limited in a group counseling session. The leader therefore, constantly remains aware of that and teaches participants how to best use the time available to them. Leaders also need to train members on how to pace themselves so that they do not wait until the end of the session to introduce work that cannot be addressed in the short time remaining. Good Practice to Carry Out When Ending a Session: I. Asking Members to Sum up! The leader may allow about 10min at the end of a session for members to summarize what the session has meant to them individually. Some questions that may be asked to help members consolidate their learning include; a) Could you briefly summarize what the session has meant for you? b) What steps towards your goal are you willing to take between now and our next session to make changes in your life? c) Was there anything unfinished for you today that you would like to continue in our next meeting? d) What was the most important thing that you experienced during this meeting? e) What touched you most in other people’s work today?  f) What did you learn about yourself? g) Did you get what you wanted from this session? (what in specific?) Questions like these assist members in identifying specific behaviors they must want to change, both in the group and in daily life. They also reinforce their commitment to make changes. II. Dealing with Unfinished Work! In the case that some work in a session isn’t going to be finished before the group ends, the leader can help bring a sense of closure simply by acknowledging those incomplete explorations or feelings that are left unspoken. This he can do by simply asking the client to differ the discussion until the next session. For example, â€Å"Since we’re running out of time today, would you be willing to reflect on it a bit between now and the next meeting, maybe do some writing, and bring it up again then!† #Activity during this time# Psychodrama: There is a procedure for closing a group session in Psychodrama that increases the chances that members will be able to identify and deal with unfinished business. Psychodrama emphasizes allowing enough time for the sharing and discussion phase for each session. #Sharing which comes first, consists of nonjudgmental statements about oneself. Then after the personal sharing, time is allotted for a discussion of the group process. Members who have engaged in a role-playing enactment are invited to share their reactions to those roles. Others are asked to tell members who participated in a psychodrama enactment how they were personally affected by the work and what they learned from it. III. Arrange Homework Assignments!  Having members announce Homework assignments or some means of carrying further the work they have done in a session, and then report on the same, at the beginning of the next session is a closing technique – it also links the ending session to the next. Homework can be deviced by members themselves or the leader. Keeping in line with behavioral approach, it is important for leaders to teach members that; â€Å"the crucial change is the one that takes place in the real world.† And this is where homework comes in handy. The main point is that insight alone rarely results in behavioral change. [‘Insight needs to be translated into action for change to occur’ – premise of the Adlerian Perspective.]pg. 168. IV. Making Your Own Comments and Assesments!  Leaders may form a practice of giving their reactions, a group process commentary or a summary of the meeting towards the end of the session. Leaders might comment on; * The cohesion of the group  * The degree to which members freely brought up topics for work * The willingness to take risks and talk about unsafe topics * The degree to which they interacted with one another (as opposed to speaking only directly to and through the leader) * Their willingness to discuss difficult concerns Leaders might use write up notes about each session during the week and use those comments at the beginning of the next session as a catalyst for linking the sessions! Another way to close session is to set apart the last 5min for members to fill out brief rating/assessment sheets. The ratings can be tallied in a few minutes and the results presented at the beginning of the next session. A rating scale of 1-5 can be used. Questions that can be asked include; a) To what degree were you involved in this session? b) To what degree were you willing to take risks in the group? c) To what degree did you trust other members in the group? d) To what degree has today’s session stimulated you to think about your problems, your life situation, or possible decisions you might want to make? e) To what degree were you willing to share what you were feeling and thinking in the session today? f) To what extent are you willing to actively practice some new behavior this week? g) To what degree did you prepare yourself or think about this session before you came today? h) To what degree are you willing to non-defensively take the feedback you receive and consider it carefully? i) To what degree did you see the group as productive today?

Bathsheba and Farmer Boldwood Essay

How does Hardy present the idea ‘the pain of love’ in his depiction of the relationships between Bathsheba Everdene and Sergeant Troy, and Bathsheba and Farmer Boldwood? Thomas Hardy, born in 1840, divided his works into character and environment, romance and fantasies and novels of ingenuity, in which case Far from the Madding Crowd is in the first category. The original works were in the form of a series in the Cornhill magazine, which was so successful he was able to give up his job (as an architect) and devote his time entirely to writing. Hardy is known for his controversial novels such as Jude the Obscure, but his best work is the world renowned Far From the Madding Crowd, which expresses the journey of Bathsheba Everdene and her loyal farmer, Gabriel Oak, who encounter love but at the terrible price of death and despair. This, perhaps reflecting the tragic loss of his own wife in 1912, sixteen years before his own death, in 1928. Bathsheba and Sergeant Troy’s first meeting outside the Fir Plantation, Troy flirts and compliments Bathsheba, by taking more time then is necessary to untie the knot that binds them. Bathsheba, however she appears to be quite uncivilized towards him, â€Å"Thank you for the sight of such a beautiful face! He said. ‘Twas unwillingly shown† she replied, stiffly. This unkind manner attracts Troy to her and ignites a relationship between them, where Troy’s flirtatious and dishonest ways, already expressed in their first meeting, are destined to destroy it. Troy’s display of swordsmanship in Chapter 28, indicates another example of the pain of love, in which Bathsheba must sacrifice her own safety to be with Sergeant Troy. Though Bathsheba, at first, oblivious to her near death, due to her believing Troy’s lie that the sword was blunt. Though Bathsheba does not object to him kissing her at the end of the chapter, after being made aware of his dishonesty. The relationship of Bathsheba and Troy, already beginning to fail due to Troy’s insensitive and lying persona, is made no easier by Fanny’s part in their lives. Ironically, it was her mistake, which brought together Bathsheba and Troy in the first place, unintentionally, and, unknowingly aided in the downfall of Bathsheba and Troy’s relationship. For example, when Fanny meets Troy, though by accident, Troy tries to convince Bathsheba she is unknown to him, however Bathsheba begins to have doubts, especially after seeing a lock of hair in his watch, that was not hers. The argument that followed the discovery of the hair also lead to Troy leaving Bathsheba, to secretly meet with Fanny, and the next time she hears of Troy he is assumed dead. This expresses Hardy’s pain of love theory exactly, for Bathsheba who fell so quickly in love with Troy, and married him soon after, now expresses little feeling towards him leaving. For example, in chapter 48, `Bathsheba underwent the enlargement of her husband’s absence, from hours to days, with a slight feeling of surprise and relief, yet neither sensation rose †¦ `. Soon after the discovery of Troy’s apparent death, Boldwood immediately steps onto the scene to offer his hand in marriage. The first time Bathsheba saw Boldwood was at the market, however Boldwood did not pay attention to her presence, unlike all the other men. Bathsheba’s vanity, encouraged by Liddy, caused her to send a Valentine to Boldwood in the attempt to get him to notice her and partly as a joke, with the accidental seal of â€Å"Marry Me†. Boldwood, having received the Valentine, become besotted with Bathsheba and soon called on her to accept the invitation of marriage. Though the answer of course was not what he expected. â€Å"I didn’t know†¦ I ought never to have dreamt of sending that valentine – forgive me, sir – it was a wanton thing which no woman with any self respect should have done. If you will only pardon my thoughtlessness†¦ † Farmer Boldwood replied†¦ â€Å"No, no, no. Don’t say thoughtlessness! †¦ You torture me to say it was done out of thoughtlessness†¦ This outburst again shows the reader that Hardy can express the theme `the pain of love` so vividly. However, Boldwood does not stop and continues to express his want to have her. For example, â€Å"I may think of you? Yes, I suppose you may And hope to obtain you? No – do not hope! Let us go on†. This obsessiveness driven by the act of Bathsheba’s valentine proposes another effect of love. At the end of chapter 19, Hardy tells us that Boldwood is almost spellbound by Bathsheba and by her leaving, he comes out of this stupor, â€Å"like the pain of a wound†¦ † Another of Hardy’s pain of love themes. Boldwood’s appearances from then on are stopped due to the arrival of Troy, who Boldwood at once is jealous of and wishes to extract him from their (Bathsheba and Boldwood’s) lives. The deal he tries to accomplish with Troy is of course a failure, however it proposes that Boldwood would do (or should I say ‘pay’) so much to expel him, and further expand his relationship with Bathsheba. His love for her, the reader could interpret as, is almost insane and compulsive. This is perfectly described in Chapter 53, where Boldwood begins to talk to himself. â€Å"I hope to God she comes, or this night will be nothing but misery to me! O my darling, my darling, why do you keep me in suspense like this? † However that is not the most important part of the chapter because of course this is the climax to the whole story and the final effects that love can have on somebody. ‘A strange voice came from the fireplace – a voice sounding far off and confined, as if from a dungeon. Hardly a soul recognized the thin tones to be those of Boldwood. Sudden despair had transformed him. ‘ Boldwood, at the realization of the return of Troy, and the conclusion that Bathsheba cannot be his, had the devastating affect of forcing him to take action. In the form of a bullet. Aimed at Troy. His love for Bathsheba perhaps deluded him into it, showing that the pain of love has lead one man to his death and another to the noose. However we know that sentence was not carried out, life imprisonment instead, though in a way just as bad as the loss of life some could argue. Hardy is clearly well adept into conveying the pain of love as a theme, though not the main theme of the story. Hardy presents the idea of ‘the pain of love’ clearly in the two relationships that Bathsheba experiences, even in Oak’s relationship with Bathsheba, his offer of marriage is turned down, and not accepted till the end of the book. Bathsheba’s relationship with Troy and Boldwood differ quite drastically. Boldwood is the calm farmer enticed by Bathsheba, and driven to killing another man. Troy is the dashing sergeant who seduces Bathsheba and causes their marriage to disintegrate due to his lies and deceit. Bathsheba also reacts differently to the two men. To Boldwood she thinks she is not good enough for him, and is almost scared of his persistence- ‘She was frightened as well as agitated by his vehemence’ She also taken aback by Troy, ‘Ah! There was a time Frank, when it would have taken a good many promises to other people to drag you away from me. ‘ She also is now quite sad to be married, preferring the unmarried version of him when it was dashing swordplay and romantic courting and love. However it is not the case with the married Troy, â€Å"What do you regret? † He asked. â€Å"That my romance has come to an end†, she relied. The pain of love that the characters encounter, i. e. Boldwood’s hopeless love for Bathsheba, and Bathsheba’s own foolish love for Troy, and the final act leading to Troy’s (perhaps deserved) death, are all excellently and elaborately depicted by the most English of English novelists, in one of the most English of great English novels.

Rmcf Srategic Audit

Strategic Audit of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Table of Contents Current Situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Current Performance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Strategic Posture†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4,5 Corporate Governance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦. 5 Board of Directors †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦. 5,6,7 Top Management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7,8,9 External Environment: Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Natural Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Societal Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦9,10 Task Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦. 10,11 Summary of External Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦. 11 Exhibit 1- EFAS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 22 Internal Environment: Strengths & Weaknesses (SWOT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 Corporate Structure†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11,12 Corporate Culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 Corporate Resources†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Marketing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 Finance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12,13 Research & Development†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13,14 Operations & Logistics†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Human Resources Management (HRM)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦14 Information Technology (IT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦14,15 Summary of Internal Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15 Exhibit 2- IFAS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 22 Analysis of Strategic Factors (SWOT)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 Situational Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5,16,17 Review of Mission and Objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦17 Exhibit 3 – SFAS Matrix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦23 Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 Strategic Alternatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦.. 18,19 Recommended Strategy/Implementation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 19,20 Implementation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20 Evaluation and Control†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20,21 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦21 Works Cited†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 I.Current Situation A. Current Performance Successful from the start * Currently there are five company-owned and 329 franchised RMCF stores operating in 38 states * Continuous revenue increases from year to year (around $16,678,472 in 2008) * During this time of economic decline that had arose, the sales began to slow up but Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory seems to be in great shape under all financial aspects to survive the recession. B. Strategic Posture Here is the original mission, objectives, and strategies of the company.RMCF is always looking to become more and more successful from what they already have and hope to continue doing well now and in the future. 1. Mission: The Company does its finest to stay fine-tuned and focus on franchising and manufacturing. * They guarantee goo d quality, taste, value, and variety of all their products * Their number one focus and factor is the quality of the product 2. Objectives: RMCF is always wanting to be known and therefore their customers and employees are huge for the company.They are always doing their best to stay in the seat they are in now by staying successful, continuing to gain customers, popularity, and even profits as a whole. * Continue to keep a good relationship with all employees and with the franchises as well * They are always sure to handle and manage their money in all the proper ways even during the time of the 2008 economic slump * Always had an eye open to slow factors down during this rough time (expansion and eliminate debt) 3.Strategies * Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is repurchasing stock here because they felt as if it was undervalued * Different kinds of candy, such as sugar free treats for individuals who choose to be more healthy or who cannot have the candies with all the sugar in th em * The company owns refrigerated trucks to make it simple to move products from the factory to stores * Putting stores in areas of tourist, entertainment, and street front locations to gain more and more attention. Stores are set up for customers to be able to not resist the smell and sights of all the goodies (will keep them coming back) 4. Policies: RMCF consists of many different polices as most places do. The company wants to always continue increasing accountability, revenue, customers, and all the positives that have been such a success for the company while also reducing bottlenecking. All franchisees are expected to hold a high level of excellence * Believe they should control the manufacturing of its own products in order to better maintain its high product quality standards * RMCF sends their trucks from factories to stores with products and then brings back more ingredients for the next product so they can save trips and be more cost effective * Stores must be placed fa r enough apart and in good locations so that the company has the best possibility for success * All stores have the policy of sample in the store so customers can see and try what they are going to purchaseThe current mission, objectives, strategies, and policies reflect the company under many aspects. It continues to be successful, expand the customer culture, and accessibility. RMCF created a leading business model that was truly effective. With all the company has accomplished it continues to keep an eye open and look to consider changes if needed. II. Corporate Governance A. Board of Directors Due to the type of company, it is restricted by law to have no fewer than three and no more than nine directors on the board.The company previously decided on having 6 directors with Crail and Merryman being the only two internal board members. 1. Franklin E. Crail- Founder of the first RMCF, Chief Executive Officer, President, and a director. Bryan J. Merryman- Vice President, Finance & c hief financial officer, chief operating officer, director and a treasurer. Others directors include: Gerald A. Kien – Former chief executive officer of Remote Technology. Lee N. Mortenson – Former managing director at Kensington Partners LLC. Clyde W.Engle – Chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Sunstates Corporation. Fred M. Trainor – Chief executive officer and president of AVCOR Health Care Products Inc. With the exception of Franklin E. Crail who was the co-founder of RMCF and Bryan J. Merryman, the Board of Directors of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is composed of all external-independent board members. The directors do not receive any kind of compensation for serving on the board.However, they do receive compensation for serving other things such as serving certain board committees, leading committees, and when getting involved in meetings. Directors who are not officers or employees of RMCF are entitled to receive s tock option awards. RMCF is publically traded and listed on NASDAQ Global Market. For each share of common stock held, a shareholder is entitled to one vote on all matters. There are different rights as all matters could be voted on except the election of directors. Shareholders on the board had cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.The Board of Directors has frequently paid out quarterly cash dividends usually to common share outstanding. The RMCF board of directors are equipped with a wide variety of skills, interest, knowledge and background. The board members contribute numerous experiences in different positions from multiple companies. It seems that none of the directors were ever in the food industry before. Franklin E. Crail co-founded the first Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store in May 1981. Since, Crail has served as its President, Director, Chairman of the Board, and CEO.Before finding the company, he was co-founder and President of CNI Data Processing Inc. Bryan J. Merryman has experience in leverage buyout firms, retail and manufacturing of aftermarket auto parts, consulting, financial advisory, and risk management. He has been with RMCF since 1997. Lee N. Mortenson has been with the company since 1987 and has been involved in consulting and investment activities since 2000. He was the managing director of a private investment firm and has been President and CEO of a company that provided management consulting and investment services.He has also been involved in real estate development and manufacturing. Gerald A. Kien became part of the company in 1995. He had just retired from his position as President and CEO of a company involved in the development of instrumentation for vehicle emissions testing. He also had previously been on the board of Sun Electric which is a company that deals with the oilfield, wind farms, and transmission construction industries. Clyde W. Engle became part of the company and had experience in profes sional property management as well as in a one-bank holding company.RMCF has a total of 41 franchise stores internationally. Based on what some of the directors use to do in the past, it is clear that they have the experience to work with international operations of the company and help benefit RMCF. When it comes to the environment, it can be said that RMCF board members are concerned with its environment. To start with a simple example, Crail had to scope out the perfect environment where to build his company. He moved from California to a smaller town where he started to survey the environment to make sure that it was a good place to open a chocolate shop.Crail had to make sure the environment was going to be a contribution to the success of the organization. RMCF was first located right on the main street for location and was right by the river which was a tourist attraction. The smells caught the noses of the tourists that came to town for the attractions. The company then cont inued to establish RMCF stores in five primary environments such as regional centers, tourist areas, outlet centers, street fronts, and airports and other entertainment oriented areas. The board members have been around for quite some time. Starting from 1982 to 1987, 1995, 1999, 2000, and 2009 basically.Even previously from 1987. The board seems to be deeply involved with strategic management of the company, controlling all from where stores are located to how training is conducted. When it comes to decision making on what to do with the company, the board of directors at RMCF tend to agree upon what to do as a team. They take care of all major aspects of the company. For example, they are in charge of resources and performance in the environment. With the co-founder being part of the board, strategic management works in a way that they all come to an agreement on, the board and no one is voted out.The board is able to run an evaluation on performance and many other aspects. All bo ard members participate and stick to a strategic plan to come to an agreement for the company. B. Top Management When it comes on to top management at RMCF it is up to the internal employees that are all part of the board. Listed below are some individuals that are part of RMCF top management: Frankiln E. Crail- Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director Bryan J. Merryman- Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Treasuer Edward L.Dudley- Senior Vice President- Sales and Marketing Gregory L. Pope- Senior Vice President- Franchise Development and Operations Jay B. Haws- Vice President- Creative Services William K. Jobson- Chief Information Officer Virgina M. Perez- Corporate Security Similar to the board of directors, top management of RMCF comes from a lot of different backgrounds. All of them are experienced in their field, but none of them before had ever had experience in the food industry. Some of the top management individuals consist of Crail , Merryman, Dudley, Pope, haws, and even a few more.Top management at RMCF are responsible for the different franchises and the growth of the company. They use top management as a form of recognition style so they can use it to expand and open more franchise stores. This will allow them to open more stores with no capital investment. Top Management also has international experience similar to the board of directors, because some of the individuals are both on the board of directors and top management. They have had to interact with others internationally and learn how to work with others from all over as well.That is why RMCF continues to stay towards the top and seems to most of the time be doing very well. There have been different ways and ratios looked into that determine if top management is effective and if they have an impact on the corporation’s performance over the past years. The ratios turned out looking rather well for RMCF in that the company is doing well and to p management has been responsible for these corporation performances over the past few years. This means that the management is aware of their resources and are using them to the company’s advantage.About half of the top management have been promoted internally. They started off as a store manager, franchise owner, or working their way up through the company. Some of these managers have been with the company since it first merged in the early 1980’s. Top management has established a systematic approach to strategic management. As mentioned above, the committee consults the board on making the right organizational decisions. By placing intense focus on Environmental Scanning of strategic management, RMCF has been smart and placed store locations in tourist areas, or high levels of foot traffic.Top management of RMCF is deeply involved in the strategic management process of the company. They are in charge of the mainstream controls that their franchise branches do. There fore, top management is truly involved. When it comes to deciding store locations, directing training, and providing ingredients, these are all decided upon in their original Durango, Colorado location. At RMCF top management is heavily involved in the interaction with lower level managers and the board of directors. Top management consults with the lower levels when deciding what to do and what strategies they can come upon that will best suit the company.Even though top management is higher up then the lower levels, they must come to agreements on certain strategies before making changes. Therefore, top management does play a very important role when it comes to interacting and communicating with lower level managers and board of directors at RMCF. By interacting and communicating helps the company rise above and stay ahead of competitors. RMCF is great with their interaction at all levels and that is what allows for it to be one of the leading chocolate factories worldwide. Decis ions at RMCF are made ethically in a socially responsible manner.If there is ever any concerns or anything that could be harmful to the company name, system, or reputation they are strictly prohibited. Along with the ethical manners of RMCF, environmentally sustainable manners come into play. From what RMCF can control, they want to always maintain an environmentally sustainable manner. With most things they are able to do so but with cocoa beans that are the main raw material used to make chocolate and grown in Africa and several other countries, RMCF cannot directly regulate if those countries are leading themselves in an environmentally sustainable manner.There are many different rules, regulations, and concerns that need to be kept under tight control with the company. From the case, one can see that RMCF’s top management is sufficiently skilled to cope with any future challenges. All of the top management team comes from truly experienced backgrounds and are prepared to withstand any recessionary forces that are knocking the U. S. economy. III. External Environment: Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) A. Natural Physical Environment: Sustainability Issues 1. Some natural climate issues that could affect the company would be heat, rain, and snow.Some weather related issues would be hurricanes and earthquakes that would affect traffic, tourism, and crop production (cocoa beans). 2. These forces would affect different regions of the world depending on the season and location. There might be different weather-related events, but different types would affect each region. B. Societal Environment Economic Economic is a current threat because the economy is dealing with a current recession. Spending is down and chocolate isn’t a necessity, which means there will be less chocolate being consumed. TechnologicalTechnology is an opportunity for RMCF. One example is that with online shopping increasing, consumers can buy as much of the product as they want right from their phones or computers. Also, technology can speed up the production process. Machines can do a lot more work as well, which will limit the amount of work that workers have to do by hand. This will increase the overall quality and consistency of the product. Political-Legal Political-Legal can be a threat to this corporation. Working in a factory can be somewhat unsafe. There are always health and safety issues in any workplace.There are also fair-trade regulations, import and export regulations, licensing agreements and child labor laws that have to be enforced. Sociocultural Sociocultural is an opportunity for this corporation. Based on research, dark chocolate has many health benefits. Some of these benefits include limiting the risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes. Dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and increase sugar metabolism. This will increase consumer spending on dark chocolate if consumers believe that it is healthy for the m. These forces would be different in other countries.This is because every nation is not at the same developmental stage, in terms of Economic, Technological, Political-legal, & Sociocultural. Some countries are ahead of the U. S & others are behind. C. Task Environment 1. Forces that drive industry competition are prices, geographic locations, large corporations entering the market, and prime retail locations. a. Threats of new entrants: High: Nestle and mars are two of the top food manufacturers in the world. With low entry barriers and having to compete with these established corporations there is a high threat. b.Bargaining power of buyers: Medium: Consumers have other options to choose from besides RMCF. They can buy chocolate from whomever, but with their prices, consumers are still choosing RMCF. c. Threat of substitute products/services: High: There are many substitutes to gourmet chocolate and with the economy; consumers might fall for the lower prices and easy access to d ifferent products. d. Bargaining power of suppliers: Low: RMCF has an advantage over other suppliers because of their fixed pricing and alternative supplier options. e. Rivalry: High: There has been an increase of entrants into the industry.Chocolate can be an easier industry to buy into with the health benefits and low entry barriers. f. Relative power of union, governments, and special interest groups: Medium: Consumer demands, union demands, and government regulations present challenges for RMCF. 2. Key factors in the immediate environment are: * Consumers demand for quality and healthy products. * Big name competitors like Nestle and Mars entering the market. * Suppliers providing ingredients at a fixed cost. * Labor unions and employers working together to produce raw materials at a low cost D. Summary of External FactorsSee Exhibit 1: Find at end of paper Consumer demands and competition are the most important factors to the corporations and industries in which it competes at the present time. Without consumers buying the product, the company cannot survive. Even though there are other factors that weigh into consumer happiness, it all boils down to if they like the product, if they can afford it, and if they choose it over other competitors. In the future it will still be the same, there will still be other competitors that will be coming out with new and improved products. Consumers can change company preference at any time.RMCF has to keep fixed prices as good or better with the products that are similar to that of their competition in order to keep their consumers around. IV. Internal Environment: Strengths and Weaknesses (SWOT) A. Corporate Structure Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory prides itself on its history. It was built around location and lifestyle, which has helped shape its corporate structure that is used to this day. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory uses a divisional corporate structure that focuses in three areas; product, market, and geo graphic. Product is the first and foremost important element for the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.As said by one of the Co-founders Franklin Crail â€Å"The number one factor is the quality of the product, without that customers aren’t going to stay around long† (book p26-3). Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is known for its specialty chocolate treats such as; nut clusters, caramels, butter creams, mints, and truffles. RMCF also tries to stay innovative with its products, having recently introduced sugar free and no sugar added candies. Chocolate isn’t the only sweet treat that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory offers, however, they also offer an array of fudges and caramel apples.Market structure is the next piece that fits into Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s divisional corporate structure. Market structure comes into play with the different groupings of employees that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has as a whole. They can be divided up into ma nufacturing its own trucking operations, store employees, factory employees, and corporate management. Splitting up the employee force and grouping everyone with the same or similar groups together is the main purpose of the market structure as part of the divisional structure as a whole.The last piece of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s divisional corporate strategy is geographical structure. This groups employees come together on a basis of where they are located. This is important for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory because it an international company with stores all over the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. The placement of the shops is also a key element to the success of the store. The main environments are; regional centers, tourist areas, outlet centers, street fronts, and airports. B. Corporate Culture â€Å"The Peak of Perfection in handmade Chocolates†Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a very unique corporate culture. It truly tries to live up to its tagline of being â€Å"The Peak of Perfection in Handmade Chocolates†. As a company they accomplish this by making all the shops a blend of traditional and contemporary styles. They also sought to make each store a fun and inviting place to be for both its workers and the customers that stop in. In each store it is possible to see the chocolates being made by the workers, thus showing that the chocolates really are handmade, as promised by the tagline of the company.Another important aspect of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory corporate culture is its franchising philosophy. It is always looking to improve its franchise support systems and has a high level of service and commitment to its franchises. The company realizes the importance of supporting and monitoring all of its franchises, because they are a direct reflection of the company. C. Corporate Resources 1. Marketing Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory runs on low-cost, high-return publicity opportuni ties. This is through taking advantage of local and regional events, sponsorships, and charitable causes.A large national marketing plan was never something that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was interested in. Instead the company preferred to use things like coupons, flyers, and mail-order catalogs generated in house using its Creative Services Department. This department also works directly with each franchise. 2. Finance RMCF is consistently making a profit, allowing operating expenses to increase, and it also has multiple income sources. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s financial situation can best be seen through the use of a graph. This graph breaks down the company’s financial situation for the past five years. | YEARS ENDED FEBRUARY 28 or 29,| | Selected Statement of Operations Data| | 2012| | | 2011| | | 2010| | | 2009| | | 2008| | Total revenues| | $| 34,627| | | $| 31,128| | | $| 28,437| | | $| 28,539| | | $| 31,878| | Operating income| | | 5,853| | | | 5,950| | | | 5,671| | | | 5,819| | | | 7,914| | Net income| | $| 3,876| | | $| 3,911| | | $| 3,580| | | $| 3,719| | | $| 4,961| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Basic Earnings per Common Share| | $| . 63| | | $| . 65| | | $| . 60| | | $| . 62| | | $| . 78| | Diluted Earnings per Common Share| | $| . 62| | | $| . 62| | | $| . 58| | | $| . 60| | | $| . 6| | Weighted average common shares outstanding| | | 6,111| | | | 6,051| | | | 6,013| | | | 5,985| | | | 6,341| | Weighted average common shares outstanding, assuming dilution| | | 6,295| | | | 6,290| | | | 6,210| | | | 6,157| | | | 6,501| | Selected Balance Sheet Data| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Working capital| | $| 10,573| | | $| 9,831| | | $| 8,930| | | $| 7,371| | | $| 5,152| | Total assets| | | 24,163| | | | 21,439| | | | 18,920| | | | 16,841| | | | 16,147| | Stockholders’ equity| | | 18,736| | | | 16,654| | | | 14,731| | | | 13,242| | | | 11,655| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cash Div idend Declared per Common Share| | $| . 400| | | $| . 400| | | $| . 400| | | $| . 400| | | $| . 390| | 3. Research and Development (R&D) Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory knows the importance of keeping up with consumers wants, needs, and most importantly tastes. With the recent health raze, doing research and development was necessary to find out what in fact the consumers actually wanted from their chocolate companies. Due to this health craze the demand for dark chocolate has seen a significant increase. Also due to the health conscious, there has been research on chocolates that have been enhanced with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and probiotics. Another trend that has become apparent in the chocolate industry is the want for ethical and fair trade chocolate. Consumers were showing concern about supporting cocoa farms that used child labor. Due to this consumers were choosing to support companies that could prove they were using only â€Å"ethical† cocoa products. 4. Operations and LogisticsRocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s operation and distribution objectives are all about maintaining the quality and freshness of its products. As a company Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory encourages its franchise stores to only order what they can realistically sell in a two to four week time frame, this ensures freshness. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s manufacturing process primarily involved cooking or preparing the candy. This is done in a temperature controlled room with strict quality controls in place to ensure that only best candies make the cut. While most of the candy is still handmade, there has been some change to automated processes if it makes sense to do so from a financial aspect.A large part of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s operations deal with its distribution or truck shipments. When it appeared that there couldn’t be a suitable shipper found, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory created its own fleet of semi s. By doing this it enabled the company to deliver its products to the stores quickly and at an extremely cost efficient and effective price. Having its own fleet to haul and return products and supplies has become not only a convenience for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, but an extremely business savvy move. 5. Human Resources Management (HRM) Most of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s employees are employed and paid on an hourly basis. At times, the employment of temp or seasonal help was used.Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory prides itself on staying competitive in its industry with regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions. The company is big time on the emphasis of respect, commitment, and professionalism. As far as human resources and employee relations go, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory rates itself as very good! 6. Information Technology (IT) Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory uses social media as a main source of its information systems. Its main social media resource is Facebook. It allows for customers to â€Å"like† their page to receive special information and deals regarding the company. It also has a link to Facebook on its homepage on the corporate website. They also use Twitter and Instagram.Besides these information systems the company uses, the stores operate independently from main corporate structure and some other aspects of its operations the company uses information technology for shipping, sales performance, inventory control, and accounting. D. Summary of Internal Factors See Exhibit 2: Find at end of paper V. Analysis of Strategic Factors (SWOT) A. Situational Analysis See Exhibit 3: Find at end of paper Here we just laid out some of the important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that were important when it comes to RMCF. By looking at the SFAS Matrix: exhibit 3 at the end of the paper one can see of the external(EFAS) and internal(IFAS) factors and which of each are the most important that have a strong impact on the company’s present and future performance. Strengths * Strong Franchise Program Rated an outstanding franchise in 2008 by the Entrepreneur magazine * March 31st there were 329 franchised stores * Visibility of its stores and the high foot traffic generated strong name recognition High Quality Product (won the 3 heart rating in a blind taste test) Strong mix of different kind of ingredients * During holiday seasons, company made as many as 100 additional items * Developed a new line of sugar-free and no-sugar added candies * According to the company, â€Å"results have been ‘spectacular’, filling a need for those with a special dietary requirements† * Careful selection of store sites * Highly cohesive corporate culture * Trademarks * Big, chunky chocolate concoctions * The Bear Paw-sized concoction of chewy caramel, roasted nuts and heavy coating of chocolate * Caramel apples followed by the Bear was the best selling Weaknesses * Glob al presence * Sale of chocolate and confectionary products was affected by changes in consumer tastes and eating habits * Negative impacts * Equity market levels * Consumer confidence * Job growth * Consumer disposable income and spending levels * Unemployment rates * Recessionary and inflationary trends * Energy prices Opportunities * New environments for success * Automation increase the speed and efficiency of the manufacturing process * Significant opportunities existed to expand into tourist area * Airport locations Accelerate the opening of stores in high volume airport locations * Sport Arenas * Kiosks * Enhanced franchise opportunities by providing flexibility in support of existing franchisees’ * Incorporated the company’s trademark cooking areas * Low cost marketing * Focused primarily on local in-store marketing * Fixed price contracts Company owned trucks * In 2008, owned eight refrigerated trucks and shipped substantial portion of its products from its fac tory * Cost effective, and quick delivery * Human Resources * Provided working conditions, wages, and benefits that compared favorably with its competitors * High performance expectations, mutual respect and professionalism existed throughout the company Threats Weather * Crop farming * Tourist areas * Competitors * Mars Inc. * Fanny May * Godiva Chocolatier * Large annual sales, and was one of the leading chocolate businesses * Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt * Ethel M Chocolates * See’s Candies * Hershey * These companies not only manufactured chocolate but also had their own retail outlets * Numerous businesses that offered confectionery products, from large to small privately owned local businesses * Influence of sales affected by * Traffic patterns * Economic conditions * Demographic conditions B. REVIEW OF MISSION AND OBJECTIVES Mission Built around a location and a lifestyle. The number one factor is the quality of the product, without that customers aren’t going to stay around long. † (Page26-2) The Company believed that its store atmosphere and ambiance, as well as its brand name recognition and its careful selection of sites for new store and kiosks, merchandising and marketing of chocolate and other candy products, expertise in the manufacture, and commitment to customer service are key to the accomplishment of its objective to build on its position as a leading international franchiser and manufacturer of high quality chocolate and other confectionary products. †¢ Quality, taste, value and variety of products †¢ Quality of the product is the number one factor Objectives Manage money carefully during economic downturn †¢ Slowed expansion and elimination of debt †¢ Maintain a good relationship with employees as well as franchisees Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has continued to maintain its mission and objectives appropriately during times of expansion as well as recession. VI. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy A. Strategic Alternatives The current and revised objectives are met rather well in this case and in any situation there can be implementation and improvement of the company’s strategies to make it even better. The alternative strategies are the Growth strategy, stability strategy and the retrenchment strategy.Cost leadership and differentiation play a part under strategic alternatives as well. 1. Stability Strategy: Stability strategy is when corporate strategies need to make no changes to the company’s current direction of activities. Therefore, RMCF fits pretty well under this because from the case one can see that they were doing rather well and never seemed to dip down by much at all. RMCF does not need to change any major things they just need to be sure and remain on the same page all the time and fix any small things that may occur. PROS: Stability strategy is rather cheap and will take the least amount of time. It also allows for appropria te training of any new franchisees.CONS: With a stability strategy it may only be short term solve or could end up resulting in loss of market share. 2. Growth Strategy: The concentration can be either vertical growth or horizontal growth. Vertical growth consists of taking over another company and this strategy would somewhat be beneficial for RMCF at this time because they tend to be doing well and if they were to take another place over and run it as they run their own company things would continue to be well off. Horizontal growth is spreading into other geographical locations. Horizontal growth is also something that RMCF is looking to do at this point because expanding into different geographical areas will benefit them and let them continue to become known all over.The diversification strategies involve concentric and RMCF seems to have a pretty strong competitive position in the industry world. Conglomerate diversification comes into play here too and RMCF seems to be pretty well and in a good spot with their cash making company. With these two characteristics, diversification strategy should work. The horizontal growth is huge through franchising at RMCF. PROS- RMCF could continue reaching and expanding to different new markets as profits continue to move forward. CONS- The growth strategy may not allow enough time for all the planning that is needed. 3. Retrenchment Strategy: Retrenchment strategy is corporate strategies to minimize the company’s level of activities and to return it to profitability.This strategy can be considered a quick fix of financial problems and this has helped for RMCF to stay on their feet and never fall to low under most aspects. There were a few times they slipped but then managed to get back on their feet and fix problems. With retrenchment strategy, it is there if RMCF would need it but the company is doing fairly well and has never been in that much of a slump to be bought out by another company or to even claim b ankruptcy. PROS- Retrenchment strategy is here and handy if RMCF were to need it. CONS- If RMCF did ever get into such a terrible spot, this might not help. 4. Cost Leadership: Cost Leadership can be described as a low-cost competitive strategy that aims at the broad mass market.RMCF can tie in with cost leadership because it has been truly successful and has set prices that the company believes works as a competitive strategy because their consumers agree on them and continue to come back for more in that they are satisfied. PROS- Keep consumers around and gain more from the broad mass market with a low-cost competitive strategy. CONS- Other companies will begin to do the same and try to be even better while trying to gain RMCF’s consumers. 5. Differentiation: Differentiation is huge for RMCF because this is a competitive strategy that is targeted at the broad mass market and which involves the design of a product or service that is viewed throughout its industry as exceptio nal.RMCF fits perfectly under differentiation because from the start Crail wanted the industry to be different than any other and successful with the unique products it produced. PROS- Practical for above average earnings because of the exceptional products that consumers want more of and tend to not care about the price. CONS- There could be more losses during tough times because of the differentiation products being as a luxury. B. Recommended Strategy Here, growth is the recommended strategy for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. With doing very well most the time and being able to fix what the company needs to, their business and functional strategies that the company use seem to be working well. The U. S. candy market was doing extremely well around 2009, with chocolate generating billions of dollars in sales.As of March 31, 2008, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory consisted of five company-owned and 329 franchised stores operating in 38 states, Canada, and the United Arab Emirate s. All the Franchising, licensing, and exporting will help its ability to resolve both long and short-term goals of the company. There are not too many policies that should be developed or revised with RMCF to guide them with effective implementation. They seem to do rather well. If something does go wrong they find the best way to go about bettering it for present and future reference. The company has to always remain on its toes though because anything could change at any time. By following and sticking to good policies will benefit the company in many ways.The impact of knowing what is going on and being ready for anything to happen at any time will have positive impact on the company’s core and distinctive competencies. VII. Implementation In order for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to continue being a front runner in the gourmet chocolate industry they need to continue going on the path that they are on. They have a loyal consumer base and are keeping up with the wants and needs of their consumer base. By continuing to offer their homemade quality chocolates online, in stores, and in kiosk’s around the world they are providing their product to consumers in many ways. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a solid structure set up as far as top management and board members are concerned. For assurance that RMCF ontinues to be one of the top leaders in the gourmet, homemade, chocolate industry it is important that they keep listening to their customers wants and needs. VIII. Evaluation and Control Is the current information system capable of providing sufficient feedback on implementation activities and performance? Can it measure strategic factors? The current information system is capable of providing sufficient feedback on implementation activities and performance because the external and internal elements determine the future of the corporation. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats help the company sort out the monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating of information.Using the SWOT analysis helps defining the corporate mission, specifying achievable objectives, developing strategies, and setting policy guidelines. The fact that this company is built around a location and lifestyle, and that the quality of the taste, value and variety of products are important to them as a whole is why they succeed. They realize that in order to keep profit coming, they need to manage money carefully during economic downturn as well with a slowed expansion to help eliminate debt. Customer satisfaction is important as well because if the customer is not satisfied with either the product or the service they are receiving they will not be returning.Rocky Mountain Chocolate employees pride themselves in making a good name for the company, which is why they are so successful with expansion. â€Å"The number one factor is the quality of the product, without that customers aren’t going to stay around long† (Page 26-2). Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has had a very strong franchise with the fact that they were rated an outstanding franchise in 2008 by the Entrepreneur magazine. Are adequate control measures in place to ensure conformance with the recommended strategic plan? Appropriate standards and measures are being used to enhance conformance with the recommended strategic plan because they are being rated on the quality f the products they are producing. They were able to overcome the hard times of the economy in the U. S over the recent years by managing their money effectively. The company has their own special features and products that make them stand out over their competitors. With special holidays, they make over 100 different products to help ensure business with different options. Conclusion In closing, we believe the Stability strategies of â€Å"make no changes† to the company’s current activities is the best recommendation we can give for Rocky Mountain Chocol ate Factory at this time. Exhibit 2- IFAS Table for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |Internal Factors|   |   | Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Comments| Strengths|   |   |   |   |   |   | High quality products|   | 0. 2| 5. 0| 1. 00| Can have high prices with loyal customers| Uniformity throughout every store| 0. 1| 4. 0| 0. 40| Keeps customers happy and satisfied| Efficient cost structure| 0. 1| 2. 5| 0. 25| Promotes growth & increases profits| All stores are efficient and organized|   |   | 0. 1| 4. 0| 0. 40| Also promotes growth & increases profits| |   |   | | | | | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Weaknesses|   |   |   | |   |   |   | A lot of competitors that are also strong|   |   |   | 0. 2| 2| 0. 40| Have to do best to always protect market share| Special items|   |   |   | 0. 1| 2| 0. 0|   With difficult economic times sales can change| Proper operation of franchises is key|   |   | 0. 1| 1. 5| 0. 15| Keep head up in case of store mismanagement| Growth of company can be risky|   |   | 0. 1| 2| 0. 20| Must always stay on top with growth & managing it| |   |   | | | | | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Total Scores|   |   | 1. 00|   | 3. 00|   | Exhibit 1- EFAS Table for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | External Factors|   |   | Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Comments| Opportunities|   |   |   |   |   |   | Natural- recession recovery|   | 0. 05| 2. 5| 0. 13| Economy going towards recovery stage| Economic- low cost marketing strategy| 0. 05| 4. 6| 0. 3| Higher profits because of low cost facilities| Technological- multiple manuf. & automated processes| 0. 21| 4. 9| 1. 03| No value added, reduces inventory| Consumers happy & will pay more for product|   |   | 0. 07| 3. 5| 0. 25| profit will increase if demand for product does| Trucks owned by the comp any|   |   | 0. 12| 4. 5| 0. 54| Low transportation & efficient delivery|   |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Threats|   |   |   | |   |   |   | Natural- other companies move into market|   |   |   | 0. 23| 3. 8| 0. 87| Competition increases and causes lower prices| Economic- trade regulations|   |   |   | 0. 08| 1. 4| 0. 11|   Upset consumers, increase in labor costs| Labor force strikes|   |   | 0. 04| 1. 4| 0. 6| There would be no production of ingredients  | Regulations with the trucks|   |   | 0. 07| 2. 5| 0. 18| Increase in operating cost if slow delivery| Picking where to purchase a franchise location|   |   | 0. 08| 2| 0. 16| There would be no service if not in a good area|   |   |   |   | |   |   |   | Total Scores|   |   | 1. 00|   | 3. 56|   | Exhibit 3 – SFAS Matrix for RMCF| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Strategic Factors| Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Duration Comments| | | D uration| Comments| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | S1 High Quality Products (S)| 0. 13| 5. 0| 0. 5 | Long High prices, loyal customers| | | Long| Very important income stream| | | | S4 Stores efficient & Organized (S)| 0. 13| 4. 0| 0. 52| Long Promotes growth & increases profits| | | Long| Well known brand| | | | W1 A lot of strong Competitors (W)| 0. 11| 2. 0| 0. 22| Intermediate Do best to protect Market share| | | Long| Developing tech. may hurt advertising income| | | | W2 Special Items (W)| 0. 11| 2. 0| 0. 22| Intermediate Sales can change during hard times| | | Long| If internet packages change, income from partnerships may change| | | | W3 Proper operations of franchises (W)| 0. 13| 1. 5| 0. 95| Long Keep head up for store mismanagement| | | Intermediate| Focusing on too many market segments| | | | W4 Growth of Company (W)| 0. 11| 2. 0| 0. 22| Long Stay on top with managing growth| | | Intermediate| You don't Yahoo! it, you google it! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | O2 Economic (O)| 0. 07| 4. 6| 0. 322| Intermediate Higher profits: low cost facilities| | | Intermediate| Computers, cell phones, ipads, etc. | | | | O3 Technological (O)| 0. 07| 4. 9| 0. 343| Long No value added, reduces inventory| | | Long| Alliances with other countries. New laws, regulations, etc. enforced. | | | T1 Natural (T)| 0. 07| 3. 8| 0. 266| Intermediate Competition increase causes low prices| | | Intermediate| One media type having easier access than another| | | | T4 Regulations with trucks (T)| 0. 07| 2. 5| 0. 175| Short Increase in operation cost if slow delivery| | | Long| New laws and regulations internationally could put limits on Yahoo! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Total Scores| 1. 00| | 3. 13| | | | | | | | Work Cited Doheny, K. (2012, April 24). Choose dark chocolate for health benefits. Retrieved from http://www. ebmd. com/diet/news/20120424/pick-dark-chocolate-health-benefits Franchise Store News Room. (2011). Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://www. rmcf. com/CA/Sa cramento50028/news. asp? Hunger, J. D. ; Wheelen, T. L. (2012). Strategic management and business policy (13th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (2013). Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://www. reuters. com/finance/stocks/companyOfficers? symbol=RMCF. O Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. – Form 10-K (2010). Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www. faqs. org/sec-filings/100518/ROCKY-MOUNTAIN-CHOCOLATE-FACTORY-INC_10-K/