Operational Systems in Early Years Essay Example for Free

Operational Systems in Early Years Essay Structure of the day is one operational system that needs to be in place within an early years setting. This is because, it allows the setting to run smoothly as everyone knows what they need to do and when. Operational systems and financial systems are important elements of a business plan which enable a service to run efficiently. There are many operational systems and financial systems involved in a service. Task 2: Structure of the day: There are many ways in which this operational system impact on early years or play works services. It allows everyone to know their roles and what they need to do throughout the day. This will allow the service to run smoothly as people will not be wondering what needs to be done and things will then get done correctly instead of being left. Due to this, things like forms for the amount children eat and their behaviour will also be carried out correctly as there will be a designated member of staff who has to fill in the paper work for the room they are working in by the end of the day. If the setting has structured the day well enough then the member of staff will have time to write up the information as it comes instead of doing it all at the end of the day. This is because, if the practitioner leaves it until the end of the day, they may forget important bits of information and therefore will not be able to report back to parents correctly. This operational system also helps to keep the organised. However, there are a few problems with this operational system. If a member of staff rings in sick then it may be hard to find cover and therefore, the structure of the day will be jeopardised. Due to this, the day will not run smoothly as there will not be enough members of staff in the setting, meaning that everyone will be panicking and jobs and paperwork will not get done correctly. Especially if the member of staff who has rang in sick is designated with important jobs for that day. It may also be the case that other people are unaware of how to carry out the member of staff jobs and therefore, they will not get done until that member of staff comes into work. If some job roles are linked together, i.e. paperwork then this could also mean that other jobs cannot get done. As a result, the structure of the day will be ruined and the setting will not run smoothly. For this operational system to work effectively there needs to be correct effective communication in place. However, if this does not happen then this operational system wills no work. Health and safety: This operational system has a huge impact on early years or play works services, and it is very important to keep a service running smoothly and effectively. However, there are many positive and negatives points to this operational system. It keeps staff, children, visitors and anyone who may enter or work in the service safe. This happens as the operational system will include task like carrying out a risk assessment daily to reduce the risk of hazards and anyone getting injured. Due to this, the system can be made suitable to the specific setting as each setting may have different hazards. Also, each setting has different health and safety requirements; this is why it is important to have an operation system to each individual service so it fits in correctly and will work appropriately. This system will outline the procedures the staffs need to know and follow to abide to the healthy and safety rules. Due to the setting making them themselves, they will be able to make them simple enough for everybody to understand and follow. This will ensure that the healthy and safety within the setting will be followed correctly and there will be a reduced risk of people getting hurt. Members of staff will also be aware of what to do if a child falls poorly whilst attending the setting. Another positive is that it will give the staff, parents and children a sense of security as they will know they are safe and are able to relax. Therefore, there will not be any one getting stressed, worried or frustrated at the thought that someone might get hurt, as all hazards should have been removed to reduce the chance of this happening. On the other hand, there are also negative points about health and safety as an operational system. This is because, it can be quite time consuming for the setting to create, therefore this may be taking up members of staff valuable time that needs to be spent else where. Due to this, another part of the setting may not run as it should, for example, lunch time. There may not be enough members of staff helping out at that time if some are busy creating and readjusting the operational system. Also, to add to the time of creating it, someone needs to take the time to review the system and add or take away things when it needs updating. This could be very costly to the service because they will have to pay for things like the system to be printed, staff training on the different systems, and health and safety is a big system for staff to become knowledgeable about. Security of the building: The main impact that security of the building has on early years or play work services, is that it keeps everyone safe. Settings will have equipment installed to ensure that only the correct people are entering the building, for example, they may have a bell or a password on the main entrance door, and other doors are only able to be opened from the inside. This also means that they are able to adapt the building however they need. Some nurseries may have to have walls, gates or fences built around their outdoor play area. However, some building may not have to do this as there is already a wall there. Due to this, the setting will also be able to install equipment that will be suitable to the children’s needs. Some settings may have high door handles that the children cannot reach so they can’t let themselves out or open the door and get their fingers trapped in it. A sense of security will also be built up in the setting as everyone will be aware that it is secure and safe. This may also make parents feel better leaving their child at the setting. However, like any operational system, this one also has negatives aspects. Finding a good quality company to get the equipment off and for them to install it may become difficult. A setting will need a reliable company who is willing to come out at late notice when possible to install equipment. The setting also needs to be able to find a company that has their equipment at a reasonable price or else it may become very expensive for the setting. If a good quality company cannot be found, then equipment could be faulty putting the staff, children and visitors safety at risks. It could also then take a long time for the setting to be able to get the equipment fixed, causing problems and unneeded stress. As some equipment might be seen as good, there are also some impractical equipment, for example, if the setting has a bell for people to get in, it may be too loud and then wake up the children who are trying to sleep. Task 3: Within an early years or play work setting there is an operation system for the management and ordering of supplies. One current operational system that I have witnessed was at my primary school. Each classroom teacher recorded the supplies that they might need throughout the term, including books, pencils, paint, games, and work sheets and so on. Once they had done this, they then had to send their list to the lady in the office who would record what supplies the teachers requested onto an ordering form. She would also keep a record of what each teacher asked for so everyone could have the correct stuff. When it came to ordering things like food for school dinners, this was the chef’s responsibility. Each morning, the classroom teacher would ask each child who was having hot dinners what they would like, and there would be a meat and a vegetarian option. From this the chef would then be able to cook the correct amount of food each day. To order fresh food, the chef would do this once a week handing the order list to the office. However, with things like tin food, this would be brought in bulk at the beginning of each half term. For cleaning equipment, the head cleaner would create the ordering form to give to the office and this would include providing cleaning wipes for tables outside each classroom and soap for the toilets and so on. When it comes to the management of the operational system, this is down to the lady in the office as she is the one who rings through to the companies and places the orders and makes a time and date in which everything can be delivered. She keeps a record of past orders to make sure they are roughly ordering the same things each time an order is put in. This will help financial budgets as well. I do believe that the schools ordering of supplies operational system works effectively. The operational system is working well because there is someone to monitor what is being ordered and manage the system. This helps so staffs are aware who to send their order form to, if there are any problems then there is also someone that they can approach to try and solve the issue. All staff is able to put in an ordering form so nothing gets missed and the person in charge is then able to check the orders to ensure that staff are not spending too much money and are being realistic so the school can afford it. The school order supplies at realistic times to ensure that they do not run out of things they need especially things like hot dinners for the children. As a school, they have built up a good relationship with their suppliers and in time of need they can get a next delivery if something drastic happens. Another good point about this operational system is that the person, who manages it, also manages the financial records meaning that they will have a good understanding of what is coming in and going out. They will also be knowledgeable of how to make orders and will know appropriate times in which it can be delivered. however, the only problem is, if the member of staff who always puts the orders through is off work due to sickness, holiday or anything then it could mean that the school do not get there order through on time as know one else will know how to do. Therefore it would be a good idea for them to allow another member of staff knows how to do it so they can make an order if needs be. Schools need financial resources to function. School finances should be carefully managed according to regulations. Financial summaries provide information about the flow of a school’s financial resources, both into the school (income or revenue) and out of the school (expenditure). Financial records within the school are kept within the management office together with all supporting documents, e.g. receipts, invoices, bills and payment records. Access to financial records is restricted to the head teacher and member of staff in charge of the finance. The school has to keep their financial records for a minimum of 5 years. Financial records are kept both on the computer and in filing cabinets. The school has a spreadsheet on the computer in which everything they have to pay for is listed and all the incoming money is also listed. The financial records that are kept in the filing cabinet include things like receipts for orders, and things that they cannot put on the computer. Receipts allow the school to look back to ensure that the money going out is the same as the receipts for things that they have brought. The school has to record their financial income and expenditure. Income that the school records include: school fees, renting out facilities, donations, local community, government and expenditure that the school record includes: construction/repairs, equipment, and rental of premises, teacher salaries, school meals, electricity, telephone, water and maintenance. The school uses the financial summaries to monitor, verify and control the financial position of the school. Bibliography: Gill Squire. (2007): BTEC National Diploma Childrens Care Learning Development: Essex

Intra- and interpersonal perception Essay Example for Free

Intra- and interpersonal perception Essay How does intra- and interpersonal perception (understanding yourself and other people) contribute to individual success both at university and later at work? In this world of change and complexity, studying hard at school and dedicating at work are not enough to succeed at university and workplace. There are many factors affecting one’s life. The main factor comes from inner world of an individual. As the saying goes: nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it. Therefore, deepen the understanding of inner world of is important to an individual. Moreover, in order to succeed at both university and later at work, having intra- and interpersonal perception are vital for an individual. This essay will discuss how does intra- and interpersonal perception contribute to individual success both at university and later at work by mainly focused on that enhanced study result by self-monitoring and raised work performance by communication with colleague. Interpersonal perception is a type of social psychology, it means how you perceive a target, and the target can be a person apart from yourself (David A, 1994). In laymen’s terms, interpersonal perception can be defined as how much does an individual understand about the others. The purpose of having an interpersonal perception is to communicate with others successfully and get advantages from the successful communication. Having a better understanding of others can lead an individual to be success at both University and later at work. This essay will further discuss about this point in the following paragraphs. In order to communicate with others successfully, an individual must first learn to communicate with himself or herself. That means having a better understanding of our inner feeling is needed. This can be called as intrapersonal perception. In the daily life, an individual may not perfectly understand about what the inner feeling is when acting different behaviors. This will cause an individual to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, having an intrapersonal perception is very important. In order to develop intrapersonal perception, individuals should be able to describe what they strive for as their own personal values, vision and objective (Hanbury, Sapat, Washington, 2004). Intrapersonal perception will be built after having a deeper understanding of an individual’s goals of life. Therefore, it allows an individual to adjust his or her behaviors and reduce the feeling of uncomfortable. After having an intrapersonal perception, an interpersonal perception can be developed by enhancing communication with others. But above all, both perceptions can lead an individual to succeed at work and University. Intrapersonal perception can help students to get a better study result at University and enhance performance at job by increasing self-monitoring and self-awareness. When an individual knowing more about himself or herself, disadvantages will be found and hence increases their self-awareness. Bercher pointed out that accurate self-regulation can help a student to get a better result and greater performance at school (2012). When a student can be aware of his or her state of study, they will be able to adjust their performance. More importantly, students should clearly know about themselves at first. Secondly, they will find out what behaviors and what disadvantages should be improved in order to achieve the goals of study at school. At last, students will adjust their study methods or put more effort on study. As a result, the goals will be easier to accomplish and the study progress will be under their control. Moreover, intrapersonal perception can help an individual to be success at workplace. Employees’ attitude is very important to their performances at work. A positive attitude can lead an employee to accomplish a task more easily. When the employees knowing more about themselves, they can clearly know about what are their goals at work and what should they do to achieve the goals. Therefore, employee’s work attitude will be changed positively caused by their self-awareness. Performance and workplace behavior will also be improved. When an individual can own the ability of self-monitoring at workplace, attitude and workplace performance will be continently adjusted, it leads an individual to be success at work by having a higher performance. Furthermore, having an interpersonal perception can help an individual to obtain a higher result at both University and workplace by improving communication skill and increasing communication with others. Firstly, different types of group project are needed in the University. Having a better understanding of the others can help to obtain a successful coordination and get a better performance at group project. When the others thinking are highly understood by an individual, the individual will be able to coordinate with them in a more suitable way (Abele, Stasser, 2008). That means the communication with others will be improved and it leads to a successful coordination. Additionally, when a student having a better understand of other schoolmates, he or she can be able to compare their differences in study method, and hence to make an adjustment in order to improve study result. Also, having an interpersonal perception can benefit an individual at work. When an individual having a deeper understand of others, he or she can find an appropriate way to interact with them and obtain a better performance at work (Vrinda, 2001). Knowing others is an important skill, it helps an individual to analyze others behavior. Once an individual can be able to understand colleagues at workplace more accurately, he or she can communicate with them in a more suitable way and can have a better coordination. It will decrease conflict and enhance working result. Apart from improving working performance by appropriate interaction with others, interpersonal perception can also help an individual to get a job more easily and keep the job. Because it helps an individual to have a higher understanding of the examiner’s mind. In conclusion, intra- and interpersonal perception help an individual to have a self-monitoring ability and a better communication skill. Therefore, the performance at work and study progress at University of an individual can be improved by continually self-monitoring and enhancing interaction with others. Also, it allows an individual to obtain a higher study result and to have a better performance at workplace. Finally, intra- and interpersonal perception can help an individual to be success bot at university and later at work.

Food Culture in Malaysia and Japan

Food Culture in Malaysia and Japan The growing, rearing and processing of foodstuffs seems to have held a special fascination since the nineteenth century. Food and beverage industry has really growth and moving positively if compare to the preceding years, which is from the number of restaurant that opens day by day. There is a vast variety of restaurants with the different types of cuisine in Malaysia that representing different country and culture by offers an exciting array of food outlets, from fast food to fine dining and everything in between. Local food alone offers Malay, Cantonese, Szechuan, Indian and Nyonya cuisine while international food covers the gamut from Japanese to Middle-Eastern, Italian and American. Today, more people are excited to experiment and explore each restaurant that just opened. Moreover, due to the lifestyle and trends, more people are eating out rather than cook at home. For instance: Recently, more and more Japanese restaurants have been opened around Malaysia. Every restaurant trie s to bring up a new concept and originality to their brand. As the time goes by, people are more selective nowadays. They would like to choose a good quality food, with a good portion, with a good branding, and willing to pay with a reasonable price. There are some students are willing to pay high price for one meal because they want to try a new restaurant or a new cuisine with a good quality of the food. Thus, all restaurants have to try their best to meet the customers expectations. Besides that, they also have to recognize every aspect of their business has an impact on customer service because involve face to face customer contact and the supply in food has growing day by day. Each restaurant has to boost them self to improving customer service that involves making a commitment to learning what our customers needs and wants are, and developing action plans that implement customer friendly processes. The writer finds this issue interesting because nowadays people often ask the simple question like Where are we going to eat? I love Japanese foods especially sushi. Where can I get a delicious sushi with ideal price, good service and good place to hang out? When people decide to choose a Japanese restaurant, there are some factors that influence their decision making, such as customers emotion, satisfaction and brand loyalty. It is very important to know customers behavior in order to build a long term relationship. Therefore, the writer has chosen the title An assessment of Sushi Zanmai Malaysia popularity among university college students. There are three different concepts of Japanese restaurant that owe by SuperSushi Sdn Bhd Company which are: 1st Concept: Sushi Zanmai that began since in April, 1997, the genuine conveyer-sushi restaurant. There are several outlets of Sushi Zanmai which are in Sunway Pyramid, The Gardens, One Utama and Low-Yat. 2nd Concept: Sushi Zen that began since in September, 2007, a casual kiosk-style Japanese restaurant. 3rd Concept: Pasta Zanmai that began since in December, 2007, a Japanese Casual Pasta Restaurant. Within this short period, this company has developed the restaurant very fast, from one concept into another concept. The purpose of this research is: To identify factors that influence people selecting Sushi Zanmai as a sushi restaurant To identify current trends of Japanese food To recommend measures that could help to improve current condition PART 1: LITERATURE AND REVIEW 1.1 Food Culture in Malaysia Malaysia has a combined population of over 18 million people. Because of its central location, between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Malaysia has traditionally been a meeting point for traders and travelers from both the East and West, it also has produced a most diverse culinary melting pot. As a result, Malaysia has a multicultural and multiracial population consisting of three main group which are Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous peoples. With such a varying ethnic composition, it is no surprise that a great diversity of religions is prevalent throughout Malaysia. In Malaysia, eating out is really a gastronomic adventure. A blend ofcultural and ethnic histories which make up Malaysias diverse population is reflected in the broad range of influences and flavours found in Malaysian cuisine. And each state in Malaysia has something to offer in terms of culinary delights. For instance: Penang, the famous in hawker stall haven, where all the most delicious food requires that only costs as little as RM 3.50 per dish, such as Penang Char Kway Teow, Fried Oyster, Laksa, etc. Mallaca is also home to Baba Nyonya food, which served in quaint cafes in historical shop houses. Or in Kuala Lumpur, the most diverse offering of foods from all over the world, such as Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Thailand cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, European cuisine, Arabian cuisine, etc. With mixed origins, there are certain ingredients common to many dishes in Malaysia. Multiple varieties of rice and noodles, which are from local or imported from Thailand, Japan or India, are often used as a base. The Malays include a lot of seafood in their diet, like fish, squids, prawns and crabs that used to show up in Malay dishes. And most of Malaysian dishes use fish sauce or fish paste because fish live is around the shores of Malaysias islands. Fresh herbs and roots are commonly used to cook Malays food.ÂÂ   Indian and Thai curry spices with regional varieties are often used to create rich and spicy curry dishes. A dried spice is also form an important component of Malays cooking. Moreover, in a city of Malaysia which is Malacca was one of the great trading centers of the spice in the fifteen century. And Coconut is another favorite ingredient which is also common found in countless dishes. For instance: Santan(the coconut milk), to make creamy curries. It is to add sa vory sweetness of the dishes and to cool the fire of hotter spices. Today, rice is the staple for almost half the worlds population, particularly in parts of China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Southeast Asia. According to historians, they believe that is was first domesticated in the area covering the foothills of Eastern Himalayas (Northeastern India), and stretching through Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China. From here, it spread in all directions and human cultivation created numerous varieties of rice. According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in Philippines, there are 120.000 varieties of rice worldwide. Over the centuries, there are three main types of rice developed in Asia, depends on the content of the grain which is: Amylase means an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar Rice has divided into three (3) which are long grain, medium grain and short grained varieties. In this case, different populations, consumer different varieties of rice. Foods through the day in Malaysia are three meals a day and rice is almost always included, even at breakfast. For instance, Nasi Lemak. A typical meal consists of rice served with soup, curries, and a few vegetable stir-fries and also eaten fruit for dessert. A typical of Malay lunch and dinner was all dishes are placed in the center of the table to be shared by all the diners and usually the Malay food is often eaten with the hands. There are similar eating pattern within Japanese and Malaysia, which the main staple is rice and it is eaten with almost every meal. The meal features is quite same, such as the tastes of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and salty. Like Chinese style wheat noodles served in meat stock known as Ramen have become extremely popular over the last century and Malaysian like to consume noodles. Follow by seafood, as Japan is surrounded by sea as same as Malaysias islands. Therefore, When Japanese cuisine comes to Malaysia, the food itself easily accepted by Malaysian. 1.2 Background of Japanese Food Culture The rice-centered food culture of Japan evolution follows the introduction of wet rice cultivation from Asia more than 2000 years ago. The cultivation and consumption of rice has always played a central role in Japanese food culture. The tradition of Japanese is usually rice served with seasonal vegetables; fish and other marine products reached a highly sophisticated form in the Edo period (1600-1868) and remains the vibrant core of native Japanese cuisine. In the century and a half since Japan reopened to the West, Japan has developed an incredibly rich and varied food culture which includes not only native Japanese cuisine but also many foreign dishes. Some adapted to Japanese tastes and some imported more or less unchanged. In the 6th century, introduction of Buddhism to Japan became the official religion of the country and the eating of meat and fish were prohibited. The first recorded decision prohibiting the eating of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys and chicken was issued by Emperor Temmu in A.D.675. Laws and emperor eliminate the eating of almost all flesh of animals and fowl because based on Buddhism are prohibiting to killing. In the 15th century, many of the foods and food ingredients eaten by Japanese nowadays, for instance: miso, tofu or soy sauce. In the 16th century, the combination of Spanish and Portuguese frying technique with Chinese method for cooking vegetables in oil led to the development of tempura, the popular Japanese dish in which seafood and many types of vegetables with deep fried method. In the early 19th century, the development in Edo, the introduction of sushi has started. Todays, most of people are familiar with that dishes. It made from vinegar rice top or combined with raw fish and shellfish. And during that time, sushi was sold from stalls as a snack food, and that stalls were become the starter of todays sushi restaurants. In the mid 19th century, many of new cooking and eating customs were introduced where the most important being eating the meat. Consider of Japanese dish, Sukiyaki that consist of beef, vegetables, tofu and other ingredients cook at the table in a soup stock of soy sauce, sweet sake and sugar was first served in Western style restaurants. Another dish that popular during this period is Tonkatsu, means a deep fried bread pork cutlets. In the early 20th century, using Indian curry powder, Japanese curry rice (kareraisu) became very popular dish which consisted vegetables, meat or seafood with a thick curry sauce and served with rice. In generally at sushi restaurants, costumers will sit at the counter and call out their order item to a sushi chef. Or sit at Conyever belt where the customers can grab small plates in front of you, or call a special order if you do not see what you want on the belt. Or customers can sit on tatami mats. And as like Chinese, Japanese also ate with chopsticks to transfer the food. The rice bowl is not held as closely to the mouth. Soups are consumed directly from the bowl and the only dish eaten with a spoon is an unsweetened egg custard which known as chawanmushi. There are several ways to describes the differ of Japan cuisine from other cuisine, First, portion of the dish are small because it is to capture the diners attention with the freshness, natural flavor, the beauty of each dish, the atmosphere and the whole meal. Second, the food for a meal is served at once, so diners receive their own portions on individual plates and bowls instead of serving family style from large bowls in the middle of table. Third, Japanese use less oil which to emphasize the light and natural flavor of the food. And now, development of Japanese restaurant that opened more and more in Malaysia. It can be cause of the trends between among the Malaysia. There is similarity between Malaysia cuisine and Japanese cuisine that makes Malaysia is easier to accept. Other reason is Malaysian are quite open minded with those culture. 1.3 Food affecting consumers towards selection of food There are numerous factors that affect consumers towards selection of food, whether it is made by individuals or other parties. Food choices are influenced by many interacting factors which are income, culture, the concern about health, values, religion or even genetic. Many operational models have been developed to describe these influences that including The Lifestyle Model of dietary habits (Pelto, 1981), which attempts to explain how these factors interact to result in specific food behaviors. Societal Factors: Food Production and Distribution System is responsible for the availability of foods which differs from region to region and country to country. Food availability influences and in turn is influenced by the socio-economic and political systems. These serve to control the production and distribution of food in culture. Government policy may also be involved with the purchasing power of consumers through programs such as the oversight of food quality through safety standards, nutrition labeling requirements and other production programs (JoslingRitson, 1986) Lifestyle Factors: Income (limits what foods can be purchased) ÂÂ ® Occupation (influences food habits in several ways, for instance: the location of the job also influence meal patterns) ÂÂ ® Education (the status and self-realization phase of food use are usually, through not always dependent on higher levels of education) ÂÂ ® Nutrition Knowledge (may or may not translate into knowledge based behavior, and greater influence over what someone eats than what the person knows about nutrition) ÂÂ ® Ethnic identity (a distant heritage that has been modified or lost over the generations through acculturation) ÂÂ ® Rural-Urban (place of residence may affect which foods people eat) ÂÂ ® Religious Beliefs (depends on what religion, may have a great impact on food habits or may have no influence at all) ÂÂ ® Health (specific foods are often credited with health promoting qualities, such as ginseng in Asia) ÂÂ ® Physiological (age,gender,body image, and state of health)A ll of influence lifestyle factors are affects food habits. 1.4 Factors affecting popularity of Japanese food towards university college student The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools which often summarized as the four Ps that the firm uses to achieve its objectives in target markets (McCarthy, 2001). And most marketing professionals would say that the right marketing mix is the one that maximizes customers satisfaction and results in the highest sales or market share. Product It is defined as anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or a want. Step one; this product emerges will come from an analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats. There are two classifications of product: Tangible product Goods Intangible product Services For a restaurant, the goods are food and beverage outlets offered and the service is the customer service. Consequently, it is logically to include services within the definition of the product. (David Jobber) Step two; is a detailed analysis of the target market to assess the nature of the opportunity, what is its size and potential? How strong is the competition and how is it likely to evolve in the future? Step three; is research into the needs of prospective customers, what is it that customers actually want? According to Hamel and Prahalad, 1991, today, this goes beyond merely asking customers, what are the customer looking for, but creatively seeking to discover needs that customers cannot articulate because the customers are unaware of the possibilities offered by new technologies and the changing environment. People will always seek a restaurant that offering excellent food, especially when the restaurant have a good service, value and ambiance. People satisfy their needs and wants with products. Thus, the product is the main thing for a company because without products there is nothing to market or sell. And when a customer decides to buy a product, the customer will look for certain characteristics. The customer will want to know how many different products that offered by restaurant, which one provides a more interesting savings and what is included in the product. Product must have the power to leave a good impression and interest so the customer will not hesitate to visit the restaurant for the second time. Price It is defined as what the product or service costs to the customer or the amount that customers are willing to pay for a product and service. In order hand, price is the only element in the marketing mix that produces revenue. And setting a price for a product is very important. Price has a very strong impact on sales volume and market share; empirical studies (reviewed in Tellis, 1988; and Sethuraman and Tellis, 1991) have shown that, for most products, price elasticity is substantially higher than advertising elasticity. The company will need to set a price that the customer can afford and willing to pay and at the same it will help the company to achieve a good level of profits. When a customer asks about the price of a product, the customer also interested in knowing is there any discounts or special promotions. Therefore, no matter how good the product, how creative the promotion or how efficient the place or distribution, unless price covers costs the company will make a loss. (David Jobber, 2004) For instance, if the price is expensive, regular students will not be able to afford it and will think to have their meals in other restaurant. Nowadays, customers are concern about the price of their food and tend to compare the price to another restaurant. The customer will evaluate whether the value of the product is worth the amount that the customer are paying, because customers are always strongly influenced by price. Price often fulfills two functions simultaneously: it reflects the sacrifice that the buyer must make in order to acquire the product or service involved and it also acts as a signal of the quality of the product (Monroe, 1990) Another consideration is where pricing have the relationship between price and perceived quality, because many people use price as an indicator of quality. According to David Jobber, the more value a product gives compared to that of the competition, the higher the price that can be charged. Price should accurately key to the value to the customer. The sacrifices that made by the customer is in order to experience the benefits of a product, thus from the restaurant itself have to give the best for the customer. Place It is defined as place or distribution as a set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product available for use or consumption by customers. Or the company activities that make the product available to target customers. The dimensions of place are channels, assortment, location, inventory and transport. (Borden, 1984) For instance: Location, where customer can obtain the product so distribution channels are the key to this area. And in fact, many restaurant companies believe that location has become the most important factor to success. Warnaby and Dominic, 2004 highlight the advantages of shopping in town centers. Thus, the company will need to find ways to bring the products to customers and make the product easy to access to the customers. For instance: Convenience that is also important issue in food outlet patronage which the time and speed service is required, in order to satisfied the customers need and want. Place or distribution considerations play a major role in influencing customer motives. In the marketing of consumer goods, the role is to ensure that the product is available to the consumer when and where it is needed and in sufficient variety and quantity. Promotion It is defined as the activities that communicate the merits of the products and persuade target customers to buy or use the products. Company need to plan promotional activities properly in order to create awareness of potential customers. It is where advertising and communications are used to encourage customers uptake of the product or service. Promotion has several types of tools which are: Advertising, Sales promotion (discounts, coupons), Publicity, Word of Mouth, Personal Selling, Merchandising, Sponsorship and etc. The main reason why promotion is so important is to communicate with individuals, groups or organizations. Through promotion, the message like information about products or services can be communicated to existing and potential customers. Promotions can strengthen brand positioning. A 1985 study by Frankel and Co. and Perception Research Services found that, following exposure to adverts featuring promotions for a brand, consumers opinion of the brand( issues like quality, value and caring about customers ) improved by over 8 percentage compared to those exposed to only brand sell adverts. In other words, it must have the right facilities and services (product) and make them easily accessible to guests (place) with the proper amount of promotion and the right price. (David Abbey, 2003) Japanese food-Korean food Japanese and Korean foods are popular and are made of similar ingredients. However, the foods have their own taste, recipe and way of eating. Even though Korean food and Japanese food seems to be similar, both of them have their specialties. Japanese food and Korean food seems to be similar because they use same ingredient. For example, both of them use onions, green onions, red peppers, raw fish, and rice. Koreans and Japanese enjoy eating raw sliced fish, which are sushi and sashimi. Sushis ingredients are boiled rice, and raw sliced fish and sashimis ingredient is just as raw sliced fish. In addition, Korean and Japanese rice is the same. However, Korean and Japanese food is not totally same. Koreans tend to make food spicier and saltier than Japanese food. The price of Japanese food is higher than that Korean food. When people eat a meal at a Japanese restaurant, they should pay lots of money for their meal. For example, the basic foods like rice, sashimi, and some sea food cost thirty-five dollars per person. However, Korean basic foods, rice, main stew, and lots of side dishes cost just ten dollars per person. Japanese fresh seafood has high valuable, so most people prefer going to a Japanese restaurant like Benihana. Nevertheless, it is expensive. Every person has his/her own appetite, someone want to eat Japanese food and the other want to eat Korean food. Both foods may seem to be similar, because they are made of almost same ingredients. However, each of them has their own recipe, taste, and style of eating. Even though Japanese food is expensive, people like to eat Japanese food.

Bipolar Disorder and the Essay example -- Biology Essays Research Pape

Bipolar Disorder and the "War on Drugs" Bipolar disorder, also known as, "manic-depressive illness," is a brain disorder that results in unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. More than two million American adults (or, about one per cent of the population aged eighteen and older in any given year) are afflicted by this affective disorder (1). Yet, because it cannot be revealed by a blood test or other physiological means, patients may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated. Fortunately, once one is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the acute symptoms of the disease can be effectively mitigated by lithium and certain anticonvulsant drugs, the most popular being Depakote (also known as valproate). However, not all drugs are created equal. The New York Times recently featured an article elucidating that Lithium, the first drug utilized to treat bi-polar disorder, is more conducive to preventing suicide in people who have manic-depressive illness than Depakote, what has become the most commonly prescribed drug (2).. The new study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that patients taking Depakote were 2.7 times as likely to kill themselves as those taking lithium (2).. Although studies conducted prior to this have concluded that lithium could in fact prevent suicide, this report is the first to compare suicide and attempted suicide rates in lithium and Depakote users (2). Approximately fifty years ago, lithium "opened the modern era of psychopharmacology (3)." Its therapeutic effect is indeed very rapid. Administered in the form of lithium carbonate, it is most potent in treating the manic phase of a bipolar affective disorder; once the mania... ...ring of patients and critical treatment experimentation and evaluation may help physicians soon find peace. Sources Cited 1. National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder http://%20www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm 2. New York Times, 9/17/03: An Older Bipolar Drug Is Linked to Fewer Suicides in a Study (Denise Grady) 3. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2001. Long-term Clinical Effectiveness of Lithium Maintenance Treatment in Types I and II Bipolar Disorders (Leonardo Tondo, MD) http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/178/41/s184%20 4. Physiology of Behavior (textbook, 7th edition, Neil R. Carlson) 5. American Psychiatric Association. Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Patients With Bipolar Disorder; Part B: Background Information and Review of Available Evidence http://www.psych.org/clin_res/bipolar_revisebook_5.cfm

OSI Model Essay -- Computers Networking Technology Essays

OSI Model Introduction Successful communication of any type contains four key characteristics. These characteristics follow: 1. A sender: This is the person who is sending information. 2. A receiver: This is the person the sender is sending the information to. 3. A common language: If the sender and receiver are going to understand each other, they will need a common language and protocol, or specific method of communicating. 4. A common medium: The sender and receiver could choose whether to communicate in person, by telephone, writing or any other method that both can agree on. The OSI (Open Systems Interconnect) model attempts to define and standardize these key communication characteristics for computer networks. It does so by breaking communication between computers into seven specific layers. Each layer performs specific tasks relative to achieving communication. This paper will address the layers by explaining what they do individually and how they work together as a whole. Each OSI layer labels the piece of data that it processes before passing it on to the next level. The next layer could be either above the current layer of below the current layer depending on whether the computer is receiving or sending data. For purposes of this paper, the layers will be described in top down fashion beginning with application and ending with the physical layer. This simulates the theoretical method that a computer sends data. When receiving data, the layers are reversed and the data flows from the physical up to the application layer. .. ...rk which companies use to develop network protocols. Each layer of the model was discussed separately. These layers are: Application Presentation Session Transport Network Data Link Physical Protocol stacks allow computers to communicate with each other over the network even when they have different applications and operating systems. Sources Cited 1. http://frontpage.idsonline.com/sallard/MCSE/Net%20Ess/OSI%20Model.html 2. http://eratosthenes.informatik.uni-mannheim.de/informatik/pi4/lectures/RN/CN-Title/form/basosie.htm 3. http://www.matcmp.sunynassau.edu/~kaplans/classes/osimodel.htm 4. http://www.atlantic-tech.com/osimodel.htm

Grapes Of Wrath: Summary :: essays research papers

Grapes of Wrath: Summary The book Grapes of Wrath tells about the dust Bowl people's troubles they had coming to California. It tell about the Joad's trip from Oklahoma to California. There are twelve people in the Joad family. The one person that stood out the most between thee family was Ma. Ma's great strength, and smart thinking is what keeps the Joad family together and going. Ma's strong suites are shown through out the book. Nancy Reagan once said, "A women is like a tea bag-only in hot water do you realize how strong she is." I don't know how Nancy Reagan did this but she described Ma Joad to you exactly. The first time that Ma's strength was showed was when grandma died. She lied to an inspector telling him, "We got a sick ol' lady. We got to get her to a doctor. We can't wait." The inspector bought the story and let them pass on their way to California. Even then Ma didn't tell the family that grandma was dead, instead she laid there next grandma's dead carpus until they got to California. "She looked over the valley and said , Grandma's dead." She keeps the family together when they want to split up. The first time that this was showed in the book when they pulled over to help the Wilsons with the car. Tom suggested that him and Casey stay and fix the car while the rest of the family go's on to Bakersfield and that they would meet them there. Ma then let out her fury, she held up a tire iron and demanded that they all stick together and that they will go to Bakersfield together. Ma is also very smart. Her common sense is a higher then the rest of the family's. When Tom gets hit under the eye by a officer Ma devises a plan to get Tom out of that government camp. She says, "We'll put one mattress on the bottom, an' then Tom gets quick there, an we take another mattress an' sort of fold it so it make a cave." She really puts her foot down with what she wants

Business Marketing Management Capstone Written Project Essay

A. Executive Summary The business plan is written for the Step Ahead Learning Center serving the children of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. The center educates young students in reading, writing, and math to meet or exceed the Common Core Standards for Washington State. The center will increase children’s literacy and comprehension of reading, writing, and math through practices such as one-on-one tutoring and small group sessions instructed by trained and certified personnel. The center will teach understanding and mastery of concepts over the memorization of concepts, testing comprehension by requiring practical, real life application of knowledge to prepare children for college, work, and life. The center will have a venue available for professional private events which include work presentations, public speaking, educational classes, etc. The revenue from the outside use of this venue will help fund operations of the Center. Step Ahead Learning Center is formally asking for $20,000 to complete a fifth fully functional computer lab, and asks for on-going contributions to further assist with the advancement of technology incorporation, helping to achieve or exceed the Common Core Standards as set forth by the Washington Education Association (WEA). Ginsburg, Leinward, and Decker (2005) stated that the mathematics concepts in U.S. textbooks are often weak, thus presentation is becoming more mechanical than ever. A.1 Business Identification Step Ahead Learning Center 1000 W. 4th Ave. Kennewick, WA 99336 (509)555-9876 stepahead.kennewick@gmail.com stepaheadlearningcenter.com A.2 Mission, Goals and Objectives The center’s mission is to integrate technology into teaching and learning, reinforcing consistent expectations in learning for all students across all grade levels consistent with school board expectations, teaching comprehension and mastery over memorization of concepts, and emphasizing critical topics children will need to possess to succeed in school and after graduation. This mission helps the Learning Center achieve the vision of a culture that promotes high educational standards, high expectations, individual learning, collaborative learning, and excellent communication skills. The partnership between the Learning Center and the local school board will increase the amount of highly educated children into the community, raising the community welfare and individual well-being. The primary purposes of the Learning Center are: 1. To reinforce consistent expectations in learning for all students across all grade levels, in partnership with the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school boards. 2. To teach comprehension of concepts over the memorization of concepts, instilling a high personal standard of learning. a. Consistently test to ensure a high level of retention by requiring a practical, real life application of knowledge to prepare students for life beyond school 3. To introduce or reinforce critical topics students will need to succeed in the classroom and in the future. 4. To provide a venue for professional based private events, helping offset operation costs of the Learning Center The primary objectives of the Learning Center are: 1. To increase overall average Measurement of Student Progress (MSP) test scores to â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† for the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts by the end of the 2015-2016 school year. 2. To increase Common Core Standards comprehension levels in reading, writing, math, and technology to â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† for the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts by the end of the 2015-2016 school year. 3. To decrease crime and substance abuse among children, teens, and young adults in the community by providing a safe and inviting Learning Center where children can learn and grow as individuals and as a member of the community. 4. To advocate collaboration among young children, increase comprehension in reading, writing, math, and technology, increase communication skills, broaden cultural views, increase moral reasoning, and foster growth of cognitive abilities. 5. To increase the level of personal responsibility of children in the community. A.3 Three Keys to Success The Learning Center anticipates success of goals and objectives through three key functions: hiring staff members that are the right fit, empowering staff to create devotion and a passion for excellence, and strong collaboration with various clientele. Hiring exceptional staff members: Step Ahead Learning Center is an equal opportunity employer. The right employees will embrace the center’s mission, hold a degree in a field of study related to education, and embody strong communication skills with peers and young children. Empowerment: This creates a high level of devotion and passion to strive for excellence. Every interaction with a child and every lesson presented, taught, or pursued by a staff member will be done with the  highest goal in mind: integrating technology into a safe and inviting learning environment to increase comprehension of reading, writing, math, and technology concepts. Collaborating and communicating with others: Staff will interact with a variety of clientele including by not limited to children, parents, school board members, funders, benefactors, and other partners or agencies providing support and opportunities for the Learning Center. Every interaction with a person inside or outside the Learning Center will help the center to meet its objectives. B. Company Summary B.1 Industry History The area in which the center will be providing educational services is well developed with current educational services. The relationship between Step Ahead Learning Center and the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts is unprecedented. Each of the three school districts strongly recommend and encourage struggling (and none struggling) students to the services offered at the center based on staff credentials and comprehension standards. In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted to â€Å"ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards.† This act has increased the relationship between the three school districts and the Learning Center because schools are required to improve their performance to meet or exceed State standards. The Learning Center is providing extra assistance to students who need it in order for the schools to meet the expectation set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act. The primary purpose of the center is to ensure high-quality student comprehension of key concepts in Reading, Writing, and Math, aligning concepts with State academic standards so that progress against common core standards can be measured. There are several smaller businesses which strive to achieve the same vision, but one competitor has market share. For this competitor, one disadvantage is that Step Ahead Learning Center has a direct  relationship with the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts, they do not. An advantage this competitor has over Step Ahead is that they have built a reputation, having been in business for more than 30 years. This is the only other Learning Center in the area that meets an identical scope of the Step Ahead Learning Center. The secondary purpose of the center is to provide a rental revenue for professional or semi-professional events. There is a history of professional venues available at most large hotel chains. Several venues in the area meet the Center’s scope of a rental venue. B.2 Legal Form of Ownership Step Ahead Learning Center is incorporated in the state of Washington. The company is established as a 501(c) (3), which facilitates contributions from donors. A large majority of financing is raised internally or from charitable donations. Step Ahead Learning Center is governed by a board of twelve trustees. Independent contractors, if any, working for Step Ahead Learning Center will be held fully responsible for their own legal requirements, taxes, and expenses. A website, â€Å"stepaheadlearningcenter.com,† has been obtained by the company. This website is used as a marketing tool for the company and a source of information for parents/young adult children. B.3 Location and Facilities Step Ahead Tutoring Center is located in Kennewick, WA serving students in Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco school districts. The company will conduct business in a 10,500 square-foot space dedicated entirely to the operations of the business. Business licensure has been obtained from the City of Kennewick and fulfills any and all requirements to operate such a business. No legal issues or regulations in the city or state will now, or in the future, lessen the ability to operate in Kennewick or to conduct business from the named location. The building is equipped with general business equipment, including a high-tech computer system with Wi-Fi Internet connection, a cell phone for each staff member, Skype teleconferencing technology, and a company vehicle.  The center has two computer labs, each with 25 computers and a projector. Each computer has high speed Internet connection, Microsoft Office Home and Student, and several different purchased educational programs. The venue available for professional and semi-professional events is equipped with two computers and a projector. Each employee has a designated office with their own computer. The main teaching floor (lecture hall), each of the 5 computer labs, and each of the 3 private tutoring rooms have a projector. B.4 Management Structure Xxxxxx Xxxxx will perform Presidential duties and perform all management positions including, but not limited to, Business Development Manager, Communications/Public Relations Manager, and Project Manager. He is a certified teacher in the state of Washington with a BA Degree in Business Management / Marketing from the accredited online school Washington Governor’s University (WGU). He will handle marketing the benefits of the company’s education services to customers, human resource duties, and overseeing day to day operations. The one-on-one and group tutoring sessions will be the responsibility of four highly qualified and trained teachers. These employees are salaried and will receive a raise increase of 1% over the prior year’s pay (starting at $18,000 the first year). They will follow the company’s high standard of excellence in education that represents the local school districts and State’s required common core standard. Currently, the compan y has hired four teachers. Additional teachers can be added as deemed necessary by additional workload, meaning the company is growing. This organizational structure will meet the short-terms needs of the center, but long-term needs will require at least one receptionist and a general manager. The center plans to hire these two positions after the first 6 months of operation to reduce the work load of the teachers having to check-in students (or requiring parents to self-check-in) and the president having to oversee day-to-day operations. B.5 Products and Services The Common Core Standards in Washington state at the highest levels ever. Step Ahead Tutoring Center will use technology and hands-on methods to educate children ranging from Kindergarten to high school seniors. Students will be given additional tools and resources aligned with established school district procedures to help them succeed in school and in the future. The following services are offered by the Step Ahead Tutoring Center: Reading Tutoring: Academy of Reading, a program designed by EPS for students’ grades 2-12 (EPS Literacy and Intervention, 2014), will be used by a designated reading teacher. Sessions will be one hour in length in a group setting of no more than 10 students per one teacher. Students will log in to their account and begin working in the program. Teachers will introduce a lesson, review basic concepts, monitor progress, and view reports on each student daily to ensure progression. If teachers see a regression in progress, the student will be given a higher level of attention in the group setting. If this does not help the student improve, the student may be recommended to one-on-one tutoring sessions. Writing Tutoring: Writing Skills (2nd Edition), a program designed by EPS for students’ grades 2-12, will be used by a designed writing teacher. Writing Book A is for grades 2-4, Writing Book 1 is for grad es 5-6, Writing Book 2 is for grades 7-8, and Writing Book 3 is for grades 9-12. Students will be expected to complete one lesson every two sessions (with each session being one hour long with no more than 10 students in a group). If teachers see a regression in progress, the student will be given a higher level of attention in the group setting. If this does not help the student improve, the student may be recommended to one-on-one tutoring sessions. Math Tutoring: Academy of Math, a program designed by EPS for students’ grades 2-12, will be used by a designated math teacher. Sessions will be one hour in length in a group setting of no more than 10 students per one teacher. Students will log in to their account and begin working in the program. Teachers will introduce a lesson, review basic concepts, monitor progress, and view reports on each student daily to ensure progression. If teachers see a regression in progress, the student will be given a higher level of attention in the group setting. If this does not help the student improve, the student may be recommended to one-on-one tutoring sessions. One-on-one Services: An individualized one-on-one session can be scheduled with any of our four highly trained teachers in reading, writing, and/or math to ensure children are getting the help that  they need. Parents can enroll their child directly into a one-on-one session with a teacher for one session, or on a continual basis. A teacher may recognize that a student is struggling in a group atmosphere, making the recommendation that the child work in a one-on-one session until he/she shows signs of academic improvement. A one-on-one teacher will provide the student with assistance on their homework upon request. Venue Rental: Step Ahead Tutoring Center has a venue available for rent by outside parties for professional and semi-professional events such as guest speaking, presentations, meetings, etc. C. Market Analysis C.1 Target Market Step Ahead Tutoring Center’s primary target audience consists of mothers/fathers or grandparents of children enrolled in the Kennewick, Pasco, or Richland School Districts in grades 2-12. The primary target for the message is the parents/grandparents of students who are at or below State Common Core Standards in Reading, Writing, and Math. The secondary target for the message is the parents/grandparents of students who are at or above State Common Core Standards. Step Ahead Tutoring Center’s secondary audience consists of businesses and professionals, traveling and stationary, who require a venue to hold a professional or semi-professional meeting or event. The goal behind providing a venue for such meetings is to (1) gain exposure for the Tutoring Center, and (2) generate additional revenue for the operating expenses of the Tutoring Center. C.2 Industry Analysis Future trends that may affect the center’s efforts to educate students’ grades 2-12 in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts include: Basic education and Common Core Standards goals are met. An average of 85% of students in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts meet these standards. As the economy changes, the need for more highly educated and skilled workers will increase. The education and Common Core Standards goal and philosophy should be continually updated to reflect cultural and  economic needs. Expansion of Common Core Standards. A higher level of standards for students will mean updated training and certifications for staff, higher levels of work for students, and an increase in the number of students not meeting these standards, requiring extra attention. Mission, Goals, and Objectives creep. As the center gains momentum, other established or start-up business may use a similarly formatted mission statement for their company. It w ill be important for Step Ahead Tutoring Center to ensure the impact of the mission is not lessened by another groups’ participation in similar missions, goals, and objectives. Down time. The school year for the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts in from late August to the middle of June. During the summer months, summer school sessions take place around the area at various different school locations. There will be a significant decrease in the amount of students attending at the Tutoring Center during this time. The venue for rent by outside professional or semi-professional groups will help to offset costs during this time. Cash flow. During this down time during the summer months (middle of June to late August) there will be a decrease in revenues, resulting in the temporary release of two employees, or utilizing other rooms in the center for other uses, such as additional rental space. C.3 Competitive Analysis Competition for education services comes from several sources, the biggest competition being Sylvan Learning Center. According to the Sylvan Learning website, Sylvan offers tutoring in all levels for Math and Reading; they assess students’ needs and create a personal education development plan targeting select math and reading concepts; they offer their own technology for an engaging experience on the iPad; they also offer flexible schedules that fit any busy family schedule. To compete with Sylvan, Step Ahead will heavily market the availability of highly trained staff in each subject area, the inclusion of Writing concepts into the curriculum, the inclusion of technology in the administration of each subject to improve the child’s overall competence, and the partnership with the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts to ensure focus on helping students achieve proficient or advanced levels according to the State’s Common Core Standards. A second competitor is actually the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. Select schools are offering after school programs focused directly on helping students understand the material being taught in the class room. This program is free of charge to students who need the additional attention. This is not a requirement of the school nor is it being offered at every school for every grade level, primarily because the school board cannot fund these programs. While the teachers at Step Ahead can assist with solving homework problems, the focus is on administering Math, Reading, and Writing programs to provide additional concepts that will further the students comprehension in the subject. Another competitor is after school clubs such as the YMCA or Boys and Girls Club of America. These programs are great for children who are succeeding in school and do not require additional attention to meet the State’s Common Core Standards. They provide children with the opportunity to play and interact with other children their own age while being supervised in a safe environment. At Step Ahead, students are being supervised in a safe environment, but they are also learning and growing their minds. A marketing approach to be taken by Step Ahead is that children who require additional help should be enrolled in an â€Å"afterschool program† such as Step Ahead where they will spend time immersed in educational programs. Competition from hotels or reception buildings that host weddings, receptions, and other private events are not considered. In general, the rental of the venue at Step Ahead is not the primary objective, thus marketing the venue against competition is not pursued. While Word of Mouth marketing will be the primary marketing strategy for the venue, the goal is that the income generated by rental of the venue will help cover operating costs of the center. Many people in the area see the need for private and semi-private educational assistant with all grade levels in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. The main trigger for this realization is the lack of students meeting the States Common Core Standards. With awareness of this issue increasing, there is a positive and a negative for Step Ahead. The  positive is that more children will be enrolled into private and semi-private educational services, which means a possible increase in enrollment for Step Ahead, resulting in increased revenue and possible future growth of the business. The negative is that more schools, groups, or qualified individuals will begin to offer more private and semi-private educational services, which means an increase in competition for Step Ahead. D. Market Strategy D.1 The 4 P’s Pricing: The pricing strategy used to determine a price for the services provided by Step Ahead was a variation of Penetration Pricing and Predatory Pricing. Penetration Pricing is when a company sets their prices low to attract customers and gain market share, and then raises the prices once they have a large market share. Step Ahead used the first half of this strategy, which is setting prices low to attract customers and gain market share. Predatory Pricing is known as an aggressive strategy, intended to drive competitors from the market. Step Ahead is not interested in becoming market leader and running other companies out of business. The goal is simply to educate children and raise comprehension to the State Common Core Standard level, while covering expenses. In regard to the mission of the center, profitability is not the number one goal. Profitability, however, is still required in order to continue and expand the business, increasing efforts in providing higher levels of ed ucational services to children. The venue rental prices were set depending on cost of utilities used during these times, the cost of having a Step Ahead staff member on the premises during the event, and generating revenue for covering operating costs of the center. Product: As described previously, the service provided by Step Ahead Learning Center is additional education services. A profound need for higher levels of comprehension and Common Core concept teaching is found in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. Because of this need, the center will offer tutoring sessions at different times throughout the day Monday thru Saturday. Highly trained and qualified teachers will teach one-on-one and semi-private groups (no more than 10 students) on concepts aligning with the State’s Common Core Standards in Reading, Writing, and  Math. Academy of Math, Academy of Reading, and Writing Skills (2nd Edition) are programs distributed through EPS for use by teachers to improve struggling students com prehension in the concepts of Reading, Writing, and Math. The teachers at Step Ahead are trained on these programs and will monitor students’ use of these programs to ensure the highest quality comprehension and learning. A one-on-one teacher will assist a student with their homework upon request, a Reading teacher, Writing teacher, or Math teacher will not provide assistance with homework. Promotion: Promoting education services to mothers, fathers, and grandparents (even college age students with younger brothers or sisters) has been primarily easy. A quality education is easy to market, and if a parent or relative sees that a child is struggling with their education, the first option to consider is additional education services. Methods for promoting the services offered at Step Ahead Tutoring Center include radio advertisements, television commercials, flyers, word-of-mouth, direct mail, Facebook, and blogs. The primary channel for promoting the center is the partnership with the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Secretaries, and Principals can promote Step Ahead through word-of-mouth marketing. Flyers posted at each of the schools on a main bulletin board at the front office, or an informational pamphlet sent home with a student’s report card can promote Step Ahead. The biggest promotion for the center to date is the planned grand opening scheduled for August 2014. This event is geared to be a celebration of education and it will include students, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, principals, donors, and any member of the community devoted to the success of children in their education. Promotion for the event will include television and radio advertisements, flyers, and direct mail to all households in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. A promotional tool to be used will be brochures. These informational  brochures will be given at every consultation, will be available at the front desk, and will be sent to every school is the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. The information in this brochure will cover the mission, goals, and objectives of the center, the location of the center with hours of operation, contact information, and session times, a breakdown of cost compared to competitors, and information regarding the highly trained and certified teacher staff. Another promotional tool is a fully functional website for the center. It will include all the information placed in the brochure, plus much more. A staff directory will be included along with links to different online educational tools (learning games, Common Core Standard guides, school board information, school websites, etc.). The website URL is: stepaheadlearningcenter.com. Place (Distribution): Points of distribution for information about the services provided by the Step Ahead Learning Center are found (1) on site in each computer lab, at the front desk, and in the venue, (2) on the website (stepaheadlearningcenter.com), and (3) by phone call or direct mail. All promotional efforts for the Step Ahead Tutoring Center are targeted geographically to reach households in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. While select publications will reach locations outside the intended geographic area, a requirement to enroll in the learning center is enrollment in either the Kennewick, Pasco, or Richland school district. Any enrollment requests received for a student residing outside of these school district boundaries will be referred to a learning center (or equivalent) in their area. D.2 Price List The following prices are for services offered at Step Ahead Tutoring Center. Prices listed are per session. The following prices are for rental of the venue for professional and semi-professional events at the Step Ahead Tutoring Center. D.3 Selling Strategy There are many strengths of the center including: the location in the center of the three school districts which provides easier access for the families living in the area, highly trained and certified teacher staff, and a true focus in further educating students to help achieve the goals listed in the Common Core Standards set forth by the State of Washington. More companies and small business are requiring their employees, vested and entry level, to have a degree or some form of education beyond high school. The center’s mission is to increase the level of education in the area, increasing the number of educated young adults entering the work force. Goal: Further the education in children to assist with increasing the percentage of students testing â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† as defined by Washington State Common Core Standards to 65% by 2016, 70% by 2018, 75% by 2020, 80% by 2021, and 85% by 2022 (and to continually maintain an average of 85% or better). A milestone for this goal, set in 2001 after the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act† was initiated, was achieved in 2011: 50% of students within the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts will test â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† in 10 years. Goal: Record, edit, and publish four videos to be posted on the Step Ahead Learning Center website. The videos will show how the teacher staff at the center teaches private and semi-private groups the concepts of Reading, Writing, and Math using technology to administer helpful programs. An HD recorded and latest editing software will be used to capture and edit the videos. The videos will be uploaded to the website by January 2015. Goal: Produce the Information Brochure mentioned earlier to be distributed to Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts and to be sent out by direct mail to households within the school district boundaries. 10,000 brochures should be produced and distributed by the end of September 2014 after the first Washington State Assessment test is administered to every student in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. D.4 Sales Forecast Step Ahead operates under a fiscal calendar year of August 1 to July 31. Following figures are based on expected market conditions. The two year totals are: Fundraising $27,000, Learning Center Sales Revenue $359,000, Venue Rental Revenue $53,400, and Funding from Donors $126,000. It is estimated that fundraising will continue at its current momentum of $5,000 for year one, and increase to $6,000 per month for year two. It is estimated that the center’s sales revenues will increase as the goals and objectives of the center become better known by the residents of the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts. The forecasted two year revenue for Step Ahead Tutoring Center is $565,400. E. Implementation Strategy E.1 Overall Strategy The center will benefit from its location in the city. It is easily accessible by everyone in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland School District Boundaries. The grand opening will be the official launch of the business, set to take place this year in late summer, early fall (2014). During the event, there will be an open house where anyone from the community can take self-tours of the building, viewing all computer labs, reception area, and rental venue. Demonstration tutoring sessions will be taking place during the duration of the event with 10 children who were asked to simulate an actual classroom environment. There will alo be a registration at the reception area for those families that feel their student will benefit from tutoring sessions at the center and wants to sign up immediately. Fundraising will be taking place each month, with the money going to different projects or needs of the center. The fundraiser during August 2014 will be â€Å"First Day Back School Supplies.† Many different businesses from the area have donated back-to-school supplies to the center with the intent that the center would sell these items to raise money for the center. Every Monday thru Saturday in August, back-to-school supplies will be for sale at the center, with registration taking place at the same time. The items that will be on sale for the fundraiser include: Ruled/Unruled Notebook Paper (100 sheets): $1.00 Three-Ring Spiral Notebook (75 sheets): $1.50 Composition Notebook (100 sheets): $2.00 Pencils (package of 10): $2.00 Pens (package of 10): $2.00 Erasers (package of 4): $2.50 Pencil Pouch: $5.00 Three-Ring Binder (1†): $3.00 Backpack: $20.00 Evaluating the success of the center will be determined by two factors: did the business meet the financial goal to be considered a financial success, and did the percentage of students in the Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland school districts test â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† meet the set goal. E.2 Implementation Grand opening date for the Step Ahead Tutoring Center: August 1, 2014. The following is a list of items to be completed and a date that they must be completed by. Scheduled Item Target Completion Date Hire staff Math Teacher Reading Teacher Writing Teacher Private Tutor Teacher Complete Invitation list for grand opening Prepared Invites sent out July 1, 2014 Purchase EPS programs Install programs on each computer Ensure full functionality July 5, 2014 Create 10,000 brochures Deliver adequate amounts to each school in the districts Mail to cover school district boundaries July 10, 2014 Teacher Schedules Create Publish July 15,2014 August 2014 Fundraiser Obtain donated materials from local businesses Send out announcements Ensure staffing plan July 20, 2014 Grand Opening Event August 1, 2014 E.3 Control Plan The overall success of the Step Ahead Tutoring Center will be measured by: (1) the business’ ability to sustain its own operations through Sales, Venue Rental, Fundraising, and Donor Contributions, and (2) the percentage of students who test â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† according the Washington State Common Core Standards is at goal. The following is a table representing student enrollment and the percentage of students â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† from 2001 to 2013. From 2014 to 2022 is a projection of expected student enrollment and how many students will have to test â€Å"at grade level† or â€Å"above grade level† to meet the goal. The milestones set by Washington State are listed in bold. Enrollment Students At/Above Grade Level Year # of Students # of Students % of Students (Actual) % of Students (Goal) 2001 36,540 11,345 31% 50% 2002 35,400 10,456 30% 50% 2003 36,480 11,597 32% 50% 2004 37,919 12,679 33% 50% 2005 39,010 14,044 36% 50% 2006 41,111 15,622 38% 50% 2007 39,524 16,995 43% 50% 2008 38,125 16,775 44% 50% 2009 39,867 18,737 47% 50% 2010 42,985 21,063 49% 50% 2011 43,798 21,899 50% 50% 2012 40,288 22,561 56% 55% 2013 40,210 24,930 62% 60% 2014 41,014 25,429 62% 62% 2015 42,224 26,601 63% 63% 2016 45,914 29,844 65% 65% 2017 39,174 26,638 68% 68% 2018 38,765 27,136 70% 70% 2019 40,255 29,386 73% 73% 2020 39,782 29,837 75% 75% 2021 38,579 30,863 80% 80% 2022 43,814 37,242 85% 85% The first milestone, achieving a 50% pass rate by 2011 as determined by the Washington State Common Core Standards, was set in 2001 following the initation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This milestone was achieved. The second milestone will occur when a 65% pass rate has been achieved. Annual tracking (using a table such as this) will allow measurement of progress so marketing can be adjusted to the needs of the students in the area. There are several benefits of the center, including the monthly contributions from donors in the area who share the same dedication in seeing children succeed in education. Successful fundraising will raise $52,000 in the first two years to cover the daily operations of the center, including utilities and salaries. Rental fees are determined by the cost of utilities and salary during the reservation of the venue for a professional or semi-professional event. F. Financial Statement and Projections F.1 Revenue and Cost Estimate The following is a projection for the Step Ahead Tutoring Center’s first year in business: F.2 Forecasted Profit and Loss Statement The following is a projection for the Step Ahead Tutoring Center’s first year in business. Sales Revenues include Fundraising, Venue Rental, Sales, and Donor Contributions. Expenses include Utilities, Software, and Salaries (four teachers and owner), starting in August 2014. F.3 Forecasted Balance Sheet The following reports the Projected Balance Sheet for Step Ahead Tutoring Center after their first year of business: G. Financial Report G.1 Financial Projections The assumptions made in estimating the projected revenues in the prior section was based on expert judgement from past fundraising experience, anticipated demand for venue rental (based on community interest), and the cost of each private and semi-private tutoring session. Outside donor contributions are consistent each month during the first year and second year of operations. Projections for fixed expenses (Utilities) came from estimates provided by the building architect. G.1a Breakeven Point The following shows that the Step Ahead Tutoring Center will achieve a breakeven point in the fifth month of the first year. G.1b Financial Position After analyzing the estimated revenues and expenses for the first year, the company will be in a good financial position at the conclusion of operations on July 31, 2015. During the first year, the center will have $50,900 in revenue. The center would not be self-sustaining without the contributions from donors and the fundraising efforts. Sales are in line for the needs of the center during the first year. After successfully launching a website for the center and continual marketing efforts throughout the year, great awareness and a strong reputation will be build by the end of the firsr year. During the second year, further sales growth is planned with the addition of two staff members and the need to purchase replacement utilities along with additional software programs. The center will be self-sustaining without the requirement of donor contributions and fundraising efforts during the second year. G.1c Capital/Investment Needs The company will receive a $10,000 Capital Investment from Xxxxxx Xxxxx to assist with marketing the launch of the center. Step Ahead Learning Center’s website and email program have been developed prior to company planning by the owner. Using â€Å"in-house† resources to develop a product is much less  expensive then contracting the work through an outside vendor. The center is seeking a total of $20,000 to complete a fifth fully functioning computer lab (computers, projector, chairs, desks) plus on-going contributions to further assist with the incorporation of advancing technology. Donors should be prideful in knowing they helped create a better community through the higher education of children in the area, helping thousands of children to have a better future, allowing them to enter the work force better educated with high, attainable goals. References Ginsburg, Leinward, and Decker. (n.d.). Office of superintendent of public instruction. Retrieved from http://www.k12.wa.us/CoreStandards/Mathematics U.S. department of education. (2010). Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html EPS literacy and intervention. (2014). Retrieved from https://eps.schoolspecialty.com/ Sylvan learning. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.sylvanlearning.com/